With the new year now well underway, Bandwidth Blog reveals their top 5 most anticipated games of 2016.

The holidays may be over but that doesn’t mean you can’t look forward to your next gaming session with that oh so anticipated title! In the spirit of the new year, new starts and all that jazz, we take a look at the most anticipated gaming titles expected in 2016. Some might end up being delayed but that hasn’t dampened our geeky enthusiasm! Let’s take a look at our Top 5 most anticipated games for 2016.

mafia-3Mafia 3 ““ PC, PS4, Xbox One (Q1 2016)

Absolutely love this franchise! The guys over at 2K games are planning another hit sequel to the original classic Mafia game. You play a black lead character in a 60s, in a moody New Orleans setting, dealing with the after effects of the Vietnam War. Sounds very interesting and moves a bit away from the classic Chicago-Italian mafia setting. The gameplay will be focused around gun-play but will allow for various stealth and melee opportunities. Following in the footsteps of other 3rd person shooters the game also features a cover system, allowing players to take cover behind objects to avoid enemy gunfire. However, the Mafia games have always won fans over with their engrossing plots and story telling. Jury is still out, hopefully not getting whacked by the mafia!

hitman-the-returnHitman: The Return ““ PC, PS4, Xbox One

Here is another popular franchise sequel. Even though Hitman: Absolution was a bit of a hit and miss affair, this latest installment promises to bring back the nostalgic gameplay that made Hitman: Blood Money such an amazing title. The developers will return to the large levels, open-ended assassinations and the potential to make your various killings look like accidents. Square Enix has taken the best thing from Hitman: Absolution, its Contract mode, and applied it to this new murder sandbox. So, in between the targets set by Square Enix, you can explore the sandbox and pick your own targets and challenge your friends to murder them, too. You can apply restrictions like “˜No guns‘ and “˜No witnesses‘ to increase the challenge. Can’t wait for this one.

dark-souls-3Dark Souls 3 ““ PC, PS4, Xbox One

Widely known as the most difficult gaming franchise known to man (probably also the most addictive) the Dark Souls creators will release the third installment this year. The gothic themed action-adventure title is set in a 3rd-person perspective, similar to previous titles. According to director Hidetaka Miyazaki, the game’s gameplay design “follows closely from Dark Souls II“. Players are equipped with a variety of weapons including shortbows, explosives like fire bombs, greatswords and dual-wielding swords to fight against enemies, and shields that can be used to deflect an enemies’ attack and protect the player from suffering damage. And of course death is inevitable…

no-mans-skyNo Man’s Sky ““ PC, PS4, Xbox One

This game has been hyped from early last year and we will finally see what all the fuss is about in a couple of months. No Man’s Sky is a jaw-dropping space simulation that gives you your very own procedurally generated planet to explore, full of odd creatures and distinctive sights. And at any time, you can fly your ship into the stars and drop in on other users’ planets as well (check out the gameplay video). Many expected the title to land around Christmas this year, but the developers wanted to make sure they introduced a polished game to their customers. It looks amazing, but can it really live up to the surprising hype?

Mass-effect-andromedaMass Effect: Andromeda ““ PC, PS4, Xbox One

What? Commander Sheppard is back? Nope, the upcoming Mass Effect title from EA will throw you into the vastness of the Mass Effect universe. The new title set well after the earlier trilogy, in the titular galaxy, and will use the Frostbite 3 engine to power “exciting new worlds, great characters, and intense action,” says EA. We don’t know a ton more than that for now, but hey, that’s a promising start. The hugely popular Mass Effect series came to fame with its science fiction action role-playing third person shooter video game centered around  a soldier named Commander Shepard, whose mission is to save the galaxy from a race of powerful mechanical beings known as the Reapers and their agents. Mass Effect: Andromeda will build on this carefully created universe. We have probably missed a ton of other very cool upcoming titles, so please feel free to comment with your most anticipated game of 2016. Follow Jaco on Twitter: @Jaco_vdWalt