GamersPack’s most anticipated 2015: Shooters

Evolve

Developer: Turtle Rock Studios

Publisher: 2K Games

Release date: February 10 (PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC)

Evolve is one monster of a game. It revolves around a group of hunters trying their best to rid a newly colonized planet of pesky wildlife. Unfortunately for them, the wildlife fights back. Players will take the roles of either the hunters or a gigantic monster and play against each other in 4v1 matches. Both sides are a ton of fun to play, and we really enjoyed working together as a team to take down the beast, or playing as that best and decimate the hunters one by one. The game recently drew some fire thanks to an iffy DLC plan, but after playing a few rounds with the core hunters and monsters, we can safely say Evolve is going to be the one of the biggest and most fun shooters of 2015.

The Order: 1886

Developer: Ready at Dawn

Publisher: Sony

Release date: February 20 (PlayStation 4)

In The Order: 1886 you get to shoot werewolves in the face with weapons inspired by Nikola Tesla’s inventions. You can see why you’re excited to play this one. Yes, we played a lot of cover-based-shooter in recent years, but The Order: 1886’s setting and characters help it stand out. Some might say this is the PlayStation’s answer to the Gears of War series, and we are totally, completely ok with that.You play as a knight of the round table trying to protect humanity from a dangerous spices of half-breeds that threaten to wipe it out. So basically you’re a knight that shoots werewolves in the face with lightning in 19th century London.

Killing Floor 2

Developer: Tripwire Interactive

Publisher: Tripwire Interactive

Release date: March 2015 (PlayStation 4, PC)

Do you like flesh-eating mutants? Do you like dismembering said flesh-eating mutants? Then look no further than Killing Floor 2, Tripwire Interactive’s second installment in their mod-turned-standalone franchise. Among other features we can expect fully-dismemberable enemies, persistent blood stains, an improved class system, enhanced “Zed Time” and a whole lot of carnage. Releasing on PS4 as well as PC, this one is a title we’ve been excited for since Gamescom 2014.

Halo 5: Guardians

Developer: 343 Industries

Publisher: Microsoft

Release date: Fall 2015 (Xbox One)

The franchise that defined the console FPS is back for a fifth entry. We’re mostly interested in this one because it is the first game in the main series to not star the famous Master Chief, but rather Spartan Locke. Locke first appeared in the webseries Halo: Nightfall, and in Halo 5 he is hunting down Master Chief who has gone AWOL. After 343 Industries stuck to the familiar Halo formula in Halo 4, it would be a nice change of pace to play as a different character in a hopefully fresh experience. The story so far seems to be interesting, or at least new, and of course we still have all that Halo multiplayer we know and love. There’s no denying Halo 5: Guardians will be one of the biggest exclusives of the year.

Star Wars: Battlefront

Developer: DICE

Publisher: EA

Release date: Holiday 2015 (PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC)

The Battlefront series is back thanks to DICE, a developer mostly known for the Battlefield series. There’s not a lot more we can say about this game at this point, except that a shooter based in the Star Wars universe by the folks who created one of the most successful FPS franchises sounds like a match made in gamer heaven. So far we know Star Wars: Battlefront will take place on the ice planet Hoth and the forest moon Endor, but we’ve yet to see any gameplay footage from the game. We probably will pretty soon though, since the game is scheduled to be released this holiday season, so expect a big reveal in E3 2015 or sooner.

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege

Developer: Ubisoft Montreal

Publisher: Ubisoft

Release date: TBA 2015 (PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC)

Rainbow Six Siege goes back to the Rainbow Six we knew before the likes of Vegas and Lockdown. Focusing on multiplayer rather than a linear single-player campaign, Siege brings back the tactical aspect many fans missed in the later entries in the franchise. As members of the highly trained counter-terrorist forces, players will team up to breach a terrorist stronghold filled with bad guys and hostages. In a series first, a second team of players will take the role of the terrorists, attempting to take down the Rainbow Six unit before they rescue everyone. With destructive environments, gameplay that encourages teamwork and many unannounced modes, Rainbow Six Siege looks to be a lot of multiplayer fun and a gratifying shooter based on skill.

Tom Clancy’s The Division

Developer: Ubisoft Massive

Publisher: Ubisoft

Release date: TBA 2015 (PlayStation, Xbox One, PC)

The Division is one of those games that keep eluding us. We expected it last year, and even though it still doesn’t have a solid release date, we’re hoping to get to play it towards the end of 2015. Getting to explore the open world of a post-plague New York City, taking it back little by little from bandits, marauders and other nasty people, seems like an immersive and fun experience that will last us through the winter. The game’s MMO elements, such as human squad members or opponents, add another layer to combat and interaction with the world. Plus, thanks to the Snowdrop engine, The Division will be a truly breath-taking game; as long as Ubisoft doesn’t decide to downgrade the graphics in the last minute.