Have We Already Seen the Best Summer Video Games
We went back to see Captain America: Civil War this last weekend and were surprised at how well the movie holds up. We also dove into Uncharted 4, a game which promises an amazing storyline, astounding graphics, great gameplay, and the opportunity to embarrass myself with my predictions for the game. While we’re loving how awesome the game and movie were, we find ourselves wondering if we haven’t seen the best game and movie we’re likely to see all summer. Sure, there’re games, movies, and shows to look forward to this summer, but are they really going to be better than what we’ve already seen? We’re excited about a lot of things coming out this summer, but also a little worried. Here are four summer video games, shows and movies we’re looking forward to….and why we’re worried about them.
Much like Nathan Drake, we’re not sure what all we have left to look forward to this summer.
What We’re Excited About: No Man’s Sky
Next month, we’ll finally see No Man’s Sky, which has to be the most anticipated game of 2016. The game promises an enormous (practically endless) universe for gamers to explore and the amazing graphics we’ve already seen look really inviting. The most impressive scenes always involve exploring worlds populated by randomly generated creatures, then hoping into your ship and flying seamlessly to any world that interests you. We saw an impressive demo on The Late Show a few months ago and we’ve been excited about this game for at least a year.
Why We’re Nervous
As good as No Man’s Sky looks, we’re a little unclear about what’s going to bring us back to this world for weeks and weeks (and we’re not the only ones). Sure, a game that has this much potential to impress also has great potential to disappoint, but without cooperative play, loot to hunt, or any plot to speak of, we’re not sure why we’d keep playing the game. Everyone we’ve seen seems to really like playing the game for the ten minutes it’s demoed, but are we still going to return to it after a week?
We hope this game is as awesome as we expect it to be…but is there any way this game can live up to our expectations??
What We’re Excited About: Season Two of Wayward Pines
Wayward Pines was an amazing show last year. Between this show and The Visit, 2015 was a remarkable year for M. Night Shyamalan. Matt Dillon played a Secret Service agent investigating a murder in an unusual little town harboring several deep secrets. The entire cast was great and the revelations from week to week kept us coming back. The show also had a terrific ability to laugh at itself, like when Matt Dillon improbably assumes the sheriff’s role after killing the sheriff (“I guess when you kill someone in this town, you get their job” he intones).
Why We’re Nervous:
No, it’s not Jason Patric that we’re worried about; much like Matt Dillon, he can be an amazing actor when he wants to be. We’re nervous because Wayward Pines worked well by raising the stakes from episode to episode. The show started as story about an odd community with a dark secret and evolved into something much more complex. Each week the entire premise of the show changed radically as more was revealed. Now that we know the secrets of Wayward Pines, will the little city still be as compelling without its sense of mystery?
M. Night Shyamalan’s known for making (some) good movies but not a lot of good sequels. But wouldn’t it be an awesome twist of season 2 was also pretty good?
What We’re Excited About: Suicide Squad
There are a lot of movies we’re excited to see this summer, but the movie we’re still the most excited about has to be Suicide Squad. The movie focuses on a team of imprisoned supervillains conscripted into service for the US government. While Jared Leto’s Joker is getting a lot of attention, we expect that Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn is going to steal the show. Heck, we’re just excited to be thrilled about a Will Smith movie for the first time since Men in Black 2.
Why We’re Nervous:
After Batman Vs. Superman, it’s hard not to be nervous about the direction DC is taking with their movies. While Marvel movies like Deadpool and Captain America: Civil War have found ways to be both dramatic and fun, DC seems very invested in keeping their movies as dark and depressing as possible. Hopefully, Suicide Squad will realize that it’s time to bury the Christopher Nolan notion that superheroes need to be as dark and serious as possible. It’s time to see superpowered heroes (and villains) enjoy themselves again, and we’re hoping Suicide Squad delivers just that.
What a team! There’s a Terminator, a Die Hard, a Robocop, and a Man In Black. How could this go wrong?
What We’re Excited About: The Witcher 3 DLC: Blood and Wine
The Witcher 3 was our favorite game of 2015 and the DLC that followed it was expansive and deeply immersive. Geralt is one of our favorite video game characters and there are few titles that offer such deep gameplay, enormous worlds to explore, and fascinating characters. The second round of DLC drops soon and we’re pretty excited about it. The DLC promises additional (and beautiful) areas to explore, new characters to interact with, and – we imagine – new opportunities for romance.
Why We’re Nervous:
Because…..well, we’re not really all that nervous. The Witcher is about the safest bet in video games these days. While other franchises seems to have stalled out in quality (*AHEM*), the Witcher has always delivered. There were some elements in the previous DLC that we didn’t like, such as a lengthy battle with a large frog and the worst voice acting we’ve seen from the amazing Doug Cockle as a uncharacteristically emotionally expressive Geralt. But this DLC looks beautiful and the game promises a lot of content. Sure, we’re always hesitant to get too excited about anything, but the opportunity to return to Geralt’s world promises to be a lot of fun this summer.
We can’t wait to return to Geralt’s world this summer.
