NYCC 2016: Quick Looks

Though this year’s NYCC has been a little lighter on games than years past, there’s still plenty of interactive entertainment on the show floor. We’ve got more hands-on previews to share with you, so read on for our quick thoughts on a few upcoming games!

Kingdom Hearts 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue

When the line for your game is so long that people can’t find the back of it, you know you’ve got something special on your hands. The clumsily-named Kingdom Hearts 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue contains three separate pieces of content: an HD remaster of Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, a new episode set after the events of Birth by Sleep, and a one-hour movie that provides additional insight into the Foretellers. From what I can tell, the remaster of Dream Drop Distance feels very much like the original release did, and the fresh coat of graphical paint makes things look very nice indeed. Diehard series fans will likely find enough content in this collection to justify its $60 price point, but the same enthusiasm may not come as readily to everyone else.

Kingdom Hearts 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue will be released exclusively on PlayStation 4 on January 12th in Japan, with the rest of the world getting it two weeks later.

Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2

More fighting games! Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 builds on the fast-paced action of the first game, and plays very similarly to its predecessor as well. Major changes and improvements in this sequel include a much larger hub world, a more player-influenced story line, and deeper, more technical gameplay. Given your ability to move and fly around in a fully-3D space, battles are often much more flashy than most other fighting games, though admittedly it’s all a bit too chaotic for my tastes. If you enjoyed the first Xenoverse game, you’ll probably like this one as well; they’re pretty similar to each other.

Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 launches on Xbox One, PS4, and PC later this month, with North America getting it first on October 25th.

Battlefield 1

Tucked away in its own space far from the rest of the video games, I really didn’t expect Battlefield 1 to make an appearance. As you may know, this game takes the “war-is-hell” experience of the Battlefield franchise and applies it to World War I. In progressing onward from Battlefield 4, developer DICE expanded on the franchise’s strengths in lots of key ways. In addition to the usual litany of era-appropriate weaponry, melee combat has been reworked, and vehicles play a more important role than ever. Now, you can pilot horses, biplanes, and even massive floating zeppelins that hover ominously overhead. More intense weather interruptions and environmental destruction add to the chaos, and you can bet that a crashing zeppelin absolutely decimates the field of play.

At its core, though, it’s still a Battlefield game. It’s complex and strategic above all else, and you’ll need to coordinate with teammates in order to find consistent success. I’m not as intrinsically good at this kind of multiplayer as I am with something like Halo or Overwatch, but I’ll definitely keep it on my radar as the holiday release season kicks into high gear. If nothing else, this game makes a pretty explosive case for casual players to give the franchise another go, and that must be music to EA’s ears.

Battlefield 1 arrives on Xbox One, PS4, and PC on October 21st.