World of Final Fantasy Box Art

World of Final Fantasy is a role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix for PlayStation 4 and Vita, with cross-save enabled between the two systems. It follows twin siblings Lann and Reyne who journey through the world of Grymoire on a quest to recover their lost memories.

The game is said to be more accessible to younger players, and features stylized “chibi” characters and monsters. The battles use the ATB system that Final Fantasy players will be familiar with, but there’s also an added strategic element of stacking monsters on top of each other to create powerful monster towers.

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Sid Meier’s Civilization VI Box Art
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    Oct 21, 2016

Sid Meier’s Civilization VI is an upcoming installment in Firaxis’ highly popular turn-based strategy game series. It uses the same hexagonal grid as its predecessor and brings back many mechanics introduced in Civ 5’s two expansions such as religion, trade routes, archaeology, and tourism.

The numerous changes brought by Civ 6 include multiple-tile cities with districts in which improvements are built, the ability to group certain units together (such as a warrior with a settler), active technology research that rewards exploration, and more. Some of these improvements should make the game less tedious: for example, workers are replaced by builders, which create improvements instantly, but have a limited number of charges and disband upon finishing their tasks.

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Dragon Ball: Xenoverse 2 Box Art

Xenoverse 2 is an upcoming Dragon Ball game developed by Dimps and published by Bandai. Much like its predecessor, it combines action, fighting, and RPG elements, and features an online hub where players can shop, fight, and undertake quests. The new hub, Conton City, is now seven times larger and supports up to 300 players on the same server. Players can get around using hover boards, and it is also possible to fly in certain areas after acquiring the ability to do so.

Plot-wise, the sequel takes place two years after the events of the first Xenoverse. Player joins the Time Patrol as a fresh recruit and fights to prevent villains from altering the Dragon Ball history. This time they also get to jump back in time to infiltrate Frieza’s army and even try to become the Cosmic Emperor.

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Persona 5 Box Art

Persona 5 is a role-playing game developed by Atlus for PlayStation 3 & 4. It follows a 16-year-old protagonist who is transferred to a high school in Tokyo after being put on probation for assaulting a stalker. He and several other students awaken their Persona powers and form a group called the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, the goal of which is to steal ill intent from the hearts of corrupt adults and reform them.

Just like its predecessors, Persona 5 takes place over the course of one year, with lots of events and side activities. The game’s main themes are freedom and justice in the modern society.

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FIFA 17 Box Art

FIFA 17 is the latest soccer title from the experienced sports game developer EA Canada. It features significant changes and improvements over its predecessor, first and foremost being the switch from Ignite to the more advanced Frostbite graphics engine. Another big addition is The Journey mode, in which the player assumes the role of Premier League’s next rising star, Alex Hunter. While it plays just like the Be A Pro mode on the field, there also are scripted events with multiple dialogue options.

As a result of a fan vote, FIFA 17 now features Marco Reus of Borussia Dortmund on its cover. The other potential candidates were Anthony Martial (Manchester United), James Rodríguez (Real Madrid), and Eden Hazard (Chelsea); these football ambassadors participated in motion capture and helped make the game more realistic.

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NHL 17 Box Art

According to EA Canada, their latest NHL installment brings three new game modes (Draft Champions, World Cup of Hockey, and Franchise Mode) and adds a plethora of improvements to existing ones. Fan-favorite EASHL gets a Player Rank progression system for earning customization items, a Team Editor, and an Arena Creator which is also usable in the Franchise Mode. There also are changes to gameplay mechanics such as Net Battles for offensive and defensive zone play, or the new Reactionary Save Intelligence aimed at making goaltending more realistic.

NHL 17 features Vladimir Tarasenko as its cover athlete. The St. Louis Blues forward was chosen after a fan vote on NHL.com and Twitter, where more than six million votes were cast in total.

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WWE 2K17 Box Art

WWE 2K17 is a wrestling game developed Yuke’s and Visual Concepts and published by 2K Sports for current- and last-gen consoles. The upcoming title offers more responsive gameplay, introduces a new secondary submission system, features updated Ladders and Taunts, and adds thousands of new animations (source). WWE 2K17 also brings back playable backstage and crowd areas, something the fans have been asking for quite a while.

Four-time WWE World Heavyweight Champion, former UFC Heavyweight Champion, and decorated NCAA Division I Heavyweight Wrestling Champion Brock Lesnar is featured on the game’s cover.

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