“Mirror’s Edge Catalyst”
EA
There are hundreds of first-person games. 99% of those games are shooters, where your first-person view is that of a gun, maybe a hand, and a wide array of enemies with which to employ said gun on. It’s a formula that’s been done to death, but “Mirror’s Edge” pushes back on it in the best way possible.
Rather than a gun, you’re a human being employing fancy acrobatics to escape (and occasionally disarm/stun) enemies, many of which are wielding guns. If you stop to fight, their guns will win. So, instead? RUN! FASTER!
Release Date: May 24, 2016
Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC
“Edge of Nowhere”
Insomniac Games
In this virtual reality game for the Oculus Rift, you play as Victor Howard: a man on an expedition in Antarctica to find his missing wife Ava Thorne.
What starts as a straightforward action-adventure game soon turns towards the supernatural. The twist begins as the game’s main character “ventures deeper into a dark monstrous world where reality warps and twists around him. Desperate to find the one he loves, Victor must encounter disturbing creatures and climb sheer cliff walls as he descends further into madness.” Sounds like a blast!
Platform: Oculus Rift (PC)
Release date: June 6
“Trials of the Blood Dragon”
Ubisoft
Ubisoft, publisher of the “Assassin’s Creed” series (among many others), has a penchant for the very weird every now and again. “Trials of the Blood Dragon” is a great example of this sporadic bizarreness. It combines the “Trials” franchise — known for 2D motorcross trial racing — and the “Blood Dragon” sub-series (from the bigger “Far Cry” franchise) into a mélange of neon pink and motorbike racing. If the image above doesn’t say it all, we’re not sure what else could.
Release date: June 13, 2016
Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC
“Mighty No. 9”
Comcept
If you’ve ever played and loved a “Mega Man” game, then “Mighty No. 9” is right up your alley. It’s the spiritual successor to “Mega Man,” created by the father of “Mega Man” (Keiji Inafune) after his rocky departure from his former publisher, Capcom. Since Inafune doesn’t have the rights to his “Mega Man” creation, he’s crafted a new character that’s eerily similar.
Release Date: June 21, 2016
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii U, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo 3DS
“Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE”
Atlus
Tech Insider’s resident JRPG (Japanese role-playing game) fan Alex Perry explains “Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE” as such:
“Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE” combines the enormously popular “Shin Megami Tensei” and “Fire Emblem” franchises into a super-stylish turn-based JRPG. In it, you use the power of Japanese pop music to save the world from demons in your quest to become the hottest new pop idol.
Release date: June 24, 2016
Platforms: Wii U
“Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens”
TT Games
What do you do in “Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens”? Much of the same stuff you’ve done in other Lego games! It’s a third-person action game strung together by a rich thread of silly jokes. More importantly, the game offers a Lego-ized version of “The Force Awakens” world where you can play as your favorite hero or villain.
Better yet? There’s some additional story content that will help fill in more of the story between “The Force Awakens” and “Return of the Jedi” (“The Force Awakens” takes place after the events of the original “Star Wars” film trilogy, which ends with “Return of the Jedi”). That makes this game more than just the usual spin-off — it’s part of the canon!
Release date: June 28, 2016
Platforms: PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
“Inside”
Playdead
The first game from Nordic development studio Playdead was named “Limbo.” It had a gorgeous, distinct art style and was fun to play as well. “Inside” is the studio’s second ever game, and it took nearly six years to make.
“Inside” takes the 2D platforming/puzzle solving of “Limbo,” and puts it in a new, just as distinct art style, and expands dramatically on the previous game’s formula. Early reviews peg it as one of the most critically-acclaimed games of the summer!
Release Date: June 29, 2016 on Xbox One, July 7, 2016 on PC
Platforms: Xbox One, PC
“Hawken”
Adhesive Games
“Hawken” is an intensely silly game about fighting with giant metal vehicles (mechs, if you will). It’s all multiplayer. It’s all mechs. If you’re into shooters, but prefer shooting from the comfort of a walking metal tank, look no further — “Hawken” is the game you’ve been waiting for.
Release Date: July 1, 2016 on Xbox One, July 8, 2016 on PlayStation 4
Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC
“Videoball”
Action Button
When you take modern game design and mix it with 1980s sensibilities, you get something like “Videoball.” It’s a 2D spin on football — sort of? — mixed with air hockey mixed with… a Pat Benatar concert? We’re not so sure. One thing we are sure of: It looks absolutely fantastic.
Release Date: July 12, 2016
Platforms: Steam, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
“No Man’s Sky”
Hello Games
Ready to explore the infinite depths of outer space? Here’s hoping you’ve got a lot of time on your hands — “No Man’s Sky” offers you just such an opportunity, so much so that the entirety of the first-person space exploration game is impossible to play in a single lifetime. Or even many lifetimes! It’s got “over 18 quintillion” planets, according to the game’s developer (Hello Games), all created procedurally by algorithms that a team of under 20 created in England. Not bad!
Release Date: August 9, 2016
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PC
“Deus Ex: Mankind Divided”
Square Enix
The “Deus Ex” franchise is beloved by many, even though it’s changed hands from the original developers to a newer squad at Eidos Montreal. In “Mankind Divided,” you’re once again controlling protagonist Adam Jensen from a first-person perspective as he shoots and hacks his way through hundreds of bad guys. Will you mow everyone down, or sneakily ghost past the hordes of enemies in your way? The choice is yours.
Release Date: August 23, 2016
Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC
“Madden NFL 17”
EA Sports
You know the summer’s over when “Madden” arrives. Every year, like clockwork, a new “Madden NFL” game shows up in late August to mark the end of summer and the beginning of the fall game flood. What’s different this year? The Franchise Mode is getting re-done, online play is getting strengthened to reduce instances of cheating, and Rob Gronkowski is on the cover. But who are we kidding here? If you’re buying “Madden,” you already know it.
Release date: August 23, 2016
Platforms: PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One