SAN FRANCISCO, July 30 — August 2016 brings us the long awaited, massive scope space game No Man’s Sky; the conspiratorial cybernetic thrills of Deus Ex: Mankind Divided; and a significant expansion to one of the globe’s biggest MMOs in World of Warcraft: Legion; we also look forward to the ocean exploration of Abzu; moon-chasing rambler Grow Up; and high-speed excitement of what should be a much-improved F1 2016.
Abzû
For: PlayStation 4, Windows PC
Available: August 2
From the art director and composer of impactful PlayStation coup Journey comes this experience of underwater exploration. Ruins, wrecks, and all sorts of sea creatures fill the oceans. Can Abzu connect with the same poise and pacing that helped make Journey so special?
No Man’s Sky
For: PS4, WinPC
Available: August 9 (NA PS4), August 10 (INT PS4), August 12 (PC)
Hugely anticipated since an audacious surprise reveal in December 2013, this ambitious ode to 1970s sci-fi art sends players off to explore, trade, fly and fight their way to the centre of an 18.4 quintillion planet universe. A complete change of direction for the studio behind quirky stunt title Joe Danger, and Hello Games just might pull it off as well.
Grow Up
For: PS4, XBO, WinPC
Available: August 16
2015’s Grow Home was Ubisoft’s most successful PlayStation download ever, according to the publisher itself, and Grow Up continues the cute planet-exploring antics. This time, blocky red robot BUD is collecting pieces of lost spacecraft MOM; now he can clone plants, fly, and (eventually) reach the moon.
F1 2016
For: PS4, XBO, WinPC
Available: August 19
Career mode, online multiplayer, and the safety car feature have all been expanded upon for this Formula One racer, and fans will be hoping for a return to the form of F1 2012 and F1 2013 after a couple of off-years (and the success of Dirt Rally from the same studio).
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
For: PS4, XBO, WinPC
Available: August 23
Stepping back into the cybernetic body of international security agent Adam Jensen, players will be able to tackle the events and environments of the Deus Ex: Human Revolution follow-up in any way they see fit, gaining proficiency in stealth, negotiation, hacking and combat.
World of Warcraft: Legion
For: Mac OS X, WinPC
Available: August 30
With a new landmass to explore, a new type of hero (the demon hunter), plus more nuanced customization, character specialisation, and versus mode options, Legion becomes the sixth expansion to leviathan 12-year-old subscription MMO WoW. Early access for pre-ordering customers begins August 17. — AFP-Relaxnews
