Video game preview 2016: What to look forward to that isn't a sequel, reboot or remake

Sequels and series are part and parcel of many entertainment industries, but no more so than when it comes to video games. From Mario Kart 8 to Metal Gear Solid V, the highest rated and biggest selling games of this year come from established game franchises.

But for those looking for something more original and unique when it comes to games, here are five titles to look forward to playing in 2016.

Firewatch (PS4, PC)

Firewatch casts you as Henry, a fire lookout in a US national park. As you patrol the woodland you find clues that piece together a mystery in the forest. Players will also be in constant contact with Henry's supervisor Delilah, choosing dialogue options along the way that will shape the pair's relationship.

Expect one of the best told and most engrossing stories of 2016 and one of the best looking too, thanks to Olly Moss's art direction.

Horizon: Zero Dawn (PS4)

Horizon: Zero Dawn is a big budget open world game from Killzone developer Guerrilla Games. The game is set 1,000 years after an event in which the human race nearly perished, in a post-post-apocalyptic world now inhabited by mechanised animals.

The player hunted these machine creatures, some docile, others more dangerous, for parts. But how these artificial beasts came to be will remain unanswered until the game is exclusively released on the PS4.

No Man's Sky (PS4, PC)

Hello Games's hugely ambitious space exploration sim No Man's Sky has been a long time coming, but will finally arrive next summer. The game sees players inhabit a procedurally generated universe that will consist of approximately 18.5 quintillion planets.

It would take around 585 billion years to explore them all, making the game's universe essentially infinite. Each planet, plant and animal will be spawned by a complex algorithm, with each discovery added to a global database as players travel from planet to planet mining materials, upgrading their ship and heading for the centre of the universe.

Wild (PS4)

Another prehistoric-themed game, Wild looks at the battle between man and nature in the neolithic period. You play as a shaman who wields magic powers allowing him to possess and control wildlife in a dangerous procedurally generated world. The game is being developed by Wild Sheep Studio which boasts Michel Ancel at the the helm, famous for creating the Rayman series and Beyond Good & Evil.

Yooka-Laylee (PS4, Xbox One, PC, Wii U)

Yooka-Laylee is the spiritual successor to Banjo-Kazooie, and is being developed by a number of the team responsible for that 1998 cult classic platformer. New studio Playtonic smashed their crowdfunding target for the game back in May, raising a huge $3.2m (£2.16m). We know it will have strong and colourful design, so let's just hope it has the platforming gameplay to match our lofty expectations.