Video game preview 2017: Part 1 – Crackdown 3, Ghost Recon Wildlands, Tekken 7 and more

For most, 2016 felt like an endless stream of repeated kicks to the genitals. Thankfully a host of superb games - including our Game of the Year, Overwatch - made the year a little more bearable.

With the release schedule for 2017 looking equally stacked with high-budget sequels and bold new IP, IBTimes UK has compiled a list of the games we are most excited to get our hands on over the next 12 months.

We managed to whittle the list down to a (still eye-watering) fifty games, which we've split into five parts. In the final part (due 6 January) we will reveal our top ten most anticipated games of 2017.

For now though, let's crack on with the first ten in no particular order:

Crackdown 3 (Xbox One, PC)

Despite a shock no-show at E3 2016 and no new footage or gameplay details since 2015, Crackdown 3 is still undoubtedly one of Microsoft's biggest hitters this year. Developer Reagent Games has promised a barnstorming return to the original Crackdown game's chaotic sandbox roots, with mass scale destruction enabled by fancy cloud computing tech. It's time, Agents.

Release date: Winter

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Wildlands (PS4, Xbox One, PC)

While it's the Tom Clancy-branded game that isn't the Tom Clancy-branded game we wanted (seriously, where is Splinter Cell?), Ubisoft is betting big on its latest "tactical" open-world third person-shooter, especially after it's last MMO-lite co-op gun-fest - The Division - failed to set the world on fire. Second time's a charm?

Release date: 7 March

Tacoma (Xbox One, PC)

Oregon-based indie developer Fullbright's sophomore outing and follow-up to Gone Home is still something of an unknown quantity. We know it's set on a gaudy, BioShock-esque "Lunar Transfer Station" with augmented reality avatars in place of its crew, but otherwise? No idea. Then again, Gone Home was great, so this should be a good'un.

Release date: Spring

Nier: Automata (PS4, PC)

An unexpected (and then some) semi-sequel to 2010's oddly-named Nier, this ostensibly cookie-cutter post-apocalyptic action RPG comes with a key disclaimer: the king of frenetic hack-and-slash craft Platinum Games is at the helm. Early impressions based on a late 2016 demo have been overwhelmingly positive to boot.

Release date: 10 March (PC release TBA)

Pyre (PS4, PC)

Bastion and Transistor creator Supergiant Games brings its unique brand of isometric indie loveliness to the mystical realm of high fantasy with Pyre, a game constructed from a peculiar mix of party-based RPG lore-craft and... NBA Jam? Could well be a slam dunk (sorry).

Release date: TBA

Tekken 7 (PS4, Xbox One, PC)

It has somehow been a full decade since the last 1v1 Tekken game hit home consoles, but the venerable franchise is fighting back in 2017. Powered for the first time by the Unreal Engine, Tekken 7 will introduce new characters, two awesomely-named new mechanics - Rage Art and Power Crush - and some form of virtual reality support exclusively for PlayStation VR.

Release date: Spring/Summer

Days Gone (PS4)

Bend Studio's open-world zombie party Days Gone seems to have an identity crisis, mostly because it doesn't really have one. It's a bit The Walking Dead-ish and has more than a touch of The Last of Us about its verdant post-apocalyptic aesthetic. Here's hoping the creators of Syphon Filter (remember Syphon Filter?) can add something unique to the game's derivative setting.

Release date: TBA

Lego Worlds (PS4, Xbox One, PC)

Longstanding Lego game developer TT Games finds itself on the losing end of a chicken/egg situation with Minecraft and its own procedurally generated sandbox build-a-thon, but the generally positive response to the Steam Early Access release of Lego Worlds bodes well for its upcoming console launch.

Release date: 24 February

Sonic Mania (PS4, Xbox One, PC)

Of the two Sonic games celebrating the pacey blue hog's 25th birthday, we've picked Sonic Mania over "Project Sonic 2017", because nostalgia is a wonderful thing. Sega's jazzy reveal trailer proudly claimed the former gaming giant is returning to the series' retro roots for this all-new 2D platformer with a smattering of re-made "Zones" from Sonic's halcyon Mega Drive years for good measure.

Release date: Summer

Friday the 13th: The Game (PS4, Xbox One, PC)

Based on the seminal (if a bit naff) 1980s slasher franchise of the same name, this two-part semi-open world horror title hides a wicked trick up its blood-splattered sleeves. The single player mode planned for a summer release sounds decent, but we're really up for the 1v7 asymmetric online multiplayer where one lucky bugger gets to prey on unsuspecting teens as Jason Voorhees himself.

Release date: October

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