Guide to Action and stealth games 2016

Hitman

Developer: Io Interactive
Publisher: Square Enix
Release date: March 11

Having been delayed into 2016, the PC beta of Agent 47 prequel-come-reboot will go live on February 19, followed by a full release the month after. Given the disappointment over Absolution, much will hinge on how this new Hitman’s intriguing approach to mission structure plays out. Levels are said to be more sandboxy, and much bigger than those of their predecessor. Most interesting is the suggestion that some contracts will be time limited, and the release of the complete set of missions will be staggered following the base game’s release. It’ll likely either be a bold new dawn for how action games get made, or next year’s first fan uprising.

Mirror’s Edge Catalyst

Developer: DICE
Publisher: EA
Release date:May 24

Much like Dishonored 2, here’s another returning parkour-flavoured, open world-ish game in which the protagonist must triumph against the backcloth of a beautifully drawn dystopia. Catalyst is a reboot rather than sequel though, with notable changes including more freedom to explore the city (which is called, in a victory for nominative determinism, “Glass”) and the removal of any player-controlled firearms. Much will depend on whether DICE has been able to get the combat to feel right, but that system has apparently been a key focus. Certainly the first gameplay trailer certainly looks promising enough, even if the inevitable deluge of Faith-based puns remains a serious misgiving.

Mafia 3

Developer: Hangar 13
Publisher: 2K Games
Release date: 2016

The third entry in this series of open world crime games is set in New Orleans, in 1968. As Vietnam-vet-turned-gangster, Lincoln Clay, you’re on a mission to cleanse the streets of the ruling Italian Mafia. Previously Mafia’s cities have tended to form backdrops to a linear series of story missions, a la LA Noire, but Hangar 13 promises that New Orleans will be a “true open world”. We’ll have to wait and see what that means exactly.

Far Cry Primal

Developer: Ubisoft
Publisher: Ubisoft
Release date: March 1, 2016

Far Cry Primal marks a big departure for a Ubisoft series that had begun to feel a bit cookie-cutter. Primal’s Stone Age setting means bows instead of guns, and no vehicles (apart from hitching a ride on a passing mammoth, we presume). As you battle hostile tribes and survive a harsh environment, you’ll be able to tame animals like wolves and saber-toothed cats to sic them on your tribe’s foes. and here's a gameplay of the game