With only two months down 2017 is shaping up to be a strong year for gaming. PlayStation 4 has been pumping out Game of the Year contender exclusives like Nioh, Yakuza 0, and the absolutely wonderful Horzion: Zero Dawn. Resident Evil returned to form in all new ways with the 7th entry in the series, Biohazard. Microsoft finally dropped the long awaited Halo Wars 2, a few years too late probably but its here nonetheless. As March begins gamers around the world turn their eyes towards Nintendo. Not only are we getting the release of the highly anticipated and by most accounts incredible, Zelda: Breath of the Wild but after a disappointing run with the Wii U, Nintendo’s newest hardware is finally ready to hit the market!
Nintendo Switch (March 3rd)
Is it a handheld that you can plug to your TV or a home console you can take on the go? While the messaging has been mixed the Nintendo Switch is certainly a compelling piece of hardware. Not as strong as the current Xbox One or PS4 consoles but being the most powerful Nintendo console and a handheld all in one will hopefully prove to serve well to Nintendo fans who were more or less disenfranchised with the Wii U. While the launch line up is sparse, the line up of games in development is extremely promising, with Super Mario Odyssey, Xenoblade Chronicles 2, and a brand new Fire Emblem being enough for me to need to pick up a Switch.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (March 3rd)
Launching along side the Nintendo Switch as well as their Wii U console is the much lauded, Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Link’s first foray into the modern open world combined with everything that makes The Legend of Zelda series great. Breath of the Wild promises to be Link’s biggest adventure yet with countless dungeons, puzzles, enemies, upgrades, and places to see all filling a gorgeous open world. While originally developed for the Wii U, Breath of the Wild will surely be the go to game for those Nintendo fans picking up a Switch on a launch day. If Nintendo continues to put out quality entries in their mainline franchises that people can take on the go the Switch can easily succeed even in the Sony and Microsoft dominated world.
Lego Worlds (March 7th)
Lego game fans rejoice, after 2 years in early access Lego Worlds finally makes its console and retail debut. More than just another Minecraft clone, Lego Worlds sets its limits to nothing but your imagination. Combining a near endless building palette with newly added story elements and refined console controls, Lego Worlds is the fantasy builder many have been dreaming of!
Ghost Recon Wildlands (March 7th)
After a somewhat disappointing launch for Ubisoft’s For Honor, they hope to pick up some steam in 2017 with their new open world co-op shooter. After both a closed and open beta leading up to the launch, excitement seems to have waned a little for Ubisoft’s latest effort. While Wildlands does offer some exciting moment to moment gameplay, it feels it may suffer from repetitive missions, lack of polish, and the usual Ubisoft open world woes. With new hardware and so many heavy hitters coming out swinging this early in the year, Wildlands may be a little too generic to really resonate or make an impact with gamers.
Mass Effect: Andromeda (March 21st)
Taking place long after the original trilogy, Mass Effect: Andromeda is one of the most anticipated follow-ups in a long time. After the botched finale of Mass Effect 3, fans are hoping to fall in love with the universe all over again. With a whole new cast of characters, promises of planets bigger than the entirety of Dragon Age: Inquisition and full frontal space porn, Andromeda has a lot of hype to live up to in this post-Witcher 3 RPG world.
Other releases this month:
March 3rd
1-2-Switch (Switch)
Fast RMX (Switch)
Just Dance 2017 (Switch)
Human Resource Machine (Switch)
I Am Setsuna (Switch)
Little Inferno (Switch)
Shovel Knight (Switch)
Skylanders: Imaginators (Switch)
Snipperclips (Switch)
Super Bomberman R (Switch)
World of Goo (Switch)
March 7th
Nier: Automata (PS4)
Danganrompa 1 & 2 Reload (PS4)
March 21st
Mario Sports Superstars (3DS)
March 28th
Dark Souls 3: The Ringed City (PS4, X1, PC)
Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 Remix (PS4)
MLB The Show 17 (PS4)
So that’s it. What will you be getting in March? Let us know in the comments below!
