Feature: Predictions For 2015: New Nintendo Console, PS Vita's Rising & Syphon Filter

2014 is still pretty fresh in our minds - we’re still dating cheques with 2014 - but 2015 looks set to be a formidable year in gaming.

Rumour has it that Nintendo are readying up to release a new console in 2016 with AMD providing chipsets that will truly bring Nintendo into the next-generation.

Our prediction:

Nintendo will show something off later this year, most likely after E3. E3 will be where Nintendo shows off yet another revision of the 3DS and some new games to look forward to come the Christmas season. Nintendo’s new console will release May/June 2016 with greater third-party support and Nintendo fans will rejoice.

The PS Vita has once again had a pretty poor year. Sales haven’t been amazing, though they’ve definitely improved since the release of the PS4. Games are the biggest issue, or the lack of. The Vita does have games, it just doesn’t have that many AAA’s that are truly PS Vita exclusive.

Our prediction:

PS Vita will get a second wind (or is it third?) with a brand new game from Sony Bend. Yes. A first-party exclusive. Sort of. Chances are more likely that it’ll be across both the PS Vita, PS3 and PS4.

We’ve previously reported that Sony Bend are working on something and the popular opinion is that Sony Bend will be reviving the Syphon Filter series with a version being made for the PS Vita. Sort of makes sense really, one seemingly dead franchise reviving a seemingly dead console. Poetic.

Then there’s the third-party content. Expect a GTA at some point. Our bet is GTA V: Los Santos City Stories, worst case scenario is we get a port of GTA: San Andreas - something that looks incredibly possible.

It’s well-known that Treyarch are working on the next Call of Duty that’s set to release later this year.

Our prediction:

This years Call of Duty will take a leap backwards in time, possibly back to the Theater of War with a World War II setting. It’s hard to imagine how Treyarch could go back to the time period; they basically let us play out the end of the war. Still, there’s a massive outcry for a return to the simpler times of WWII - some people just don’t like the futuristic settings of Black Ops and its sequel.

Also, the last Call of Duty to release across multiple-generations of console, all further installments to be PS4/Xbox One and PC only.

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There’s a fair few games coming in 2015, but what about the ones we don’t know about? The unannounced wallet-drainers that the publishers and developers are keeping hush about?

Our predictions:

Activision will show off a new Tony Hawks title at E3, possibly taking the series back to greatness with the long-awaited Tony Hawk’s Underground 3. No expensive peripherals either.

Traveller’s Tales will once again build the Star Wars universe out of LEGO, somehow managing to stretch the upcoming Star Wars movie into a full LEGO game. Times are hard and LEGO games always sell, so why not?

Ubisoft will announce a sequel to Splinter Cell: Blacklist with a new voice actor. People didn’t feel the love for Michael Ironside’s replacement, Eric Johnson. Our bet is that it’ll be a direct sequel to Blacklist, more than likely working under the Blacklist name with a subtitle of sorts, eg. Splinter Cell: Blacklist: Warfront.

The Last of Us won’t be making any appearances, but it’ll be spoken about and formally announced with a teaser trailer, not unlike the original teaser trailer for Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. Ellie and Joel will still be the focus.

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Those are our best guesses for what’s to come this year, but now for a few outlandish predictions that are about as likely as Nintendo announcing a Super Mario theme park.

Microsoft will bring out a handheld console. It’ll be amazing, it’ll have three screens and will come with a free Master Chief helmet to protect you from being smashed in the head by Nintendo 3DS fans. PS Vita fans just don’t care.

Nintendo to go mobile. Well, this one isn’t that outlandish, but it’s still pretty unlikely. A Pokemon game for Android and iOS, how about a port of the original trio of games? 500-1 odds on that.

Rise of the Tomb Raider to score higher than Uncharted 4, Naughty Dog shuts down shop and rebrand themselves as a dog-pound that specialises in putting naughty mutts to “sleep.”

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So there you have it - our predictions for 2015 in gaming. It’ll be interesting to re-visit this feature later on in the year and see just how accurate we are - or not so, as may be the case.

What do you think? Are we as far-out as Michael Pachter? Or do you think we’re on to something? Let us know down in the comments section below!