It happens every year round this time. I look at the games scheduled to be released up to June of the next year. I pick a crop that I’d like to play and stick those dates in my calendar. Slowly but surely my anticipation heightens as those dates near. Once one comes along, the choice becomes buy or wait. And more often than not these days, the choice turns out to be wait. So I’m doing things a little differently this time.

This year, rather than set my heart on a few games of interest that have fairly solid release dates, I’m eyeing number of games that have been promised in 2016 but may not actually make it out to the public. (We all know how far promises go sometimes *ahem* Kingdom Hearts 3 *ahem.*) No commitment, no pain is my thinking right now, because if any of these games make it to the shelves (physical or virtual) that’ll be awesome. And if they don’t, no harm done, no hurt feelings. So here’s a Listmas list of my most anticipated unscheduled game releases of 2016.

---

1) Cuphead

First announced at E3 2014, Cuphead immediately captured my imagination and money I didn’t even have yet. This run-and-gun game rendered in the style of early 20^th century cartoons looked amazing, and everything I’ve read or seen about it since make is a must. At one point, it seems the game was promised this year, but now its creators, Studio MDHR, are saying next year will be the year of Cuphead. I’d like to see that happen.

---

2) Dishonored 2

One of the darlings of this year’s E3, the reveal of Dishonored 2 was met with plenty of excitement. I had my own personal qualms with Dishonored (namely that I was never as stealthy as I wanted to be), but I really enjoyed it and certainly wouldn’t mind spending time in that world again. It seems the game is due out early next year, but with “early next year” coming quickly, I remain cautiously optimistic.

---

3) Day of the Tentacle Remastered

No other announcement made at this year’s PlayStation Experience had me cheering more than the one about the LucasArts classic, Day of the Tentacle, which was being remastered for relased by Double Fine, the same folks who brought back Grim Fandango (to a mixed reception, but still). Despite becoming enraptured by a number of LucasArts games back in the day, I never got around to playing Day of the Tentacle. I would love nothing more than to have that chance next year.

---

4) Final Fantasy XV

I can’t help it. No matter how removed I feel from the Final Fantasy games, I become interested in them no matter what. With rumors of the fifteenth installment floating around the gaming ether for several years now, it seems like one that’s destined for limbo. But news of it now really makes it appear like it’ll be an actual game that you can actually buy next year. And I am actually excited at the prospect. Maybe. The game looks amazing, but I’ll reserve judgement until I actually see if for myself.

---

5) Yooka-Laylee

Of course Yooka-Laylee! I think it’s safe to say that all of us at UWG are looking forward to this one. And since the news of it now has it coming out late next year (there’s even a months attached – October!), there’s all the more reason to get excited. After returning to Banjo-Kazooie, I can’t wait to see how Yooka-Laylee with both invoke it’s spirit while maintaining its own personality. Hopefully that release window will stick!

---

What games do you hope make it onto the shelves next year?