Shigeru Miyamoto once said: "A delayed game is eventually good, a rushed game is forever bad". While he's not wrong, it's still a bummer to see that game you've been waiting forever to play get pushed even further away from your grasp. And when I take a look at the list of games coming out, with their tentative '2015' release dates, I can't help but sigh and think how adorably optimistic everyone seems to be.

Whether the scope is too ambitious, or the developer has a history of delaying games until they're just right, or that particular game has been stuck in development hell for far too long, these are the games of 2015 that we'll likely be playing in 2016 instead. I'll be really excited if all of these games come out this year, but I wouldn't put money on it.

North Americans are lucky we even got Xenoblade Chronicles in the first place (especially considering the game was eventually fully translated and released in Europe), let alone its upcoming Wii U sequel, so I'm going to preface what I'm about to say with my appreciation for Nintendo's willingness to bring niche JRPGs to Western shores. That said, there's no way in hell this game comes out in 2015.

Every single trailer Nintendo shows off for the sprawling mecha-infused RPG seems like it has 2015 slapped on the end of it, as if to say, 'Hey, no, seriously, it's actually coming this year! You can believe us!' And sure, it's currently slated for an April release in Japan, but that didn't prevent the first game from taking years to reach Western audiences. I'm a patient man, and I'll wait with bated breath for the day we get it. But I'll believe it when I see it.

It's fair to say that Hideo Kojima is one of the few true auteurs working on AAA games right now, and as such, he's a bit of a perfectionist. I mean, I can't think of a series other than Metal Gear that allows you to shoot a glass full of ice cubes, then watch those ice cubes melt into puddles on the ground just because. That's the absurd level of detail Kojima is known for, and it usually means we have to wait a little longer to get a chance to play his games.

While the glorified demo Ground Zeroes gave us a taste of what Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is going to look like on next-gen consoles, it was of what Kojima is planning with the open-world stealth game. That kind of shit takes time. And I wouldn't be surprised if it gets nudged into next year to make sure it's up to Kojima's exacting standards.

Mad Max has travelled a long and storied road. as a collaboration between a new studio helmed by God of War 2 director Cory Barlog and Mad Max writer/director George Miller, the new game was actually going to be inspired by an idea for a movie called Mad Max: Fury Road that had been on the backburner since 2003.

Well, something must have happened, because Mad Max: Fury Road is actually getting made (with a May 2015 release date, to boot) and a different Mad Max game was announced at Sony's 2013 press conference, to be released in 2014 by Avalanche Studios. 2014 came and went with no Mad Max game, and there's still no official release date other than a nebulous '2015'. The movie's out this year, so hopefully they can get that locked down at some point, but it wouldn't be the first time a high-profile tie-in got delayed until well after the film's release.

Between the over-hyped Watch Dogs and the technical mess of Assassin's Creed Unity, Ubisoft had a rough 2014. So it's even more surprising to hear that Ubisoft's ambitious action-RPG The Division was supposed to come out the same year. It wisely decided to delay the game until 2015 and hopefully put some distance between itself and the lackluster performance of those other titles.

But is that going to be enough time? The Division is supposed to be a large-scale squad-shooter with all of the MMO trimmings, and having all of those moving pieces to consider - and get working right - takes time. After some high-profile missteps from the massive publisher, The Division needs to be flawless at launch if it ever hopes to recapture our trust. I'm hoping it's as awesome as Ubisoft is saying it is. But I swear, I better not have to climb another tower to reveal more of the in-game map.

EA's 2014 E3 conference was something magical, as having actual smoke and mirrors on stage would've been more substantial than what they showed. 'Oh, hey, we've got a new Mirror's Edge! Here's a video of a guy parkouring up some stairs. Yep, a new Mass Effect is coming… What, you wanted to see the game? Uh… look over there, it's a new game from those guys that made Burnout! It doesn't even have a name yet!"

I'd love to believe that Star Wars Battlefront is going to hit shelves by the holidays and that balance will be restored to the Force, but considering the massively bungled launch (and subsequent year after) of Battlefield 4 and the delay of Battlefield Hardline, I'm guessing that the highly-anticipated return of Star Wars Battlefront won't be coming until the first quarter of 2016, at the very earliest.

Making games is hard <(i>that's an understatement) and it's very easy for a game's development to get bogged down by excessive features, technical hangups, staffing issues, or even . Development hell is a very real thing, and Team Bondi was so buried in it, it was looking like it would never make it out. Its first game, L.A. Noire was first announced in 2004. It finally came out in 2011, largely thanks to Rockstar Games' involvement. Hey, at least it released before Duke Nukem Forever.

Its second project, Whore of the Orient (wow, what a name, huh?), was revealed back in 2012, but practically nothing else is known about it other than a couple of leaked screenshots and the fact that it's set in 1930s Shanghai. And despite the fact that I probably know more about astrophysics than I do about this game, it's still set with a tentative 2015 release date. Even with a new owner heading up the company and Warner Bros. Interactive publishing, I highly doubt we'll get to play this game before the end of the year, if we even get to see it at all.

Coming out of nowhere in 2013 to surprise the spaceship-adorned underoos off everyone, No Man's Sky has many people excited for different reasons. Some people want to set off in their spaceship and explore the great beyond. Others want to explore individual planets until they have fully conquered them. And people like myself want to find out what secrets await those who reach the center of the galaxy. It's a hugely ambitious game with a massive scope, and it's made by a grand total of eight people.

But I can't help but wonder if developer Hello Games might have bitten off more than it can chew. The team has stated that its targeting a 2015 release date, but No Man's Sky seems like the kind of game you throw on Early Access and slowly patch to a full release, rather than simply dumping out fully finished. But this is a high-profile PS4 release (in addition to PC), and that kind of thing just doesn't happen on consoles. Time will tell if we'll get to see what No Man's Sky is all about this year. I know I'm rooting for them.

You'll notice that 'development hell' seems to be a recurring theme for many of the games featured on this list. Well, the Rainbow Six series has been in a weird limbo ever since Rainbow Six Vegas 2 came and went a mere 14 months after its predecessor. The next entry in the series, Rainbow Six Patriots, was supposed to be a combination of tactical gameplay and the gripping drama of TV shows like 24, but after years of delays and the removal of several key developers, Patriots was eventually confirmed dead in 2014.

In its place is Rainbow Six Siege, a more multiplayer-focused title that will pit players in high-octane online battles between terrorist and SWAT teams. We got to see a proof-of-concept gameplay video at Ubisoft's press conference at E3 2014, but little else has been shown. If this game is actually coming in 2015, we'll need to know more than a handful of conceptual ideas.

The Legend of Zelda series is certainly, well, legendary for its prolific delays. Ocarina of Time was supposed to hit in the fall of 1997, but didn't see daylight until a year later. Twilight Princess was similarly delayed a year from its original 2005 release date so Nintendo could simultaneously release a Wii version at that system's launch. Skyward Sword was slated to come out at the end of 2010 but was (you guessed it) also delayed another year to iron out its motion control gameplay.

So yes, I'm insanely hopeful that I'll get to play the new Legend of Zelda game this year as promised, and Lord knows Nintendo needs this thing to come out on time to hold on to whatever small amount of momentum the Wii U still has. And who knows? Maybe a Nintendo in relatively dire straits is a Nintendo that gets games out on time. Still, I'm not holding my breath.

I'm more than willing to eat my fair share of humble pie with a side of crow if any of these games end up coming out this year. And I wouldn't be surprised if any of these titles gets a solid release date mere minutes after this article goes up. Still, it's probably wise to temper your expectations. Is your gut telling you that your favorite game is going to get delayed? Let me know in the comments!

Looking for more to get your hopes up about? Here are our .

If you spent years of your life working on a single thing, wouldn’t you want to put your face all over it? That’s why, from time to time, some plain-looking folks appear in media as in-jokes by the producers, as they slip in a cameo for one of the behind-the-scenes people in stuff like Pulp Fiction or Seinfeld. Games engage in the 'creator cameos' trope just as much as anyone, though often only the weirdest moments are memorable.

If you don’t know the names of the people making your favorite games, creator cameos can be jarring, especially so when they’re as unexpected as these. Why just have your picture in the background when you can star in an escort mission? Or have game breaking powers? Or simply yell ‘Toasty!’ at the player? These are the times when game makers took full advantage of their limited screentime.

Series mastermind Hideo Kojima stuck his face in the background of several previous games, and even supplied the voice of a deity in a later game, but he took his cameos to a new level in 2014. Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes main mission is a little on the short side, so the game attempts to stretch things out with a handful of side missions, including one that .

Kojima made numerous cameos in previous Metal Gear games, but his most recent might also be the oddest, mainly for how much in your face Kojima is this time around. The mission has Snake flying in via helicopter and blasting his way through the base until he finds Hideo. Once he frees the boss and gets him to the chopper, the two fly off to safety, though Kojima’s consciousness isn’t fully restored until he puts back on his famous glasses. He then says, “What took you so long?” Is this a reference to the fans still patiently waiting for the next installment?

Peter Moore has a long history in gaming, probably more storied than most realize. Years before he was showing off his Halo and GTA tattoos at E3, he ran Sega of America during the Dreamcast years. After gaining fame with Xbox, he moved on to Electronic Arts I’where he made his oddest appearance to date: as a virtual boxer in FaceBreaker.

Made as a throwback to arcadey punch-fests of old, FaceBreaker has over-the-top moves and finishers, along with a cartoonish collection of characters. A hyper-exaggerated version of Moore is among them, with the COO mainly included for promotional purposes at events like E3. And the devs included some truly famous folks in the virtual boxing ring via the character creator. So, if you’re wondering why you’ll find a video called ',' FaceBreaker is why.

Speaking of Peter Moore, his E3 appearances at Microsoft led to another reference that many gamers either didn’t notice or didn’t get. In the underrated XBLA hit The Dishwasher, there’s an Achievement titled The Peter Moore, and the official description says "Pay homage to one of our generation's greatest rock performances ever." Considering it pops up while the protagonist plays a guitar, what could this possibly refer to? An E3 moment Moore likely wishes never happened.

Back at E3 2007, Peter Moore took part in an early live demo of the then-new Rock Band, and he didn’t yet have mastery of his instrument. As tens of thousands watched worldwide, Moore twice hit the Xbox guide button while playing, sending the rocking demo to a laughable halt. Dishwasher has some rhythm-based minigames where the character picks up an axe and wails away, and if you hit the guide button during the segment, you’ll net the Achievement. Hopefully, in the time between E3 and the game’s release, Moore looked back on the gaffe with humor instead of embarrassment.

Keiji Inafune made a name for himself as an outspoken game maker at Capcom, and then later as an independent developer. Also known as the man behind Mega Man, Inafune built his team at Comcept to create a number of new series - but he also found time to take part in the very niche crossover Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2.

Neptunia is a weird JRPG series that doubles as meta-commentary about the games industry, with anime girl deities that work as thinly veiled counterparts to PlayStation, Xbox, and Wii consoles. Mk2’s industry commentary goes even deeper with cameos from characters like Disgaea’s Prinnies, and Keiji’s . Dubbed the Creator Sword, Inafune’s head is called down from on high, he shoots a massive energy beam out of his mouth, then his smiling visage returns to the heavens. For those unfamiliar with the history of Japanese gaming, that moment has to feel pretty damn random.

I don’t think I’m being hyperbolic when I say The Simpsons is the most important piece of satire in the last century, and that it transformed society (OK, maybe that last bit is a little overboard). But I’ve been a super-fan of Springfield since I first saw it over 25 years ago, and its tongue-in-cheek humor was a huge draw. The series even had some scathing, self-referential attacks on the series creators, including Matt Groening. That same irreverence stretched to 2007’s The Simpsons Game, which had a joke where Homer, Marge, Bart, and Lisa .

Groening’s yellow-skinned creations have no doubt made him a rich man, but the game comically represents Groening as wealthier than Scrooge McDuck. The Simpsons battle their way through their creator’s mansion among piles of cash and gold, ultimately finding Groening in his cavernous office. Matt calls in some Futurama character cameos for assistance, but is still defeated by Springfield’s Finest. As he flees the battlefield, Groening writes his name on the screen as a final, egotistical move that’s fitting for his in-game persona.

David Cage is either famous or infamous to most that know his name. He’s the outspoken developer behind Quantic Dream, a studio that attempts to blur the lines between gaming and film storytelling (they don’t always succeed). After games like Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls, we know what to expect, but the multiple-choice gameplay needed some explanation in Quantic’s first game: Indigo Prophecy/Fahrenheit. Good thing David Cage is there to have it all make sense.

Before Indigo’s intriguing mystery can unfold, . And he’s giving this explanation on a sort of film set for the game you’re about to play. This tutorial may have been necessary for some, but with Cage’s heavily accented English, he might not be the best guide. Plus, having the creator speak directly to the audience before the game begins is a bit jarring - though I doubt anyone would ever accuse Cage of being subtle.

Stan Lee has been a fixture of pop culture for over five decades, and thanks to numerous cameos in Marvel films, the comic writer may be more famous than ever. Like your lovable, nerdy grandpa, Stan Lee has even made a few appearances in Marvel games, fitting for the co-creator of most of the company’s most iconic heroes, Spider-Man included. However, the game tie-in for 2012’s The Amazing Spider-Man did far more than give Lee a brief walk-on - the game makes him the hero.

reskins Spidey as the besuited comic mogul, giving Stan The Man all the same moves and abilities as the wallcrawler. It’s a cute set of missions, with Lee’s uniquely nasal voice throwing out one liners all over Manhattan as he catches crooks just like flies. It’s also a groundbreaking move at diversifying games - how many other titles star a 92-year-old man?

Gamers of the ‘90s have this creator cameo burned into their brains, even if they never really knew who the man in the corner of their screen is. First seen in Mortal Kombat 2, when you pull off an uppercut at just the right time, a seemingly random dude will pop out of the corner of the screen and say 'Toasty!' in a high-pitched voice. That’s MK sound designer Dan Forden, and this little in-joke became an unforgettable part of the series.

The phrase and Folden returned in Mortal Kombat 3, this time with a new purple shirt and extra catchphrases like 'Frosty' and 'Crispy,' and no one really questioned it. MK players just got used to seeing some unnamed dude interrupt their bloody fight with a strange falsetto. For a time, Holden vanished from the series, but made an HD return in the Mortal Kombat reboot, this time wearing a shirt with toast on it. Just how much sillier can Dan’s look get in Mortal Kombat X?

Those are all the oddball cameos for now, but if you have other celebrity sighting you want to discuss, have at it in the comments.

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