With the next-generation consoles now out and ready to do battle, 2014 is going to be one heck of a year for gaming. Here we’re taking a look at what titles excite us the most for the year ahead.
Whether you bought an Xbox One, PlayStation 4 or are perfectly happy with your Wii U, it’s going to be a good year. And let’s not forget those handheld systems that are sure to see plenty of top releases too.
[alert type=alert-blue]10. The Evil Within[/alert]
Survival horror has had a scary few years, with big budget games failing to live up to the standards that greats like Silent Hill 2 and Resident Evil 4 have set. But now The Evil Within, from the twisted mind of Shinji Mikami, is taking another run at it. The first trailer certainly looks impressive, but can TEW truly make us quiver in our boots once again?
[alert type=alert-blue]9. Freedom Wars[/alert]
Sony is seemingly looking to build upon the foundation laid by Soul Sacrifice with this Vita co-op RPG. Little is known about the game just yet, including a Western release date, but we’re hope that we’ll have the chance to try it out sooner rather than later.
[alert type=alert-blue]8. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes[/alert]
By the time Ground Zeroes launches, it will have been almost six years since the release of Metal Gear Solid 4. Granted, Peace Walker gave us our fill while we waited, but it’s time to get back to proper console stealth. This is set to be just a taste of the true MGSV, which will release later on, but with stunning visuals and a sandbox enivronment, we can’t wait to get our hands on it.
[alert type=alert-blue]7. Titanfall[/alert]
This is easily one of the most exciting next-generation projects currently in development. From the minds that brought you Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Titanfall is a fast-paced online FPS that combines meaty mech combat with jet packs, rocket launchers and kill streaks. If any of that sounded wrong to you, you might want to have your brain checked out.
[alert type=alert-blue]6. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2[/alert]
Proving that the last generation of consoles is still going strong, Lords of Shadow 2 promises to follow up one of the PS3 and 360’s best games in spectacular fashion. This time around we’ll actually get to control Dracula – a first for series history, and it’s still got the voice talents of the wonderful Robert Carlyle to enjoy.
[alert type=alert-blue]5. Uncharted[/alert]
If we knew more about it it would undoubtedly be further up the list, but so far all we have is a tease of Naughty Dog’s first Uncharted on PS4. This series set the standard for visuals and blockbuster gameplay on PS3 and we expect the same to be true here. What possible predicaments will Nathan Drake find himself in this time around? We can only hope we’ll find out soon.
[alert type=alert-blue]4. Halo[/alert]
The same logic we applied to Uncharted goes here. We thought the next Halo game would simply be Halo 5, but the strange teaser showing Master Chief in the desert made no mention of that number. Could this be another FPS entry or is new developer 343 Industries looking to branch the franchise out?
[alert type=alert-blue]3. X[/alert]
Nintendo will undoubtedly supply the Wii U with numerous classics in 2014, but it’s the codenamed X that we still look forward to the most. This is at the very least a spiritual successor to the seminal Xenoblade Chronicles from the Wii era. What few teasers we’ve seen suggests that the same combat system is in place, while the visuals have been greatly improved. If it can fix just a handful of the issues with the first game, then this will be one of the best games on the system with ease.
[alert type=alert-blue]2. Destiny[/alert]
Titanfall seems to be winning the war for attention’s people right now, but for our money Destiny is the more interesting of the two. An FPS from the creators of Halo, Destiny is as close to an MMO you can get without outright calling it one. An always-online four-player co-op experience with oceans of content, it promises to take the shoot n’ loot approach to a whole new level. Let’s hope the team has enough time to perfect it between now and it’s September release date.
[alert type=alert-blue]1. Dark Souls II[/alert]
The sequel to one of the freshest, most innovative, exciting and all-round best games on the last generation of consoles? Of course Dark Souls II was going to top our lists. We’ll admit we’re a little disappointed that PS4 and One versions are yet to be announced, but this gives you more than enough reason to hang onto those older systems. We can’t wait to be neck-deep in some unsightly ruin fighting demons with an inch of the our life bars left. It’s going to be a good year.
