The 20 most exciting games still to come in 2014 We may be more than halfway through the year, but there are plenty of top games still to look forward to It happens every summer: the impending holiday release schedule looks unbelievably stacked, and then one by one the big titles get put back to the following year. Batman: Arkham Knight and Battlefield Hardline have been perhaps the biggest games bitten by the delay bug, but several other titles not beginning with Bat (were looking at you, The Order: 1886) also fit the bill. Fortunately there are plenty of cracking games still on the horizon for whats left of 2014 - from massive online shooters to open-world racers to quirky platformers. Dont believe us? A quick look at our picks for the 20 most exciting games left in 2014 ought to convince you otherwise. 1. DESTINY As the studio behind Xbox classic Halo, Bungies next release was never going to be an unheralded little puzzle game. Instead, Destiny is BIG. In every way. Its a BIG release thats had gamers excited for years. Its a BIG game that spans multiple locations across multiple planets. And its a BIG platform that will see thousands upon thousands of addicts spending hour upon hour in its immersive universe. Or at least thats what we reckon having played the alpha and beta test versions. You can find out more about it in our full Destiny preview, but to summarise: brilliant; always-online; massive spider tank; packed with secrets; big guns; tight, fast and addictive. Get the idea? Roll on, 9 September… Due: 9 September / Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360, PS3 2. DISNEY INFINITY 2.0: MARVEL SUPER HEROES Last years debut showed that Disney could hang with Skylanders in the toy-based game world, and Infinity 2.0 looks set to amplify the action with a bevy of superhero showdowns. The Avengers characters are bundled in, plus there are Spider-Man and Guardians Of The Galaxy sets, and all other Infinity figurines work as well. The game worlds are also much larger than in the first version, and the freeform Toy Box mode has been simplified. So, whether youre genuinely buying it for your kids or just using that as an excuse, it looks well worth checking out. Due: 19 September / PS4, Xbox One, PC, Wii U, Xbox 360, PS3 3. FIFA 15 FIFA made a big splash on new-gen consoles last year, with FIFA 14 towering over not only the competition but also its own appearance on older platforms. The next version - unsurprisingly titled FIFA 15 - looks set to push things ever further ahead come September. While not representing a dramatic shift in strategy, EAs latest footie sim seeks to tap into more of that hardware power to deliver stadium-specific crowd interactions and more realistic player responses. But the changes arent only cosmetic: weve played an early version and also felt that the computer-controlled players made more intelligent runs, ball control is tighter and passing slicker. Whether it can make up for the disappointment of Englands World Cup campaign remains to be seen. Due: 26 September / Xbox One, PS4, PC, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PS Vita, Nintendo 3DS 4. FORZA HORIZON 2 Forza Motorsport 5 was the Xbox Ones flashy launch showcase, but Horizon 2 shakes up the routine with an open-world romp through southern Europe. Expect a massive amount of terrain split between France and Italy, with loads of challenges, online Car Meets with other players, and a day/night cycle featuring dynamic weather. Thats the new-gen version, at least; the Xbox 360 game may not share all features. Due: 30 September / Xbox One, Xbox 360 5. MIDDLE-EARTH: SHADOW OF MORDOR Weve played enough mediocre Lord Of The Rings games to know better by this point, but we keep hearing such excellent things about Middle-earth: Shadow Of Mordor that were determined to give it another chance. Filling in the gap between The Hobbit and the main trilogy, this open-world action role-player makes bold strides in enemy AI and generally makes you feel like a bad, bad man in the familiar fantasy world. Due: 30 September / PS4, Xbox One, PC, PS3, Xbox 360 6. ALIEN: ISOLATION The last Alien game was the Gearbox-developed Colonial Marines, and quite frankly it was an absolute stinker of a game. The good news is, the new ones being made by Creative Assembly, and it looks amazing. In Isolation, you play as Ellen Ripleys daughter trapped aboard a space station with the monstrous extra-terrestrial. So far, so havent-we-been-here-before? But unlike the last effort, it totally nails the tension and fear of the 1979 flick, bringing welcome lashings of stealth and scares aplenty as you frantically try to escape ol toothy without packing any awesome firepower. In fact, without packing any firepower - in Alien: Isolation youre gunless. Now thats brave. Due: 7 October / PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360, PC 7. DRIVECLUB Initially intended as a PS4 launch showcase, Driveclub quietly disappeared for a stretch, underwent retooling, and has now emerged seemingly ready to be the most enticing racing experience of this autumn. It looks absolutely stunning - as it should, given that it hails from the team behind the thrilling MotorStorm - but its biggest hook comes from online team functionality that lets you manage a virtual racing club with ease. Due: 10 October / PS4 8. THE EVIL WITHIN Resident Evil has taken a seemingly permanent turn towards action, and Silent Hill has been patchy in recent years, so where does that leave survival horror? In the hands of Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami, who aims to give the genre a shot in the arm with The Evil Within. Less a revolution than a modernisation of past ideas, it looks and feels deeply unsettling and throws up plenty of genuinely horrific moments. So, mission accomplished. Due: 17 October / PS4, Xbox One, PC, PS3, Xbox 360 9. BORDERLANDS: THE PRE-SEQUEL Rather than embark on a new-gen journey, 2K Games opted to give Xbox 360 and PS3 owners one last wild romp through the world of Borderlands in the surely nutty The Pre-Sequel. It fits between the two previous entries in terms of narrative, but story isnt really the big hook here – rather, its the millions of possible gun combinations, the rampant oddball humour, and the new anti-gravity combat. Due: 17 October / Xbox 360, PS3, PC 10. EVOLVE Evolve doesnt have the profile of most of the games on this list, but it came roaring out of E3 this summer, racking up huge awards and buzz in the process. Why? Well, its one of the most refreshing online experiences in ages: you play as one of four gun-toting Hunters, and someone else plays as the massive monster that theyre all hunting. Oh, and its from the makers of the classic Left 4 Dead, so theres that. Due: 21 October / Platforms: Xbox One, PS4, PC 11. FANTASIA: MUSIC EVOLVED A Disney game for Kinect? Surely some mistake. But no, Fantasia: Music Evolved really is one of the most enticing Xbox games on the horizon, and its all because of its maker: Harmonix, the music-centric team behind Rock Band and Dance Central. This interactive sequel to the classic animated flicks lets you interact with songs like a composer, swiping your hands to the on-screen prompts. Very charming stuff and truly original. Due: 21 October / Xbox One, Xbox 360 12. ASSASSINS CREED UNITY We enjoyed living a pirates life in last years Assassins Creed IV: Black Flag, but weve got an itch to explore a big, historical city – and Unity delivers in spades with French Revolution-era Paris. Even better? The campaign is playable in online co-op with up to four assassins in total, meaning you can carry out even more elaborate assaults with real-life comrades backing you up. And its only for new-gen hardware, too. Due: 28 October / PS4, Xbox One, PC 13. SUNSET OVERDRIVE What happens when Insomniac Games (Ratchet & Clank) tries its hand at a brash, open-world action game? Utter, delectable chaos – and candy-coated, to boot. More like Crackdown than Grand Theft Auto, Sunset Overdrive is a manic fever-dream of a game, tasking you with detonating mutants with wacky guns while grinding on surfaces, leaping with abandon, and having a blast. Seriously, watch the trailer. Due: 31 October / Xbox One 14. CALL OF DUTY: ADVANCED WARFARE Last years Ghosts was a bit of a low point for the Call Of Duty series, delivering a competent but rather unremarkable retread through tired ideas. But Advanced Warfare looks a lot better. For starters, it pushes things much further forward into the future: 2054, to be precise. Its brimming with more crazy gadgets than a James Bond film and also has a strong - and welcome - focus on narrative (look, Kevin Spacey!). Factor in a stunning new game engine and youve got every reason to be excited about Call Of Duty for the first time in ages. Due: 4 November / Xbox One, PS4, PC, PS3, Xbox 360 15. HALO: THE MASTER CHIEF COLLECTION We rarely get too excited about a re-release (excepting GTA5), but The Master Chief Collection just blows us away with both the quantity of whats on offer and attention to detail. The package features Halo 1-4, all remastered for the new-gen hardware and packing in the entirety of their original contents. That means that as well as the single-player story you also get each games multiplayer package intact and playable online. As a further - and very welcome - bonus, many of the Halo 2 maps have also been reimagined for the collection. So whether you loved the games first time round or are one of the 16 people in the world whos never played them, theres no excuse for not giving them another spin. Due: 14 November / Xbox One 16. THE CREW From the developers behind underrated racing gems such as Test Drive Unlimited and Driver: San Francisco, Ubisofts The Crew is perhaps the most ambitious racer on the horizon. Single-player and online multiplayer action are merged in this jaunt across the United States, with coast-to-coast cruising and all manner of Burnout-inspired arcade antics along the way. Heres hoping it lives up to its massive potential. Due: 14 November / PS4, Xbox One, PC 17. LITTLEBIGPLANET 3 Not only does LittleBigPlanet 3 arrive this autumn on a new lead platform with a new developer behind it, but Sackboy is also bringing some new friends with him. Now, when you play with three mates, each controls a different endearing felt creature – and each has a unique ability that really pushes home the need for teamwork. Otherwise, expect lots of wickedly charming terrain and fiendishly difficult platforming action. Due: 18 November / PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3 18. FAR CRY 4 Exploring the wild jungle as an everyman bro made Far Cry 3 a one-of-a-kind experience, but Ubisofts not resting on its laurels for the next instalment: its shifting the action to the Himalayas. Snow! Elephants to ride! Drop-in co-op! From what weve played, Far Cry 4 doesnt really feel like a huge leap forward in terms of gameplay, with the same crazed enemies and unpredictable terrain, but we suspect itll still be a tough game to shrug off. And at least the change in location will make for some nice scenary. Due: 18 November / PS4, Xbox One, PC, PS3, Xbox 360 19. DRAGON AGE: INQUISITION BioWare kind of blew it with Dragon Age II following the stellar original, but the beloved RPG studio is seeking to redeem the fantasy franchise with Inquisition. The new title blends the better elements of the previous versions - for instance it will feature two combat systems, one of which resembles that from Origins and one that from II. As with the first game, youll also be able to play as one of several races, among them humans, elves and dwarfs. While not quite as epic as the peerless Skyrim, Inquisition still looks like offering plenty of opportunities to create your own unique hero and seek adventure in an intriguing universe. And thats more than most games manage. Due: 18 November / Xbox One, PS4, PC, Xbox 360, PS3 20. GRAND THEFT AUTO 5 Wait, isnt GTA5 already our pick for the best game in the world right now? Indeed, it is - and the best is about to get better when it gets the new-gen treatment this autumn. Even if the visual overhaul is the only real addition, thatll be plenty, as the initial trailer looks downright stunning. In fact, the thought of exploring Los Santos all over again with some serious hardware powering the action is as enticing as a Chicago-soundtracked sunset drive with Trevor (ie very). Due: Q4 2014 / PS4, Xbox One, PC
Posted on: Sat, 02 Aug 2014 10:53:30 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015