2013 was a solid year of games. It might have been the year with the highest quantity of “really good” games. We’ve announced our top games of last year and now it’s time to look forward! Eduardo Gueiros, Guilherme Jacobs, and Jean-Luc Botbyl, and myself have put together a list of games that are out most anticipated. Have a look and let us know what your list is, at the bottom of the page!
Eduardo Gueiros
1. Destiny:
From what I’ve seen and read, Destiny promises to be a hybrid of the Halo and Fallout franchises, only with an online component that will augment the gameplay experience by bringing a unique layer of unpredictability with its “public events.” Furthermore, the plot vows to bring a variety of new and terrifying creatures that threaten the existence of human society, granting gamers a unique—and hopefully amazing—experience.
2. Titanfall
Every year numerous people—including myself—complain about how Call of Duty games don’t change all that much from one year to the next. Luckily for us, Titanfall brings a seemingly new recipe for online first-person shooters. The innovative jump boosts made possible by players’ futuristic outfits, not to mention the inclusion of the colossal “Titans,” promise to provide a much more dynamic experience that will augment the combat elements of each match.
3. All the Telltale Games
So far, the Telltale has proved to be an expert storytelling vehicle that brings a new dimension to gaming. The decision-making elements that result in varying eventualities within the game create consequences for your actions, which in turn helps you more vividly embody the characters you control. These playable stories are beautifully scripted and wonderfully designed, and with the announcement of forthcoming games for Borderlands and Game of Thrones franchises in addition to extra episodes for their existing series, 2014 promises to be an exciting year for Telltale.
4. Elder Scrolls Online
Tamriel has housed two of the most exciting games in recent years with the incredible Oblivion and Skyrim. These two games have excelled at developing intriguing worlds and rich histories inhabited by amazingly detailed societies and characters. Additionally, the extremely customizable nature of the playable characters in these first two games, it was only a matter of time until the franchise took the MMO road. Essentially, my point is that Oblivion/Skyrim with a multiplayer component is something that should—in theory—be exceptionally fun.
5. South Park: The Stick of Truth
Seeing as this is one of my favorite TV franchises of all time, I am somewhat biased when it comes to this game. However, Matt Stone and Trey Parker have proved they can create hilariously entertaining content in a variety of media—including video games—in the past, so I’m very optimistic about South Park: Stick of Truth. Additionally, the fact that the game has been postponed for so long has somehow made me even more excited for what could be the funniest game in a long time.
Jean-Luc Botbyl
1. Destiny
Being a Halo fanboy has led me into the realm of Bungie fandom. I’ve attempted to play almost all of their back catalogue, and nothing they’ve put out has disappointed me. While I am saddened by their move away from the Halo franchise, Destiny seems like something even bigger and even better than Halo ever was, or probably ever will be. This is Bungie’s return to innovation. Rather than churning out more (admittedly awesome) Halo games, they’ve decided that they want to redefine the gaming experience again. And when this studio sets their mind to something, it undoubtedly will happen. The gameplay looks incredible, and while there are definitely elements of Halo here, Destiny is also very much a different beast. It’s a separate entity, really. It will definitely have all the features that makes Halo great – excellent shooter mechanics, a stellar narrative, and a great world, to name but a few. But this time, you get all that plus a massive open world and the opportunity to do everything with friends in a game that’s almost an MMO, but not quite.
2. That new Halo Game We Don’t Know Much About
Look, I’m a Halo fanboy, and I will get on my knees and worship every Halo game that comes out because I love them so much. Unlike a lot of people, I love Halo for the story that it tells. Even though Master Chief is a largely silent protagonist, the massive science fiction story that unfolds around him makes the Halo games some of the best story driven games on the market. And with Halo 4’s shockingly good story, I can’t wait to see where 343i takes it with the next game in the franchise. Of course, on top of that, I’m sure it will be a really fun game, and redefine the first shooter genre (again), making all of its competitors look bad as it outshines each of them in almost every way imaginable. I can’t even begin to fathom what new features 343i is going to incorporate into the next Halo game, but I’m sure that they’re going to be awesome features that will once again push the envelope. Even though we’ve only seen one trailer for this game, there’s no contesting its spot on this list.
3. Watch Dogs
Watch Dogs looks like the game I’ve always wanted. It’s a modern day Assassin’s Creed, it’s a game where everything you do matters, and it’s a game with an open world as expansive as those of Grand Theft Auto games. At least, that’s how it’s been marketed. The trailers and the gameplay footage I’ve seen make this game look astoundingly awesome. Ubisoft really seems to be pushing the envelope with this one, incorporating new gameplay mechanics that I’ve rarely seen before. Sure, how it works as a shooter will probably be nothing all that new, but it’s all the other gameplay mechanics that make this look so interesting. Hacking into the city’s mainframe in conjunction with gunning down your opponents looks like an amazing experience, and if it works as seamlessly as the gameplay footage we’ve seen makes it work, it’s going to be a lot of fun. Couple that with the narrative, which is looking awesome, and this is definitely a game to watch, despite the fact that it was delayed.
4. Thief
When I saw the trailer for Thief, the first thought that game to my mind was this: Dishonored 2.0! As a huge fan of Dishonored (I’ve played it maybe ten to fifteen times), any chance to play a similar game is great, and this seems to be a very similar game. What I don’t understand is how so many people don’t seem excited for this game. It has all the stealth and open world elements that people, myself included, seem to love in their games. It looks like it has potential for great action scenes, and the gameplay as a whole looks phenomenal. It even seems like there will be a decent narrative, based on the trailer. After watching it a couple of times, I walked away already caring about the characters, and the adventures that I’m going to be having with them in this game.
5. The Wolf Among Us
Sure, I guess this game has already come out, technically. But you know what? There are still three more parts of the game that everyone can be excited for! That’s the great thing about episodic games: you don’t get it all at once and then subsequently binge play all of it. Like a TV show, episodic games make you wait for the next part to come out, and though the wait may be hard, with Telltale, it’s worth it. The first two episodes of The Wolf Among Us were amazing; easily some of Telltale’s best work. They did everything that the first two episodes should: they introduced the characters, the world, and the plot, but drew you in by feeding you just enough to make you hungry for more. And boy, am I hungry for the next three episodes of this game.
You must be logged in to post a comment.