Anticipated Releases Of 2014: Video Games

Reviews writer Bingyu Wu continues the Anticipated Releases of 2014 series with a look at games slated for release later this year.

2013 was a great year for video games, with many worthy contenders for “Game of the Year”.

You may have enjoyed the sprawling backdrop of Los Santos while hijacking cars in Grand Theft Auto V, or fallen in love with Joel and Ellie’s tale of loss and familial bond in The Last of Us. Perhaps Bioshock: Infinite’s Elizabeth didn’t just cause a tear in time and space — it went straight to your heart too.

It is fascinating to speculate where the industry will head in 2014. Will strong narratives and believable characters dominate? Will the indie scene continue to astonish us with gems like The Stanley Parable and Gone Home?

It is the dawn of a new generation, and the future looks exciting.

RPG/Fantasy

PICTURE: http://www.thewitcher.com

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Platform: PC, PS4, Xbox One
Developer: CD Projekt RED
Release Date: Q2 2014

The Witcher started out as a fantasy novel series by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. It has since spawned multiple television spin-offs comics and of course, the much acclaimed Witcher video games. Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings was considered a hallmark of the last generation, with graphical capabilities that would give many current titles a run for their money.

An open world RPG – said to be 20 per cent larger than Skyrim — Wild Hunt has you taking control of Geralt of Rivia, a genetically-enhanced Witcher who is able to fight monsters and mythical beings. He is, however, only human. The Witcher series has established a challenging take on the role-playing genre, emphasising strategy and preparation over mindless sword slashing. Do not expect the latest in the series to be any different.

PICTURE: http://elderscrollsonline.com

Elder Scrolls Online

Platform: PC, Mac, PS4, Xbox One
Developer: Bethesda
Release Date: 4 Apr (PC, Mac), TBD (PS4, Xbox One)

If there were a worthy successor to World of Warcraft as the preeminent MMORPG, this could be it.

For those of us who got lost in the rich lore and world of Skyrim, we know this game has massive potential to suck hundreds of hours of our lives. And with most of the continent of Tamriel playable, you can travel from the icy winterland of Skyrim to the deserts of Redguard in the same game. All while enjoying the company of your friends.

The game is set a thousand years before the events of Skyrim where a war breaks out between three alliances: the lofty elves of the Aldmeri Dominion vie for Tamriel’s imperial throne against the humans of the Daggerfall Covenant, while the hardy northerners of the Ebonheart Pact fight for their independence.

Note that there is a monthly subscription fee of US$14.99 (S$19) on top of the initial cost.

Action/Shooter

PICTURE: http://www.titanfall.com

Titanfall

Platform: PC, Xbox One, Xbox 360
Developer: Respawn Entertainment
Release Date: 11 Mar

A new competitive multiplayer shooter, Titanfall has been receiving a lot of hype. Conceived without a single player campaign, the game focuses solely on the online multiplayer component.

The story is told through objectives within the multiplayer match. Developed by the creators of the original Call of Duty games, Titanfall integrates features like jetpacks and the eponymous Titans, which are giant player controlled mechs that can be called down to help rain death and destruction on your opponents.

While not eye-popping in terms of graphical fidelity, the game promises a fast paced and responsive multiplayer experience.

PICTURE: http://www.destinythegame.com

Destiny

Platform: PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360
Developer: Bungie Interactive
Release Date: 9 Sep

Before gamers get a taste of the next Halo game (which has been confirmed), the guys at Bungie have this for us.

A multiplayer science fiction shooter that is more concerned about cooperative player versus environment gameplay, the game is set in a world where all of humanity has been driven into a single ‘megacity’ by aliens, losing their once tightly held dominion over the solar system.

As “Guardians” of the city, you and your friends venture out into abandoned wastelands of once colonised planets to investigate the threat of encroaching aliens.

Initial game footage promises impressive graphics, showcasing the technical prowess of the new consoles. Expect high production value here, with the voice talents of Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones) and musicians like Paul McCartney composing the score.

Survival-Horror

PICTURE: http://dayzgame.com

DayZ

Platform: PC
Developer: Bohemia Interactive
Release Date: 16 Dec 2013 (Alpha), TBD (Final version)

DayZ is not a game for anyone looking for casual fun, but for people itching to live out their Walking Dead fantasies. An open world multiplayer survival horror game set in a zombie apocalypse, you begin the game with only some clothes and a flashlight, and your only objective is to stay alive. Scrounging for supplies like food, water and weapons is a high priority.

Initially developed as a mod of the 2009 game Arma II, the standalone version retains much of the parent game’s brutal realism. Taking a fall of a ladder will leave you crippled and helpless, and a gunshot wound anywhere on your body will result in blood loss that will eventually kill you if left untreated. This is on top of the omnipresent threat of the undead.

If you are unfazed by the potential horrors of DayZ, you can already start playing. It is out on steam as an early access game at US$29.99 (S$38.35), but is still in its early alpha stages, so bugs and glitches are to be expected.

PICTURE: http://www.alienisolation.com

Alien: Isolation

Platform: PC, PS4, PS3, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Developer: The Creative Assembly
Release Date: Q4 2014

Aliens: Colonial Marines was a steaming heap of failed expectations and wasted opportunities, and has deservedly been placed in several “worst games of the year” lists for 2013 — so why should anyone pay attention to this next foray into the Alien universe?

Because it looks legitimately scary. More Alien than Aliens, the game draws inspiration from the original Ridley Scott film, absconding militaristic gun action for atmospheric terror. You have no M40 pulse rifles, sonic electronic ball breakers, knives or sharp sticks, only your motion tracker and your wits.

Set 15 years after the events of Alien, you play as Ellen Ripley’s daughter Amanda, who goes off into a derelict space station in search of her lost mother. And surprise surprise, there is an alien inside. One alien. A singular stalker in the shadows that hunts you relentlessly. One that is deadly, and that you can only run or hide from as you journey through the dark corridors of the space station alone.

It is still too early to tell if this game will escape its predecessor’s fate, but there is hope.

Adventure

PICTURE: http://www.telltalegames.com/talesfromtheborderlands

Tales from the Borderlands

Platform: TBD
Developer: Telltale Games
Release Date: TBD (2014)

Telltale Games made a name for themselves with award-winning, point-and-click adventure games such as The Walking Dead. They took the interpersonal drama and storytelling of the comic series and added a refreshing interactive twist to the equation.

Subsequently released, The Wolf Among Us, is a similar episodic point-and-click game based off the Fables comic series, and has since garnered the same level of critical acclaim as its predecessor.

Telltale’s release of a game based in the Borderlands universe should get their fans excited. Gearbox Software — the guys behind the Borderlands games — are consulting the project, so expect the same humour and irreverence that typifies the franchise.

PICTURE: http://watchdogs.ubi.com

Watchdogs

Platform: PC, Wii U, PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360
Developer: Ubisoftt
Release Date: Q2 2014

Initially slated to be a launch title for both the Xbox One and PS4, Watchdogs has since been unfortunately delayed till spring 2014. This could be a blessing in disguise, as the gaming community has had its fair share of rushed, unfinished games being pushed out for release (read: SimCity and Total War: Rome 2).

You play Aiden Pearce, a vigilante with a dark past who can hack into almost any system in the game’s fictionalised Chicago. You have the entire city’s resources at your disposal as you set on your monomaniacal quest for justice, with control over the ebb and flow of traffic and the vast network of CCTV cameras augmenting your eyes.