Looking Forward - Most Anticipated Games of 2014

Most Anticipated Games of 2014

Pillars of Eternity
(Release date: Q4 2014)

This independently published, crowd-funded old school isometric RPG comes from the master craftsmen at Obsidian Entertainment, largely made up of former Black Isle Studios developers, the team responsible for some of gaming’s most iconic classics: Fallout 2, Icewind Dale, and arguably the greatest story ever told in this medium, Planescape: Torment. As Obsidian, they put out Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II – The Sith Lords, Neverwinter Nights 2 (and its expansions), Fallout: New Vegas, and in my opinion the most underrated game of the entire generation, Alpha Protocol. The pedigree is certainly there, and anyone keeping up with their weekly updates knows the passion these guys have for making this kind of game. When Obsidian is left to its own devices, something truly special almost always comes of it.

South Park: The Stick of Truth
(Release date: March 4, 2014)

Speaking of Obsidian, South Park: The Stick of Truth is a collaboration with TV show creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone being published by Ubisoft. The fact that the game looks so damn much like the show itself is a testament to the artists and programmers working on it, and from what’s been shown off already, it looks to have the same unfiltered and raw sense of humor that the show has become known for, while combat is a zany turn-based style with some hilarious and over-the-top animations and spell effects.

Divinity: Original Sin
(Release date: February 28, 2014)

Divinity II: The Dragon Knight Saga, originally released as Divinity II: Ego Draconis, snuck up on me some time ago. This updated re-release, which included the expansion “Flames of Vengeance,” was a blissfully entertaining action-RPG with a lengthy story and absolutely thrilling dragon combat late in the game. I didn’t think much of it when it originally came out, but thankfully at the behest of several people, I bought this updated version during a Steam sale, and enjoyed every second of it. The developers, Larian Studios’, next game returns to the series isometric roots, much like Pillars of Eternity, and was similarly funded through the crowd-sourced website Kickstarter.

Transistor
(Release date: 2014)

I fell in love with this game from the minute I saw the trailer at this year’s E3. The music, the visual style, the cyberpunk/noir setting – all of it just fits so well together, which is no surprise considering Supergiant Games’ previous title, Bastion, was of similar ilk. Transistor will be a downloadable action game for PS4 and PC, featuring a sentient sword – the namesake of the game – and its crimson-haired protagonist, Red, who has mysteriously lost her voice as they battle through the strange and mesmerizing city of Cloudbank.

X (working title)
(Release date: 2014)

2012’s Wii exclusive Xenoblade Chronicles is one of my favorite games of the generation, and easily one of the best on Nintendo’s oft-berated console. The absolute massive scale of the world and vastness of each area, complete with gargantuan enemies and extraordinarily impressive draw distances, showed just what was possible with the Wii’s outdated hardware. The game utilized a free-roam combat system similar to the likes of Final Fantasy XII, and to some extent many MMOs. All of this looks to be returning for Monolith Soft’s upcoming Wii U exclusive, tentatively titled X, which is currently rumored to be a direct sequel to Chronicles, although there has been no concrete evidence to support this aside from the lookalike appearance of Chronicles’ main character, Shulk, at the very end of the game’s announcement trailer.

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain/Ground Zeroes
(Release date: March 18, 2014)

I don’t think anyone really knows exactly what to make of Metal Gear Solid V quite yet, especially when it comes to The Phantom Pain and Ground Zeroes. Kojima announced that they will be separate games, but so far nearly every trailer for MGSV has shown clips that are reportedly from both. So is Ground Zeroes a prologue? A full-on prequel? Is it going to be a full priced game? Someone, please help me out here. Whatever the case, I’ll be looking forward to it/both.

Dark Souls II
(Release date: March 11, 2014)

If I had to pick one game I was most excited about next year, of course it would be Dark Souls II. Sure, I have my skepticism: a new game director, retail-exclusive pre-order bonuses, and a much more gung-ho marketing campaign that seems contradictory to the series’ humble roots. Namco Bandai is not known for their subtlety and graceful handling of games, but luckily most of my concerns stem from distrust with the publisher and not from anything that I’ve personally seen of the game or heard from the developers. The new engine that was used to design the game from the ground up looks remarkable, as character animations are much more fluid and exact. Some of the locations shown off in the trailers appear as menacing as ever, and of course the speculation that surrounds the game’s story and its potential connection to Dark Souls is one of the most heated debates about it amongst the community. I just know, come March 11, I apologize to any other game that may have wanted my attention, because you won’t be getting it.