WARNING: OPINIONS
7) BATMAN: ARKHAM KNIGHT
To begin this list, I shall start with the final Arkham outing to end the legendary trilogy (we’ll just ignore Origins, shall we).
It’s not E3 without a brand new Batman announcement, except this time Rocksteady are going all out to bring us the biggest, baddest, most expansive Gotham yet!
Arkham Knight was announced at Sony’s conference, and it actually included gameplay – a rare wonderment for E3 – and it looks astonishing. From the few minutes we actually saw, a new Batman manor, the Batmobile, and the hugest free-roam Gotham ever seen was shown off.
You’ll be able to face off against the Arkham Knight him(?)self in 2015, only on PS4, Xbox One and PC.
6) SUNSET OVERDRIVE
As a Sony/Nintendo gamer, it pains me to say I’ll probably never get a chance to play Insomniac’s insanely chaotic ‘Sunset Overdrive’.
After Insomniac’s bland, forgettable attempt at a shooter ‘Fuse’, it seems like they’re going back to their roots with an action-packed, hilariously crazy open world third-person shooter, which was announced at Microsoft’s conference.
The love-child of Ratchet & Clank and Jet Set Radio will be blasting onto your Xbox One on October 28th 2014 (30th for UK owners).
5) FAR CRY 4
After Far Cry 3, it seemed like nothing was going to beat the lush open-world jungle filled with killer leopards and insane pirates. That was until Far Cry 4 was announced at Ubisoft’s press conference this year.
The gameplay video showed off the gorgeous capabilities of next-gen hardware, highlighting the breath-taking mountainous landscapes of Kyrat (fictional, yet stunningly similar to the Himalayas). All I could think about was the Nepalese section of Uncharted 2 (well, with added wingsuits).
In an earlier video, we met the crazy villain of Far Cry 4, and he is most certainly a match for FC3’s Vaas – taking a selfie with you within minutes of meeting you. If the elephants don’t kill you, those vibrant pants of his will.
You’ll be parachuting into Kyrat on November 18th 2014 (available for PS4, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and PC).
4) METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN
If you’d shown me this announcement 2 weeks ago, I wouldn’t have batted an eyelid, but I recently purchased the Legacy Collection. Consider me a fan.
Being a new fan, I haven’t looked into the plot. Like, at all. But from the trailer alone, it is definitely something I can get behind.
Graphically, it looks stunning, and with “Nuclear” playing in the background, I can’t help but get goose bumps for a game I know hardly anything about. And yes, I know, it was pre-rendered, but it still doesn’t mean it isn’t gorgeous.
I don’t know if this was planned, but The Phantom Pain is chronologically the fifth game in the series, as well as in release order. Taking place before Metal Gear, but after Ground Zeroes, The Phantom Pain is ready to sneak onto your screens on the…well… we don’t know actually.
It’s still in development, but be prepared if you own a PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 or an Xbox One.
3) THE LEGEND OF ZELDA WII U
If I made this list directly after the announcement, it would be a lot lower on the list, but Aonuma recently claimed that the entire announcement video shown was completely gameplay.
Yes, the stunningly beautiful open-world cinematic of Link riding Epona away from explosions was not only running on the game’s engine, but was all actual gameplay. I imagine it’s something like the cinematic sequences of Uncharted 3, but with Zelda!
This is probably the most ambitious Zelda title yet, some already summarising it as a “cel-shaded Skyrim”.
If this isn’t a Wii U system seller, I don’t know what is. But if you’re prepared to get this game, then have a Wii U ready for 2015. This is gonna be good!
2) UNCHARTED 4: A THIEF’S END
I’m finding it excruciatingly hard not to just mash my keyboard in sheer excitement for this game.
Uncharted is by far my favourite video game franchise, and this new trailer made by heart skip 30 beats.
Nathan Drake, a now retired fortune hunter, is forced to get back in the game for personal reasons. Does this mean Elena’s been captured? Is Eddy Raja really dead? Will Sully ever get rid of his moustache? God, I hope not.
The title worries me, and also excites me. It could potentially mark the end of Nate’s adventure, or even Sully’s, and that terrifies me, but it might just be the epic send-off the franchise needs.
Nolan North has already mentioned that Naughty Dog are probably ending the series here, and I am completely okay with that. Each Uncharted game is an absolute masterpiece, so I’d rather Naughty Dog finish on a high note where they’re happy, than turn it into a yearly series like Assassin’s Creed.
Whatever happens, next-gen Uncharted can only mean great things. They already had fully simulated oceans in Uncharted 3, so god knows what to expect in A Thief’s End.
Hear one last “oh, crap” from Nate in 2015, with Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, only on PS4.
1) NO MAN’S SKY
This game. This. Freaking. Game.
When I tuned into Sony’s press conference this year, I was expecting Uncharted 4, something from Ubisoft, and Metal Gear Solid V. Perhaps that’s what made this announcement all the more brilliant.
No Man’s Sky came out of nowhere – a gloriously vast exploration game made by a tiny indie game company.
This game promises a unique experience to every player with randomly generated worlds, animals, structures, stars, everything! You start out on your own planet, and you can explore anywhere. Think Minecraft, but 100x larger.
The gameplay video showed off dinosaurs, spaceships, outer space, different planets, enemy players, underwater traversal, unique structures. It’s every adventurer’s dream.
A procedurally generated open universe with infinite uncharted territories to explore await every single player who picks up No Man’s Sky – making its console debut on PS4 TBC.
That wasn’t too biased right?
Honorable Mentions:
- Tom Clancy’s The Division for the best game that lonely people aren’t allowed.
- LittleBigPlanet 3 for that cringeworthy announcement. Don’t worry, it wasn’t as bad as Mr. Caffeine.
- Dead Island 2 for the best misleading trailer. Let’s be honest, it’ll be nothing like that.
- Battlefield Hardline for the best Payday clone.
