50 Most Wanted Ps4 Games
AFTER A SUPERB LAUNCH AND DECENT SUPPORT IN THE FOLLOWING MONTHS, THINGS ARE ABOUT TO REALLY EXPLODE ON PS4
THE GAMES THAT JUST MISSED OUT on the excitement of the launch are just around the corner, newly-announced projects are in full swing and the big names from the best developers in the business just keep on coming. Feast your eyes on what we’ve picked out as the 50 most important games to look out for in the next few years and before the shouting starts, bear in mind that we’re working purely with offi cially-announced games here – even though we all know that FIFA 15 will be announced any day and hit late September, right now we know just as little as you so featuring it here would be utterly pointless. Go, then, and start your journey into PS4’s bright future. We guarantee you’ll fi nd something to be excited about…
THE WITCHER 3: WILD HUNT
DEVELOPER: CD Projekt RED PUBLISHER: Warner Bros
With a two-for-two record of excellent fantasy-RPGs so far, CD Projekt RED is as safe a pair of developmental hands as you’re likely to find in the industry nowadays. And while the two prior games were very much built with the PC master race in mind, this third and final part of the trilogy has been planned for consoles from the start. What does that mean for you? Well, if you played the Xbox 360 port of the second game, you’ll know how unwieldy it was – you might as well have been trying to play Guitar Hero with a steering wheel at points. But since the DualShock 4 has been as much of a consideration as mouse and keyboard from the off here, you can expect a far more user-friendly experience in Wild Hunt. CD Projekt RED claims to be already milking the PlayStation 4 for every last drop of power – not a statement we’d quickly refute based on what we’ve seen so far. This is looking like one of the most exciting RPGs in years, and will certainly be a must-have come release day.
DESTINY
DEVELOPER: Bungie PUBLISHER: Activision
The Halo creators coming to PS4 is big news on its own, but the game the team is working on also happens to be one of the most ambitious shooters ever. Hardly surprising, then, that Destiny sits at top of many a wishlist right now, blending as it does top-tier FPS gunplay from one of the best studios in the field and the kind of community spirit most MMO creators would kill for. While Bungie is keen to downplay this MMO angle (we know what ‘shared-world shooter’ means, thanks guys), the end result is a shooter where the line between single-player and multiplayer is blurred – individuals and teams will come across other groups and battle alongside or against one another as the situation dictates. And with loot drops and skill trees coming straight out of Pandora, this fusion of genres and gameplay styles is one we can’t wait to have on our PS4s.
DIABLO III: ULTIMATE EVIL EDITION
DEVELOPER: Blizzard PUBLISHER: Blizzard
There’s not a lot more to say about Diablo III that hasn’t already been said, but that doesn’t mean we’re not excited to play it again. While it cut corners in the visual department through necessity, the PS3 version ditched the controversial real-money Auction House and matched the PC version in terms of patches and improvements, making it a genuine alternative for those who would rather play on console. Now, though, the power of PS4 allows for a version of the game on a par with high-end PC specs and this release will also include the forthcoming Reaper Of Souls expansion. As such, it’ll be the best console version on the market and we’re more than happy to play it all again for that delicious new loot.
EVERQUEST NEXT
DEVELOPER: Sony PUBLISHER: Sony
We’re not entirely sure why people are so fast to write off the concept of MMOs on consoles when EverQuest and Final Fantasy XI proved that the genre could work with a controller a decade ago. Still, the few we do get tend to be more traditional interpretations of genre standards, which is what makes EverQuest Next – the game looking to rewrite the MMO rulebook – so appealing. Combining all the usual levelling, loot drops and exploration of the genre with a voxel-based world and crafting system akin to that one game about crafting mines or whatever, everything is destructible and construction has no real limits. If you don’t want to level-up and run dungeons, just build what you like, sell it to others and watch the royalties flood in as your creation goes viral. If it even comes close to the hype, it’ll be amazing. But it’s still likely to be a way off so in the meantime, we’ll be in Eorzea if you need us.
THE ELDER SCROLLS ONLINE
DEVELOPER: Zenimax PUBLISHER: Bethesda
PC modders have been trying to add multiplayer into Skyrim ever since the game launched but needless to say, Bethesda is doing a somewhat more impressive job of its own. Decent uptake to DC Universe Online and FFXIV proves that console gamers want that hardcore MMO experience, and what better franchise to recruit more gamers to MMOs than the one that brought us Oblivion and Skyrim? With Blizzard out of the picture and little in the way of competition, Bethesda could just have a hit on its hands here – with the usual scope and scale of an Elder Scrolls RPG and a world teeming with other would-be master mages and legendary warriors, it promises to be Skyrim on a much grander scale.
THE ORDER: 1886
DEVELOPER: Ready At Dawn PUBLISHER: Sony
With two of Sony’s most talented teams working on The Order together, you know it’s going to be good. Both Sony Santa Monica and Ready At Dawn have impressed by making Kratos’s adventures sing on every platform, and this new IP already showcases similarly lofty production values. The 19th Century might not seem like the obvious place to set a shooter, but this is no ordinary shooter… and no ordinary 19th Century. It’s an alternate version of history where war has massively sped up the advancement of weapons technology, leading to lasers and railguns against a Victorian backdrop. We’re already intrigued by the setting and amazed by the presentation… now all that’s left is for the two awesome teams to wow us one final time with some badass gunplay and stunning set pieces.
THE WITNESS
DEVELOPER: Number None PUBLISHER
Braid creator Jonathan Blow gets more than his fair share of bad press, even if he came across as dangerously pretentious in Indie Game: The Movie. Still, he’s clearly got the one thing that actually matters for a person in his position – the ability to create games that give your brain a workout like nothing else. The Witness might not have the same kind of gimmick as Braid, but that only works in its favour – here, we have an entire island dotted with connected (and entirely unconnected) puzzles, a sandbox of riddles that makes Fez seem like playschool by comparison. The simple style might not be to everyone’s tastes but with nearly 600 puzzles on the island at the time of writing and more being threaded in by the day, we doubt anything on PS4 will push the grey matter quite so hard.
ALIEN: ISOLATION
DEVELOPER: The Creative Assembly PUBLISHER: Sega
Yes, we’ve been stung before. But with a new studio at the helm and a new horror vibe to Isolation, we’re ready to believe that the sins of AVP and Colonial Marines can be washed away. Closer to Dead Space or indie horror titles like Amnesia than to your average shooter, The Creative Assembly’s PS4 debut pits players against a lone xenomorph on an abandoned ship with no weapons – it’s like being hunted by BioShock 2 ’s Big Sister only here, any attempt at confrontation is going to end in a bloody mess.
RAINBOW 6: PATRIOTS
DEVELOPER: Ubisoft Montreal PUBLISHER: Ubisoft
Where even is Rainbow 6: Patriots? That’s the real question here. Originally unveiled years ago with a ‘gameplay’ trailer that featured that infamous ‘press X to kiss wife’ scene, it soon vanished and hasn’t been seen since. Ubisoft has at least confirmed that development has been moved from PS3 to PS4 but it hasn’t yet seen fit to come out and show off the new version of the game, probably because it doesn’t want to steal any thunder from the delayed Watch Dogs or the hugely ambitious (and probably also delayed) The Division. Having poured hours into the tactical action of Black Arrow and Vegas, we really want this Rainbow rebirth to be something special. And if that means waiting a little longer, then so be it.
HOTLINE MIAMI 2: WRONG NUMBER
DEVELOPER: Dennaton Games PUBLISHER: Devolver Digital
Games are getting more graphic every day, with the grisly murders of Hitman or even mainstream keystones like Call Of Duty offering near photorealistic digital slaughter. So why, then, is it a top-down 16-bit-style game that seems to be attracting so much of the media’s attention? Yes, Hotline Miami is brutal. But if we had to decide whether to get worked up over the violence of a pixelated score attack game or one in which stabbing somebody in the face actually looked like stabbing somebody in the face, we know which we’d choose. More of the same is all we really want, so any improvement over the original’s awesome template will be a bonus.
GET EVEN
DEVELOPER: The Farm 51 PUBLISHER: TBA
The reveal trailer for The Farm 51’s new game teases something several leagues above anything the studio has done so far. The game will apparently put a lot of stock into the memories of its characters, with Walking Dead-style repercussions for actions and, in addition, there’s a Destiny-esque play to break down solo and multiplayer boundaries by letting players join another’s game as enemies, like Agent Hunt mode in Resident Evil 6 or, for fear of the comparison getting tired, Dark Souls’ invasions.
INFAMOUS: SECOND SON
DEVELOPER: Sucker Punch PUBLISHER: Sony
We’re still trying to get on board with cocky new hero Delsin Rowe, though in truth, the last two inFamous games were great in spite of their equally unlikeable frontman Cole MacGrath. Realising this has made it far easier for us to get excited about Second Son – the leading man will be a blank canvas, the game’s morality system allowing you to play him as a pillar of justice or, if you’d rather, just a bit of a dick. With a whole host of powers instead of just electrical ones and a bigger, more impressive open world than its predecessors, the stage is set for Sucker Punch to step up to top-tier status – Guerrilla’s game is already out and Naughty Dog and Polyphony won’t be ready to show their hands for a while, so it’s time for the openworld superhero silliness that Sucker Punch does so well to fill that gap.
WATCH DOGS
DEVELOPER: Ubisoft Montreal PUBLISHER: Ubisoft
Since you’ve probably had Watch Dogs on pre-order since last year, the best we can tell you right now is to stay strong – it won’t be long now until the entire world is at the mercy of your mobile. Assassin’s Creed IV ’s watery open world made it clear just how great the jump from PS3 to PS4 really is, but a realistic city is even more of a showcase. As such, it’s a kick in the teeth for Ubisoft that inFamous is likely to get there first, but the two games are thematically different enough to ensure that there’s room for two. Is it the amazing PS4 showpiece we all want?
DEEP DOWN
DEVELOPER: Capcom PUBLISHER: Capcom
Capcom’s not been looking so good lately – DmC and Lost Planet 3 fell way below expectations, Dead Rising 3 did okay considering it was exclusive to Microsoft’s new console and Ono stated recently that the cash isn’t there to make Street Fighter V just yet. Still, hope is not lost – Monster Hunter continues to keep the company afloat and its free-to-play wing isn’t doing so bad either, hence why this gorgeous fantasy-RPG is going down the F2P route on PS4. It’s expected to go into public beta shortly, so you’ll get to experience the Dark Souls-esque dungeon raids for yourselves. After Dragon’s Dogma, we’re hopeful that this will be all kinds of excellent.
MINECRAFT
DEVELOPER: Mojang PUBLISHER: Mojang
Want to really put your PS4 through its paces? Then look elsewhere. While its retro-inspired style might not be particularly impressive, Minecraft ’s scale and potential most certainly is – this is a game where pretty much anything is possible with enough time, thought and patience, and it’s this that has seen the game rise to become the biggest indie game on the planet and one of the biggest games, period. Expect even more social interaction and creativity from the PS4 version – your Share button was basically made for this. Time to get involved…
UNCHARTED
DEVELOPER: Naughty Dog PUBLISHER: Sony
There was never any doubt that Sony would bring its flagship exclusive to PS4 and sure enough, the first teaser trailer dropped within hours of the console going on sale. There’s a little info to be gleaned from the footage – while the route shown on the map is one followed by Sir Francis Drake, a prequel that benches Nathan seems unlikely, so perhaps a game that spans different eras is what we have to look forward to. We’re not expecting it to be called Uncharted 4, as Sony will want all the new additions to the family to feel at home with this, the PS4 debut of the biggest PlayStation game of the bunch.
DRAGON AGE: INQUISITION
DEVELOPER: BioWare PUBLISHER: EA
By all accounts, Dragon Age II was rubbish. The scaled-back world and simple combat simply didn’t hold up. But BioWare is listening, and it’s acting on criticisms of its last game to get Dragon Age back where it belongs – on (or at least near) the top of the RPG heap. It has its work cut out going up against new darling The Witcher, but everything we’ve seen so far points to a vast and open adventure with the typical focus on choice and morality. Plus you’ll probably be able to sleep with everyone in your party, and that’s always a bonus. Sort of.
HELLDIVERS
DEVELOPER: Arrowhead PUBLISHER: Sony
Not every game can be a Killzone or a Gran Turismo. That in mind, Sony has done well to identify and fill the twin-stickshooter-shaped gap in PS4’s line-up with this, a game that perfectly encapsulates the cross-platform nature of Sony’s plans. It’s coming not only to PS4 but to PS3 and Vita as well, with all three versions playable together in any combination. While a twin-stick shooter in and of itself is no new thing, this multi-format approach is – expect to see more of this from Sony going forward.
PLANETSIDE 2
DEVELOPER: Sony PUBLISHER: Sony
Free-to-play is just starting to take off on PS4 and to be fair, it’s not off to a terrible start. War Thunder is in a good place, Warframe is entertaining enough and DCUO is as strong as ever – it’s only really Blacklight letting the side down. Not that that’ll matter for long, with Sony’s own free online shooter set to make it irrelevant any day now anyway. PlanetSide is an online FPS on a scale that makes Battlefield look like four-player GoldenEye, with thousands of players involved in every battle. It’ll be interesting to see what this does to sales of next year’s COD, that’s for sure.
WONDER FLICK
DEVELOPER: Level-5 PUBLISHER: TBA
If you liked Ni No Kuni then you’re going to love this. With Square pushing and pulling the JRPG in all directions, Level-5 has established itself as a master of the traditional – Dragon Quest VIII, Rogue Galaxy and more recently its Studio Ghibli collaboration all take cues from the 16-bit classics, which actually makes the games stand out. Cutesy visuals and traditional combat are the backbone, but there are reports of more social features in this apparently free-to-play RPG.
MIGHTY NO 9
DEVELOPER: Comcept PUBLISHER: TBC
Since Capcom clearly has no plans to do anything new with the Mega Man licence, creator Keiji Inafune took matters into his own hands and put a call to arms out on Kickstarter around Mighty No 9, a Mega Man game in all but name. It’s a hardcore platformshooter just like momma (read: Capcom) used to make and since it met virtually all of its stretch goals, it’s now coming to PS4. Between this and fellow Kickstarter project Mega Man: The Board Game, it’s a good time to be a fan of the Blue Bomber, even if his actual comeback still isn’t anywhere in sight.
FINAL FANTASY XIV: A REALM REBORN
DEVELOPER: Square Enix PUBLISHER: Square Enix
A shinier version of a game you’re already playing might not seem that exciting, but FFXIV is an exception. The game seems and improve every few months via updates – even if you played the PC or PS3 version at launch and have since hung up the tunic, there’s all the content from the 2.1 patch and another expansion due by the time this PS4 debut goes live, making it a perfect time to go back or jump in for the first time. It’s on a par with the PC version in terms of visuals, plus you can hook up a mouse and keyboard and it’s exactly the same.
LEGO THE HOBBIT
DEVELOPER: TT Games PUBLISHER: Warner Bros
There are no two ways about it – TT Games has made Lego cool again. Ever since it got its hands on the Star Wars licence and combined blocky recreations of classic characters and locations with family-friendly gameplay, the template has changed little but you’ll find few who will complain about that. So if you’re down with all things Tolkien, here’s another 40 hours of stud farming and comedy that you’ll want to add to the list.
TOM CLANCY’S THE DIVISION
DEVELOPER: Ubisoft Massive PUBLISHER: Ubisoft
If there’s one game – just one game – that serves to highlight what ‘next-gen’ really means, it’s The Division. Ubisoft’s co-op shooter shares some DNA with Destiny in that both offer open worlds to explore and destroy in the company of friends, the key difference being that Ubisoft’s game takes place in a postdisaster New York City. Attention to detail is ludicrous and again, the emphasis is on multiplayer being a part of the single-player experience – players will happen upon other groups and individuals who may be friendly or hostile and it’s up to you to resolve each different situation that presents itself.
RIME
DEVELOPER: Tequila Works PUBLISHER: Sony
Art counts for a lot in the videogames world, which is why many gamers get such a ‘love at first sight’ reaction to games like Rime – one of PS4’s most attractive games even though its colourful style might not appear to push the limits to the extent of the biggest games on the platform. The game itself appears to be an adventure in the vein of Zelda or Ico, but it’s that art style that has people talking right now.
TRANSISTOR
DEVELOPER: Supergiant Games PUBLISHER: TBC
The right game at the right time – that’s what makes for a good indie release, and that’s exactly why Bastion was met with such love. While it didn’t do much new on a gameplay level, the narration and reactive world made for an experience like no other, leading many to wonder what the team is doing next. It’s this, by the way. It’s Transistor, another action-RPG but one that features a talking sword and fuses real-time and turn-based play styles into one entirely new approach. We are ready.
SOMA
DEVELOPER: Frictional Games PUBLISHER: Frictional Games
With Capcom claiming that it wants to return to classic horror for the next Resident Evil and original Resi creator Shinji Mikami doing just that with The Evil Within, is it any wonder that indie devs are still so in love with the genre? SOMA is the new game from the team behind Amnesia – one of the new leading names in making players wish they weren’t playing – and as such, you can expect to be horrified and appalled in equal measure. Just you wait until the streaming starts…
KINGDOM UNDER FIRE II
DEVELOPER: Phantagram PUBLISHER: TBA
Phantagram’s new fantasy epic is basically every game ever rolled into one. It’s Dynasty Warriors in terms of combat, Total War in its strategy scope, Lost Planet 2 in terms of persistent online battlegrounds… hell, it’s even Duke Nukem Forever thanks to the fact that it seems doomed to linger in development hell. Still, with PS4 chosen as its new console platform and beta testing beginning late last year in Korea, there’s hope yet that this ambitious game will be playable before we die.
WOLFENSTEIN: THE NEW ORDER
DEVELOPER: MachineGames PUBLISHER: Bethesda
So many shooters these days have big dreams, from the world-dominating action of Call Of Duty to the do-anything approach Bungie is taking with Destiny. It’s reassuring to know that others are still sticking to what they know, with this new Wolfenstein being one of the most simplistic shooters we’ve seen on PS4 so far. And yes, that’s a good thing. Just as Level-5 sticking to traditional JRPG standards makes its games feel fresh, Bethesda’s shooter stands alone as the only FPS with the balls to do things the old-fashioned way. And it’s a hell of a lot of fun for it, too.
LORDS OF THE FALLEN
DEVELOPER: Deck 13 PUBLISHER: Bandai Namco
While PS4 may be surprisingly light on JRPGs, the Western fantasy-RPG market is getting crowded. The Witcher, Elder Scrolls and Dragon Age make up the primary IPs in the field, but that hasn’t stopped lesser-known franchises from trying to muscle in. What Lords Of The Fallen does have, though, is pedigree with The Witcher 2 producer Tomasz Gop at the helm.
OCTODAD: DADLIEST CATCH
DEVELOPER: Young Horses PUBLISHER: Young Horses
You’re an octopus pretending to be a human and must do your best to conceal your true identity from your family. We know, it’s not your typical videogame setup but that’s what you have to deal with here, and the controls won’t make it any easier for you. Octodad, bless him, is intentionally hard to control, flapping and flailing all over the joint to such an extent that you’ll be amazed how tolerant everyone else is. It’s as hilarious to watch as it is fun to play, so expect this to be a streaming sensation.
TOMB RAIDER 2 (WORKING TITLE)
DEVELOPER: Crystal Dynamics PUBLISHER: Square Enix
Lara Croft’s PlayStation 4 debut came in the form of a glorified PC port but it wasn’t even that which proved the main problem – despite upscaling almost everything and adding Tekken 2 CG hair to the protagonist, the main concern for us was still the lack of tombs being raided. The game’s mechanics offer strong foundations on which to build, however, so we can only hope that the forthcoming sequel sees Lara going back to what she historically does best.
NO MAN’S SKY
DEVELOPER: Hello Games PUBLISHER: Hello Games
When Bungie says it’s going to make a game where players will be able to fully explore a universe, it sounds interesting. But when a team of four guys makes the same bold claim, that really piques our interest. Can the quartet that made Joe Danger really deliver on this grand dream of a fully open universe for players to explore, destroy and chart as they please? Only time will tell. But the fact that we cannot to this day stop playing Joe Danger means that we’re inclined to stick around and see what these guys have to offer…
STAR WARS: BATTLEFRONT
DEVELOPER: DICE PUBLISHER: EA
Battlefront is one of the great lost franchises of the PS2 era – what’s not to love about online deathmatches with a Star Wars twist? And who better to handle the rebirth of this series than DICE, a studio that knows online multiplayer better than pretty much any other developer. Unless it’s a Battlefield reskin, we struggle to believe that Battlefront will be finished this year. But having played the previous games, we know that some things are worth waiting for.
MIRROR’S EDGE
DEVELOPER: DICE PUBLISHER: EA
Seeing as DICE has had to spend the last three months getting its last game working properly, we doubt it has had much time to work on its other projects. And even then, you have to assume that development of the next Battlefield and applying its shooter know-how to the Star Wars universe would all take precedence over this sequel to a cult hit. It’s good to know that DICE still has Faith, but even 2015 seems like a long-shot.
THE EVIL WITHIN
DEVELOPER: Tango Gameworks PUBLISHER: Bethesda
Survival-horror has lost its way somewhat in recent years and since the original Resident Evil boom that made the genre cool, constant one-upmanship has led it dangerously close to action game territory – cover shooting, boulder punching, cheap scares… it’s all par for the course these days. Resi creator Shinji Mikami is keen to bring back the glory days, though, and The Evil Within is his way of doing it – a classic horror game where you can’t just suplex extra ammo out of enemies and every scenario is as grim and hopeless as it should be. You might need to bring your own Jill Sandwiches to this horrible picnic…
MAD MAX
DEVELOPER: Avalanche Studios PUBLISHER: Warner Bros
What’s the one thing you’d want to your name at the end of the world? A big gun? HYPE Try again. Some kind of shelter? Please. In fact, if you answered anything other than ‘a bitching set of wheels’ then Avalanche would like to politely tell you how wrong you are. Based on a movie franchise that has been dormant for nearly 30 years (although there’s a new one in production, starring Tom Hardy), this adventure promises the environments of Fallout, the carnage of Carmageddon and the antics of Just Cause in a single package. The studio has no trouble making action entertaining, and with the supposed involvement of God Of War 2 director Cory Balrog, this could turn out to be a really explosive dark horse.
MIDDLE-EARTH: SHADOW OF MORDOR
DEVELOPER: Monolith PUBLISHER: Warner Bros
You’d be forgiven for not jumping out of your seat with excitement at the announcement of a new Lord Of The Rings game – for such a prominent fantasy franchise, gaming spin-offs have been generally horrible when it seems like it should be so easy to get it right. So while the lack of many familiar faces in Shadow Of Mordor seems to be troubling some people, we’re fully behind the decision. There’s far more creative freedom with fresh characters and a new setting than to be found in retreading familiar narrative arcs, plus the duality of a lead character who is seemingly part-wraith makes for some extremely interesting gameplay.
DRIVECLUB
DEVELOPER: Evolution Studios PUBLISHER: Sony
Aside from Sony’s insistence on that bloody hashtag in front of the title, Driveclub is looking better by the day. Delaying the game might have disappointed early adopters that wanted to race without fear of police intervention, but it’s clear that it was for the best – visuals have been vastly improved over the last few months and the social aspect appears to have grown from gimmick to an integral part of the experience. With Gran Turismo still busy on PS3 and no real competition on PS4 for a racer like this, Driveclub – when it shows up – will have pretty much all of the racing fans to itself. The connected aspect is what made Autolog in Need For Speed a reason to keep coming back, so hopefully Driveclub will have even more of that awesome community spirit.
KINGDOM HEARTS III
DEVELOPER: Square Enix PUBLISHER: Square Enix
This one has been on our wishlist since the moment KHII’s credits started to roll, so to see it finally confirmed is wonderful. While the saccharine Square/Disney crossover RPG might not be to everyone’s tastes, each game has been a real showcase for the potential of its chosen platform – we look forward to seeing Disney’s brightest stars make the leap from big screen to PS4 without the slightest drop in visual fidelity. Sadly, so we’re not expecting to see anything more on it until TGS…
STARBOUND
DEVELOPER: Chucklefish Games PUBLISHER: Chucklefish Games
Starbound is a 2D roguelike that’s a bit like Minecraft, BUT IN SPACE. In all of these crafting/adventuring games, you tend to be limited to the single world in which you start but here, those limits go out the window – an entire universe is yours to explore.
DAYLIGHT
DEVELOPER: Zombie Studios PUBLISHER: Atlus
Horror games lose all impact once the player knows what’s coming, so this one sees fit to mix things up – its procedurally generated hellholes will be different for everyone and on every play, so you’ll never know when the scares are coming. Frights will need to be varied and freeform if this approach is to work – and having ex-journalist and Mass Effect blemish Jessica Chobot on writing duty doesn’t exactly fill us with confidence, either – but the idea is sound.
KINGDOM COME: DELIVERANCE
DEVELOPER: Warhorse Studios PUBLISHER: TBA
Warhorse Studios already managed to get several million dollars out of a private investor but when it took its new game to Kickstarter to prove that the audience was there, it ended up drowning in money. The campaign soared past its target in just 36 hours and continued to rise, meaning work on the grounded historical RPG continues unhindered. It’s a bold approach but the rapturous crowd-sourcing response certainly shows that people do want to play an RPG without all that fantasy silliness.
METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN
DEVELOPER: Kojima Productions
PUBLISHER: Konami
We won’t spend too many of our precious words here discussing Kojima’s missing link when there are so many elsewhere in this issue, but suffice to say that both Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain should be on any true gamer’s radar. These two titles more or less complete the Metal Gear timeline, meaning Konami will have to either finally retire Snake (Kojima has famously referred to every Metal Gear game since MGS2 as his last), or plug a tiny time gap if the main series is to continue. Open-world stealth is a bold approach, and we really hope it pays off.
FINAL FANTASY XV
DEVELOPER: Square Enix PUBLISHER: Square Enix
Since it’s cool to hate FFXIII and not everyone enjoys MMOs, all eyes fall on FFXV to restore the Final Fantasy franchise to the throne it earned in its PSone heyday. The footage Square Enix has released so far paints a picture of a far more actionheavy game than its predecessors, almost more in line with Lightning Returns than the traditional ATB system. But given the kind of cinematic battles and spectacular acrobatics this facilitates, we’re fine with that. Having started life as Final Fantasy Versus XIII for PS3, the game has already been in development for years but moving it to PS4 has meant that we’re unlikely to see it this side of 2015.
THE CREW
DEVELOPER: Ivory Tower PUBLISHER: Ubisoft
You probably haven’t heard of developer Ivory Tower, but you’ve more than likely played a game one of the team worked on – many of the staff came across from Eden Games (Test Drive, V-Rally) or have worked on big names like Need For Speed. For this, the new French team’s debut, Ubisoft has tasked the studio with shrinking down the USA and racing from coast to coast. Driver developer Ubisoft Reflections is helping out on the game too, so while it might not seem like the most exciting game in the world at first glance, the pedigree is there to make this something special – we’re always happy to have more arcade racers, especially if it can encourage Burnout to come out of hiding at long last.
GUILTY GEAR XRD –SIGN–
DEVELOPER: Arc System Works PUBLISHER: Sega
3D characters fighting on a 2D plane has been established as a standard thanks to brawling benchmark Street Fighter IV, but Arc System Works is taking it to the next level with the long-awaited return of the Guilty Gear series. Character models are so crisp and colourful that they could easily pass for high-res sprites, so it’s not until the camera spins, pans and cuts around them that you even notice that these are rendered models. It’s beautiful, just as we hoped the return of this hardcore fighter would be – BlazBlue has filled the gap just fine, but while it might bear a lot of similarities to Guilty Gear, there’s no substitute for the real thing. Xrd is on location test in Japanese arcades right now, with a PS4 version due to arrive later in the year.
DYING LIGHT
DEVELOPER: Techland PUBLISHER: Warner Bros Techland is one of the most hit-and-miss developers on the scene today but when it gets things right, it gets them very right – just look at the awesome Call Of Juarez: Gunslinger. Its real money-maker, though, has been Dead Island, a game that managed to create a huge buzz around itself with a controversial trailer that had pretty much nothing to do with the buggy, mildly entertaining mess that was the game itself. Still, millions of people lapped it up and it got an equally shonky sequel, with the team now riffing on the ideas laid out by Dead Island and fusing the zombie apocalypse setting with the high-octane parkour platforming of cult hit Mirror’s Edge. It certainly looks the business – we’re just somewhat wary that it could be just another one of the erratic studio’s misfires, but we’ll reserve full judgement until we’ve had a play for ourselves
EA SPORTS UFC
DEVELOPER: EA Canada PUBLISHER: EA Sports
THQ’s UFC games were among the last generation’s most surprising successes – after years without a good MMA game, the official licence and rocksolid mechanics came together to create a trio of games that were superb. EA’s effort took a different tack but offered an equally technical digital approximation of men smashing each other to pieces. With the power of PS4 behind it and more realistic models, animation and blow connection than ever, expect to wince more at the bone-crunching strikes and grapples in this than you will at any other game this year.
SNIPER ELITE 3
DEVELOPER: Rebellion PUBLISHER: 505 Games
We really want Sniper Elite to be good again. The PS2 original stands up as one of our favourite new IPs of the era, taking Max Payne’s slow-motion killcams to the next level by rewarding well-placed long range shots with a glorious cut-scene that follows the rifle round all the way from barrel to brain. But with its recent sequel, Rebellion fell foul of the same pitfall as its rival title, Sniper: Ghost Warrior, with machine guns and mass conflict removing the emphasis from the one-shotone-kill thrill of the first game. Hopefully, this PS4 follow-up will return to that glorious satisfaction of making every bullet count.
