There's more than One option here!
"Xbox, give me new games!" If only it were that
easy, right? Then we wouldn't have to wait to fresh games to appear on our
brand spankin' new Xbox Ones--we could just be like, "Xbox, go to Beyond
Good & Evil 2" and we'd always have games to play. If only life were
that simple. Alas, that's not how the world works, but there's still plenty of
upcoming Xbox One games on the horizon to be excited about. The games are
coming, people!
If this list pans out, 2014 will be an insane year for
Microsoft's newest game machine. Ten console exclusives join a slew of
third-party offerings to give us plenty of reasons to not regret the $500 we
just dropped on the system (besides playing through the already-released best
Xbox One games, that is). The only hard part now is choosing which games to get
immediately and which to hold off on... and once you've scrolled through,
you'll understand why.
Peggle 2 (December 2013)
With a fist raised high and a big jump, PopCap games let the
world know that Peggle 2 was on its way at E3 2013. We remember that moment
fondly, as we did the exact same thing while we watched. We're not sure what
makes Peggle so addicting, but we know that a second game can't be a bad idea.
Best of all, it's coming to the next-gen consoles almost immediately, so we
won't have to wait very long!
Despite how familiar we are with it, we still can't
adequately describe what Peggle is. Is it pinball? Is it one of those old water
games with the rings we used to play with as children? It has elements of all
of those games, but without question there's one word that describes our time
with Peggle: FUN. We're hoping that Peggle 2 will be more of the same.
Halo Spartan Assault (December 2013)
Look, we knew as soon as we heard about the "Windows 8
exclusive" Halo: Spartan Assault that it was coming to Xbox, we just
didn't know when. As it turns out, we're going to get to try it sooner rather than
later, AND it's on both Xbox 360 and Xbox One. We didn't think the current gen
would get the chance to play it, but we don't mind being wrong about it.
Halo: Spartan Assault
is more Geometry Wars than Halo 4, a
top-down third-person shooter where the left stick controls movement and the
right stick controls gunfire. However, a breath of fresh air doesn't always
hurt, and we found Spartan Assault to be pretty fun on a tablet, which means it
could be even better with the Xbox One controller. Above all else, it's Halo,
and we're going to try it on that alone. The series has earned it.
Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare (February 18)
Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare has checked all of the
right boxes since we first learned about it at E3 2013. Plants still going to
war with zombies? Check. Brand new and beautiful HD graphics accompying the
franchise's jump to the new consoles? Check. The ability to play as the
zombies? Check that off too. All that's left is a release date very close to
today at a price $20 less than a normal game? CheckMATE.
As you can see, there's a lot to be excited about with this
new take on PvZ. We're looking forward to all of those features, but the one
that really stands out to us is the ability to finally play as the zombies.
It's about stinkin' time that we can lead the zombie horde to victory in battle
instead of always deflecting them away with our plant forces. Zombies need love
too, dang it, and Popcap seems to agree. We wage war again this February, and
we're so excited to give Garden Warfare a shot.
Thief (February 25)
Yes, we know all about the seemingly tumultuous development
of the newest Thief game. We've heard about the delays, the issues, and
everything else surrounding it. You know what? While it sounds foreboding,
we're not going to let those doom and gloom stories sour our excitement for
this. We're still totally ready to be the Thief, and we can't wait to do so
come February.
Previous Thief games have brought us far too much enjoyment
to not give the new game a fair shake. We'll still be able to sneak around a big
city, stalking out prey and saving the day one well-planned kill at a time.
We're not afraid a few measly setbacks; we're sure that this new Thief will be
a quality experience, regardless of the turmoil surrounding it. It may even
sneak up on some of you...heh.
Titanfall (March 11)
Titanfall turned a lot of heads when it debuted at this
year's E3. We expected a big showing from a studio made up of primarily old
Infinity Ward personnel, but even our lofty expectations were blown out of the
water by the insane demo. Commandeering giant bipedal mechs on the fly? Running
and jumping on the on and off of the sides of buildings, billboards and other
parts of the environment? Hey Titanfall, sign us up.
Some had hoped that Titanfall would launch with the Xbox
One, but we're totally cool with it being a few months apart. The console is
going to need a steady stream of big name games to keep us busy for a long time
coming, so releasing this in March (barring an unforeseen delay FINGERS
CROSSED) gives players time to learn the new system AND gives them something to
look forward to. It stinks having to wait, but it'll be worth it.
The Elder Scrolls: Online (Q1 2014)
Although the series has gone multiplatform, many still
associate The Elder Scrolls with Microsoft's camp, primarily because of
Morrowind's Xbox exclusivity. Many of us started with Morrowind and immediately
followed it with Oblivion and Skyrim, all on Microsoft's family of green machines.
Now, we have an opportunity to experience the series on the Xbox One in a way
we've never seen before: The Elder Scrolls Online.
MMOs and console very rarely come together, but with the
dawn of a new generation comes another chance to make the connection, and
Bethesda is wasting no time. Full customization, hundred of quests, and many
more MMO staples will make their way to the Xbox One when The Elder Scrolls
Online hits early next year. We've already started planning our characters,
have you?
Kinect Sports Rivals (Spring 2014)
Kinect Sports Rivals was meant to be Kinect 2.0's
"killer app" right at launch. While the power of the Xbox One would
be shown off in games like Dead Rising 3 and Forza 5, Rivals was supposed to be
the game that showed us that the new motion-sensing, voice-tracking device
wasn't just for yelling "Xbox, play disc." Unfortunately, the game
was delayed until the beginning of 2014 due to some needed tweaks, but that
doesn't mean the game's importance to the new Kinect has diminised a bit.
Kinect Sports Rivals boasts the most precise scan of the
human body ever, being able capture and mimic movements down to the fingertips.
What's more, it can then store that data, create a digital you, and pit you
against players around the world based on how you play each sports. We're
thinking the game should change its name to Kinect Sports Skynet should it work
out exactly as planned.
Watch Dogs (Spring 2014)
Speaking of heart-breaking delayed games, we have Watch
Dogs, Ubisoft's open-world hacking thriller. We can't remember a time when a
third-party launch title's delay caused such a stir as this game did; people
really wanted to play Watch Dogs on day one it seems. How can we blame them?
Every video from the E3 2012 debut to the most recent trailer has looked
phenomenal. When can we have this?
We want to explore this digital Chicago from end to end (and
compare how much like the real Chicago it is...we bet it's pretty accurate). We
want to stop crimes before they happen like Minority Report, but without all
the Tom Cruise. Most of all, we want to use an entire city as the most badass
weapon ever, from traffic lights to ATMs to even the subway. Mussolini? Bah! WE
are going to make the trains run on time.
Destiny (Q2 2014)
Bungie and Infinity Ward have been butting heads in the
first-person shooter market for three generations now. The war started on the
original Xbox, intensified like CRAZY on the 360, and now we're in a new
generation, with one of the combatants sporting a new name, but the same battle
will rage on. We know when we're getting Titanfall, but we have yet to hear a
release date for Destiny, and we're chomping at the bit to find out more.
This multiplayer-centric shooter looks like it's going to be
a time consumption machine, as every video we've seen have delivered some crazy
action and beautiful environments. We may be losing familiarity, as this is no
Halo, but it's still Bungie, and that pedigree should go a long way. Will
Bungie fulfill its Destiny again with another smash hit? We'll find out next
year...hopefully early next year.
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (Q2 2014)
Apparently Hideo Kojima is trying to outdo himself with
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. The game is so stinkin' big, the prologue
Ground Zeroes has to be delivered separately via downloadable content. Just
what the heck is Kojima-san planning here? His Metal Gear Solid series has been
impressing us since the glory days of the PS1, and this one is looking to be
his biggest game of all time...which can only be a good thing, right?
We love MGS4, we truly do, but even we thought that the
cutscene-heavy storyline became somewhat of a chore. We timed from the last
button press of the game to the return to the title screen and it clocked in at
over an hour and a half. That's a full-length movie, and we don't know if we
want to go through that again. Hopefully with MGS V, Kojima puts some
storytelling right in the middle of the action, because we want to PLAY the
game just as much as we want to WATCH its story. In Kojima we trust.
Dragon Age Inquisition (Q3 2014)
No one expects the Dragon Age Inquisition! Now that the
obvious joke is out of the way, we can talk about how a new Dragon Age is
finally upon us, and we hope it can capture the greatness of the original game.
We tried to like Dragon Age 2, truly we did, but universally it's just not at
the same level with the first game. Inquisition can change all that, and we
sure as hell hope it will.
We've already seen a few returning faces, like Morrigan from
the original Dragon Age and Hawke from DA2, but we can't wait to see what other
surprises await us as we get closer to the game's release. If this lives up to
potential, we could possibly have a brand new elite RPG franchise on our hands,
and we haven't had one in a very long time. We're really hopeful that the
Inquisition succeeds, whether it uses fear, surprise, and ruthless efficiency
or not.
Tom Clancy's The Division (Q4 2014)
In our E3 preview from a couple of months ago, we described
Tom Clancy's The Division as "Ghost Recon meets World of Warcraft."
Think about that for a second: a full multiplayer shooter like the games we've
been enjoying for years, now in a brand new MMO packaging. We don't know about
you, but that sounds like one hell of a mashup.
The Division showed off some insane dynamic PVP gameplay
back at E3, so impressive that we wondered if it would actually be possible.
However, these are the days of a new generation, and we have no idea what's
possible, at least not yet. If Ubisoft wants to set the bar that's waiting to
be set by someone, then power to them. However, we do have one request: while
we expect SOME microtransactions, please don't implement them into every single
phase of the experience. Some things we just want to earn, you know?
Fantasia: Music Evolved (TBA 2014)
We fully trust Harmonix and their music-making abilities
after smash hits like Dance Central and Rock Band. However, even we were taken
aback when we saw Fantasia: Music Evolved, based off of the iconic Disney
movie. The film never struck us as video game source material, save for a
smattering of references in past Disney games, but we never thought about
making it into a rhythm game. Who better than Harmonix to bring it to our
attention?
Fantasia will put us in the role of the Sorcerer's
Apprentice, the same role Mickey fulfilled years ago, as we try to bring some
color back into the world via the power of music. We'll move our hands to the
beat, distributing some natural beauty while scoring points. We've seen a
selection of popular music that will be featured, but we hope that Harmonix
doesn't forget the source material's incredible classical score. There's a few
tracks there that we'd love to swing our arms to.
Halo for Xbox One (TBA 2014)
A new Halo game is coming to the Xbox One. We know, stop the
presses for the shock of the century. Master Chief's arrival to the next
generation is little surprise, but we're still a bit unclear what exactly this
game is about? The obvious answer is Halo 5, but a few interesting quotes from
some Microsoft elite suggest that the series may be undergoing further
expansion. It's intriguing to say the least.
Whatever the game is, it's going to be Halo on the Xbox One.
We basically know what to expect, but we can also be confident that the game
will excel in every aspect. 343 Industries made us all say Bungie who?"
with the stellar Halo 4, so discounting them now would be a major faux pas. We
wonder when we'll get more information, hopefully before E3 2014, but whenever
it is we'll be ready for it.
Mad Max (TBA 2014)
What makes Mad Max so mad? Well, if we lived in a desolate
post-apocalyptic hellhole with lethal bandits running around everywhere, we
wouldn't be very happy-go-lucky either. Players haven't really gotten a taste
of what Max is capable of (there was an NES game, but it's better to not
remember that exists), but this game should give them all the evidence they'll
need: Max is a bad enough dude to take on groups of bandits all by himself, and
there'll be plenty of that here.
Coupled with the third-person action moments are stages of
vehicular combat, turning Mad Max into an apocalyptic Sweet Tooth for a while.
As we drive through the wastes, we'll be able to find better parts to add to
our death machine, making it even more potent. Could this be the Mad Max game
the movie deserves? We sure hope so, even if Mel Gibson is nowhere to be found.
Max: The Curse of Brotherhood (TBA 2014)
Remember Harold and the Purple Crayon? The timeless
children's book about young Harold and his magic crayon that could draw
anything to life? Think of that on a grander scale, and you have Max: The Curse
of Brotherhood. Max must his magic marker to terraform the world of
Anotherland, building streams, pillars of earth, and other elemental surprises
in order to save his brother.
Knowing we have to draw our way through this adventure,
we're wondering if we'll be able to create anything that isn't elemental-based.
Could we generate a clone of ourselves for some impromptu teamwork? How about
we draw a monster we encountered earlier to help us in battle? The
possibilities are immense, which makes this game's potential as big as our own
imaginations. Who's ready to draw up an adventure?
Project Spark (TBA 2014)
Project Spark is whatever you want to make of it. Really,
the game is all about creating your own worlds, your own characters, and your
own storyline. This is a game-building tool in game form, allowing anyone and
everyone to make their own unique games. Who needs years of classes and an
expensive degree to be a top-notch game developer? Not us, we'll have Project
Spark!
Now, we don't think that this game will be able to unseat
the incredibly talented devs working on games right now, but we love the idea
of being able to craft our own masterpiece without leaving our living rooms.
We'd wager there's not a single gaming enthusiast out there who hasn't wondered
what it would be like to make a game. We've all thought it, but Project Spark
will allow us to live it, at least for a little while. That alone makes it
worth a try.
Quantum Break (TBA 2014)
You got your TV in my video games! Or did we get our video
games in your TV? Whatever you may think about Quantum Break, Remedy
Entertainment is certainly aiming for something unique. They've used
live-action scenes in their games before, anyone who has turned on a TV in
either Alan Wake adventure has seen them, but now the gameplay will directly
affect how our television sections will play out in a transmedia first. It
sounds crazy, but Remedy is ready to prove us wrong.
The story of Quantum Break revolves around a time warp gone
wrong, giving three people the ability to bend time to their will. Two of them
use their powers for good, but of course the third is a bad egg who must be
stopped. How he'll be stopped is up to us, and our both our video game and our
TV show experiences hinge on how we decide to play the game. It's a lofty goal,
and we're anxious to see how it plays out, but for now we'll just keep an eye
on the game's progress.
Sunset Overdrive (TBA 2014)
When the Sunset Overdrive ended for the first time, we
weren't quite sure what we had just witnessed. Here we watched some guy travel
across an entire city via zipline, shooting at crazy-looking demons with guns
passed to him by others with named atop their heads, as if they were all human
players. Oh, and there was a guy with a gun that shoots vinyl records. That was
pretty cool, too. It looked cool, but what does it all mean?
As it turns out, that trailer basically described everything
we needed to hear. The game is a multiplayer shooter in a huge open world using
cloud technology to connect tons of players simultaneously against a horde of
crazy looking demons. Oh, and one of your team members will undoubtedly have
access to a gun that shoots vinyl records (which sounds more awesome every time
we say it). With the recent announcement of a 2014 arrival, we won't have long
to wait for more answers, but based on the first trailer, we may have a ton of
fun with Sunset Overdrive when the time comes.
Wolfenstein: The New Order (TBA 2014)
What if the Nazis won? It's a scary proposition no matter
how you look at it, but Wolfenstein: The New Order takes that nightmare
scenario and amplifies with crazy mechs and total Nazi world domination. We hope
you weren't looking for a cheerful all-is-well scenario here, because this is
the farthest thing from it.
In both demos we've played, MachineGames has been able to
find a perfect harmony between the current ways of the shooter and the
old-school running and gunning through corridors a la Wolfenstein 3D. It's
equal parts modern and classic, both absurd and shockingly realistic, and
describing the feel is really hard without handing you a controller and letting
you loose. Even if Wolfenstein wasn't on your radar before, make sure you keep
an eye on it now; this New Order may end up surprising you.
Below (TBA)
The folks at Capybara Games have yet to deliver a subpar
gaming experience. They are at the top of the indie scene, and their games
enchant, mystify, and entertain in ways few others can achieve. This new game,
Below, looks to continue those quality experiences in ways we've never seen
before, thrusting onto a giant yet empty island and asking us "what lies
Below?" We don't know, Capybara, but we want to find out.
We've only seen one trailer for the game, but Below's
minimalistic approach to the roguelike formula has us very intrigued. We're not
sure why the camera is zoomed out so far, though. It looks like we're viewing
the events of the game from the top of Mount Everest, but we're sure there's a
reason for it. Maybe the bosses, if any, will look that much more menacing from
this far away, we don't know. All we want to do now is answer that simple
question: what does lie Below, and more importantly when can we find out?
D4 (TBA)
D4's announcement threw us through a loop. We thought for
sure we were going to hear about the next great Telltale Games title as the
video progressed, but all of a sudden we see "Swery65." Wait a
second, isn't he the Deadly Premonition guy? What's he doing making a game like
this? We'd later discover that this Xbox One exclusive is an episodic murder
mystery in the vein of a Telltale experience. Telltale's format mixed with
Deadly Premonition's storytelling? We're on board.
We weren't able to glean much from the official reveal, only
that there's a plane crash and our man is in the middle of things. The episodic
approach is interesting, but if it means quality storytelling and some crazy
cliffhangers, then make as many episodes as you want, Swery65. We know you're
good for a great tale or two.
Final Fantasy XV (TBA)
Final Fantasy "Don't Call Me Versus XIII" XV made
quite a splash at the Sony E3 press conference. The incredible cutscenes and
brief glimpses of gameplay revealed a stunning departure from the norm for the
series, focusing on modern ideas and a much darker tone than previous Final
Fantasy games. We're okay with a new direction, as it's painfully obvious that
Final Fantasy needed one pretty badly.
We've seen a huge cast of characters, especially in that
initial trailer, but we're not sure how many of them we'll be able to control.
We do know that the first trailer impressed so much that new life was breathed
into the entire series. Some of us even went back and played older Final
Fantasy games just to get it our of our systems. We really want FFXV to make
2014, as we don't know how we're going to wait a whole year and more to play
this.
Kingdom Hearts III (TBA)
If we think the wait for Final Fantasy XV will be bad, the
time spent anticipating the newly revealed Kingdom Hearts III will be
agonizing. We've waited for this direct sequel for seven years, through an
entire console generation, sifting through portable game after portable game to
finally get our bone. The lore is jumbled and messy, and the direction of the
new game is nigh impossible to predict, but one fact remains: Kingdom Hearts III
is real, and it is coming.
All we were able to pull from the teaser trailer is that
Sora picks up another Master's keyblade on Destiny Island, and that we'll have
to hang ten with a tidal wave of normal Heartless enemies in Twilight Town. At
this rate, we don't care if the first three hours of KHIII are watching Donald
and Goofy dance, we'll be playing Kingdom Hearts III, and all will be right in
the world.
Minecraft Xbox One Edition (TBA)
We don't have to say anything about Minecraft. You all know
what it is, you all know what it's capable of, and a good 90% of you reading
this last slide have tried it, with a slightly lower percentage still
"trying" it. We don't have to build our case; millions of copies sold
and billions of hours of total playtime speak for themselves. Minecraft's
success has bled over to the new generation, as the Xbox One will also be
turned into a building block set pretty soon. Uh oh.
We say "uh-oh" because we know how this will turn
out: we'll ignore the Xbox One version as best as we can, pretending to choose
to stick to wherever we started our Minecraft journey. Later on, well after the
decision to stay away, we will slowly and surely be convinced to pay whatever
the price and build our dream house again for the umpteenth time . That's the
effect Minecraft can have on people, no matter what system it's on.
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