The Five Most Anticipated Games of 2014

The gaming industry hit both high and low points in terms of success in 2013. Naughty Dog launched a ground-breaking intellectual property (IP) in the form of The Last of Us and Rockstar North returned with the fifth installment in the much-awaited Grand Theft Auto franchise. PlayStation 4 and Xbox One ushered in the next-generation of consoles, with 2014 holding some promising titles to feature on them. With all this being said, we have compiled a list featuring the five most anticipated titles of 2014.

Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes
Back in 1987, a rookie and ambitious director by the name of Hideo Kojima released a title that would make or break his career. Little would he have believed that after 27 long years, the Metal Gear Solid franchise would continue to flourish and be revered by some as one of the greatest gaming series of all time.

Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes – set to serve as the prologue for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain – is expected for release this March. The title is set in 1975, shortly after the events of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, with the player once again assuming the role as Big Boss. Big Boss’ mission takes him to Camp Omega in Cuba, where he learns that the Cipher agent, Paz, and Sandinista child soldier, Chico, are being held – both of whom were integral characters in Peace Walker.

With a warning from the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) for sexually violent content featuring in the title, this new instalment is shaping itself to be one of the darkest chapters in the history of the franchise. Metal Gear Solid V is reaching a significant moment in the series timeline, which could have us say our farewells to Big Boss as the series protagonist.

It has been six years since Hideo Kojima released the critically acclaimed Metal Gear Solid IV: Guns of the Patriots, with fans eager to see what the next chapter in this illustrious franchise will hold.

Titanfall
With shooter titles recently lacking the flair they once possessed, Titanfall is one of the most ambitious projects in reigniting and redefining the first-person shooter (FPS) genre.

When the original Infinity Ward founders, Jason West and Vince Zampella, were fired by Activision in 2010 following the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, they went on to create a new studio: Respawn Entertainment. With these two figures at the helm – arguably the figures that transformed the shooter genre – Respawn are ready to return with this new IP in 2014.

Titanfall is an Xbox and Windows exclusive, with it looking to be a potential system seller for Microsoft’s Xbox One. Titanfall takes players into the heart of a multiplayer-based shooter which features mechanical walkers dubbed as “Titans.” With Call of Duty: Ghosts and Battlefield 4 failing to leave their mark in 2013/14, Titanfall could potentially be the title that every FPS fan has been demanding for so long.

I can only hope that Respawn Entertainment’s new title will be a success and have me back into my FPS titles; and no doubt that Respawn will be looking to sink Activision’s Call of Duty franchise after their fallout in 2010.

Watch Dogs
Ubisoft has continued to offer some classic titles from the Assassin’s Creed series – most likely we will be hearing about a new one soon – but the focus is certainly on Watch Dogs. Revealed during the Ubisoft Conference at E3 2012, this new IP was meant to be the most exciting title of 2013. However, the title was delayed until the second-quarter (Q2) of 2014. But still everyone is eager to get their hands on this IP.

Watch Dogs has the player assume the role of Aiden Pearce, a skilled hacker in an alternate version of Chicago. Watch Dogs is extremely unique in the way that Aiden can fully utilize the environment around him with his hacking skills. This includes the ability to hack personal information on each and every individual, allowing him to use their details for withdrawing money, but also anything else, such as disabling traffic lights and security cameras.

With Watch Dogs delayed in 2013, everyone is excited to see the title finally launch in 2014 and deliver on its expectations.

inFamous: Second Son
This list already features one Microsoft exclusive, so it is no surprise that their biggest competitor, Sony, will also have a title on here. March is the month everyone is looking forward to with so many blockbuster titles, including inFamous: Second Son.

Developer Sucker Punch launched the inFamous series on the PlayStation 3 and it’s quickly become one of Sony’s best exclusives. inFamous: Second Son is set seven years after inFamous 2 and features a new protagonist, Deslin Rowe. Voiced by Troy Baker – one of the most recognised names in the industry – the title is high on almost everyone’s list in 2014.

inFamous: Second Son is set to not only utilize the potential of the DualShock 4’s touchpad and built in speaker, but also bring in new mechanics to add onto the excellent gameplay the second title offered.

Destiny
When Bungie announced that they were no longer developing titles for the Halo franchise, most people in the gaming community were left in shock. This left 343 Industries with a challenging task of continuing their legacy and they achieved this with Halo 4. Now, Bungie is returning with a new title in the form of Destiny.

I was never really a huge fan of the Halo series, but this title looks extremely fascinating. Bungie’s new IP is a first-person shooter RPG title that takes place in an open world setting. Furthermore, the story is set in a post-apocalyptic world following an event called “the Collapse,” which ended humanity’s colonization of planets, the so-called Golden Age, and left mankind near the brink of extinction. With a large white orb, “the Traveler,” now hovering over the human’s last city, it offers an unknown power for the “Guardians of the City” to use – they are the last defenders of the human race.

Bungie’s return with a new IP is an exciting prospect, demonstrating the studio’s potential of continuing to create some truly unique titles.