The Most Awaited Games This Year

(THE HYPE SHEET)

PAKKI SANTOSH

The circle of life continues as an old year of games has come to a close and a new year of games opens up before us full of potential. The preview of 2014's most notable upcoming game releases according to users reviews finally just sends a message to gamers that the upcoming 12 months are going to be hectic for checking out the never ending list of the best games to be released. Here are the list of such games according to genres which must be seen on the games shelf in 14.

The Most Awaited Action Games :

Watch_Dogs

 Publisher: Ubisoft  Developer: Ubisoft Montreal  Release date: Q2 2014

It certainly feels like we've waited long enough. When the veil was lifted on Watch Dogs at a couple of years back, it was our first real glimpse of what next-gen gaming could look like. The next-gen's here now, but Watch Dogs famously wasn't there for the opening party - though that hasn't really diminished any of the hype. An open-world game that looks more detailed and intricate than ever before, the only real question remaining is how much of an impact you can have upon it.

inFamous: Second Son

 Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment  Developer: Sucker Punch  Release date: 21st March 2014

It doesn't quite have the thudding impact of Titanfall, perhaps, but the PlayStation 4's big exclusive for the first quarter of 2014 is an intriguing prospect nevertheless. Sucker Punch's action series found its feet over the course of the PlayStation 3's life, and it starts out on the PlayStation 4 in a good place: it's a superhero game where you're allowed to delight in your super powers, something which will only be made all the more enjoyable thanks to the power of Sony's new console.

The Most Anticipated Shooters :

Titanfall

 Publisher: EA  Developer: Respawn  Release date: 13th March 2014

As thrilling as the next-gen launches were late last year, it would have been grand to have something new and exciting to play on the freshly arrived consoles. Titanfall's launch in March feels like the first real shot fired in the next-gen battleground, and it's all the better that they're shots fired from jetpack-powered infantry and strangely adorable mega mechs. Everyone that's been fortunate enough to play it has come away frothing with delight, and it's looking increasingly like Titanfall will be 's killer app this year.

Destiny

 Publisher:  Developer:  Release date: 9th September 2014

We didn't feature this in our own list, not because we're not excited by Bungie's next adventure - we most definitely are - but because since its initial reveal the drip-feed of information has been frustratingly protracted. I think we know even less now than we did a year ago, which is quite an achievement. Still, what we do know is that it's Bungie, and that's enough to make it one of the hottest prospects regardless.

The Most Anticipated RPG’S : The Witcher 3

 Publisher: Namco Bandai (Europe), Warner Bros. (US)  Developer: CD Projekt Red  Release date: TBA

It's been dubbed a Skyrim killer, so it's no wonder we're all getting excited. It's more than just hot air, too - the idea of CD Projekt's exquisite attention to detail being spread across an , with The Witcher's refreshingly nuanced and adult universe threading it all together, is all a bit much to take in without letting out involuntary yelps.

South Park: The Stick of Truth

 Publisher: Ubisoft  Developer:  Release date: March 4th 2014

You may remember this title from our 2013 game preview, but months of repeated delays (partially due to the bankruptcy of original publisher THQ) for this spin-off from the long-running Comedy Central TV series appear to be over. While there have been previous South Park-related games, The Stick of Truth is the first major release that aims to capture the outrageous R-rated fun of the TV show. The game is an RPG developed by Obsidian Entertainment (Dungeon Siege III, : New Vegas) with heavy involvement from series creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone (including the script and voice acting). Players control the newest kid in South Park, who will have to befriend Butters, Cartman, and the gang and fight villains such as the school's goth kids.

The Most Anticipated Racing :

 Publisher: Ubisoft  Developer: Ubisoft Reflections  Release date: TBA

Ready to put your next-gen console through its paces to see what it can do? Why not take The Crew out for a spin. Designed from the ground up for the new hardware, this new open-world racing game is set in the United States—by that, we mean the entire country. (It'll take you 90 minutes to drive coast to coast.) A single-player campaign mode features missions that involve infiltrating criminal organizations, but The Crew also offers online multiplayer for racing against friends and strangers. Mario Kart 8

 Publisher: Nintendo  Developer: Nintendo EAD  Release date: TBD Q2

Every Nintendo system needs a Mario Kart game, and it is finally the Wii U's turn to get one. The first HD installment in the 22-year-old racing series, Mario Kart 8 unsurprisingly features the best visuals the franchise has offered to date (not just in hi-def but at a framerate of 60 fps), while adding a few new twists—most notably, the ability to defy gravity and drive upside-down and vertically. (Technically, it is magnetism that's keeping you up there, but who needs technicalities in a game like this.) An online multiplayer mode allows up to 12 players at once.

The Most Anticipated Fighting :

 Publisher: Nintendo  Developer: Namco Bandai Games, Sora Ltd.  Release date: TBD

The first Wii U installment in the adorable- Nintendo-characters-beat-each-other-up series, the newest Super Smash Bros. game will be released concurrently for the 3DS, with both games sharing the same roster of characters (but no shared stages, and no cross-platform play—seemingly, a missed opportunity). At present, 21 characters have been confirmed, including old standbys such as Mario, Link, Kirby, Pikmin, Sonic, Pikachu, and Donkey Kong, and newcomers like Mega Man, Rosalina, and perhaps the fittest of the bunch (or perhaps the character you'd most like to punch), Wii Fit Trainer. The game will arrive sometime after the spring. The Most Anticipated Adventure :

Game of Thrones

 Publisher: Focus Home Interactive, Atlus.  Developer: Cyanide  Release date: TBD

An episodic game from red-hot studio Telltale set in the world of Westeros? There might be some interest in that. Although you may have to wait until just before winter (appropriately enough) to get the first episode, this Game of Thrones will eventually span many episodes over multiple years, all the better to depict George R.R. Martin's sprawling fantasy tale. (The game will also use the HBO series as source material.) Telltale is certainly keeping busy in 2014; in addition to GoT and its acclaimed, ongoing The Walking Dead and The Wolf Among Us projects (which will each release multiple new episodes this year), the developer is also planning Tales from the Borderlands, a similar episodic game series based on Gearbox's Borderlands games.

The Most Anticipated Strategy/Sim/Tactics :

Age of Wonders III

 Publisher: Triumph Studios  Developer: Triumph Studios  Release date: Q1

The last installment in the Age of Wonders fantasy turn-based strategy series came way back in 2002, but, after a delay from its original fall 2013 target date, the next version looks ready to reach PCs early this year, thanks to a cash infusion from creator Markus Persson. It includes full 3D graphics, additional RPG- like elements, and much more in what the studio has described as "the largest game in the series." The Most Anticipated Horror/Survival :

Dying Light

 Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment  Developer: Techland  Release date: TBD

A new open-world survival horror title, Dying Light is set during a zombie apocalypse, allowing you to show off your running and Mirror's Edge-style parkour skills as you attempt to evade the undead. The gimmick here (aside from slick graphics on the next-gen consoles) is the game's day- night cycle. Daytime isn't so bad, with your day spent scavenging and completing various tasks. But when the sun goes down, the zombies turn fast, athletic, and aggressive, and you'll need to utilize a combination of stealth and quick-thinking to survive.

The Most Anticipated MMO/Online :

Tom Clancy's The Division

 Publisher: Ubisoft  Developer: Ubisoft Massive  Release date: 2014

Team Ico might have been a high-profile absence last generation, but spare a thought for the brilliantly talented team at Massive in Malmo. The World in Conflict developer spent much of the past few years lending its hands to big franchises such as Far Cry and Assassin's Creed - but now it's finally able to show what it's really capable of with Tom Clancy's The Division, a highly ambitious MMO-like shooter in a persistent open world. Yes, basically.