By Joe Jasko on gamezebo
We’re really in the homestretch of 2013 now, and it’s been quite a good year for those of us in the gaming world. Don’t believe me? Then you should probably check out our ongoing lists of what we thought were the very best games to come out over the last 12 months. But just because we’re knee-deep in all of this gaming reflection, that doesn’t mean we’re not also looking ahead to see what awesome new games that 2014 is going to bring!
If 2014 winds up being even half as great as 2013 was for gaming, then I think it’s safe to say that we’re going to be in for some truly unforgettable experiences in the very near future: but something tells me that 2014 is going to be even better. After all, when you’ve got new games from both the makers of Super Meat Boy and Bastion coming up on the horizon, how can it not be anything short of glorious? So in that case, here are a few of the biggest games that we absolutely cannot wait to play in 2014.
The Banner Saga – The development cycle of The Banner Saga has almost been a saga in of itself in trying to make its way through the snow to our warm computer screens over the years. Having first learned about the game in early 2012, we can now finally expect to experience the stylish Viking-themed turn-based strategy game in just a few short weeks, on its official release date of January 14, 2014. No gimmicks, nor flashy bells and whistles, The Banner Saga merely promises to be an outstanding strategy RPG with absolutely stunning visuals and illustrations: something the game has already achieved with flying colors. Seriously, this thing looks like it belongs on your TV as a feature-length animated film. Just make sure you get some blankets out and start up a fire before playing: with a story that’s set at some point in history “after the end of everything,” it looks like things are going to get extremely chilling before long!
Mew-Genics – As a colossal fan of anything that has Edmund McMillan’s name attached to it, from the tough-as-nails platformer Super Meat Boy to the addictive roguelike The Binding of Isaac, I couldn’t be any more excited to finally get my hands on Team Meat’s newest creation in 2014. Everything we know about the quirky Mew-Genics so far makes it look no less awesome than McMillan’s previous efforts, and of course, no less completely bizarre. Described as a “cat lady sim” by the developers themselves (which I’m certain has to be a first of its kind), Mew-Genics will let players command their very own home that’s positively crawling with all sorts of cats. From there, you’ll be able to do everything from breeding your cats, to making your cats battle, to entering your cats in beauty pageants of sorts: because being the creepy old cat lady at the end of the street isn’t as weird as being the creepy old cat lady in a video game, right?
Transistor – When a little roguelike game called Bastion came out of nowhere in 2011, it not only left gamers all over the world completely floored, but it also rose to the very top of Gamezebo’s Best PC Games of 2011 list. So needless to say, we’ve been waiting to see how Supergiant Games was planning on following up such a modern masterpiece, and the answer to that burning question is a game called Transistor. Borrowing a few of the same gameplay elements as its predecessor, the upcoming Transistor focuses on a protagonist named Red, who falls into the possession of an all-powerful weapon that many warring factions will stop at nothing to retrieve. But what sets this new game apart from Supergiant’s early efforts is that Transistor is set to feature a gorgeous landscape of 3D visuals and some pretty huge sci-fi cinematics. All we need now is another smooth-as-silk narrator and we’ll be all set!
Rollers of the Realm – It’s not too uncommon these days to find a new video game that tries to mesh together two vastly different genres: such as football and adventure, or even slot machines and role playing. But when you say “pinball meets RPG,” well you don’t need to sell me twice on such an unbelievably amazing idea. And the upcoming Rollers of the Realm from Phantom Compass looks to be exactly that. Taking the traditional core mechanics of a pinball arcade machine like the ball and the flippers, but putting them all against a sprawling fantasy backdrop, players will be met with multiple dungeon areas to explore, countless enemies to battle, and just as many NPCs to befriend. In fact, you might even say that the game is an RPG first, and an innovative pinball game second. But whatever it is that you ultimately want to call it, all we know is that we can’t wait to play it!
Framed – Simply put, the upcoming Framed from Loveshack Entertainment is unlike anything we’ve ever seen before; and so naturally, it’s something we’re positively bursting out of our own frames to play. The name of the game also cleverly holds a double meaning, which might put the actual gameplay into a clearer perspective: not only has your character in the game been framed for a crime that he did not commit, but you’ll also need to help him escape by rearranging the different frames of a noir-style comic book. Each scenario presents the player with a number of illustrated comic book panels, or frames, with which the action will begin to unfold. By changing the order of the different frames in a scene, you can influence or redirect the ultimate actions that occur by the time you hit “Play” for your little noir pal to make his daring escape. Now that’s what I call thinking outside of the box!
