The Average Gamer

The Top 5 Anticipated Games for 2014…

Watch Dogs Steampipe vs Car
…at least according to Twitter. On Wednesday we had a chat with the Virgin Media account @VMLoves and our followers on the games that people are looking forward to in 2014. Starting out with the big question, people chipped in on both sides of the PS4 vs Xbox One debate:

or refused to participate at all.

I have both next-gen consoles, but I have to say that the PS4’s PS+ games mean that I play far more on it than the Xbox One. As you’ll probably know, I like to stream games as well. Playing a horror game like Outlast can become quite the social experience if you keep an eye on your followers in the chat window, even if you’re playing by yourself in the dark. Jumping out of your skin and knowing that people are watching – it’s embarrassing but everyone else did the same.

The Xbox One has yet to launch its streaming capabilities and its video capture method is too convoluted if you want a clip that last longer than 30 seconds. I had an amazing time on the first day of the Titanfall beta where I rodeo-killed three Titans in quick succession but by the time the Kinect registered my shouting “Xbox Record That”, it only captured half the final kill. Most disappointing.

Regardless of the systems themselves, there are plenty of games coming out for both platforms in 2014. Here’s what our Twitter followers are looking forward to the most:

5 – Dark Souls 2

Coming early next month to Xbox 360 and PS3, Dark Souls 2 sounds to be every bit as punishing as its predecessor. Famed for being difficult, the original Dark Souls actually adheres very strictly to its mechanics . I have friends who spent 40 hours on their first playthrough and completed their second run in just over 2.

Dark Souls 2 will have better AI, improved dual-wielding, and far more moves for both you and your opponents. Apparently enemies will try to backstab you if you run away, or charge because you’re trying to heal. Sounds horrific.

4 – Infamous: Second Son

This PS4 exclusive will be the third game in the InFamous series, set seven years after InFamous 2. Playing as new protagonist, Delsin Rowe, you can absorb other people’s powers, giving you a much wider choice of destructive (or helpful) abilities. Here’s a leaked gameplay capture (in Russian) that founds its way online over the weekend.

3 – The Walking Dead: Season 2

The first season of Telltale Games’ The Walking Dead finally proved that episodic, narrative-driven games can be very successful. Telltale released the first episode of their second season in December, with the next one expected in March. More Clementine, more tensions and, if episode 1 is anything to go by, much more gore.

2 – Watch Dogs

The Ubisoft game has been delayed from 2013 and still doesn’t have a proper release date. It’s coming in “Spring 2014” and was a key game for people wanting next-gen consoles. Playing as Aiden, it’s about hacking a city’s computer-controlled systems and prying into people’s lives. We talked to Creative Director Jonathan Morin last year and the choice this game should offer is unmatched by anything we’ve seen so far. Let’s hope it doesn’t get delayed further.

1 – Titanfall

Widely promoted as the system seller for the Xbox One, Titanfall’s mech-based combat topped the list for our Twitter chat. I played more than 70 games during the beta and have to say, it was brilliant fun. Fast-paced action and the titans keep the game from feeling too repetitive. There’s more discussion on episode 12 of our podcast. Microsoft have just announced a price drop for the Xbox One as well as a Titanfall bundle that effectively gets you the game for free, so there should be plenty of players online when it comes out on 11th March.

There were plenty of game suggestions that didn’t quite make it into the top five: South Park: The Stick of Truth, Hotline Miami 2, The Order 1886 (assuming it’s this year), Alien Isolation, D4 (Swery65’s Kinect game), The Evil Within, Destiny, The Elder Scrolls Online, Shadow of Mordor, Super Smash Bros (3DS and Wii U) and X from Monolith Studio.

What games are you saving up for this year?

The @VMLoves account is part of Virgin Media, who recently won uSwitch awards for their superfast broadband, perfect for gaming in 2014.

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