Listmas 2013: My Most Anticipated Video Games of 2014

It’s almost 2014, and that means we’re getting closer to the release of some video games that look truly amazing. I know E3 will have me drooling over even more, but my list of 2014 games is already pretty long. These are the ones I’m most excited about and will probably buy on day one. It’s going to be an expensive year.

7. Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney

It’s already been out for over a year in Japan, but Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (developed by Level-5 and Capcom) is finally coming to North America next year. It features elements from both the Professor Layton and Ace Attorney series, with animated cutscenes and voice acting that should make it even more impressive than other Ace Attorney games.( Like that’s possible.) I imagine it will be an adventure in puzzling through clues to solve another epic mystery, and I can’t wait.

6. Destiny

I sincerely believe I’ve watched every bit of footage of Bungie’s Destiny that’s available anywhere on the internet — more than once. It looks amazing, and the fact that it’s science fiction (my personal favorite genre) makes it all the more exciting for me. I want to immerse myself in this world where the Traveler — a white celestial body — gives certain guardians powers. The character classes look interesting, particularly the ones that involve something similar to magic. The developers stress that you can select the character race that most appeals to you to play a completely unique character. (So you know I’ll be spending at least 2 hours fine-tuning my character in the creator…) In addition to the single-player campaign, you can join Public Events that appear and let you seamlessly start playing with other Destiny users to take down enemy dropships, etc. — or you can bypass them entirely if you prefer. The game is largely what you want it to be, and that’s what makes it so appealing.

5. inFAMOUS: Second Son

Sucker Punch’s next installment of inFAMOUS looks like it’s going to be one of the most ridiculously fun games coming out for PlayStation 4 next year. It features a new protagonist, Delsin Rowe, who discovers his own Conduit abilities in a Seattle where Conduits are considered to be bio-terrorists. It sounds like the game has top-notch voice acting and motion capturing behind it, with Troy Baker as Delsin. And really, adventuring around an open-world Seattle as a graffiti artist with superpowers sounds like the perfect way to spend the month of April next year. Just so everybody knows where I’ll be… =)

4. The Order: 1886

I love video games set in history, which is why I’m so eager to pick up Ready at Dawn’s The Order: 1886 when it comes out. It’s set in an alternate version of historical London, featuring an order of special Knights that have been fighting monsters since the Dark Ages. Visually, it looks stunning — a perfectly haunting atmosphere that reminds me a bit of Dishonored’s. But beyond that, I’m just excited for those weapons: a thermite rifle that shoots clouds of burning metal, a combo gun that can knock back and stun foes, and of course the all-important grenades. Creativity meets efficiency with these, and all the gadgets look so fun to try out. (You can read about a few of these cool designs on Game Informer here.)

3. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

I miss Geralt, guys. I love The Witcher world and its white-haired hero Geralt, a man mutated by potions who becomes a famous monster-hunter. I loved the second video game of the series so much that I started reading the books, which I highly recommend if you’re into fantasy with elves, alchemy, monsters, and political scheming. Previous games were very story-driven and dialogue-heavy, which I love. For the first time, the series is going open-world, with several different endings depending on the choices you make in the game. Not to mention that The Witcher 2 is, by far, the most beautiful game I have ever played in my life, and CD Project RED wants The Witcher 3 to be “the prettiest RPG of all time.” I’m so ready for that.

2. Elder Scrolls Online

As a big Skyrim fan (but then, who isn’t?), I’m really looking forward to wading into MMO waters again for ZeniMax Online Studios’ Elder Scrolls Online. It’s going to have to fight with inFAMOUS for the title of Taking Up All My Time in April, but ESO is sure to be a longer and more rewarding experience as I level the character I personally created and shaped. I’m not the biggest fan of playing games online with other people — not to be totally anti-social, I just like my single-player stories — so this will be a pretty new adventure for me. But I will do it with my lovely Argonian character, who I am already drawing up in my head… We’re going to have great times together.

1. Dragon Age Inquisition

I know I talk about BioWare’s Dragon Age all the time on Robo♥beat, but it’s just because it’s true love. When I watched the 30 minutes of footage released so far, I was amazed at how different everything was — how vast the landscapes seemed in this new almost open world, how detailed the characters were, how new the settings were. And then an NPC opened his mouth, and his voice sounded just like the ones that feature all over previous Dragon Age games. And it sounded so good.

In Inquisition, you’ll be playing an Inquisitor who takes over keeps and turns them into strongholds with special focuses, such as commerce or defense. Your actions will shape the story, and you’ll have followers who will approve of your decisions or hate them. I can’t wait to see old favorite characters such as Varric making their comebacks, and I’m crossing my fingers that the romance options are as epic as ever. Plus, this game’s got more dragons than ever.

— Ashley