With yesterday’s second opinions comes the conclusion of my 2014 Game of the Year coverage. It’s time to stop looking backwards and start looking forwards, because there are already a fair few interesting and exciting games slated for release in this new year. Of course it’s always worth mentioning that there are games missing from this list that are tentatively to potentially release in 2015 (such as Final Fantasy XV, according to Wikipedia). I have only opted to include games that have solid 2015 release schedules (although expect a few to be delayed, as always). 

Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt

Platforms     PC, XB1, PS4
Developer   CDProjekt Red
Publisher     Bandai Namco Games (PAL), WB Games (NA)

Speaking of delays, the third entry into The Witcher series still tops my most anticipated games list for a second year running, thanks to its being delayed out into the summer of 2015. Originally pushed back to February the game is now slated for May for bug fixing. Content has already been locked and the extra three months work is to be put towards making the game work as perfectly as possible. I hope other games developers take note. As for its inclusion on this list, there isn’t a whole lot more to say that I didn’t already say last year. The previous Witcher game was one of my games of 2011 and the sequel promises a bigger, a more epic experience and a fitting final chapter for Geralt of Rivia.

The Legend of Zelda

Platform       Wii U
Developer   Nintendo EAD
Publisher     Nintendo

It’s been a while since I’ve played a Zelda game, but then again it’s been a while since I’ve owned a platform capable of playing a Zelda game. The very existence of Legend of Zelda: Subtitle Forthcoming on the release schedule is exciting enough, but the interviews and demos we’ve had for it thus far sound promising. The most exciting promised feature is that this Zelda game will feature an open world, harkening back to the NES release, and there will be side missions. According to Miyamoto: “there may even be times when you forget what your goal is because you’re doing other things on the side.” The idea behind the open world is to give players freedom to approach things in different ways (and if 2014 taught us anything, it’s that open world does not always equal freedom). Honestly, it sounds like the next game in the Zelda series has the potential to be fantastic.

Quantum Break

Platform       XB1
Developer   Remedy Entertainment
Publisher      Microsoft Game Studios

Another game delayed from last year to this year, and another that was high on my list of anticipated games for 2014, Quantum Break has a personal advantage in the anticipated games list. It’s developed by Remedy Entertainment, one of my favourite games developers currently active, and creators of Alan Wake and Max Payne. The demo I saw at EGX looked polished and a lot of fun to play, but what draws me to Quantum Break is the premise. A time travel experiment has gone wrong, causing time itself to start breaking down, and the three protagonists must attempt to put things right while being pursued by a shadowy corporation known as Monarch Solutions. I love my science-fiction and Quantum Break looks to take a page straight from Fringe. Plus lets not forget this game comes with a TV series that changes depending on your actions in the game.

Until Dawn

Platform        PS4
Developer    Supermassive Games
Publisher       Sony Computer Entertainment

How excited you are about Until Dawn will depend on two things; the first being how much you enjoy horror. Until Dawn looks to be a superb horror story about eight friends spending the night at a log cabin, unaware that they are being hunted by a psychopath. However during my demo at EGX I came face to face (literally) with a ghost, suggesting Until Dawn might not necessarily be a straight-up slasher film/game. The second is how much you enjoy choice based gameplay. Any of the eight main characters can die, or all of them, or none of them, it’s all dependant on the actions you take during the game. Every time you do something that impacts the games narrative a butterfly icon appears in the corner of the screen. During my short playtime I saw about half a dozen of these butterflies, sometimes appearing for innocuous reasons such as reading a newspaper article. I’m excited to forge a path through Until Dawn in 2015, and if you’re a fan of choice based gameplay or horror, then you should be too.

Rise of the Tomb Raider

Platforms       XB1, 360
Developer     Crystal Dynamics
Publisher       Microsoft Game Studios

At first I was annoyed at the announcement that the follow up to 2013’s excellent Tomb Raider reboot was a Microsoft exclusive. A waste of money that could have been used by the company to fund development of their own IPs. And then it came to light that Microsoft Game Studios would be publishing the game. This, combined with the fact that previous publishers Square Enix were disappointed with sales of the last game (because they don’t live in the real world), has made me think that maybe Microsoft have pulled a similar trick with Tomb Raider that Nintendo did with Bayonetta. What if there wasn’t to be a Rise of the Tomb Raider without the aid of Microsoft? In any event, we’re getting a follow-up, exclusive to Microsoft systems for an unknown period of time. As the title and Gamescom trailer suggests, this game will see the forging of Lara Croft into the tomb raider we know her to be.

Telltale Games in 2015

Platforms       All of them
Developer     Telltale Games
Publisher       Telltale Games

An entry for not one, but three games. In 2015 Telltale Games will be releasing the last five episodes of their Game of Thrones series, the last four of Tales from the Borderlands, and embarking on an interesting (to put it one way) journey by releasing Minecraft: Story Mode. I have no idea how Telltale’s brand of narrative-driven gameplay can or will mesh with Minecraft, but for a studio with such an impressive track record, I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt. Tales from the Borderlands looks a good fit for the company, and I’ve heard positive things from friends who have played the game. But it’s Game of Thrones I’m personally excited about. Having played the first episode myself I can say that the license is a perfect fit for Telltale Games. Although sometimes it’s a bit too obvious that the first episode is simply moving pieces around a board, setting up for the story to follow, I can’t deny that the ending to the episode genuinely shocked me. It seems that the Telltale train won’t be slowing down in 2015.

Splatoon

Platform         Wii U
Developer     Nintendo EAD
Publisher       Nintendo

One of my favourite demos at EGX, Splatoon is a third person shooter where the objective is not to blast your enemies into oblivion, but rather to use your ink-filled water guns to cover as much of an arena in your teams colours as possible. Cover more of the arena than the opposing team and you win. Sure, you can gun your enemies down to halt their progress, but getting kills won’t win you the game. Playing as a squid-Human hybrid (called Inklings) you can run and gun, but when things get hairy, you can transform into a squid and swim to safety and replenish your ink supply. But make sure to swim through your teams ink and not your enemies. Splatoon also makes good use of the Gamepad, showing a map of the arena with the locations of your teammates. Touch the icon of one of your friends and you’ll be launched to their location. Having already played this game once I’m looking forward to more time with it, it’s a blast (pun intended).

Whore of the Orient

Platforms     PC, XB1, PS4
Developer   Team Bondi
Publisher     

Whore of the Orient’s 2015 release date is tentative at best, owing to the fact that the game doesn’t yet have a publisher. This is a game devloped by Team Bondi, creators of the underrated L.A. Noire, a fantastic narrative-action game and, by all accounts, Whore of the Orient aims to follow suit. Set in 1936 and taking place in a corrupt Shanghai filled with mob crime and political unrest, the game sounds intriguing enough to warrant a place on this list. Team Bondi will also be using their proprietary facial MotionScan technology that worked so well in L.A. Noire, and I can only imagine the potential of that technology in the new generation of consoles. Hopefully the developers can find a publisher for Whore of the Orient.

Tearaway Unfolded

Platform         PS4
Developer     Media Molecule
Publisher       Sony Computer Entertainment

I’ll take any excuse I can get to play more of Tearaway, my 2013 game of the year. News that Tearaway was coming to PS4 was exciting enough, getting this game into the hands of more players is a great move that will hopefully secure a full-blown sequel. However Unfolded is no simple port, as I noted in my Game of the Year entry for Tearaway, the game takes full advantage of the PS Vita as no game had done before (or since). A straight port of Tearaway would simply not work on any other platform. So Tearaway Unfolded is a complete remake from the ground up of the original, complete with brand new game mechanics. If you missed out on Tearaway when it first released, this PS4 remake is your chance to get in on one of the most charming games of the current generation. Don’t miss out again.

Beyond Eyes

Platforms     PC, XB1, PS4
Developer   Tiger & Squid
Publisher     Team 17

Beyond Eyes is probably the most interesting concept for a game on this list. In it you play as Rae, a blind girl who lost her sight in an accident with fireworks when she was a toddler. She rarely leaves the house. Her best friend is a cat called Nani who would frequently visit her on a daily basis, but one day Nani stops coming. Rae, worried for her friend and lonely without her companion, decides that she must search for Nani and ventures out of her house by herself for the first time. It’s up to you, the player, to guide Rae as she looks for her best friend. The world itself is a blank canvass to begin with, as you move Rae around it reveals itself in stunning watercolour fashion. Your job is to keep Rae from harm; respect her wishes and she will trust you in scary situations, or continuously force her into dangerous situations and you will lost her trust and your control over her. Beyond Eyes was one of the most charming, relaxing games I tried at EGX, and one with an art style I absolutely love. Keep an eye out for it, you won’t regret it.