The Biggest Xbox One Titles

When the Xbox One was released back in November 2013, it did so alongside a handful of great game: Forza Motorsport 5, Dead Rising 3 and Battlefield 4 to name a few. Since then, barring a few exceptions, there hasn’t been that much to play. 2014 however, will address this is with some massive titles due to hit from Bungie, Respawn, BioWare and more - below I’ll mention a few.

Alien: Isolation

Alien games are a bit like the films that take after, they have a massive amount of hype, they usually look pretty good, but they don’t tend to finish with anything substantial. While James Cameron’s sequel, Aliens, was all about the “BIG” guns and action, Ridley Scott’s original film was a thrilling ride of terror and the dread of being hunted by the most capable creature in the universe. Thankfully the recently announced game is more interested in the latter – unlike the often awful Colonial Marines from last year.

Isolation is due to take players back to the Nostromo mining ship from the original film where you will step into the shows of Ellen Ripley’s daughter Amanda. You’re searching for the ships black box in an attempt to find out what exactly happened to your mother. You are the prey and it’s all about survival of the fittest if you want to finish this title.

Below

Capybara made one of the most exciting games of last year in the form of Superbrothers: Sword and Sorcery. This iOS adventure featured charming visuals, an intriguing soundtrack and original gameplay design.

The studios next game, Below, will focus heavily on exploration and the synonymous question of permadeath. It’s narrative is formed through the adventure without any dialogue. Following on from Superbrothers will be a challenge but one I certainly feel they are up to completing. Original gameplay will be at the forefront again and this title is definitely something to keep your eye on.

Destiny

It wouldn’t be a successful list of 2014 games if we didn’t mention the galaxy traversing, planetary adventure of Desting. Those familiar with this file will have already made up their own opinion but Bungie are looking to seamlessly blend single and multiplayer experiences into this giant shooter.

Destiny is Bungie’s first crack at a new first-person shooter property since Halo: Combat Evolved in 2001. Looking at everything the developer accomplished over the past decade – setting new standards for writing, art, music, and multiplayer - it’s hard not to be excited about what’s coming next.

Dragon Age: Inquisition

The Dragon Age series already has a strong foundation, but with Inquisition, Bioware is going all out. The second instalment in the saga missed a lot of the target audience that the original had reached.  This third incarnation will bring with it new races, new creatures, an improved dialogue system, and is due to be powered by the amazing Frostbite 3 engine. The gameplay footage seen so far certainly looks the part but there is still some way to go for the RPG super-developer to reel in the general consumer market.

The most common complaints about Dragon Age 2 have been addressed in droves. There will be a stronger emphasis on open-world discovery, a large redaction of reused environments and an intelligent story to witness. This really could be something special.

Dying Light

Showing unmistakable touches from Dead Island, this first-person Zombie based parkour game will blend together the brutal melee combat of Left 4 Dead with fresh open-world gameplay. I’ve played it and can 100% confirm my enthusiasm for this new franchise.

You play a survivor trapped in a zombie apocalypse; dealing with human survivors as much as the standard “walking dead” and both will try to stop you at every opportunity. You’ll find some interesting side quests – missing children and trapped families – as well as a day/night cycle that will increase the size of the zombie hordes you’ll encounter on foot and therefore the danger.

There are also the typical ‘special’ zombie offerings; and the one wearing a hazard suit is my particular favourite.

The Elder Scrolls Online

This epic title from Bethesda is what most people consider to be the first real MMO on consoles. I know we could class Final Fantasy XI and Defiance but this is the first ‘heavyweight’ to reach the genre. Taking in the whole of Tamriel, this giant fantasy world will be littered with everything from the Imperial City to Morrowind and you can traverse the world in a host of interesting ways.

A first-person mode was added after E3 last year to help the game feel more like the usual Elder Scrolls affairs but, even so, will the $15.00 monthly subscription model hold up.

Evolve

Turtle Rock, the original creators of Left 4 Dead are doing it again, with this horror epic. A four player coop survival game evolving from their previous zombie hit. Each player takes over the role of one of four human characters – with differing roles and classes – in order to take down a Goliath.

The Goliath is a human-controlled monster that grows as the match goes on. The players must work together to get through each chapter and the action looks explosive. We are happy that Turtle Rock has made a bold choice here, with a genre they are comfortable with, and this could be another new AAA-title, and no doubt subsequent franchise, to watch.

Fable Legends

After the recent release of Fable Anniversary I am much more excited about this title than ever before. Taking place 400 years before the original, during Albion’s “Age of Heroes”, this title is designed for four player co-op.

The best thing though, and certainly the part everyone will want to play, is that a fifth counterpart controls the villain. They will be able to set traps, enemies and ambushes from a top-down perspective in order to stop our heroes from completing their quest.

This take on the pen-and-paper RPG dungeon master system is ambitious, and it’s a breath of fresh air for Microsoft’s role-playing series.

Halo 5

While we don’t know an awful lot about the next chapter of the Reclaimer Sage we certainly know that it’ll be a crowd pleaser. 343 Industries did exceptionally well with Halo 4 and with the new generation of consoles being in place we are in for so much more. Expect Halo 5 (although this title name could change) to run at 1080p and 60fps for the first time in the series history. It’s widely known that dedicated servers are in too.

Meanwhile, the director from the 2013 Tomb Raider reboot, Timothy Longo, is also leading the story. Cortana is gone and the battle with the Didact is still in full swing. I wouldn’t be surprised if gameplay is shown at E3 this year with a release early 2015.

LEGO: The Hobbit

The LEGO games have grown massively in popularity and quality over the past few years; encompassing Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Marvel, Harry Potter, and more. The next stop for the big brick train is The Hobbit – or more specifically up until the conclusion of Desolation of Smaug.

Obviously the usual mechanics will come into play with a multitude of playable characters, an interesting world to explore and more content then your regular titles. This will be a fun family game that everyone should enjoy.

Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes

So, this has technically been released (review to follow shortly) but the overall plan is for this to bridge the gap between now and when the Phantom Pain finally hits shelves next year. Brace yourselves, the title takes place in 1975 and stars Snake. It’s set in a small but very fun sandbox with the foundations coming from the brand new Fox engine (which basically looks amazing).

Ground Zeroes takes a cue from Peace Walker, adopting the base-building feature used to upgrade weapons and items. In stark contrast to past Metal Gear Solid games, the story missions can be played in any order -- supposedly without sacrificing the player’s understanding of the plot.

Minecraft

Minecraft’s impact on gaming can’t be understated. Collecting materials, surviving, and building whatever and wherever you can imagine is unbelievably satisfying. It’s simple, but wildly addictive, which means almost anyone can get in on the fun. Whether you build a simple wooden cabin or an intricate underground transportation system, every completed project feels like a huge success.

Mojang’s survival game has been on the Xbox 360 since 2012, but with the release of the Xbox One, and the inevitable migration of players to the new platform, it’ll be great to see Minecraft transition into the new generation.

Project Spark

Playing is creating and creating is playing. This is the pitch for Project Spark, which puts the power to shape a game world into your hands. The beta has been a resounding success story and looks like a fresh take on the Minecraft creation formula. Level designs, even in this brief version, have been varied and interesting.

What enemies do you want? What towns do you build? What is the environment like? What game genre are you going for? Whether it’s and RPG or a Tower Defence title, you will decide. You can even go as far so the AI intuition of the NPCs. This looks like taking the “Little Big Planet” formula to a whole new level.

Tom Clancy's The Division
From the moment this was unveiled; this persistent, gorgeous and apocalyptic action title had my interest. The Snowdrop engine is wonderful to behold - just watch the trailer – and the New York City of “tomorrow” is grey, dank but full of intrigue. I wouldn’t be surprised if this missed 2014 completely but by the end of the year we should have seen enough of the title to confirm its amazingness.     

It’s a squad-based third-person MMO, where you and your squad of friends work together to try and scavenge and survive against other groups. Its big and ambitious and also utilises everything the Xbox One has pinned its hopes on. It has Smartglass, it has Kinect functions and it integrates its online gameplay seamlessly (play Titanfall for some hints).

Watch Dogs

This futuristic open world adventure game has a very “big brother” feel to it. Unfortunately it seems to have lost some momentum since its release data delay (as this was originally touted as a launch title) but is looking very polished. Scheduled, now, to release in May we feel the title is starting to get it’s mojo back.

Being able to hack everything is an interesting concept and the gameplay videos, of which there are many, have kept this quietly – but confidently – ticking over. Its second-screen experience actually looks like it might be interesting, while its always-connected over a blended single-player/multiplayer experience it could lend a surprisingly delightful element of unpredictability to your hacking affairs.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

This is probably my most anticipated game on this whole list. The Witcher 2, while not completely adverse of issues, was a fantastic title full of depth, dark storylines and menacing gameplay. CD Projekt have set up an unenviable task for themselves – looking to created an open-world game with all the strengths that kind of layout can provide (hidden areas, great side-stories), all without sacrificing an effective, overarching storyline.

This is even more impressive when you think back to the previous ‘Witcher’ titles as these were far more closed but did feature well-written, mature plots.


Unlike Skyrim, which many people are comparing this against; the enemies of Wild Hunt won’t scale to your level. This means you can stumble upon enemies that are much more powerful than you. So, while exploration will be exciting and rewarding, it will also be considerably more dangerous than it is many open world games. Let’s not forget, of course, that Witcher games have always looked incredible, and seeing what CD Projekt can pull off with the Xbox One should be a treat.