#lastofusleftbehind

2014 is only a few days away and it’s time to look at my most anticipated games for the current generation of consoles coming our way next year. 

I’ve decided to not include any of the games that will be on next-generation consoles but instead have looked into games that you can only play on the current consoles or PC. 

South Park: The Stick of Truth

For a game that has been delayed multiple times, recent footage of South Park: The Stick of Truth gives me confidence that the delays have given it time to become a incredibly polished, enjoyable experience. I didn’t personally believe this to be a game that would be of any interest to me until I started to see some new footage of it. I casually wiped it away as I honestly thought it was going to be another tower defense game like the former few games. Weirdly enough, the first time I heard a good mention of the game was at the Australian EB Games Expo this year. There was a booth set up for it that displayed some sort of trailer and you’d line up, go in, see it and come out. While waiting in line to play Dying Light I overheard a few people behind me saying how cool it looked. After that I decided to go and check out some scarce footage and low-and-behold, it looks great. The latest trailer setting the date back to March 4th made it seem like the delay will be worth it. For a game that I initially tossed away as a ‘meh’ title, it’s definitely starting to show some great potential and I’m incredibly keen to play it when it does release in March. I also heard that the Australian Classification Board has refused to rate the game and as such the developers have had to re-do some of the mini-games. This board is starting to really get on my nerves, especially when an R18+ rating has only just been introduced. Shame.

Releasing: March 4th/6th/7th, 2014

Check out the trailer here.

Dark Souls 2

The ‘Souls’ franchise has been a knock-out hit to hardcore gamers across the globe. It’s unforgiving and not for the rage quitters out there. Being honest, I have not played the previous ‘Souls’ games as I feel I could not bear the torment they would inevitably throw at me so I’ve resorted to watching let’s play’s on Youtube. This will most likely be how I’ll handle my Dark Souls 2 experience as well but I’m very excited to see how it turns out. From Software have proven themselves as good developers and a March 11th release date is not that far away. Having no direct connection to the original Dark Souls and directed by Tomohiro Shibuya and Yui Tanimara, who are in fact, not the original director(s) of Dark Souls, might play an intriguing role in how the game is received by critics and fans alike. All I can predict is that this game is going to be unforgiving, rage-inducing and a lot of fun (to watch, of course). 

Releasing: March 11th/13th/14th, 2014

Check out the trailer here.

The Wolf Among Us: Season 1

While Episode 1 of The Wolf Among Us is already here, the other four episodes aren’t and so I’m putting this in my most anticipated list. I’m a huge fan of the Fables universe and the introductory episode was nothing short of amazing. Telltale have a lot on their plate for 2014 and I’m certainly excited to see how this series progresses. I am, however, hoping that they can start shifting into gear and release an episode every month instead of leaving the fans in the dark with no new information regarding Episode 2’s release. Telltale love to drop the information on their series a week or two before it actually comes out to the public so here’s hoping we hear something sooner rather than later. I’m keen to become Bigby Wolf once again.

Releasing: Q1 2014

Check out the trailer here.

Check out the preview for Episode 2 here.

Tales From The Borderlands

When this was announced at VGX a couple of weeks ago, I was taken aback. I’m a big fan of the Borderlands universe, like Fables, and have huge expectations for this series. Doing a Borderlands game that isn’t, well, Borderlands is risky but I’m sure Telltale can pull it off given their track record of late. You may be wondering why I’ve included this in the Current-Gen list instead of Next-Gen and that’s due to the fact it’s most likely already been developed and working on those consoles instead of the Next-Gen ones. I might even take a dig and assume that Tales From The Borderlands will be the last Telltale game on Current-Gen and their Game of Thrones series will be the first to hit Next-Gen. None-the-less, I am excited to see how this series will play out and am intrigued to see how Telltale approach the narrative.

Releasing: TBA 2014

Check out the trailer here.

The Walking Dead: Season 2

Another Telltale game. They just keep coming. However, The Walking Dead was an absolutely huge success last year and won Game Of The Year on many different sites and magazines around the world. The narrative was exceptional, the consequences felt very harsh and while the ending remained the same - it was all about how you, the player, got there. I have huge expectations for this season of The Walking Dead and playing as Clementine is going to be an incredible experience. As you can probably tell, I haven’t played the first episode of this season yet but I will very soon and a review will be posted when all is said and done. The narrative and character development in The Walking Dead remains the most important feature and I hope Telltale can deliver once again. I recently heard that there will be five seasons of The Walking Dead game, so here’s to hoping every season is as good as, if not better, than the last.

Releasing: Q1/2 2014 

Check out the trailer here.

The Last of Us: Left Behind

This might not count in many peoples eyes as a ‘game’ of sorts. It’s the single-player DLC many gamers have been craving for quite some time. Announced last month at the Playstation 4 launch event in New York, The Last of Us: Left Behind is a prologue of the game itself and follows Ellie and her friend Riley’s journey throughout a world consumed by death. Expect heart felt moments, expect a lot of story and less killing and expect some great dialogue. While you may know what happens at the end of this certain frame of the story (via reading the comics/finishing the game), it’s all about the journey and how you got there. I am incredibly excited to play this DLC and am very keen to jump back into the world of The Last of Us. 

Releasing: TBA 2014

Check out the reveal trailer here.