Retcon Nation's Top Ten Games of E3 2014

E3 2014 showcase was, in short, vastly improved from recent years showings. Sure, EA’s outing was disappointing with nothing more than sports rehashes and microscopic showings of the next Mass Effect and Star Wars Battlegrounds games.

Sure; Nintendo didn’t really have a presentation and yeah, after being burned by the Watch-Dogs fiasco, gamers are bit more cautious regarding pre-release visuals and scripted sequences.

But E3 2014 was excellent. It was far, far more difficult to pick just ten this year and Nintendo finally makes an entry on the list after last year’s absence (and no, I just don’t care enough about Super Smash Bros., sue me).

Honourable mentions must go to Bayonetta 2, Crackdown, Phantom Dust, Xenoblade Chronicles, Halo 5 and The Order: 1886. They were close, but these titles just narrowly edged it as the titles to look out for in the future.

10) Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege

Whilst No Man’s Land was one of the games on no-one radar for show stealing, it wasn’t strictly new at E3, as it had made its low key debut months before.

Ultimately, Ubi-Soft’s return with Rainbow Six was the game no-one knew was happening and subsequently, are thrilled it is. Coming with an actual demo; the game looks invigorating , incorporating the stealth, the tactics, the meticulous planning and the thrills of long hibernating franchise, complete with destructible environments that only Battlefield has really captured this and last gen.

Although Ubi-Soft’s track record took a bit of a hit with Watch-Dogs release not hitting all the promises and hype of E3’s past, Rainbow Six: Siege may provide a much needed wake-up to multiplayer first-person shooters, using some old tricks long forgotten in the modern age. 

09) The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Poland’s proudest export returns with another showcase of gameplay and a place on the top ten entries. Sure, hunting dragons might seem a last gen custom, but Wild Hunt promises to deliver the superb combat and storytelling that turned the franchise from cult following to serious contender for best RPG franchise.

08) Battlefield Hardlines

To steal a quote; Hardlines is what would happen if Michael Bay directed Heat…but as a video game.

The modern war is over, replaced with over-the-top cops and robbers that looks completely insane. 

Whether it will remove the sting left from BF4’s buggy release is another question, Battlefield’s next release looks supremely fun.

07) LittleBigPlanet 3

Whilst Microsoft’s Project Spark wowed E3 with its unveiling before adding confusion by including Rare’s Conker as a featured character, THE go to franchise for game creation marks its return to both Playstation 3 and Playstation 4.

Featuring new versions of Sackboy, more tools and more opportunities, the endless possibilities with LittleBigPlanet get a little bit more endless, making it a definite must buy for PS4 players.

06) Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

Whilst The Last of Us proved Naughty Dogs pedigree of quality wasn’t limited to the original Crash Bandicoot trilogy and Jak and Daxter, Uncharted returns to Playstation with the franchise’s swan song.

Seeing a visibly older, more haggard looking Nathan Drake in the short teaser was just enough to get the hype train running, but with the prospect of The Last of Us’ Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley now taking command of the title, the possibility of the best entry to the series just might be heading to the PS4 next year.

05) No Man’s Sky

One of THE surprises of E3 this year; an indie psychedelic space romp in an endless universe filled with possibilities. Sure, random generated space exploration has kinda worked before (famously in Spore) and the lack of concrete information regarding objectives is a tad frustrating, but No Man’s Sky’s looks like a superb game in the making and one to watch out for in the coming months.

04) Sunset Overdrive

Whilst sandbox action games might be a dime a dozen now; this Xbox One exclusive; the first from Insomniac looks an absolute treat, one as a PS4 owner, I can only look on enviously (or maybe buy an Xbox One, if I win the lottery).

The trailer, unlike a lot of the grim and gritty unveilings at E3, made Sunset Overdrive look like a cartoon come to life with enough humour  and gameplay teases to push the title as one of the best reasons to invest in Microsoft’s new console.

03) The Legend of Zelda Wii U

Nintendo battled back after years of mediocre E3 presentations with one filled with rehashes of loved franchises and plenty of self-deprecation.

But it’s the next home console release of The Legend of Zelda that got everybody talking. Taking a mix of the original NES epic with a blend of Skyrim, the Wii U release might be the most radical overhaul of the franchise yet and one Nintendo and its adoring fans are aching for.

02) Batman: Arkham Knight

The Dark Knight returns in a frustratingly short but oh so sweet showcase featuring stunning visuals, the seemingly unstoppable Batmobile and a final prelude to the newly designed Scarecrow, looking far worse than imaginable after the events of Arkham Asylum.

01) Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

Another year, another long showing from Kojima’s next chapter in the MGS saga.

Backed with possibly the most suitable music imaginable for the trailer and images of a war, torture and a Big Boss slowly becoming Lucifer incarnate, MGS V: The Phantom Pain may have had a glorified tech-demo released this year, but the trailer was more than enough to get fans hyped up for next year’s release.

Another release that sees 2015 looking like THE year to invest into a next-gen console.

H

@Retcon_Nation