As devoted as I am to gaming, I’ve always been a late adopter of new game tech (usually due to monetary constraints). As such, I’ve abstained from hopping on either the Xbox One or PlayStation 4 bandwagons, and I know I can’t be alone. Fortunately for us fossils, there are a few last bastions of hope for the last gen (well, the PS3 and Xbox 360, anyway). Here are a few games coming in 2014 that might convince you to hang back for a bit longer.
Games that will release for both last- and current-gen systems are marked with an asterisk (“*”).
[promo title=”The Evil Within* – August 26″][/promo]
Under the direction of genre pioneer Shinji Mikami (Resident Evil, Devil May Cry, Shadows of the Damned), The Evil Within could well be a renaissance of true survival horror. With each new tidbit of the game we see, our freakout hype goes up a couple notches. In fact, the latest trailer puts any doubt of its scare factor to rest. The whole genre has gone the way of action rather than scares (see Left 4 Dead and pretty much every Resident Evil game since RE4), but The Evil Within is said to backpedal on that trend in favor of making us shamelessly wet our trousers again. And we can’t wait.
[promo title=”Ultra Street Fighter IV – June/August”][/promo]
Even to those already experiencing franchise fatigue, the fifth rendition of the Street Fighter IV saga is enticing for its wealth of content alone. Five new playable characters (for a total of 44), six new stages and six new gameplay modes make Ultra something more than just another Street Fighter IV. Even though its full retail price is $40, it also comes in a few different physical and digital editions for those who want to save a buck by ditching the box.
[promo title=”Destiny* – September 9″][/promo]
Bungie hopes to make lightning strike twice with their first full title since creating the core games in the Halo series. There’s a lot of pressure on the developer to deliver an eighth-gen killer app, but with this much proven talent behind the game, it’d be kind of hard for Bungie to miss–and we’ve all seen what they’re capable of on Xbox 360 and PS3. Plus, they’ve got Paul McCartney working on the game’s music (yes, that Paul McCartney), so it’s pretty much a done deal.
[promo title=”Kingdom Hearts 2.5 HD ReMIX – 2014″][/promo]
Another rerelease, Kingdom Hearts 2.5 HD ReMIX continues Square Enix’s pushing of the franchise to gauge hype for Kingdom Hearts III. The package includes Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix and Birth by Sleep Final Mix remastered in HD. And for those thinking there’s no market left for last-last-gen HD rereleases, Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD ReMIX sold over one million copies since its Japanese release last March. The force is still (somehow) strong with this one.
[promo title=”Hellraid – 2014″][/promo]
This one’s on the list purely because it’ll probably go down as the last true B-game of the generation’s lifespan. (Seriously, if the name didn’t tip you off to its cheesy ’90s violent gaming vibes, its official website will.) Originally developed by Techland as an additional mode for Dead Island, Hellraid is either the most pitiable game to ever take itself seriously or it’s achieved Blood Dragon-tier self-referential throwback status. With no plot to speak of (you and your friends are pitted against the armies of hell for no real reason), Dead Island‘s gameplay and skeletons that would make Ray Harryhausen cringe, Hellraid will be worth checking out–if only because it’s hard to believe it exists at all.
[promo title=”Watch Dogs* – May 27″][/promo]
That’s right: one of the current gen’s most anticipated titles is one of last gen’s, too. Danny Belanger, lead game designer for Watch Dogs, claims that Ubisoft is “trying to do the exact same game” for Xbox 360/PS3 and Xbox One/PS4. The latter edition will obviously feature higher-grade graphics and fancier technological “neato” moments (like tracking vehicles throughout Chicago at whim and profiling random citizens), but the core game is the same on all consoles. Besides, Ubisoft wouldn’t waste time developing such a high-profile title for last gen if they didn’t think there was a market for it. Well, I’ve got your market right here.
Does one of these not belong? Did I miss any? Tell us what’s what in the comments section.