Top 5 Next-Gen Games At E3 2013

E3 was full of loads of awesome games, however there were a few standout ones for me. The games I've listed have either great potential or are already looking awesome. Either way they're my pick. I really want to know what games you are looking forward to most, so don't forget to comment away below!
TITANFALL
Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC
Release Date: Q2 2014

Titanfall didn't instantly gain my attention due to its fairly generic 'Halo slash robot' gameplay. However after watching more of the short demo that was played during Microsoft's press conference I realised that Titanfall has the potential be be either a massive hit or a catastrophic flop.

Titanfall is an online game that tries to combine campaign elements with multiplayer. It's not co-op and there aren't story missions but it has the same sort of objective play you would expect in a scripted game like, for instance  Halo. It also tries to make things look extremely cinematic yet totally random. So for instance a massive  mech appears like Godzilla and starts destroying shit and looks totally cinematic and looks like a set-peice, when, in reality, it's all user controlled and based. It's very similar to Battlefield in this way.

Now games have tried this 'campaign' styled online before and failed, however Titanfall looks brilliant because it keeps in the freedom and randomness of games like Battlefield while having deeper objectives than shallow game modes like 'capture the flag'.

It looks to be AWESOME however even if it does take off, the chances of it becoming the multiplayer game to own and play isn't that high. It's an Xbox and PC exclusive which limits the audience. Just like with Call Of Duty, gamers are going to want to find a killer multiplayer game that is multiplatform. Quite frankly I can see Titanfall being the next Halo (even though there is, yes, another Halo); a great enjoyable experience on Xbox and PC but not something that is raved about all the time. In other words I think it'll be popular for what it is and for what platforms it is on, but it won't be the next big thing.
RYSE: SONS OF ROME
Platforms: Xbox One
Release Date: November 2013 (Set to be released along with the Xbox One)

Ryse: Sons Of Rome came out of nowhere really and blew a lot of people off their feet. Well, it blew them off their feet for a minute or so before they started frowning and moaning a bit. 

Ryse looks stunning. And when I say that, I do mean visually. The facial animations and special effects are truly next-gen. 


However while the game looks great, and certainly seemed to play great at first, the gameplay oddly requires a lot of QTEs to be performed. There's a QTE to finish off basically every enemy. Too much? Yah. Just a bit.

I'm certain the sword play would be awesome if there weren't so many seemingly pointless QTEs. No doubt when there is an awesome QTE to finish off a boss it won't matter because the quick-time events will have been overused so damn much. Ultimately this could kill the game.

There are a lot of comments suggesting that Ryse is 'Microsoft's alternative to God of War" however this baffles me. The game barely looks or plays like GoW and, what's more, Microsoft don't even NEED a God of War alternative. Sorry GoW fans but the series is far from what it used to be. It poses no exclusive threat to MS anymore and, quite frankly, it's gone a bit Gears of War-y, ie; not good.

BATTLEFIELD 4
Platforms: Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Release Date: Q4 2013 (Likely a launch title for the Xbox One and PS4 in November/December time)

I really liked Battlefield 3 on consoles however there were some obvious differences between them and the clearly superior PC version.
The higher FPS, the better graphics, the 64 player servers; there was just no comparing the two versions really.

However Battlefield 4 looks to even things out on the next-gen consoles, offering the same benefits that were originally exclusive to the PC. 
One of the biggest pluses is the 64 player servers that the consoles will now support, which is something users have waited for for ages.


The gameplay we were shown at E3 dropped my jaw. While the graphical improvements weren't as noticeable, the level of destruction and tactical team-play that can clearly be achieved with the higher amount of players is incredible.
At the end of the demo an entire building came down and it was just amazing. To have that level of destruction in a game is mind-blowing. And not a single bit of lag, either.
The new Commander Mode will let people join in games even if they're using their phone or tablet. From this mode the 'commander' can order players about and send in support strikes. If you play seriously and not only communicate with your soldier teammates but also the commander, then there is no doubt that BF4 will easily be the most hardcore and realistic online war experience. Needless to say I can't wait.
THE WITCHER 3
Platforms: Xbox One, PS4, PC
Release Date: 2014 

I think a lot of people who read my articles already know I'm a MASSIVE fan of the Witcher 2. I never got to play the first one (sad face) because it did not receive a console release, however the sequel was stunning, offering one of the most incredibly well realised and detailed game worlds to date, inhabited by just as equally brilliant characters.


We didn't get to see an awful lot of The Witcher 3 however the short gameplay footage we were shown and the details that were shared had me rocking in my seat with anticipation. If there is one next-gen game that I honestly can't wait for at all, it's TW3.


The game world will now be totally open, compared to the more enclosed 'area' style of TW2, and brimming with side quests and activities. This new open world system will do the game a ton of good as while TW2 had an incredible game world, side quests felt a little bit too forced because of how enclosed some of the environments were and how scripted the entire thing sometimes felt. Being able to freely roam and pick and choose side quests as you please will no doubt make the game feel way less forced and certainly more open and choice dependant. 

There are tons of new features too, like the ability to ride horses, the changes to Geralt's Witcher Signs (spells), the inclusion of boats and probably even full on ships and way more. 

I honestly can't wait for TW3. Hopefully it won't be as ignored as The Witcher 2 was and will be like Fallout 3 or Oblivion; still talked about for years to come after release and used to compare other RPGs to. 

DEAD RISING 3
Platforms: Xbox One
Release Date: November 30th 2013

I honestly didn't expect Dead Rising 3 to be a game that interested me in the least because I'm not only fairly sick of zombie games but the DR series itself has never even remotely impressed me, especially with its weak last two outings.

However DR3 scraps the 'in ya face' humor for a more series and more darkly humorous tone. Indeed none of it seems very bubbly and friendly anymore and instead Capcom has gone more for black humor in an attempt to make the game more serious.

DR3 will still allow you to create weird and, for lack of better term, 'wacky' weapons but the game doesn't revel in their oddness anymore. If you find it funny, that's OK. But the game isn't forcing it upon you. You don't find it funny? Then don't laugh. The game is only laughing when YOUR laughing. It isn't chortling before you've started yourself. 

At E3 there were games that graphically looked 'OMG THAT'S SO NEXT-GEN' and games that looked simply better than current consoles, but nothing you wouldn't expect. DR3 is definitely the latter, however the real technical feat here is the amount of zombos that can fit on the screen at once.
Previous Dead Rising outings were plagued by slow downs that totally disrupted the flow and enjoyment of the game. However while Dice are using the power of the new consoles to bring down massive buildings, Capcom are using it to allow tons of zombies to fit onto the screen in one go without any slowdowns at all. Not bad eh? But to be honest until you see it, you can't really appreciate it. 

When he was standing on that roof in that demo, looking out at the dozens and dozens of zombies, all not just standing there but all DOING SOMETHING, it really was borderline breathtaking. 

DR3 looks like a real zombie survival horror game. Not a 'look at this odd pink hat I'm wearing isn't it funny oh no there's a zombie quick kill him with this weird electrifying baseball bat weapon' game. A real, proper, zombie game. And I actually can't wait.

It's worth noting that oddly Capcom has decided that only Xbox One users will be able to experience the game, so if you're planning on buying the PS4 or not bothering with next-gen consoles at all you won't be able to play it. Sorry.

Other Next-Gen Games That Looked AWESOME

The Elder Scrolls OnlinePlatforms: PC, Xbox One, PS4Release Date: Spring 2014
The CrewPlatforms: PC, Xbox One, PS4Release Date: Q1 2014
Tom Clancy's: The Division
Platforms: Xbox One, PS4
Release Date: TBA 

Watch Dogs
Platforms: Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Wii U
Release Date: November 19th 2013

Destiny 
Platforms: Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360, PS3
Release Date: TBA
Assassins Creed IV: Black Flag
Platforms: Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Wii U
Release Date: October 29th 2013