Ones To Watch In 2014: Cross-Platform Part One

The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One have been kicking around for a few weeks now. However, despite hogging much of the spotlight, their older, more worn brethren remain on the periphery where they are likely to stay for some years to come.

After all, they still hold the lion’s share of gamers across the world. Publishers, of course, haven’t forgotten this and as a result we’re seeing a number of games being developed for both the now-current hardware and last year’s models.

The list below details five of the hottest cross-platform titles launching within the next year. Whether you’re at the very cutting edge or content with last generation hardware,  there’s something here for everyone.

Let’s start with perhaps the most anticipated game on this list. Developed by Bungie, Destiny is easily one of the most ambitious games coming to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One as well as previous-gen consoles.

Bungie’s latest foray sets itself apart from Halo in more ways than one. First off, it all takes place universe that combines both fantasy and sci-fi in a similar way to Star Wars. Not only will players have a vast array of weapons within reach, they’ll also be able to access powerful magic-like abilities.

Destiny’s other defining feature is its unique approach to multiplayer. Instead of dropping players into servers like an MMO, the game world will procedurally update as events occur, triggering a matchmaking lobby whenever it is needed.

Techland is back with yet another zombie survival game which is due to launch on all major platforms next year. Having left the shores of Banoi, the Dead Island creators have teamed with Warner Bros. on its latest project, Dying Light.

Looking at screenshots and gameplay footage, there’s a clear link between Dying Light and Techland’s previous work. The game places a lot of emphasis on brutal melee combat with players able to crush bones and hack off limbs to impede their undead enemies. Customised weapons also feature as well an open world system, allowing players to explore freely.

This latter feature has been extended somewhat thanks to Techland’s new focus on parkour. Instead of bumping shoulders with shambling flesh eaters, you can now leapfrog them or simply use your surrounding to outsmart and evade them.

Based on cult favourite movie license, Mad Max is a post-apocalyptic romp from the same guys and gals who brought us Just Cause.

It’s a brutal third person action game in which players have freedom over how they approach each scenario. Pick off enemies one-by-one silently or go in all guns blazing: it’s up to you.

Vehicular combat also plays a huge part in Mad Max, adding fresh dynamics and a fun way to explore the game’s barren wasteland. Crafting will also come into play too with Max’s ally, Chum, capable of producing different upgrades.

With Shinji Mikami as game director, 2014’s The Evil Within is certainly not lacking in pedigree. Published by Bethesda, the upcoming survival horror title throws players into a living nightmare.

As detective Sebastian Castellanos you trawl through an asylum only to find yourself in the midst of a bloody massacre. Worlds collide and monsters come to life as you attempt to escape and survive.

For a while now The Evil Within has been touted as the marquee horror game. Following the bastardisation of classics such as Resident Evil and Silent Hill, it’s a refreshingly twisted take on a genre that has arguably tread too far into the realm of action games and third person shooters.

Lastly we have the return of an existing game franchise. Wolfenstein: The New Order will mark the debut of recently-founded Swedish developer MachineGames who hope to deliver a unique yet familiar shooter experience.

As series protagonist B.J Blazkowicz, players find themselves in an alternate depiction of the 1960s in which the Nazis won World War II. Your story begins in a mental asylum where B.J has spent the last fourteen years, unaware of the fascists’ victory.

The New Order is strictly a single-player affair. It’s a fairly ballsy move by MachineGames who decided to completely do away with online play to improve its cinematic, action-driven campaign. Let’s hope it pays off.