10 Video Games to Watch in 2014 and Beyond!

TORMENT
Developer: Inxile Entertainment
Publisher: Inxile Entertainment
Due: TBA 2014
Web: inxile-entertainment.com

A sequel to Planescape: Torment is in the works at Wasteland 2 developer inXile! But it's not using the D&D license — rather, the scene is shifting to Numenera, a pen-and-paper RPG that just raised 25 times its Kickstarter goal. So what makes it a Torment game? According to Brian Fargo, it's the philosophical journey of a single character searching for meaning. In other words, deeply personal stuff.

SCIVELATION
Developer: Black Wing
Publisher: Topware Interactive
Due: Q4 2014
Web: topware.com

Previously known as 'Salvation', this third-person shooter was renamed because it obviously didn't sound Ukrainian enough. But it's also a rebadging, of sorts; long delayed, the shooter has shifted from the Source Engine to Unreal Engine 3, and introduced a dual focus on stealth and action by separating the skills of its two different protagonists. Sounds like Shadow Harvest: Phantom Ops: Ghost Squad all over again...



MASS EFFECT 4
Developer: Bioware
Publisher:EA
Due: 2014-2015
Web: masseffect.bioware.com

BioWare is hard at work on "the next Mass ffect game" — which is industry code for saying won't be a numbered title, but a subtitle ioWare isn't ready to reveal yet. Project Lead asey Hudson has polled fans to ask if it should e set in the past or the future (go First Contact ar), and stated it won't star a new Shepard quivalent. Sorry, Shep. There are some hints t playable alien races for the main protagonist, nd you can expect it to run on Frostbite 2.

ELITE: DANGEROUS
Developer: Frontier Developments
Publisher: Frontier Developments
Due: March 2014
Web: Elite.frontier.co.uk

Fresh of a successful two-million-dollar Kickstarter campaign, Elite: Dangerous is starting to cook. What's on the menu? 100 billion stars, all navigable, according to procedural space chef David Braben. Each system can have 100 or more objects within them - plants, moons, even secondary and tertiary stars. And all of it randomly generated. No landing on the planets for the initial release though - that would be too spicy.

STARCRAFT II: LEGACY OF THE VOID
Developer: Blizzard
Publisher: Blizzard
Due: Q3 2014
Web: sea.battle.net/sc2

The final StarCraft II expansion follows the Protoss as they face the annihilation of their race. With glimpses of the campaign seen in flash-forwards during Wings of Liberty, it's obvious Zeratul will feature heavily in the proceedings. Blizzard is unsure if new units will feature in multiplayer in the same capacity as Heart of the Swarm; some existing units may be removed to make room instead.

STAR CITIZEN
Developer: Cloud Imperium
Publisher: Cloud Imperium
Due: 2014
Web: robertsspaceindustries.com

Not to be outdone by the Brabens of the Kickstarter World, Star Citizen developer Chris Roberts is ramping the company up to full development. Cutting their teeth on CryEngine 3, the developers aim to create a cutting edge PC game that will push your system to its limits. Hey, that's what Wing Commander did, right? Of course, to do that, they're going to need two years, so plan your upgrades accordingly for the end of 2014!

PROJECT ETERNITY
Developer: Obsidian
Publisher: Obsidian
Due: 2014
Web: eternity.obsidian.net

Obsidian has detailed the four core classes Project Eternity will offer: fighter, priest, rogue, and wizard. Non-core classes include Barbarians, Paladins, Rnagers, Druids, Monks, Chanters and Ciphers. Each class begins with two active abilities and one passive. Barbarians, for example, can sprint to close the distance to a target, whilst Paladins can revive party members and Druids can shapeshift into animal form. We want to be a bear.

X: REBIRTH
Developer: EGOSOFT
Publisher: Deep Silver
Due: 2014
Web: egosoft.com

Developer Egosoft has gone dark on the sixth game in the mind-boggling X series, citing issues with revealing the game too early and thus managing expectations of a changing product. For X: Rebirth will change the formula, adding accessibility concessions to the interface hopefully without diluting any of the previous titles' hardcore focus. The game's been in development for five years now (which is nearly how long it takes to stop playing X3), so there's really not long to go!

SPIRE
Developer: Hit Box Team
Publisher: Hit Box Team
Due: Q1 2014
Web: hitboxteam.com

The Brisbane developers of indie speedrunning platformer Dustforce are back with a hardcore first-person game that evokes the trick-jumping skillsets of the original Quake titles. As players explore by ascending a mysterious, randomly-generated tower, they'll encounter enemies and items that will hinder or help their progress through the environment. Progress made through wall jumps, slides, and other advanced trickery. A new take on inMomentum, then?

CYBERPUNK 2077
Developer: CD Project
Publisher: CD Project
Due: 2015
Web: cyberpunk.net

CD Projekt has unveiled its new engine that it will be using to deliver its futuristic open-world RPG, Cyberpunk 2077. Called REDEngine 3, it is the latest iteration of the developer's internally-created engine first-used in The Witcher 2 (REDEngine 2 was the name given to the engine powering the subsequent console ports). A significant new development of REDEngine 3 is the toolset to account for Cyberpunk's non-linear story content. The toolset will allow CD Projekt to easily create branching quests across open environments that can be completed in any order. The developer claims this will allow it to build a ast open world without sacrificing narrative depth. The usual set of improvements are set o arrive with the new engine, too. Facial animation, body movement, better lighting and the ability to stream data and eliminate load times in the open world. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will be the game to debut CD Projekt's new engine, though!