Best Games of E3 2014
Yet another exciting E3 has come and gone, can you believe it? We saw a ton of games at the 2014 show, a record number in fact – look for a news announcement regarding that soon! But now is time to narrow down the list of our favorites. As voted on by the three staffers who attended the big show this year, here are the Best Games of E3 2014 Winners! As usual, they are listed in alphabetical order. And a video to celebrate, watch it below!
Remember that these are the few that made the cut – there are plenty of other games that we enjoyed! Visit our E3 Previews section to catch up on all the coverage from this year’s show.
Assassin’s Creed: Unity
The game works hard to recreate revolutionary France in all of its tumultuous glory. The size of the game world, the introduction of campaign co-op gameplay, while the core of the game is the same Assassin’s Creed we’ve seen for years, are all at work in the new title. Whether you love or hate the Assassin’s Creed series, one must appreciate its unique place in the video game spectrum. Having yet another game that looks and plays familiar isn’t always a bad thing, and thanks to a brand new setting Unity is an example of just that.
Read: Assassin’s Creed: Unity Preview
When: October 28, 2014
Where: 
Destiny
If the open-world aspect and the abundance of side missions has piqued your interest, you should really be looking forward to Destiny. Filled with things to do in a strange and interesting world, the game looks to walk an impressive line between shooter and MMO.
Read: Destiny Preview
When: September 9, 2014
Where: 
DriveClub
Driveclub aims to mark a new generation of racing on PlayStation, one that is both social and competitive. Our Ferrari handled very well, tightly taking corners and responding to acceleration and braking with precision. Driving through the twisting roads of a desert locale, the evening sun burned bright in the sky and washed the panoramic hills with its warm orange glow. The cars looked good and the lighting was fairly impressive combined with panoramic vista views. Experienced developers at Evolution Studios have crafted a good looking title with tight controls and great damage modelling, and despite some development troubles, the game looks nearly ready to compete later this year.
Read: DriveClub Preview
When: October 7, 2014
Where:
Dying Light
All of the weapons are designed for gory kills and nasty power attacks. Heads roll, blood flies, and bones break, rendering zombies helpless. It’s not as over the top as Dead Rising and when you see a horde of zombies the best strategy is still to run. Dying Light continues to show off how much faster it is than other zombie games. The parkour aspect of the title makes for an adrenaline pumping experience. I held my breath during dicey jumps, fretted over chase sequences, and winced as I dismembered my foes.
Read: Dying Light Preview
When: February 15, 2015
Where:
Evolve
What we learned from the demo, as with most multiplayer games, is that Evolved is all about good communication. To have these battles work to their full potential, we found you need people who are on same page, who know the advantages of the hunters or monster they’re controlling to make rounds exciting. As with every multiplayer game, Evolve was at its most thrilling and engaging when both sides were putting up a good fight. When we worked together, Evolve offered an intense, edge of your seat match that went down to the wire, and was one of the most enjoyable titles we played this year.
Read: Evolve Preview
When: October 21, 2014
Where:
FIFA 15
Emotional reactions to the events on the pitch, along with players remembering their relationship towards others, creates scenarios and interactions not previously seen in sports games. The lighting model has been tweaked, with physics based effects such as goal post rattling, animated hair, and dirt collecting on kits adding to the more accurate look. We saw new decision making occur frequently during our demo matches, and it does indeed feel much more like playing a human opponent. With significant changes to how the game looks and plays, and through our hands-on time with a demo build, FIFA 15 looks to be on track to achieving its goal of making fans feel this digital football experience.
Read: FIFA 15 Preview
When: September 2014
Where: , also a version on
Forza Horizon 2
We had a chance to see the game in action at E3, and were impressed with the goals that Playground Games have set for this sequel. The cars and environments look fantastic, and a dynamic lighting system creates a lifelike atmosphere, with realistic glow and reflections off surfaces. We were able to get some hands-on time with the game, and can confirm it handles tighter, feels better, and is fun to play. The sequel looks to be an improvement in almost every area. It already plays well, looks great, and the freedom and multiplayer aspects sound like huge strides for the title.
Read: Forza Horizon 2 Preview
When: September 30, 2014
Where:
The list continues on the next page…
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
With everything we saw in our Phantom Pain demo, the fans should be very excited. The game looks great, from the technical visuals to the new stealth abilities and an open, freely explorable world. Addicting RPG concept of Mother Base from Peace Walker has been more fully realized and will provide players with many hours of gameplay to obtain the best staff members and facilities.
Read: Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain Preview
When: 2015/2016
Where:
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
This type of political intrigue within a dynamic world is a very interesting concept. While not amazingly impressive from a design perspective, this is a fresh idea that hasn’t been done before, and one that we can’t wait to try for ourselves with the myriad of options that are seemingly available. The fact that this is a Middle-earth game will bring in a huge audience, but from what we saw at E3, this is a game to watch for even as non-fans.
Read: Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Preview
When: October 7, 2014
Where:
Ori and the Blind Forest
The trailer shown at E3 was charming and emotional, setting the tone for what I would experience with a hands-on demo at the show floor. With plenty of traps and obstacles around, it makes for a lot of nimble gameplay, focusing less on the combat. The RPG-elements are very light, but still add a little more depth to the game Built in Unity, Ori and the Blind Forest makes good use of the engine, delivering an aesthetic which rekindles thoughts of Dust: An Elysian Tail and recent Rayman games. Moon Studios promises about 10 hours of this combat-light, platform-heavy, Metroidvania style of gameplay, accented with more emotional story beats to tug at your heartstrings.
Read: Ori and the Blind Forest Preview
When: Q4, 2014
Where:
The Division
The combat seems to resemble that of recent Tom Clancy games like Ghost Recon and Splinter Cell with lots of gadgets and clever AI who attempt to flank you. The cover system looks similar to what we have seen in these games as well. What was most impressive about the combat was the detailed environmental destruction that occurred throughout. While it is good to see a demo that reveals what the moment-to-moment gameplay of the Division will be like, there is still limited information about what the game as a whole will involve. What is clear is that The Division is shaping up to be one of the most impressive multiplayer games to be coming out in 2015. It also earns the unofficial best video of E3 2014 award for its cinematic trailer.
Read: The Division Preview
When: 2015
Where:
The Evil Within
One might think horror games would work well with hands-off demos, but The Evil Within is a game which is much better when you are actually playing it. Getting my hands on The Evil Within fried my nerves. There are plenty of traditional scares in the game, but the title is at its best when it forces you to explore the dark corners of the world, making you expect the jump scare but withholding it to keep you guessing.
Read: The Evil Within Preview
When: October 21, 2014
Where:
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Our time with The Witcher 3 this year was somewhat similar in structure to the demo from 2013, but it remains just as impressive. We got to see even more of the combat, the impressive dialog, voice acting, important player choices, and atmospheric environments. This is an RPG that fans of the franchise should be very excited about, as it looks very much just as good as its predecessors.
Read: The Witcher 3 Preview
When: February 24, 2015
Where:
Thanks for reading! And let’s look forward to E3 2015!