We’ve already looked at PlayStation 4, Wii U and Xbox One exclusives, so now we turn our attention to the mutliplatform release coming to our screens in the next year or so. As to be expected, there’s quite a collection of these, and no doubt some of your favourites won’t make our list, but we have to narrow things down somehow, so here are our top 25 upcoming multiplatform titles following E3. The game will feature three games modes, including the main story campaign, a challenging arena mode where you fight waves of increasingly deadly foes, and mission mode, where you take on specific tasks. As it’s an RPG, it’ll also feature the obligatory skill tree system and character customisation. We like a good bit of first person pummelling, so Hellraid may well sate our desire to sink our axes into evil doers. With a focus on a horrific and gory world where you have to scavenge to survive, and enemies that are purposely difficult to kill, the game will pull no punches, and won’t simply give you big guns to mow down scores of nasties. This will hopefully be a constantly unnerving and scary title that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat as you’ll always be in danger of death around every corner.
23. Mass Effect 4
Mass Effect 4 is low on our list as it’s still very far away, and we have no real details about it at the moment. We know it’s coming, though, and it’s one series that we’re eager to see the return of. BioWare has said that it’s listened to fans, and the next game will go to new places, feature new characters, and will make use of the power of new consoles.
22. Dying Light
Alongside Dead Island and Hellraid, it would appear as though Techland is trying to position itself as the king of the first person fighter, and with Dying Light it takes the formula created by Dead Island, and moves it to another large, open world with an emphasis on a day and night cycle. During the daytime of Dying Light, you’re safer, with the shambling undead being just that: shambling. While still dangerous, they’re slow and can be avoided, and you can use this time to rescue others, scavenge for supplies and weapons and set traps. When the night comes, however, this changes. The undead become far more powerful, able to sprint and use stronger attacks. If you’re going to be outside at night, you’d better come packing. Although there’s no shortage of zombie titles on the market, Dying Light still sounds interesting, and should be an absorbing, if not entirely original game when it arrives. And hey, first person zombie mashing just never gets old.
21. Call Of Duty Advanced Warfare
Another year, and another Call Of Duty. We may have admittedly become more than a little cynical after so many iterations of the ever-popular shooter, but there’s simply no denying that each game is rock solid when it comes to quality, and it can always entertain, even if it does so without much in the way of originality. With this debut offering from Sledgehammer Games, though, we may well see a Call Of Duty that actually offers something new. A future setting is the order of the day, complete with mechs, powerful exoskeletons, jump jets and Kevin Spacey. The future thing has been done before in Black Ops II, but this time it’s much larger in scale. We’re interested. It’s all about the French Revolution this time, and the key new feature is the addition of four-player co-op in the campaign, which should present fans with a myriad of new ways to take down their marks and explore another dual time line adventure. There’s no denying that it’s one of the most impressive looking games we’ve seen, and with the promise of a thousand people onscreen at once, and a far more detailed and dense world, this could be a truly excellent entry in the franchise. At least, we hope so. It would be nice if women were invited too, though. Following on from the last game, Rise Of The Tomb Raider will take us to that point, with a Lara who’s now closer to the masterful explorer and fighter she was during her previous incarnations. Not much is really known outside of the announcement trailer, and the game isn’t due until the end of next year, but this is still one that fans are already foaming at the mouth about. And if we’re lucky, it’ll actually have some tombs to raid this time.
18. Dead Island 2
It’s another one for Techland, but this time’s it the big-hitter that is Dead Island. Riptide may not have set the world on fire, being more of an expansion than anything else, but Dead Island 2 is set to make up for this. The gameplay will retain much of the same melee focus as before, with the addition of contextual attacks like backstabs, and the ability to use traps. It’ll even feature a motion-captured cat called Rick Furry (yes, really). As always, you’ll be able to craft your own weapons, and with ammo scarce, and gunfire attracting the zombie horde, silent but deadly kills will be the way to go once again.
17. Valiant Hearts: The Great War
We’re predicting big things for this truly great-looking World War I title. Valiant Hearts: The Great War should be a truly emotional adventure that’s inspired by real letters from the conflict. It’ll feature several characters, and tells the tale of their part in the great war.
16. Mortal Kombat X
You know that recent reveal trailer for Mortal Kombat X that was released before E3? The one that looking like a CG teaser? Well, that’s almost what the actual game looks like. Yes, seen at E3, the next outing for Mortal Kombat is looking very sexy indeed, in a brutally bloody and gore-filled way. Mortal Kombat X brings a new generation of MK characters to the fray, and features even more cringe-worthy X-ray specials and stomach-churning fatalities, along with a new character variation system. This gives each fighter three different modes, with specific move sets and specials for each. Taking a leaf out of Injustice’s book, there are more interactive environments, and it’s all running in full 1080p at 60fps. From the videos we’ve seen, the current gen remaster will be notably more impressive, with all sorts of new details, graphical effects and much more highly populated world, and these improvements will also make it into the online portion of the game, which you’ll be able to transfer existing last gen characters to. All of the existing DLC will also be included in the new version, and the PS4 is set to receive some exclusive content on the side. As it’s also arriving on PC via Steam, we can also expect a much more stable modding scene, something that gave GTA IV plenty of longevity, with crazy mods still being made for it. The action isn’t military-based this time, but centres on police and criminals. It’ll feature all of the same Battlefield highlights, such as destructible environments, classes and plenty of vehicles, but it’ll also feature chaotic car chases and a big focus on urban combat and verticality, with more manoeuvrability thanks to additional equipments like zip lines and grappling hooks. Game modes will revolve around heists and money grabbing scenarios, with both symmetrical and asymmetrical maps and objectives, and the range of gadgets and equipment will play a big part, both in achieving objectives and balancing out the two sides, ensuring no team has an unfair advantage. The new outing of the game will retain a lot of the elements that made the original so unique, from the emphasis on agile parkour and the striking white-out art style (at least, in the prototype seen at E3), but it’ll also add in a much more flexible approach. Whilst the first game was fairly linear, with little room for experimentation, the new release will offer more freedom, allowing skilful players to find routes others may miss entirely. The gameplay will also be much more varied, as the developers have fleshed out the world and the role of the the runners, a group that protagonist, Faith, belongs to. See also: why it’s great to see the return of Mirror’s Edge. The alien beast begins a game in a smaller, less dangerous form, but by hunting and killing wildlife (and hunters), it can evolve into larger, more powerful forms, eventually becoming a towering killing machine. Meanwhile, the four hunters, each of whom have a specialisation, have to use their tracking abilities and equipment to find and take down the monster. This should make for some excellent online action, and we’re sure this will be every bit as good as, if not better than the co-op action of Left 4 Dead.
11. Dragon Age: Inquisition
We still have the sour taste of Dragon Age II in our mouths, but we’re hoping that Inquisition will finally rinse that away with some sweet, sweet RPG goodness that lives up to the excellent original. It’s looking gorgeous, with a lush world, and it’s clear that this is going to be a much more open adventure, with more variety and a better story. Let’s face it, it doesn’t have to do much to improve upon the second game, but nonetheless, this could be one of the best RPGs of the year.
10. Star Wars Battlefront
We’ve still not seen all that much of the new Star Wars Battlefront, but at E3, DICE gave us a little teaser, and it’s looking very tasty. Making full use of the chance to see original movie props and assets, as well as the real filming locations, DICE is producing what could be one of the best Star Wars games ever.
9. The Crew
One of Ubisoft’s delayed titles, The Crew is one of the most promising new racers, and it features an open world recreation of the entire United States, allowing players to race from coast to coast with no loading getting in the way. According to Ubisoft, to travel the length of the world in real time would take over two hours. Now that’s a large world, whichever way you look at it. The core thrust of the game will be co-operative, team-based racing, with customisable cars that can be fully tailored to your own preference, and for the task at hand, such as off-road or street racing. It’ll feature RPG elements, with your car reflecting your choices and all sorts of experience and rewards to be grabbed. All we ask is that a Cannonball Run mode is included. Burt Reynolds is optional, though. It’s clear that the game will follow the foundation laid by the previous games, featuring a sprawling open world with vehicles, dangerous wildlife and more enemy checkpoints than you’ll know what to do with, but the new setting looks like it’ll offer much more variety and the rather samey locations in the third game. It’ll also feature a much better co-op mode, which will make use of the open world, something that Far Cry 3 failed to deliver. Oh, and there are elephants. We like elephants. Taking place in a rather grim, plague-ravaged future, it’ll allow players to fight and explore in a seamless online world where you can encounter other players at any time, and others can drop into your game and help of hinder whenever they want to, including being able to play as flying UAV drones via mobile devices. All sorts of events can be stumbled into as you explore, and there’s a large range of tactical approaches you can take for every situations, using the game’s skill system and co-op team play mechanics.
6. Alien: Isolation
It’s no secret that we’re big fans of the Alien series here. And, as gamers, we’re still waiting for a truly great game based on the license. With Colonial Marines still giving us nightmares, we looked on with a new-found hope when Alien: isolation was announced. This really could be the game we’ve been waiting for. It doesn’t feature big burly men with guns and attitudes. Instead, it feature’s Ellen Ripley’s daughter, Amanda, against a single, terrifying alien that, in the course of a game, could attack at any moment. This constant sense of danger should present a very real level of fear, and the retro, 70s aesthetic and great attention to detail Creative Assembly has put into the sound direction could make this fantastic.
5. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
The move to an open world has already been proven to work for the stealthy antics of Snake in MGS: Ground Zeroes, and with the actual game, The Phantom Pain, promising a huge open world around 200 times the size of Ground Zeroes with far more variety and content, we’re very excited to see how the next instalment on Kojima’s series shapes up.
4. Rainbow Six Siege
One of the more impressive surprises of this year’s E3, Rainbow Six: Siege has instantly placed itself high in our list of anticipated titles. It’s a simple premise – cops versus hostage takers, but if the début reveal is anything to go by, and if it’s indicative of actual gameplay (we can’t help but be a little sceptical), it’s been done in a very impressive way, making use of destructible environments to make the action hugely tactical. In the reveal we saw what was allegedly real game footage as a team of police players take on a hardened group of criminals. The bad guys are seen blockading rooms and fortifying walls, whilst the good guys plan a way to breach the house using remote controlled cameras. Once the action kicks in, tactics come thick and fast, with fluid room clearing, destruction of doors, walls and even floors to get the edge on he enemy, and a high degree of team work needed to succeed. It all looks great, and we just hope that the final game turns out to be as good as this early demonstration. Amping up the scale of the game in every way, including a much larger open world, Wild Hunt not only looks fantastic, but should play brilliantly too. It’s going to feature much more variety in terms of content, with monster hunting missions alongside the story missions, as well as plenty of other activities, and a better combat system, which will once again require Geralt to shift up his various styles depending on his foe.
2. Batman: Arkham Knight
If we had to pick one game of the show that truly blew us away, and demonstrated a real leap from last to current gen, it would have to be Batman: Arkham Knight. This is one of the best looking games we’ve ever seen, pure and simple, and if you add to that the flow of the game, and the way it effortlessly transitions from on-foot, to gliding, to Batmobile, you’ve got what should end up being a sublime gameplay experience. We just hope the final game is as impressive, and plays in the same manner. Given the quality of Rocksteady’s previous work, we’ve got little reason to doubt it. We’re not too sure about the complex-looking new Batsuit, but when he’s up against the likes of the fearsome Arkham Knight and Scarecrow, he’s going to need some armour. It’s also got what has to be the best incarnation of Scarecrow we’ve ever seen, even in comparison with the comics. We’re still scared.
1. Destiny
Taking the best elements of the mighty Halo series and mixing it with Borderlands to create a new and unique experience, Destiny is our top pick, and although some will no doubt disagree, and that’s fair enough, the open world, online design and the mixture of FPS and RPG is looking so damn good, we just can’t wait. As it’s a Bungie game, it’ll also feature more traditional multiplayer components, such as map-based team and free-for-all combat alongside the main game story, and there’s going to be a wide range of weapons and customisability, so you’ll be able to create your own unique online avatar. Yes, it does look very similar in many ways to Halo, but it’s also clearly doing a lot of new, different things, and using Halo as a basis is far from the worst thing any developer could do, as it was already a superb FPS. Destiny could take it squarely into the current generation. Space wizards for the win.
