As I discussed in this blog post, I originally was going to make a list of games I was excited about for 2014 back in the start of January, but school kind of demanded my attention and I never got around to it. Now that school is done and summer is here, I would like to write a bit about the games left to come out this year (that I haven't already talked about) that I'm excited to play. So here's the first part of the Top 30 Most Anticipated Games for (the rest of) 2014.

• Top 30 Most Anticipated Games for (the rest of) 2014 - #20 - #11
• Top 30 Most Anticipated Games for (the rest of) 2014 - #10 - #1

#30 - Hohokum

Platforms: PS4, PS3, Vita

Release Date: 2014

Trailer: [Giant Bomb Link]

Hohokum has a rich art style reminiscent of a fellow, albeit dormant, Sony franchise: LocoRoco. Yet, despite the similar aesthetic, LocoRoco almost seems tame in comparison to the creativity on display in Hohokum. This creativity pushes the game beyond a simple mechanic of slithering a flying…. snake… eye… creature… thing… across levels using an unusual, but incredibly fun, control scheme. I only got a bit of time to poke around with it at PAX, but each new level breathes new life into the simple mechanics, with finding your new objective being just as fun as completing it.

But all these comparisons to LocoRoco is what’s got me nervous. While LocoRoco was interesting to dive into, it’s gimmick didn’t interest me enough to stick around for the whole game, let alone two. I’m hopeful that Hohokum will be a fun little diversion that I can squeeze some joy out of, but I can’t shake that nagging feeling that it’ll disappoint.

#29 - Final Fantasy XV

Platforms: PS4, Xbone

Release Date: 2014?

Trailer: [Giant Bomb Link]

Whenever a new game in a franchise is passed onto a new developer, fans immediately begin debating and dissecting whether the studio is up to the task. Even from last year, games like Tomb Raider, Killer Instinct, and Dmc each took their franchises in more modern directions. Whether they succeeded is completely irrelevant, as the transition from old habits to new talent naturally ensures that the established core of a franchise will be challenged and redefined.

Final Fantasy XV doesn’t have that luxury. Square Enix is shooting for a brand new direction with XV alright, but Final Fantasy still has that weight of wasted potential and misguided priorities that the franchise has become synonymous with. This is no new blood here to truly shake things up or guarantee a new path for Final Fantasy. The same people who produced only a small handful of worthwhile titles (most of which pushed into obscurity in favour of marketing the milking of FFXIII) with over a decade worth of resources and potential are the same same people working on XV, this bastion of hope for an ailing (if not already dead) franchise.

To say I have faith in Final Fantasy XV is a huge overstatement.

That being said, I do think there has to be some sort of chance for this… this… Uncharted… Kingdom Hearts… Final Fantasy XIII… The Last Story… hybrid… thing… can work. It’s an intriguing approach that is full of potential and, for the first time in quite a while for Final Fantasy, I think I would still be interested in it even if those words never appeared in the title.

But, then again, so did the last two numbered titles and FFXIV was only saved by scrapping it and building it from the ground up again. So we’ll see how this goes. If it succeeds, then hats off to Square Enix for believing in their people when I didn’t and proving that they know how to handle their franchise a lot better than little ‘ol me. If it fails, then an ensuing shake up at Square Enix may help push this franchise either back on track or off the rails completely. Either way, how Final Fantasy XV unfolds and how it impacts what was once considered one of the biggest and best franchises in the industry is what I’m anticipating most it.

Hey, just because I’m making a list of games that I’m anticipating doesn’t exactly mean I’m jumping at the chance to run out and preorder all of them. Sometimes, the story around the game is what’s worth getting excited about.

#28 - Shovel Knight

Platforms: PC, 3DS, Wii U

Release Date: Summer 2014

Trailer: [Giant Bomb Link]

I never really paid attention to Shovel Knight’s Kickstarter. Partly because I was broke, but also because I wasn’t really too impressed by what they were showing. It seemed like they were looking to capitalize on the look and mechanics of old school Capcom NES titles like Ducktales and MegaMan, but didn’t have the heart in it. That early footage lacked that je ne sais quoi that made those classics, well, classic. That attention to detail when faced with limitations, that love and craftsmanship in the level design, and a simple, yet immediately fun feel to the gameplay.

And I still have those fears, but Yacht Club Games have done their best to mitigate them. I really won’t be able to decide for myself whether Shovel Knight is worthy of the comparisons to its inspirations, but I’m willing to give it a shot. At worst, the game looks like a solid foundation that future iteration will hone into something special, much like a certain blue bomber decades ago.

#27 - Tesla Effect: A Tex Murphy Adventure

Platforms: PC

Release Date: May 7th, 2014

Trailer: [Giant Bomb Link]

Okay, the trailer above is all I really needed to know about Tesla Effect to get pumped up for it. And it’s not even because the game itself looks amazing. Well, it does look amazing, but I’m more excited that all those dreams of the return of self-serious FMV silliness through the magic of crowdfunding has actually come true. While I’m always a fan of a good point & click adventure game, there’s a special kind of joy that you can only get out of the over-dramatic stupidity of an FMV sequence done right and a resurrection of the form is long overdue.

#26 - Destiny

Platforms: PS3, PS4, 360, Xbone

Release Date: September 9th, 2014

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAJjPTDG9ak

Look, I’m just trying to find a game to replace the fun co-op FPS RPG gameplay of Borderlands but without the insulting storytelling, groan-inducing dialogue, and hateable characters. If Bungie can fulfill that expectation, then I won’t really care if it’s bland rip off.

I’ll settle for anything at this point.

#25 - Tomodachi Life

Platforms: 3DS

Release Date: June 6th, 2014

Trailer: [Giant Bomb Link]

Man, I don’t even fucking know anymore.

Tomodachi Life? Hell, I don’t know what the hell THAT is, but I think it says something weird about me that I’m 100% into it.

Whatever it is.

#24 - Road Not Taken

Platforms: PC, PS4, Vita, iOS

Release Date: 2014

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iqz16Khp61I

Spry Fox are focused on and committed to making simple, high quality titles with incredibly smart and innovative design. This is what made Triple Town a true stand out, even if it was a game in a crowded match-three puzzle genre available on even more crowded social network and smartphone marketplaces, and Realm of the Mad God a completely unique take on the MMORPG.

I’m not entirely convinced that the idea behind Road Not Taken, an honest to goodness roguelike with match three puzzle mechanics, will work as well as I hope, but I am convinced that if anyone is the right team to tackle the concept, it’s Spry Fox. I can’t wait to huddle around my Vita and struggle along The Road Not Taken later this year.

#23 - Apotheon

Platforms: PC, PS4

Release Date: 2014

Trailer: [Giant Bomb Link]

I’m actually, truly excited for Apotheon despite it being not “my” type of game. I mean, look at this list. Sure, you’re going to find a healthy dose of indie games and titles that have action, exploration, and platforming aspects to them, but mixing Apotheon with those games kind of diminishes what it’s going for. It’s not looking to relive the glory of NES action games like Shovel Knight is and it’s not trying to go for cinematic flair like FFXV is. The platforming is an essential tool for traversal in a 2D plain, but not the central focus of the gameplay. The exploration is… well, I’m not sure the extent of the exploration in the game truth be told, but from what I’ve experienced in Apotheon it seems like it will play a vital role in the background of the moment to moment combat experience.

Instead, Apotheon seems to be taking the feel, the weight, the pace of its combat very seriously. It wants your actions to be deliberate. If you lower your guard to swing your sword or shoot an arrow, you’ll have to accept the consequence of those actions. It’s tired and old to compare things to the Souls games at this point when you’re looking to talk about that commitment in gameplay, especially since combat in Apotheon is much more nimble and (at least from what I played) more forgiving, but I don’t have the confidence in my understanding of Mount & Blade or something of that nature to compare Apotheon to instead.

And that’s the fascinating part of Apotheon for me. It hits a spot in my array of experiences with games that I have rarely touched, yet I still found my brief times with it fun and exciting. Sure, I’m a sucker for a good art style and Apotheon’s is completely captivating, as that Greek pottery art style has rarely been seen in video games and certainly not with this fidelity and commitment. Yet, even if the beautiful art style is what grabbed me initially, it’s the potential to dive into an unfamiliar gameplay experience that has me anticipating the final product.

#22 - Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-

Platforms: PS3, PS4

Release Date: 2014

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5pkaWp8Xso

We saw a huge boom of fighting games this past generation, where almost every series you can think of was rebooted, reimagined, or, at least, rereleased. But beyond a few ports, a few crowd funding successes (Yatagarasu and Skullgirls come to mind), and the release of Injustice (which felt just as clunky and obtuse as the last Mortal Kombat), Divekick (which is a great game, but doesn’t exactly scratch that fighting game itch) and Killer Instinct (which is also great, but stuck on a system most don’t have access to), 2013 was a quiet year for fighting games. Sure, it was a pretty okay year for the FGC, with bigger events mixed in with the usual, unfortunate controversies that plague that scene, but we didn’t really see a big shake up of the games we were actually playing.

Which, I guess, makes it fitting that a new Guilty Gear is coming out in 2014. The previous entry, 2002’s (!) Guilty Gear XX, saw over a decade of balance changes, patches, and new versions, with the last version, Plus R, coming out last year. That’s a long-ass time for a fighting game to be supported. While the fighting game genre definitely needs new blood, there isn’t an active fighting game series that needed a new entry more than Guilty Gear. I guess Xrd’s impending release is kinda killing two birds with one stone.

Guilty Gear has always been the least interesting of the three main Arc Sys fighting game series to me. It’s always been the least approachable, most likely due to it being iterated on for so long. It’s hard to jump into a fighting game when the people you’re playing against have been playing it for years. Which is why I prefer Blazblue or Persona. Sure, Blazblue's newest version, Chrono Phantasma, fell pretty flat due to some serious balance and mechanics issues and Persona 4 Arena was a lot more simple than its older siblings, but at least I was able to start those series at the beginning. Where everything was fresh, new, and exciting.

And that’s why I’m excited for Guilty Gear Xrd. It’s an entirely new fighting game to sink my teeth into without having to play catch-up to even compete. Okay, not entirely new but Guilty Gear is starting fresh with a downsized roster and new characters, movesets, mechanics, music, etc etc etc. Hell, the game even switches to a sick cel shaded style from the hand drawn sprites of the past. I’ll probably end up playing more of Persona 4 Arena Ultimax this year just due to preference, but I’m excited that Guilty Gear is finally getting a full refresh and maybe giving newcomers like me a chance to jump into the series.

#21 - Massive Chalice

Platforms: PC

Release Date: September 2014

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BExTz9y9rMQ

Massive Chalice isn’t my most anticipated game of 2014, but it is the game I’m most jealous of. It is basically my dream game. Not the game I dream to play, but the game I dream to make. It takes all the right inspirations, all the right directions, includes all the right mechanics for my head to just burst with ideas. From enemy types to class implementations to damage values, level geometry, and how all of the above would be implemented in code. I’m not exactly an expert game developer yet and I know that I need a lot more experience to lead a team on a game of that size, budget, and scope, but it’s what I aspire to. It’s what I make notes about in class while I’m bored. It’s what I daydream about when I’m on the bus. It’s what I wake up in the middle of the night and scribble notes about, having had a flash of inspiration while I slept. It’s what, if you plopped an infinite budget into my hands right now, I would be doing for the rest of my life.

I have full faith that Massive Chalice will deliver the Double Fine experience that we know and love: a game that may have a flaw or two but is unique, fun, and always new & interesting. But what makes me excited about the game is to analyze every tiny bit, figure out why the developers made the decisions they made, and learn from the experience so that I can get closer to, one day, making my own dream game.

• Top 30 Most Anticipated Games for (the rest of) 2014 - #20 - #11
• Top 30 Most Anticipated Games for (the rest of) 2014 - #10 - #1