Stay tuned. This article will be updated as we get more information on E3 2014's game lineup.
Get ready for hype
If you've been watching the announcements at the E3 2014 press conferences, you have gotten a look into the future of gaming. With Microsoft, EA, and Ubisoft's shows out of the way, we can already see more new-gen titles on the horizon. We're excited to see the upcoming PS4 games and new Xbox One games already inbound for the near future. But the show isn't over yet. There are still those few games that are nebulous--maybe even a couple that we don't know exist.
Ready to see the future of gaming laid out by the biggest developers in the industry? We totally are. That's why we've gathered together the biggest titles that have already been announced at this year's show, which ones we know are going to show up a bit later, as well as those we aren't quite sure about. Want to know if your most anticipated game will be at E3 2014? Find out on the following slides.
New games revealed at E3 2014
Check out the games that made their debut on the E3 2014 stage in the following slides.
Bayonetta 2
For whatever reason, it seems like Bayonetta 2 falls out of the public consciousness almost immediately after each infrequent mention of it. Perhaps that's because it's never been given a firm release date, and much of the information thus far just hasn't been all that solid. Nintendo changed all that this year by giving us a couple new details about the sequel at the Nintendo E3 presentation.
No specific date was given, but we at least have a tight release window now of October (that's soon!). Plus, in an exciting surprise, we learned that Bayonetta 2 will include an updated port of Bayonetta 1, complete with some Nintendo-specific bonuses, like Link's outfit and Samus's armor. That's worth the price of admission on its own.
Yoshi's Wooly World
After being completely silent about the project since its initial reveal a year and a half ago, the game formerly known as Yarn Yoshi finally had a proper reveal at this year's E3. By way of a lengthy gameplay trailer at Nintendo's presentation, it was revealed that Yoshi's Wooly World is indeed a real game that will be released in the first half of 2015.
On top of that, Nintendo revealed that Wooly World will feature two-player co-op, with another player coming in to control a different-colored Yoshi. As for the gameplay, it looks similar to both Kirby's Epic Yarn and previous Yoshi games, like Yoshi's Island and Yoshi's Story, with the adorable quotient ratcheted up several times over.
Mario Maker
Nintendo confirmed the heavily-rumored Mario Maker at its E3 presentation with a brief gameplay trailer showcasing some of the exciting features. As expected, it's a 2D Mario game with an extensive level-creation aspect in the vein of Little Big Planet. From what we can tell, it looks a bit more simplistic than Sony's imaginative level-builder, insofar as you're limited to using objects that already exist in Mario games; coin blocks, Goombas, flag poles, pipes, etc. But that's only what we can glean from the trailer; it's possible there's a lot more to see.
The interface is reminiscent of Mario Paint, with a simple grid-based design, sprite-based icons, and that gloved-hand cursor. The trailer makes it look extremely intuitive to build out courses as devious or friendly as you desire. The most exciting feature? You're not limited to one specific era of Mario art. The trailer shows a Super Mario Bros. 1-themed level before jumping into something that looks more like New Super Mario Bros. U.
The Legend of Zelda Wii U
This one is surely a ways away, but its mesmerizing art style made a huge impression during the brief gameplay trailer that Nintendo showed off during its E3 presentation. The new Zelda game, which is currently untitled, looks absolutely gorgeous, continuing the bright, cartoony, cel-shaded look of Wind Waker while also carrying forward some of Skyward Sword's design aesthetic.
Zelda director Eiji Aonuma introduced the game, and said all the things any Zelda fan would want to hear: They're rethinking a lot of the core conceits of the Zelda games and making some radical changes to some of those longstanding concepts. The biggest example is that the game is now much more non-linear, with Aonuma citing Skyrim as a big design influence. The game is scheduled for release on Wii U in 2015.
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
In another surprise announcement from Nintendo, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker was revealed for a holiday 2014 release on Wii U. A spin-off of Super Mario 3D World, it looks like Toad will be getting his own full game based on the Captain Toad levels from that game. Like those levels, it looks to be more of a puzzle game than a platformer, with Toad manipulating objects on relatively small, isolated 3D maps.
Presumably, Toad will retain his inability to jump as he navigates the puzzle levels, but he'll see more varied environments along the way. One section in the trailer showed off a minecart level. At any rate, we don't know whether the game will be a full retail release or if it will be available as a downloadable add-on, a la New Super Luigi U. Thankfully, we won't have to wait too long to find out.
Kirby and the Rainbow Curse
After being pretty under-the-radar for a long while, it seems like Kirby is all over the place these days. This time, it's with a new Wii U follow up to the 2005 DS classic Kirby Canvas Curse. Nintendo announced the game with a brief gameplay trailer during its E3 presentation. It doesn't have quite the same painterly aesthetic, with more of a tactile clay look, but it keeps the same extra-round, short-armed Kirby from the original. And it looks like it'll be just as charming.
Much like the original, Rainbow Curse will have you controlling Kirby primarily with the touch screen and stylus, drawing lines on the screen which Kirby can roll on. The trailer also shows off some of Kirby's new available forms, such as tank, rocket, and submarine. Look for the game on Wii U in 2015.
Xenoblade Chronicles X
We were reasonably sure we'd see Xenoblade Chronicles X, formerly known only as X, at E3. But until now, the follow-up to Xenoblade Chronicles hadn't even been confirmed for a release in the West. Now fans of the Monolith Soft series can rest assured that they'll see a 2015 release for the title on Wii U.
As for new information about the sequel, there isn't much to speak of. Nintendo showed off a new trailer which was appropriately incomprehensible and mech-suit-laden. And, you know, there are huge swords and tons of party members and reams of dialogue.
Rainbow Six: Siege
Closing out Ubisoft's E3 2014 press conference was a reveal of Rainbow Six: Siege, the new incarnation of the long-dormant Rainbow Six: Patriots. In a refreshing change of pace for the crowded military shooter genre, Siege looks to be focused on small-scale, 5 on 5 multiplayer scenarios. In the stage demo, the scenario involved a SWAT team rescuing a hostage from a home with 5 criminals.
The demo also made a big deal of the destructible environments, with entire walls coming coming down in the conflict. Of course, in typical Rainbow Six fashion, there are also plenty of gadgets to take advantage of, and the small scale and high stakes make tactical play a requirement. Ubisoft has thus far only showed off a single multiplayer scenario, so not much is known about any single-player campaign or alternate multiplayer modes. Ubisoft is aiming to release Rainbow Six: Siege sometime in 2015.
