We review products independently, but we may earn affiliate commissions from buying links on this page. Terms of use.

PCMag UK

The 10 Most Anticipated Games at E3 2014

Will Greenwald
 & Will Greenwald Principal Writer, Consumer Electronics

Our team tests, rates, and reviews more than 1,500 products each year to help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.

Our Expert
LOOK INSIDE PC LABS HOW WE TEST
65 EXPERTS
43 YEARS
41,500+ REVIEWS

Summer means it's time for the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), and E3 is the time to preview upcoming games. Nearly every major video game publisher will be in Los Angeles next week to show off their projects with logos, screenshots, trailers, and hands-on demos.

We already know about plenty of games that are scheduled to be released in 2014 and 2015, but E3 is the time to learn more about them. The 10 games in our slideshow are the most highly anticipated titles in the pipeline, and we're ready to soak up every new fact and shot of each game as they're released.

Nintendo, Microsoft, EA, and Ubisoft all have some very interesting games on the way. Some are sequels we've been anticipating for years. Some are exciting new takes on old formulas. Some are completely new games from beloved developers looking to stretch their legs. What's important is that they're on their way and will likely be on the show floor.

These aren't necessarily the most interesting or biggest games at E3, though. These are the games we know about. A half dozen press conferences into the show could signal a slew of completely new titles ready to catch peoples' attention. Heck, Mortal Kombat X was only announced this week, and it's on our list. Which is a great reason to read all of our E3 coverage through the next week as we look for the biggest upcoming games, both known and unknown.

Super Smash Bros.

Nintendo's most popular characters fight each other in a series that extends back to the Nintendo 64. This time, Little Mac from Punch-Out jumps into the fray and Mega Man joins Sonic the Hedgehog as another beloved non-Nintendo character added to the hefty roster. The 3DS version of Super Smash Bros. comes out this summer, with the Wii U version is planned for this fall.

Batman: Arkham Knight

Batman: Arkham Asylum and Arkham City were critically acclaimed, beloved games that put us in Batman's cowl, and while Arkham Origins seemed to be a misstep that didn't quite click with gamers, developer Rocksteady has taken the reins back from Warner Bros. Games Montreal to hopefully inject the same magic it put in the first two Arkham games. Arkham Knight comes out in 2015.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare

The newest Call of Duty game adds an evil Kevin Spacey and his private army fighting the United States in a future with strength-enhancing armor and cloaking technology. It's not exactly modern warfare anymore, and the sci-fi gear in the game will hopefully give the Call of Duty formula a much-needed breath of fresh air. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare comes out on Nov. 4.

Project Beast

From Software's Souls series has tortured many obsessive gamers with its unforgiving challenge. While not formally announced yet, the company's "Project Beast" looks like it will be the next in the series. Whether it will be Dark Souls 3, Demon's Souls 2 (Demon's Souls was the first game in the series, before Dark Souls), or "Beast Souls" remains to be seen, but with the snippets of trailer footage already allegedly leaked out, it seems to be just as dark and depressing as the other Souls games. Which is a good thing.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

The Witcher series is so prominent even President Obama gave it props when he went to Poland. CD Projekt Red's fantasy games are Europe's equivalent of the Elder Scrolls titles, and they've developed a huge following among fans of western RPGs. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt promises to be much larger than either previous Witcher game, and will be the first Witcher title to hit the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. It's planned for February 2015.

Halo 5: Guardians

Microsoft first teased Halo 5 last E3 with a trailer showing Master Chief walking through the desert in an unnamed Xbox One game. We now know that game is Halo 5: Guardians, and it will be one of the biggest titles for the Xbox One by virtue of its name and series alone. Oh, and it will involve a new Spartan besides Master Chief. This one has a cooler, blue visor.

Destiny

Bungie started the Halo series, but it's since moved on to work on its own project. That project is Destiny, and it's a persistent shooter that combines sci-fi weapons with magic. You play a Guardian of the last city of humanity, and you can explore barren wastelands and ruins to… what was Halo 5's name again? Destiny comes out in September.

Tom Clancy's The Division

Protecting society after a huge catastrophe seems to be a running theme in video games these days, and Tom Clancy's The Division is yet another to look out for. It's a persistent online game where players try to preserve and restore order in a society completely crippled by a bioterrorism attack. Unfortunately, it's been pushed back to 2015.

Mortal Kombat X

Netherrealm Studios just announced Mortal Kombat X, and already people are excited. The tenth Mortal Kombat game promises to be bloodier than ever, and while the only footage we've seen has been a short, cinematic trailer, the trailer involves Sub-Zero's head getting ripped off and nailed to a tree. So that's pretty metal.

Persona 5

You are a slave. Want emancipation? Those six words and a red picture of desks in chains are the only things we know about Persona 5, and Atlus is being very quiet about any details regarding it. However, considering Persona 3 and Persona 4 are two of the best RPGs on the PlayStation 2 and have respectively seen excellent updated ports on the PSP and PS Vita, and that Persona 3 is responsible for making the entire Shin Megami Tensei series take hold in the United States, it's safe to say Persona 5 will be pretty compelling. It's not the only Persona game coming out, though; while Persona 5 hits the PlayStation 3 at the end of the year, Persona Q will bring more demon-summoning dungeon crawling to the 3DS, and Persona 4: Dancing All Night will bring demon-fighting rhythmic tapping to the Vita before then.

About Our Expert

Will Greenwald

Will Greenwald

Principal Writer, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I’m PCMag’s home theater and AR/VR expert, and your go-to source of information and recommendations for game consoles and accessories, smart displays, smart glasses, smart speakers, soundbars, TVs, and VR headsets. I’m an ISF-certified TV calibrator and THX-certified home theater technician, I've served as a CES Innovation Awards judge, and while Bandai hasn’t officially certified me, I’m also proficient at building Gundam plastic models up to MG-class. I also enjoy genre fiction writing, and my urban fantasy novel, Alex Norton, Paranormal Technical Support, is currently available on Amazon.

The Technology I Use

Where to start? I have a standard IT-issued Lenovo Thinkpad for writing and editing, supplemented with an iPad Air and an 8Bitdo Retro Keyboard when I want to write on the go. I also have a Lenovo Legion Go as a platform for running Portrait Displays’ Calman software and controlling the Klein K-10A colorimeter, Murideo SIX-G signal generator, and Leo Bodnar 4K Video Signal Lag Tester I use for testing TVs. 

For gaming, I use a Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X, and a GeForce 5080-equipped MSI gaming laptop. I like collecting retro games as well, and have an Analogue Pocket and a ton of classic consoles and portables. Photography is another interest, and I use a Sony A7 IV when I’m shooting products and events, and a Fujifilm X-Pro3 for my own attempts at visual creativity. And for reading and writing, I’ve become partial to the Kobo Sage for books and the ReMarkable 2 with Type Folio.

When it comes to phones and tablets, I’m pretty platform-agnostic. I use a Google Pixel 8 for my phone and an iPad Air for a tablet. Android, iOS, and iPadOS are all totally fine, but I need a Windows PC. MacOS just isn’t for me.

Read the latest from Will Greenwald

Read full bio