#40 – Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
Available On: Xbox 360, PS3
Releasing: TBA 2014
A side-story of sorts to the beloved Lord of the Rings saga, players will take control of the undead ranger, Talion, venturing to Mordor to avenge his family’s murder, before the lands of Sauron become a desolate wasteland. This promising action game should hopefully show us an angle on Tolkien’s universe that fans haven’t yet seen!
#41 – Strider [2014]
Available On: Xbox 360, PS3
Releasing: TBA 2014
A cult classic in both the arcades and on the Sega Genesis in particular, Strider is a lesser-known Capcom brand that is getting another chance at the limelight. A fast-paced and challenging action game not unlike Ninja Gaiden, the new Strider game will be shared between current-gen and next-gen consoles, and will likely be tons of challenging fun either way!
#42 – Tales of Xillia 2
Available On: PS3
Releasing: TBA 2014
A direct sequel to 2013’s Tales of Xillia, Tales of Xillia 2 features a new main character, contrary to the dual protagonists of its predecessor, while reuniting the characters of the original game as well. It’s just one of many Japanese RPG’s still planned to come to the PS3, but it’s a frequent fan request that genre fans will likely not want to miss, especially if they enjoyed the original!
#43 – The Evil Within
Available On: Xbox 360, PS3
Releasing: TBA 2014
A true return to survival horror is being developed by Shinji Mikami, the creator of Resident Evil, through The Evil Within. As a police officer waking up in a twisted world of death and misery following the murders of several of your colleagues, players must struggle to survive and unravel the mysteries behind their circumstances, no doubt helpless and scared all the while.
#44 – Trials Fusion
Available On: Xbox 360 (Digital)
Releasing: TBA 2014
Trials Fusion is primarily bringing the popular and challenging racing/puzzle series to next-gen consoles, but, somewhat randomly, it’s also getting a current-gen port for Xbox 360. It may be compromised and downscaled, but if you’ve already grown to love this series on Xbox Live Arcade, it’s certainly better than missing out on it entirely with no PS4 or Xbox One.
#45 – Valiant Hearts: The Great War
Available On: Xbox 360, PS3
Releasing: TBA 2014
Shared between current-gen and next-gen consoles, Valiant Hearts: The Great War is another game using Ubisoft’s revolutionary hand-drawn UbiArt Framework engine, and is a puzzle-adventure game inspired by actual letters written during WWI. Likely heart-wrenching and intense, it’s yet another game to watch for if you’re the type of gamer who enjoys a great interactive narrative.
#46 – Wolfenstein: The New Order
Available On: Xbox 360, PS3
Releasing: TBA 2014
Delayed from a planned 2013 release, Wolfenstein: The New Order plans to follow in the footsteps of Metro 2033 and BioShock by being an atmospheric, story-driven shooter that’s entirely single-player. The latest attempt at rebooting the very first first-person shooter brand, here’s hoping that Bethesda is the publisher to finally help Wolfenstein achieve the potential it deserves!
#47 – Mighty No. 9
Available On: Xbox 360, PS3
Releasing: TBA 2015
It’s still quite a ways away, but Mighty No. 9 is another huge Kickstarter success that’s serving as an unofficial reboot to Mega Man, from Mega Man creator, Keiji Inafune himself! Taking control of a different robot protagonist, Beck, players will once again run and shoot their way through various stages on literally every gaming platform available today, from PC, to handhelds, to current-gen consoles to next-gen consoles. Considering that Capcom continues to sit on the Mega Man brand to a frustrating extent, beyond the character being a new third-party fighter in Super Smash Bros. anyway, this new game is quite welcome for frustrated fans who aren’t getting their fix with the Blue Bomber!
#48 – Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Available On: Xbox 360, PS3
Releasing: TBA
It’s unclear exactly when the feature presentation of Hideo Kojima’s most challenging and controversial Metal Gear Solid project will actually arrive, but when it does, current-gen and next-gen consoles will both play host to one of the most ambitious open-world stealth games ever made, and hopefully a new benchmark for this much beloved series!
#49 – Until Dawn
Available On: PS3
Releasing: TBA
Still planned as a PlayStation Move showcase for the PS3, hopefully, Until Dawn has you use the Move controller as a flashlight in a survival-horror environment. It’s a clever idea. Hopefully it sees the light of day, and turns out better than both Sorcery and Medieval Moves: Deadmund’s Quest and PlayStation Move Heroes. Seriously, why can Sony never get PlayStation Move games right?!