There are only a select few Xbox One exclusives that really get one hopeful for first-party content on the machine and Insomniac Games' Sunset Overdrive is champion over them all. All of Microsoft's offerings nowadays seem to fall under the same experiences they delivered last generation, but Sunset Overdrive is the shining example of what happens when you give a team of creative minds full control over their vision. Sunset Overdrive is pure unadulterated fun wrapped into an open-world third-person action game. Stuck in Sunset City during the Awesompocolypse, the player is tasked with cleaning up the mess made by the launch of FizzCo's Overcharge Delirium XT, an energy drink that turns anyone who drinks into mindless mutated creatures known as the OD'd. Sunset Overdrive gives players tons of options to tackle their task through fully customizable characters, a slew of creatively designed weapons and plenty of solo and multiplayer missions to complete throughout Sunset City. Traversing Sunset City is incredibly fluid as players are able to wall run, grind rails and wires, instantly switch between grinding and zip-lining, bounce off of any surface and use other crazy acrobatics. Although Microsoft will not push Sunset Overdrive as heavily as Halo or Forza, it is a game that Xbox One owners should not overlook this holiday season.
The UbiArt engine has proven time and time again that the most beautiful games do not need to have the largest polygon count. In fact, the art in 2D games can be just as beautiful or even more than their 3D counterparts; just look at Rayman Legends and Child of Light for proof. Valiant Hearts: The Great War is the next title to use the UbiArt engine and the game looks spectacular in terms of its visuals and gameplay. Valiant Hearts follows the story of four individuals as they try to survive the horrors of World War I. Starting in different locations and allegiances, the stories of each character interconnect with one another through a common companion--a dog named Walt. Throughout the game, the characters are thrust into various situations from sneaking behind enemy lines to blowing up bridges. Valiant Hearts offers players plenty of puzzles to complete through interacting with the environment and other characters or sending Walt to reach areas the characters cannot normally reach. The interplay between using the characters and Walt to solve puzzles and the mature tones of the story have me very excited to venture into the world of Valiant Hearts in the near future.
In recent years, The Dark Knight has become an incredible force within the video game industry thanks to the folks at Rocksteady. One can argue that the Batman: Arkham games are single-handedly the greatest licensed games to grace the market. As the final entry in this acclaimed series, Rocksteady looks to pull no punches with Arkham Knight as Batman and his world are being supercharged with new abilities and content. The moment from the E3 demo where Batman steps out onto the balcony of his hideout and peers out onto Rockstady's Gotham City will make anybody's jaw drop. The expansiveness of this open world is breathtaking and I can see myself drowning hundreds of hours exploring every nook and cranny of Gotham City. With how vast Gotham City will be in Arkham Knight, Batman needs another way to traverse the city than just his trusty grappling hook and cape. For this final installment, the Batmobile has been added to The Dark Knight's arsenal. Aside from the vehicles primary purpose, Batman can summon the Batmobile at will, use it to immobilize enemies, have it clear obstacles and launch himself into the air. The Batmobile is not the only addition as Batman's combat and stealth abilities are receiving considerable upgrades in speed and precision. Although Batman: Arkham Knight will no longer be gracing consoles this year, the game looks to be on the road to surpassing its predecessors' legendary quality.
Arguably the most anticipated game of 2014, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS had one of the best showings of the show. Nintendo went out of their way to make Super Smash Bros. the most important game of the show. They gave fans three character reveals in Mii Fighters, Palutena and Pac Man, an incredible live tourney held in the Nokia Theatre and multiple kiosks to play on the show floor. Seeing the two versions in motion is a thing of beauty. The Wii U version flows at an incredible clip and all the new characters, stages and items look to fit in with the polished gameplay. While the 3DS version may take some time to get use to the controllers as I have heard from many video impressions on the game, it looks just as polished and refined as its Wii U brethren. Much like Far Cry 4 in part one, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS are both hard to sum up in words. I highly recommend watching the Super Smash Bros. Invitational or one of the live demos from Nintendo Treehouse Live at E3 to see how great these games play.
As great as Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS may be, there is one game greater than it this year. That game is The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Not much has been shown of Witcher 3 since its reveal back in early 2013, but CD Projekt RED let the floodgates loose at E3. The Witcher 3 gives players a living, breathing open world to explore. In fact, the map is 30 times larger than the previous Witcher games. Plus the amount of freedom in The Witcher 3 is incredible as players can venture to any part of the map at any time and pick up and put down story and side quests whenever they choose. On your way to a quest objective and feel like helping a traveler in distress along the way or starting up a whole other quest, you are free to do that without penalty. The world is shaped around the player's choices in combat, regular conversation and pivotal story moments. Every piece of media for The Witcher 3 from E3 has been nothing short of phenomenal from the blood-pumping pre-E3 trailer to the show floor demos. While The Witcher 3 may not earn the same amount of money Elder Scrolls, Dragon Age or Mass Effect rake in, this game and its ambitious scope prove why anybody should spend close to 600 dollars on a next generation console. The next generation of video gaming truly begins on February 24th, 2015 with the release of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
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