Gamescom 2014 will be big
The biggest European gaming event in the calendar is fast approaching, as developers, publishers and press gear up for Gamescom next week. As usual there'll be big press conferences from Microsoft, Sony and EA to look forward to, and on the show floor there'll be tons of games to try out and get to grips with before release.
In previous years Gamescom has started to grow just as important as E3, with studios using the opportunity to showcase their best up-and-coming titles just a couple months before the busy end-of-year launch window. A good showing at Gamescom could be the difference between making that blockbuster hit or failing miserably. So no pressure, then.
As far as ArabicGamers is concerned there are more than a few games that have us salivating. The top picks are Evolve (unfortunately delayed to 2015), Sunset Overdrive and Metal Gear Solid: The Phantom Pain, which should all be playable at Gamescom and come with lots of new juicy details.
Elsewhere we have a rejuvenated interest in some massive names that have been lagging the last few years, namely Assassin's Creed Unity and Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. Yes, we know, both those franchises are growing as stale as that load of bread that's been left out for too long, but there are signs that this year's editions could spice things up a bit.
The French Revolution setting for Creed looks nice, and Ubisoft is saying thousands of NPCs can be on the screen at once to create massive crowds. There's also cooperative multiplayer where four assassins can take on missions together, and it'll be very interesting to see how exactly that comes together. Everyone knows what to expect from Call of Duty, but there's a brand new studio in charge of Advanced Warfare and the futuristic combat has certainly spiked our interest. Besides, Kevin Spacey is a lead character, we're sold!
Can Far Cry 4 go on to become the smash hit its predecessor was? Will The Evil Within see the return of a genuinely scary horror game on consoles? Does The Order: 1886 have what it takes to make the PS4 a must-own console? Is Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor a game that can live up to the Lord of the Rings films? We'll have a much better idea on the answer to these questions and many more after next week.
And of course, there're bound to be a few brand new titles revealed somewhere along the line. Do Microsoft or Sony have something up their sleeves to wow audiences at their press conferences? Killzone: Shadow Fall studio Guerrilla Games is working on a new project which could be shown off, and The Last Guardian is always "in the works" according to the Sony bosses. It's about time we saw some proof!
Whatever happens, it's going to be a time for gamers to sit back and enjoy everything that goes on. ArabicGamers will be attending Gamescom in person, bringing you breaking news, previews, interviews and more straight from the show floor. Stick with us and you can't go wrong.