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In Pictures: The Best New Games at Gamescom 2014
By , Kai Tubbesing, Mateusz Warszawski, Matthias Wellendorf, Mika Baumeister, Silvio Werner,
1. Gamescom 2014: Highlights

The days are getting shorter again, and summer break is slowly drawing to a close. It's right about time for the game industry to send out yearly invitations for a look at brand-new offerings to to carry us through the grey days ahead. Yes, folks, we're talking about Gamescom, and as usual, this event has garnered a lot of interest, and is consequently sold out. For those who didn’t manage to get a ticket, or can't make the trip all the way to Cologne, Germany, we’re putting the fresh new games on display right here. Let’s take a look what the game developers have come up with to glue us to our monitors in the months to come.

This article was updated over the weekend to include over twice the number of games!

2. AquaNox 3

Developer Nordic Games is trying to reclaim its former glory with AquaNox , and the version shown at Gamescom was visually appealing.

3. AquaNox 3

Not a whole lot of the game’s mechanics was shown. From what we could see, several different types of ships can help the player to find a fortune under water, and large freighters make traders’ lives easier and combat still plays a central role.

4. AquaNox 3

The game is set in a dystopian world in which life is only possible under water. The majority of the world is freely explorable, but some parts need ship upgrades due to the greater depths and, consequently, higher pressure.

5. Battlefield Hardline

At the EA press conference, we finally managed to catch a glimpse of the single player mode of the new Battlefield game. Judging from the video, the story revolves around crooked cops with a tendency to annihilate entire farms.

6. Battlefield Hardline

How one goes about this can be tailored to one’s preferences. In this case, the enemy is observed to have an eye on the situation, so perhaps the stealth approach is called for.

7. Construction Simulator 2015

The new version of this simulator includes more vehicles, more jobs, more varied environments, and even licensed construction equipment.

8. Dawngate

EA is presenting another MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) with Dawngate. The game is supposed to offer tried and true genre virtues, such as good balance and a low learning curve for new players.

9. Dragon Age: Inquisition

The newest entry in the Dragon Age series didn’t just look great during the presentation, but the tactical view appears to offer a great new way for players to oversee the more challenging battles.

10. Dying Light

Dying Light is another game by the Polish developer Techland, but this one is a survival horror shooter with open world elements. The goal is to survive in a world threatened by zombies.

11. Dying Light

The player character can be individualized thanks to role playing elements. Once night sets in, the zombies become active, and the hunter becomes the hunted. Melee combat and guns can be used to fend off the undead. Unfortunately, it’s still going to be a while until the game comes out. The developers are talking about 2015, and aren’t getting any more specific than that.

12. Emergency 5

This simulation game calls for several emergency services to be coordinated. Assignments in Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, and Cologne await the player. Some missions call for a combination of emergency services. This fire in Hamburg is an example.

13. Emergency 5

This title is due to come out October 30, 2014. One of the large problems that has always plagued the Emergency series has been the clunky UI. Whether or not emergency services are easy enough to control during larger missions remains to be seen.

14. EVE: Valkyrie

EVE: Valkyrie is a spinoff of the MMORPG EVE Online. The player takes control of a spaceship and flies dogfights. The game can be played at Sony’s booth with Project Morpheus.

15. Far Cry 4

Crytek has some new Far Cry footage as well. The newest offshoot is set in the Himalayas. This is certainly one of the exhibition’s, if not the entire year’s, most prolific title.

16. Far Cry 4

The game isn’t just set in the Himalayas, but the player also travels the mythological dream world Shangri-La with a bow and a tiger.

17. Far Cry 4

As usual for the Far Cry series, there are multiple ways to complete the missions. Perfectionists manage to kill scores of enemies without firing a single shot.

18. Far Cry 4

The world of Shangri-La is painted in beautiful fall colors. It’s already clear that the newest entry in the series will once more be far above the average when it comes to graphics quality. Far Cry 4 comes out on October 18.

19. FIFA 2015

The newest entry in the iconic soccer game series doesn’t really offer anything substantially new. Still, the graphics are amazing yet again, and the dribbling behavior has changed a bit. There’s also more of an emphasis on social media functionality.

20. Forza Horizon 2

Forza Horizon 2 is a racing game with a strong emphasis on the online mode. It comes out on October 3.

21. Ghost of a Tale

This is a small and cute game. You play a mouse and have to avoid enemies instead of fighting them.

22. Hellraid

Developer Techland is showing off a game that is very reminiscent of the role playing classic, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The player assumes the role of the hero Ayden, who is supposed to stop an invasion of the undead with a combination of melee weaponry and magic.

23. Hellraid

The game's elaborately designed environments invite exploration. The player never knows if a reward or an enemy await behind the next bend.

Hellraid is supposed to enter early access this fall.

24. Heroes of the Storm

Blizzard is developing its very own MOBA. The developer wants to make the genre less complicated and easier for newcomers to get into. For instance, the whole team advances.

25. Jagged Alliance: Flashback

If you blinked at the wrong time, you could have missed the Jagged Alliance: Flashback presentation. Apparently the developer collected enough money via Kickstarter to make the game, but not enough for an elaborate presentation at Gamescom. It appears that game is not going with some of the more modern trends that several of the other “successors” to the line have relied on. For instance, there’s no real time to be paused, just good old-fashioned turns.

26. Jagged Alliance: Flashback

This strategy could prove to be successful for Danish developer Full Control. Jagged Alliance still has a lot of loyal fans, and Full Control not only listens to that community, but also wants to capture the feel of the old game.

27. Lego Batman 3

This game comes out in the third quarter of 2014. We couldn’t really find anything new here, but the price of around $50 still seems appropriate.

28. Metro Redux

The Metro Redux bundle comes out on the 29th of August and contains updated versions of Metro 2033 and Metro: Last Light. There are supposed to be graphical improvements as well, such as more dynamic lighting effects.

29. Metro Redux

The content stays just like it was. In a post-apocalyptic world, people flee into the Moscow Metro, where they face many dangers, such as mutants.

30. Minecraft: Xbox One Edition

There’s really not a whole lot left to say about the mega-hit that is Minecraft. It’s coming to the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 featuring Full HD resolution and 60 frames per second. It also features pickaxes, crawlers and lots and lots of blocks.

31. NBA 2K15

NBA 2K15 will come out on 10/10/2014 and take the basketball game to the latest generation of consoles.

32. NHL 2015

The newest entry in this ice hockey sports game franchise offers even more realistic graphics, and is supposed to further integrate the player into the game by creating extra playable sequences, such as two players pushing and shoving each other around on the ice.

33. Nosgoth

Nosgoth is a PvP shooter where humans and vampires fight bloody battles in an apocalyptic world.

34. Nosgoth

The players fight ferocious battles against each other, and can alternate between playing human and vampire characters. The game should enter open beta this winter, and will be a Free2Play title.

35. Order 1866

This PS4 exclusive title is an action-adventure with shooter elements that are supposed to provide a movie-like experience, so it'll be strictly linear, of course.

36. Order 1866

The current generation graphics are  very impressive, creating a very noticeable difference versus the graphical capabilities of the last console generation.

37. Pillars of Eternity

With about 50 hours worth of playing time, Pillars of Eternity is supposed to be a real heavyweight along the lines of Icewind Dale.

38. Project CARS

Project CARS is shaping up to be a really hot title for fans of the racing game genre. The game's fantastic graphics and great sense of speed are very persuasive elements indeed.

39. Project CARS

The developers have also integrated weather very well. For example, the loss of traction in the rain is very noticeable, and the blinding sun can easily lead to a missed turn.

40. Risen 3: Titan Lords

The newly released Risen 3: Titan Lords continues its predecessor’s pirate setting.

41. RPG Maker

Those leaving the beaten path and large booths behind could find some smaller role playing games developed with RPG Maker. These are certainly worth a look, especially for anyone who likes free, and often excellent, classic RPGs.

42. Runemaster

Runemaster draws its inspiration from games like King’s Bounty and Heroes of Might and Magic, but draws from Norse mythology for its backdrop. The theme of the game is the conflict between Thor and Loki, or more metaphorically, order and chaos. Every choice the player makes changes the course of the game, starting right with the choice of avatar.

43. Runemaster

The battles are fought on a hex grid, and vast assortment of changing enemies and victory conditions should keep the game from becoming too formulaic.

44. Ryse: Son of Rome

Of late, Far Cry developer Crytek has mostly made headlines due to its financial troubles. Maybe the PC version of Ryse: Son of Rome can bring in some much needed revenue. The game includes all DLC released so far, which adds character skins and maps to both the single- and multi-player modes.

45. Ryse: Son of Rome

In Ryse: Son of Rome, the player assumes the role of Marius Titus, and you are pitted in brutal combat against barbarian hordes. The historic bloodbath finally comes to the PC this fall, with support for 4K UHD (3840 x 2160).

46. Sid Meier's Civilization: The Board Game

For once, here’s a game that’s neither new nor digital. By all accounts, the board game based on Sid Meier's Civilization is well done.

47. Shadow Realms

Shadow Realms is the big new role playing game by master of the genre, BioWare. The multiplayer action RPG features PvP matches in arenas.

48. Spellforce 3

Spellforce 3 is supposed to reboot the series with an emphasis on combat with a large number of units, though the player's own heroes are supposed to be able to enter combat effectively as well. Please note that what’s shown is a pre-alpha build, which means that the graphics are by no means final.

49. Spellforce 3

The game’s general theme has become markedly more mature, and comic graphics have made way for high fantasy. Modding support is planned as well, and the game is supposed to come out in the second half of 2015.

50. The Book of Unwritten Tales 2

KING Art Games has a reputation for great adventure games, and we’ve already spotted witty dialogue and logical puzzles.

51. The Book of Unwritten Tales 2

The attention to detail caught our eye immediately. For instance, the druid has a lot of randomly generated words of wisdom, which are rarely meaningful, but almost always funny.

52. The Book of Unwritten Tales 2

There’s a double-digit number of Easter eggs hidden in this picture.

53. The Sims 4

The Sims 4 will yet again play to the series’ strengths: lots of freedom, emotional Sims and ludicrous situations galore.

54. The Sims 4

The sophisticated new Sims editor makes it possible to recreate yourself in the game, just have a look at EA COO Peter Moore.

The Sims 4 is due to be released on September 2.

55. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

The third installment of the Witcher series has the player assume the identity of the witcher Geralt of Rivia yet again. As opposed to the other two parts of the series, this one is supposed to have an open world that allows the player to reach all places.

56. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

This doesn’t mean that you can just take a nice stroll through the countryside. The quest sequence presented at Gamescom took the player through dangerous swamps. The game comes out for PC, PS4, and Xbox One on February 24, 2015.

57. Tomb Raider and the Temple of Osiris

The spinoff to the Guardian of Light sported flawless game mechanics and a successful co-op mode. Its successor supports up to four players sharing a console, and it comes out on September 9, 2014.

58. Train Fever

Astragon is presenting a new simulator called Train Fever. The task is to organize local and long-distance public transportation and freight traffic. The similarities to Transport Tycoon are unmistakable.

59. Train Simulator 2015

The newest edition of Train Simulator is supposed to come with numerous improvements. The pictured control panel costs approximately $250.

60. World of Warplanes

World of Warplanes had a booth as well. The game is free-to-play and fits with the developer’s other offerings: World of Tanks and World of Warships. Unfortunately, the titles are in no way integrated with each other.