Silent Hills

PS4

The ninth installation of the super-scary survival-horror “Silent Hill” franchise is set to grace Playstation-4 next year, and boy, does it look amazing. The game is expected to be the biggest edition of the franchise and the early playable trailer that was released four months ago has set our expectations sky high. The game looks visually stunning and creepy—just the way it’s supposed to be— and sounds just as horrifying. The playable teaser was released recently, where the players solve a looping corridor puzzle that leads them into the trailer of the new “Silent Hill”, which gave goosebumps to every fan of the franchise. This is followed by the original soundtrack of the first “Silent Hill” that was responsible for our nightmares during the Playstation 1 days—hauntingly satisfying indeed. To make matters more interesting, Norman Reedus of the “Walking Dead” TV series has provided the motion capture for the protagonist, and Hidio Kozima-creator of the “Metal Gear” series—will be directing the game with the assistance of—upon publisher Konami’s request-”Pan’s Labyrinth” director Guillermo Del Toro. The game is titled “Silent Hills” this time around. Now that is EPIC.

The Witcher 3

PS4, Xbox One, PC

Another open world action-adventure game, “The Witcher 3” hits the next-gen consoles on May 19 next year. Based on a series of fantasy novels of the same name, it is the third installation published by Polish video game developer CD Projekt RED.

By now, the concept of an open world action-adventure game might sound stale to some, but rest assured that, like zombies, there is much more potential in the genre and it will be a while before we get sick of it. But for now, they are pretty awesome.

“The Witcher 3” seems quite intriguing in the sense that every quest and decision performed by the player will, in turn, have different consequences to the story that will unfold later. Putting it simply, for every gamer, the experience will be different.

Gamers who have not tried the previous games might feel like treading into cold waters, but to our delight, “The Witcher 3” is an exception. It is a standalone experience, and even if you haven’t played the first two installations, you will not miss out on the story or the development of the character. The open world is said to be 20 percent larger than the map of “Skyrim” and boasts 100 playable hours, in which almost half the time is consumed by side quests. It’s needless to mention how spectacular the game looks, since it was tailored for the next-gen consoles. And based on its first look at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), “The Witcher 3” is surely one of the biggest games to look out for in 2015.

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

PS4

Published by Sony Computer Entertainment and developed by Naughty Dog, this Playstation 4 exclusive needs no introduction. A third-person action-adventure game, “Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End” continues the adventures of protagonist Nathan Drake as he embarks on his greatest adventure yet, in search of a long-lost pirate treasure. Following the success of the franchise so far, “Uncharted 4” has a lot to live up to. And since, recently, the news of departure of both the writer and creative director of the series surfaced, the future of the new instalment seemed uncertain. However, the job has now been put into the capable hands of Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley, directors of the masterpiece “The Last of Us”. Fans of the franchise can sleep sound and expect to be blown away when the game releases in 2015.

Below

Xbox One, PC

The only indie title making the list, “Below” is a mashup of early 2D “Final Fantasy” and the more recent “Dark Souls”. It is primarily focused on the exploration of a map where secrets and deaths are hidden. Every time you die, you are reborn into a new character. The previous character doesn’t come back and it’s like the character has died for real. The game is unique in that it focuses more on the strange world your character inhabits rather than the character itself.  

The game has a dark, yet soothing, aesthetic about it and the soundscapes that play in the background add in creating the overall atmosphere. The playable character seems merely like a blip on the screen which is surrounded by a map and gives you a feel of how weak you are in the surroundings where danger lurks in the shadows.

It is already being hyped as one of the most notable releases of the year and there isn’t much to doubt. Originally intended as an Xbox One exlusive, PC gamers will be delighted to hear that the game will be made available on Steam as well.