Beyond: Two Souls
Platform: PS3
Say what you will about the disjointed narrative or the simplistic game-play mechanics—this spiritual successor to Heavy Rain is innovative. It captures the look and actions of real actors in the most realistic way we've seen. There's something downright creepy about how much the main character, played by Ellen Page, looks so realistic as she suffers through the paranormal storyline. She even walks, talks, makes gestures, groans, and cries just like the real actress. William Dafoe's character is also ultra-realistic.
Tearaway
The Wonderful 101
Rain
Say what you will about the disjointed narrative or the simplistic game-play mechanics—this spiritual successor to Heavy Rain is innovative. It captures the look and actions of real actors in the most realistic way we've seen. There's something downright creepy about how much the main character, played by Ellen Page, looks so realistic as she suffers through the paranormal storyline. She even walks, talks, makes gestures, groans, and cries just like the real actress. William Dafoe's character is also ultra-realistic.
Tearaway
Platform: PlayStation Vita
It's hard to imagine a game that's more innovative than Tearaway for the PlayStation Vita. For one, the game world looks like it is made entirely of paper. Sheets unravel and split apart; monsters lunge at you with their paper legs flailing. During the light combat sequences, you place your fingers under the screen of the Vita (which has a sensor on the back) to poke virtual fingers through the screen. In other instances, you slide sheets of 'paper' on the touchscreen. And the player is part of the game too: the camera tracks your face and inserts you into the narrative.
It's hard to imagine a game that's more innovative than Tearaway for the PlayStation Vita. For one, the game world looks like it is made entirely of paper. Sheets unravel and split apart; monsters lunge at you with their paper legs flailing. During the light combat sequences, you place your fingers under the screen of the Vita (which has a sensor on the back) to poke virtual fingers through the screen. In other instances, you slide sheets of 'paper' on the touchscreen. And the player is part of the game too: the camera tracks your face and inserts you into the narrative.
The Wonderful 101
Platform: Nintendo Wii U
Sometimes the most innovative games seem bizarre at first. As The Wonderful
101's name implies, you control a legion of heroes all at once. On most levels,
it seems as though you are controlling a swarm of bees that move in unison. The
goal is to free humans in distress, and as you collect more heroes and add them
to your horde, you can create Unite Morphs such as a hammer or a whip by
drawing the shape on the Wii U game-pad screen. The game uses the second screen
on the Wii U game pad more effectively than most, including one sequence where
the controller provides a view of a spaceship cockpit.
Sometimes the most innovative games seem bizarre at first. As The Wonderful 101's name implies, you control a legion of heroes all at once. On most levels, it seems as though you are controlling a swarm of bees that move in unison. The goal is to free humans in distress, and as you collect more heroes and add them to your horde, you can create Unite Morphs such as a hammer or a whip by drawing the shape on the Wii U game-pad screen. The game uses the second screen on the Wii U game pad more effectively than most, including one sequence where the controller provides a view of a spaceship cockpit.
Rain
Platform: PlayStation 3
Rain is like the distant cousin to the all-time classic action-adventure game Ico (and its upcoming sequel, The Last Guardian). Both games feature a serene game world, dimly lit and oddly cathartic. You're an invisible boy looking for a lost girl, and your character's ghostly form appears only in the rain. The innovative game play forces you to think about finding cover to turn invisible and hide from the monsters. Each section of the game is like a puzzle, but there's also a strong narrative told using title sequences that appear within the game world.
Ryse: Son of Rome
The Swapper
Kentucky Route Zero: Acts 1 &
2
Rain is like the distant cousin to the all-time classic action-adventure game Ico (and its upcoming sequel, The Last Guardian). Both games feature a serene game world, dimly lit and oddly cathartic. You're an invisible boy looking for a lost girl, and your character's ghostly form appears only in the rain. The innovative game play forces you to think about finding cover to turn invisible and hide from the monsters. Each section of the game is like a puzzle, but there's also a strong narrative told using title sequences that appear within the game world.
Ryse: Son of Rome
Platform: Xbox One
Many games innovate with amazing game play, but Ryse is a different breed. The developers used 12 actors and a crew of 50 to capture facial expressions and movements, which were then rendered in real time as playable, cinema-quality combat scenes. While the game play doesn't go much beyond simple hack-and-slash button mashing, Ryse shows how future games will look: detailed foregrounds with photorealistic backgrounds. The characters in the game have the kind of shadow-detailing and surface texture used only for cut scenes in previous games.
Many games innovate with amazing game play, but Ryse is a different breed. The developers used 12 actors and a crew of 50 to capture facial expressions and movements, which were then rendered in real time as playable, cinema-quality combat scenes. While the game play doesn't go much beyond simple hack-and-slash button mashing, Ryse shows how future games will look: detailed foregrounds with photorealistic backgrounds. The characters in the game have the kind of shadow-detailing and surface texture used only for cut scenes in previous games.
The Swapper
Platform: PC
This sci-fi platform game has one unique game-play quirk: You must constantly clone yourself in order to complete the tasks on a level. For example, you might make four clones who stand on platforms to raise barriers. Or, you'll send a clone on a one-way path to pull a trigger so you can escape. Part of what makes The Swapper so unusual is the weird and atmospheric level design. You feel like you're on an alien world, deep underground. One cool touch: If you make a clone and then run into him by mistake, he disintegrates.
This sci-fi platform game has one unique game-play quirk: You must constantly clone yourself in order to complete the tasks on a level. For example, you might make four clones who stand on platforms to raise barriers. Or, you'll send a clone on a one-way path to pull a trigger so you can escape. Part of what makes The Swapper so unusual is the weird and atmospheric level design. You feel like you're on an alien world, deep underground. One cool touch: If you make a clone and then run into him by mistake, he disintegrates.
Kentucky Route Zero: Acts 1 &
2
Platform: PC
One trend from 2013: Games that are not that challenging (and just barely qualify as games at all) but tell a compelling story. Kentucky Route Zero is a point-and-click adventure that uses bit-mapped graphics, no spoken dialogue (the story is told through text), and a moody soundtrack to lure you into its world. You arrive at a gas station late at night and must explore a mineshaft for clues. There is no combat and little in the way of solving puzzles or beating levels—you just explore. In many ways, the game (split into two separate acts) is more like reading a book, one that tells a story you want to finish.
One trend from 2013: Games that are not that challenging (and just barely qualify as games at all) but tell a compelling story. Kentucky Route Zero is a point-and-click adventure that uses bit-mapped graphics, no spoken dialogue (the story is told through text), and a moody soundtrack to lure you into its world. You arrive at a gas station late at night and must explore a mineshaft for clues. There is no combat and little in the way of solving puzzles or beating levels—you just explore. In many ways, the game (split into two separate acts) is more like reading a book, one that tells a story you want to finish.
FIFA 14
Platform: Xbox One and PS4
Yes, EA Sports has been pumping out these money-printing sports titles year after year for more than a decade. But FIFA 14 for the next-gen consoles is a different beast, thanks to the new tech of Xbox One and PS4. The developers tapped into the more powerful multicore processors to create better, ultra-realistic AI. As you play, you might see an opponent suddenly push up against you as you dribble—players seem more aware that you have the ball. And even the ball moves in new ways, sometimes popping up in an arc you don't expect.
Yes, EA Sports has been pumping out these money-printing sports titles year after year for more than a decade. But FIFA 14 for the next-gen consoles is a different beast, thanks to the new tech of Xbox One and PS4. The developers tapped into the more powerful multicore processors to create better, ultra-realistic AI. As you play, you might see an opponent suddenly push up against you as you dribble—players seem more aware that you have the ball. And even the ball moves in new ways, sometimes popping up in an arc you don't expect.
Super Mario 3D World
Platform: Nintendo Wii U
No other game on our list can match the pure gaming bliss of Super Mario 3D World. In one segment, the player blows on the Wii U game pad's microphone to move a fan platform. In others, you clone yourself multiple times using a power-up, then shoot fireballs and attack with a gang of clones. There are frequently two games progressing at once—what you see on your television and then the actions you have to perform on the Wii U game pad, such as sliding blocks out so you can jump on them. Oh, and the four-player co-op is insanely difficult, especially for a kid's game
No other game on our list can match the pure gaming bliss of Super Mario 3D World. In one segment, the player blows on the Wii U game pad's microphone to move a fan platform. In others, you clone yourself multiple times using a power-up, then shoot fireballs and attack with a gang of clones. There are frequently two games progressing at once—what you see on your television and then the actions you have to perform on the Wii U game pad, such as sliding blocks out so you can jump on them. Oh, and the four-player co-op is insanely difficult, especially for a kid's game
Gone Home
Platform: PC
In Gone Home, a point-and-click adventure created by a first-time development studio called The Fullbright Company, you explore an empty house and look for clues to a mysterious disappearance. Unlike annoying adventure games where you have to fit a key into a basement cellar only after you find the flashlight, Gone Home relies more on ambient music, cryptic notes, and strange audio recordings. You feel as though you are not playing a game as much as you're piecing together a narrative—one that creates a legitimate sense of dread
In Gone Home, a point-and-click adventure created by a first-time development studio called The Fullbright Company, you explore an empty house and look for clues to a mysterious disappearance. Unlike annoying adventure games where you have to fit a key into a basement cellar only after you find the flashlight, Gone Home relies more on ambient music, cryptic notes, and strange audio recordings. You feel as though you are not playing a game as much as you're piecing together a narrative—one that creates a legitimate sense of dread
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