Call of Juarez: Gunslinger
After disappointing fans by ditching its authentic western style with a modern-day story in 2011’s Call of Juarez: The Cartel, Techland and Ubisoft will bring the franchise back to its roots with Gunslinger. The companies promise to pay homage to the Wild West by putting you in control of a bounty hunter who’s after the period’s most notorious outlaws, including Billy the Kid, Pat Garrett and Jesse James. In the process of traversing the American frontier, you’ll build your reputation as a fierce gunslinger while developing new shooting skills and abilities.
Company of Heroes 2
Despite being auctioned off as part of THQ’s bankruptcy liquidation in January, Relic Entertainment and the Company of Heroes franchise seem to have landed safely at Sega, which is also home to Creative Assembly, the folks behind Total War, another PC-exclusive strategy series. Developed with its new Essence Engine 3.0, Relic’s WWII RTS sequel will focus on the Eastern Front and add greater depth to the battlefield by implementing several technologies that enable more realistic line-of-sight effects, weather simulation and destructible environments.
Crysis 3
Set 24 years after Crysis 2 in quarantined New York City Liberty Dome, the latest entry puts players in control of Laurence “Prophet” Barnes, a soldier who committed suicide in the previous game but lives on through some mystical Nanosuit voodoo. After discovering C.E.L.L.’s nefarious motives behind the Nanodome’s construction, Prophet seeks revenge against the organization as he dispatches foes across the Liberty Dome’s seven rural urban environments using a mix of new and old weapons, including a lethal compound bow with five arrow types.
Dark Souls II
Having only been teased a couple months ago during the 2012 Spike Video Game Awards, we don’t have much information about Dark Souls II, including an official estimated release window. Many fans are hopeful that it will ship by the holidays, though it could roll into 2014. Other tidbits: Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls director Hidetaka Miyazaki will have a less hands-on role, Dark Souls II won’t be a direct sequel to its predecessor and isn’t set in Lordran, it will have dedicated multiplayer servers, and it will be “more straightforward” but not necessarily easier.
DayZ Standalone
The race to deliver a polished post-apocalyptic survival sandbox is on (especially after The War Z’s failure) and DayZ mod creator Dean “Rocket” Hall is working with Bohemia Interactive to cross the finish line this year. The standalone title will make many major changes, especially when it comes to the effects of items. For instance, Hall says you can expect diseases to linger on clothing and you might damage someone’s gear if you shoot them. His recent blog post offers a detailed rundown on what will separate the mod and standalone versions.
