Howdy all! The new year is almost upon us, and with that comes a whole host of new, epic games to expect over the coming months. So please, indulge us here at PlayStationer.net as we list our top 10 most anticipated games of 2014.

10) Dying Light
This game has me excited for a couple of reasons.

• It has zombies and zombie related things are generally pretty awesome.
• It’s very much about free running through the environment and has a very Mirror’s Edge feel to it.

While details of the game’s story are not fully known, what is known is that Dying Light is set in a zombie infested, open world where players can roam free and scavenge for supplies and weapons throughout the day, but at night they must fight for survival as the infected become much more vicious, hunting for survivors and “something far more sinister awakens to stalk its prey”. Expect a lot more details over the coming months, but for now just sit back and wet your whistle with the pre-alpha gameplay footage below.

9) Dragon Age: Inquisition
I’m sure a lot of you have played Dragon Age I & II, and others know what the game is about but let me just give a brief overview of what Dragon Age is anyway. Dragon Age is a medieval, fantasy style, open world RPG that allows the player to control a group of characters as they travel throughout the land on a quest that will inevitably lead to fighting a dragon or two along the way. The plot for Dragon Age: Inquisition sees the Veil between the human and demon world torn apart and a war going on between the Mages and Templars (they’ve never really seen eye to eye) and will require the player to “save the world from itself”.

The gameplay of Dragon Age has always been something I’ve loved, the level of customization that a player can give to their character, and even to the other characters in your party, as well as the combat character switching that allows players to get a feel for each class type, and the RPG decision making that can truly affect how your game plays out based on the decisions you make, and the things you say (I hate to admit it, but I sometimes reload to have another shot at a scenario just because I didn’t like the outcome) make for some really enjoyable, and a lot of gameplay hours.

Scheduled for an Autumn release date, check out the video below for a look at the game and some of the thoughts of the developers at Bioware who are bringing it to life.

8) Thief
This is one reboot that I’m happy to see (wouldn’t say no to some Crash Bandicoot either). Thief is a first person, stealth action game series that is now making it’s way to PlayStation for the first time with shiny next gen graphics. So why should you be excited for Thief? Well if you’ve played the other games in the series then you know how awesome they are… If not, then how’s about the fact that it’s being developed by Eidos Studios, the lovely people that brought you Deus Ex: Human Revolution and the latest Tomb Raider, both fantastic games!

This latest game sees the beloved Garrett back again, being the Master Thief that he is, returning to his home city which is called The City (go figure) to find there is a plague festering throughout the slums, slowly killing the poor and oppressed while the rich live merrily. To top it off the City is now ruled by a tyrant known as the Baron who believes fear and punishment are the best ways to rule. What Garrett will do to change the situation of the City, we’re not sure, but there’s no doubt it’ll be to his advantage.

One of the earlier releases of 2014, Thief is expected to hit shelves on February 28th. Until then we’ve got the gameplay trailer below to keep you entertained.

7) Destiny
A first person, action adventure, “shared-world shooter” (MMO) from the developers of Halo, this is a game that is promising a lot and I hope it can deliver. It’s not quite a traditional MMO as players will not see all other players on their server, rather players the game “matches” to you. What the requirements or formula is for that, I’m not sure, but it sounds interesting. The game is set in a mysterious future where human civilation, once prosperous and spread to other planets, has collapsed and the last remaining human city, known as the City (a popular name apparently) is protected by The Traveler, a white, spherical celestial body whose appearance centuries before had enabled humans to reach the stars. The Traveler imbues the Guardians of the City with an unknown power (the player takes the role of one of the Guardians). When humans begin to repopulate and reestablish their other planetary cities that discover that the remnants have been taken over by a hostile Alien race that has the City in its crosshairs.

So what’s got me excited for Destiny? While the plot for the game sounds interesting it’s the gameplay features promised by Bungie that really interest me:

• Shared World – I love playing games with my friends, and the idea of being able to play the Destiny through my own quest chain and then meeting up with my friends for more difficult or larger quests, not to mention the random community events (similar to those in Guild Wars 2) that will require multiple players to complete and provide shared rewards, are hugely appealing aspects.
• Guardians – The player can pick between one of three class types, each with their own unique abilities. The fantasy like powers provided by the Traveler and the sci-fi universe is always an awesome combination.
• Alive Universe – Bungie has stated that the game will be “alive”. By this they mean that events may happen in game that will not necessarily be planned by the development team providing a truly dynamic environment.

That’s just a few of the reasons to look forward to Destiny, which is scheduled for a September 9th 2014 release date. For your viewing pleasure I’ve included the gameplay trailer below.

6) Ultra Street Fighter IV
Okay, okay, I know Ultra Street Fighter IV is arguably a little high on the list given that Capcom are really starting to milk it, but I just love the series so much that it’s staying put! So what’s new for this latest upgrade to Street Fighter IV? Capcom have added five new characters such as Rolento, Poison and Hugo, game stats have been modified based on player feedback (hopefully my boy Akuma has been affected too badly), and new gameplay features such as the “red” focus attack which allows players to absorb multiple hits, double ultra bar which allows players to use both ultras in the one fight, and online team elimination matches all sound and looks like great, great features… I got myself a new Arcarde stick for Christmas so I’m really looking forward to using on this game.

We’ll see the digital version of Ultra Street Fighter IV hit PlayStations in June, with the physical retail version hitting shelves in August. Check out some of the new gameplay features in this video:

Stay tuned for part 2, and let us know your thoughts on the list so far, in the comments below.