2014 is going to be a big one for gaming. Like, super big.
This is the year that the PS4 and Xbox One will go from being black boxes of potential to truly earning their "next-gen" console title. But it's also the year they risk being toppled by new ideas. The Steam Machines and Oculus Rift have their own visions for "next-gen" - one that's driven by PC gaming, hardware customisation and the rebirth of virtual reality.
Hey, maybe we'll even see Spy Party get a proper release before the year is out. Either way, come Christmas 2014 things are going to be very different. Hold onto your hats.
Signs of life?
Unfortunately, one thing we probably won't see this year is Half-Life 3. Again.
Gabe Newell, normally not one to say much about anything to anyone, recently told The Washington Post why Valve chose not to pursue the Half-Life series after the second game.
"When we started out we were a single-player video game company that could have been really successful just doing Half-Life sequel after Half-Life sequel," he said. "But we collectively said let's try to make multi-player games even though there's never been a commercial successful multi-player game."
In conclusion, it's all our fault. The success of Team Fortress 2, Dota 2 and other multiplayer games has kept Valve moving in that direction.
Could a Half-Life with a multiplayer element (perhaps a Portal 2-style co-op) be the answer? Perhaps. Or perhaps it's time to just accept that it's not in the cards for the time being.
PlayStation forecast: cloudy
Sony hasn't yet launched its Gaikai cloud gaming network - it's coming later this year - but there might be a lot more to it than we initially thought.
If a patent filed in 2013 is a reflection of anything, Sony has been considering the idea of breathing new life into classing titles by adding new content to old games streamed via the cloud.
It's a neat idea that could have interesting applications - completing a level with new limitations to earn a special trophy would be a good way of finding new longevity in older titles. But that's just one idea we're throwing out there. We can't wait to see if and how Sony may use this technology to its advantage. [CVG]
Day(Z)light robbery
If you haven't played/heard of DayZ, it goes a little something like this: you're thrown into a 225 km2 environment with nothing more than a flashlight, and must use your wits to survive, explore, fight off the undead and choose to team up with (or turn on) others.
The game, originally an ARMA 2 mod, went on sale on December 16 in a standalone early alpha form, and the development team revealed that sales rocketed past 400,000 in the first week.
The game is obviously in the very early stages for now, but there's a lot of potential here. This time next year, DayZ could be a truly magnificent MMO.
Here's the friendliest DayZ robbery we've seen so far. Proof that there's hope for humanity even in its darkest, most desperate hour.
Game of the generation?
CVG has spent the last two weeks furiously debating the cream of the last console generation, but who was crowned as number one? We'll let you find out below...
