Here I sit leaning back in my broken down home office chair perusing a few of COG’s most anticipated games articles and it has gotten me thinking. What could we possibly expect in this first full year of the next gen gaming world? Which games will hit home runs? What gaming moments will send us into a tizzy? So I figured why not throw together a little list of some of my most outrageous predictions. Over the top without a snowball’s chance in hell of actually happening but hey, you never know right? Now before you start nerd ragging on this feature, I should explain my concept of making a bold prediction. The point of this article is not that I accurately nail every single ridiculous prediction but rather I am making predictions that are unlikely to happen. For instance, to say Titanfall will be the highest selling game in March is not a bold prediction. It is the biggest game with the largest budget out that month so it’s not exactly a bold call. If I said Titanfall would be the lowest selling game in March that would be a bold prediction because it’s highly unlike to happen. It may happen which is why I am making the call but in all likelihood it won’t. Anyhow, I had some fun with this so I thought I would share with you some of my thoughts and some of my bold predictions. Enjoy!
Bold Prediction: Xbox One’s Price will Drop $100 Bucks and Be Released Without a Kinect
My Thoughts: At some point this year Microsoft is going to realize this Kinect thing isn’t working out as planned. Okay I thought that the last time around when version 1.0 Kinect dropped but this is the year they wake up. Let’s just say Kinect 2.0 isn’t off to a rousing start. Nobody is talking about the Kinect’s features and frankly we are still using our controllers more than ever. Not to mention there are no exclusive must own games for the Xbox One Kinect. I call it the peripheral that won’t go away. I believe there are still many out there who want an Xbox One but the Kinect is keeping them away. Okay perhaps the price isn’t helping any either. Titanfall will no doubt help Xbox One sales but nothing helps boost sales like a price drop and ditching something your more hardened gamer can live without. Expect to see this price drop Kinect-less Xbox One to happen following E3. That’s right I said it, E3 2014.
Bold Prediction: Next Call of Duty Will Feature a Beefy 15-Hour Single Player Mode
My Thoughts: When we reflect back on all the years we have been playing Call of Duty, what is one of the biggest gripes we have when it comes to the CoD single player campaigns? It’s has to be its length. I can’t count how many times people say, “I enjoyed the single player but it was a little short”. And every year they seem to get shorter. I managed to plow through Ghosts in just over 5 hours. I get the CoD multiplayer hogs a lot of the discs real estate but 5 hours? Well this is the year Activision and Treyarch will go all-in with an incredible and lengthy single player campaign. The multiplayer will be more of the same but I anticipate things to drastically ramp up in the campaign department. It’s going to blow us all away and further hammer that nail in Battlefields coffin, not that they need any help with all the multiplayer issues they’ve been dealing with.
Bold Prediction: FIFA 15 Will Be the Lowest Rated FIFA Game
My Thoughts: EA Sports has had a pretty good run in recent years. Almost too good. I can’t recall the last time a FIFA game had a Metacritic average of review scores below 80. It’s an impressive run and they are due for a let-down. Eventually every champ has to take a fall or snap his leg like Silva…ouch, did you see that? I have played FIFA every year since 08 and I am not sure how the game can get any better. This is the year it goes to shit for the franchise. This is the year the changes will have no impact on the game and reviewers will punish the franchise for it. FIFA, get ready for your fall from grace.
Bold Prediction: The Elder Scrolls Online Will Be the Must Have MMO of 2014
My Thoughts: Okay I get it. Bethesda has paid a shit load to make this thing. I hear in upwards of $200 million according to some reports. Some haven’t been all that impressed with the beta and many predict financial doom for the publisher because of all the resources soaked into the game. I don’t quite see it that way. Talk to anyone who enjoys MMO’s or any WoW addict, Elder Scrolls Online is on their radar and on it in a big way. Skyrim was a massive success and the Elder Scrolls name alone will bring in the masses. I think it’s going to be a huge hit and a game that will finally take a bite out of WoW’s market share. It will be huge, trust me on this one.
Bold Prediction: Uncharted 4 to Win Most Game of the Year Awards
My Thoughts: I know I am not really going out on a limb here. This one is the not quite bold but still a wee bit bold prediction. In a year where we are going to play spectacular games like Watch Dogs, Titanfall, Destiny and a new Halo, predicting Uncharted 4 to win the majority of the interwebz game of the year awards is a leap. It’s going to blow people away and set a new benchmark for visuals on the PS4. Of course the storyline will be awesome too and it will be a game nobody will be able to put down. Naughty Dog has the track record and they will do it all over again. Mark my words. I’m all in with UC4.
So what do you think of these bold predictions? Comment below.