Ask PSLS – An Underwhelming Holiday Release Lineup?

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Conversations among the PSLS staff about upcoming releases have seemed to indicate that the releases for the rest of the year are underwhelming at best, yet we have a few big names like LittleBigPlanet and Assassin’s Creed that are sure to delight. To get a better look at where everyone stands on the coming releases we decided to ask everyone if the upcoming holiday release lineup was as underwhelming as it seemed, and what they were excited for. Here’s what everyone had to say. 

Alex Co (@excaliburps)

At this point, the only unreleased games I’m looking forward to are Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare for the multiplayer, and maybe Dragon Age: Inquisition (that’s a big maybe). The ones I was looking forward to — Alien: Isolation,The Evil Within, and Destiny — are already out. While Shadow of Mordor was a surprise for me since I didn’t think I’d like it as much, this holiday is a little lacking.

However, I’m not that worried, though, since early next year will overwhelm us with (hopefully) awesome games. The Witcher 3, Bloodborne, Battlefield Hardline, and more are set in early Q1 2015! So I see this as the calm before the storm. But as a whole, not impressed with now-gen’s first year.

Cameron Teague (@Cameron_PSLS)

I wouldn’t say I am totally underwhelmed, I look at this opportunity to clear my backlog while uninteresting games IMO are released. Granted, there are a few games I am really looking forward to, like Freedom Wars, Tales of Hearts R, Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, and Digimon All-Star Rumble. Other than that, it will be a lot of backlog completing and family time.

Chandler Wood (@FinchStrife)

It might not be as incredible as previous years have been, but we still have a few great looking games coming out, as well as some great ones that have recently released. The two issues I see is that Destiny was so hyped and other games were delayed, so the holiday releases in the post-Destiny release world look a little vacant in the heavy hitter category. We also have a number of sequels, which, while expected to be awesome, do water down what we have to look forward to. As Alex said, early next year is when developers have delayed their big guns into. Not to mention that I can finally do a bit of catching up on my growing backlog…

D’yani Wood (@Dyani)

I suppose it is underwhelming, now that I think about it. I guess I’m just grateful and excited for the games that ARE coming out — I didn’t really think about this year’s holiday lineup compared to other years. It is kind of perplexing since this is the PS4’s first holiday besides launch. It would have been a good idea for sales if there were a lot more games coming out, but sales are great anyways, so whatever.  

Dan Oravasaari (@FoolsJoker)

I can see why some people would find this year’s holiday line-up to be underwhelming, but for me, I think I will have more than enough games to play to be more than happy. I think the lack of buzz surrounding any major 1st party launches is really giving it the less than stellar vibe, as well as the fact that we are seeing so many sequels. But, that doesn’t mean I am not looking forward to getting my hands on LittleBigPlanet 3, Far Cry 4, the two Assassin’s Creed games and a few others this year.

Louis Edwards (@ftwrthtx)

There have been so many games that I’ve only barely touched, having a weak showing come this Holiday season is a good thing. With PS TV, I’ll even spend more time on my Vita backlog.

Mack Ashworth (@GamingWithMack)

I’m pretty excited for this year’s holiday releases. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare stands out as my most anticipated, due to the multiplayer overhaul and much-needed shot of innovation. Then there’s Lords of the Fallen, Assassin’s Creed Unity, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Far Cry 4, LittleBigPlanet 3, and the next-gen Grand Theft Auto V to pick up and play.

The floodgates are finally opening up, with big titles swarming the next-gen platforms and something for everyone coming very soon.

Paulmichael Contreras (@T3mpr1x)

All I’m really looking forward to this holiday season is LittleBigPlanet 3. At this point I realize it’s likely not going to be a game-changing release. It’s not even being developed directly by Media Molecule. However, I enjoyed what I played at E3, and it feels just like any other entry. I am one of those who can never get enough of Sackboy, and all of those stupefyingly-complex levels! Plus, it still has Stephen Fry, with the added talents of Nolan North, Tara Strong, and more, which is a big deal for the campaign. All of my content from the previous two entries carry over, and it’s on the PS4. What more could I ask for?

Zarmena Khan (@Zarmena)

The only two upcoming games I’m interested in are Assassin’s Creed Unity and Far Cry 4. Everything else is a bit “meh” for me, but I’m not complaining because they’re enough to keep me busy considering my schedule. However, if either of the two turn out to be a disaster, then this is quite possibly the most underwhelming year in gaming, let alone holiday season, I will have experienced in recent years.

What do you think of the rest of 2014’s release calendar? Remember to send us questions for Ask PSLS on TwitterFacebookthe forums, and email. Be sure to check back next Wednesday to see what question the PSLS staff will be answering!

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