Broken Age

Developer(s)	Double Fine Productions
Platform(s)	Android, iOS, Linux,Mac OS X,Microsoft Windows, Ouya
Release date(s)	Act I: January 2014 Act II: April-May 2014
Genre(s)	Point-and-click adventure
Mode(s)	Single-player
Distribution	Download, CD (special editionbox)

Broken Age is an upcoming point-and-click adventure video game and is Tim Schafer's first in the genre since 1998's Grim Fandango. The game is to be produced and distributed by Schafer's Double Fine Productions for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, iOS, and Android platforms. The game is currently being developed in two acts, with the first Act to be released in January 2014.

Broken Age began under the working title Double Fine Adventure (internal codename "Reds") as a Kickstarter crowd funded project promoted by Double Fine and 2 Player Productions in February 2012. Originally set at a modest $400,000 to cover the costs of development and documentary filming, it became the largest crowd-funded video game project at the time, bringing in more than $3.45 million from over 87,000 backers within the month. It remains one of the highest-backed crowd funded projects of any type, and its success helped to establish Kickstarter and other crowd funding mechanisms as a viable alternative to venture capital and publisher funding for niche video game titles. The game's development is being chronicled by an episodic series of documentaries produced by 2 Player Productions.

                                   Dark Souls II

Developer(s)	From Software
Publisher(s)	NA Namco Bandai Games JP From Software PAL Namco Bandai Games
Director(s)	Tomohiro Shibuya Yui Tanimura
Composer(s)	Motoi Sakuraba
Series	Souls
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows,PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Release date(s)	NA March 11, 2014 JP March 13, 2014 PAL March 14, 2014
Genre(s)	Action role-playing
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

Dark Souls II (ダークソウルツー Dāku Souru Tsū) is an upcoming action role-playing open world video game, developed for Microsoft Windows,PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 by From Software. From Software will also publish the game in Japan, while Namco Bandai Games will do it in other regions.

As the sequel to Dark Souls, Dark Souls II was announced at Spike Video Game Awards on December 7, 2012.Hidetaka Miyazaki, who served as director on Demon's Souls and Dark Souls, will not return as director for Dark Souls II.Instead he will act as a supervisor and the game will be directed by Tomohiro Shibuya and Yui Tanimura.Miyazaki stated there will be no direct connection between Dark Souls and Dark Souls II.The game will use dedicated multiplayer servers.

Angry Birds Star Wars II

Angry Birds Star Wars II

Developer(s)	Rovio Entertainment
Publisher(s)	Rovio Entertainment (in conjunction with LucasArts)
Series	Angry Birds
Engine	Box2D
Platform(s)	iOS, Android,Windows Phone,Microsoft Windows
Release date(s)	September 18, 2013 (Android, iOS, Windows Phone 8) October 24, 2013 (Windows PC)
Genre(s)	Puzzle, Strategy

Angry Birds Star Wars II is a puzzle video game, a crossover between Star Wars and the Angry Birds series, that was released on September 18, 2013, a day ahead of advertised.The game is the seventh Angry Birds game developed by Rovio Entertainment. The game is a sequel to Angry Birds Star Wars and is based on the Star Wars prequel trilogy.
You can earn up to three stars for each level, the same as other Angry Birds games. Players can play as either on the Bird Side, as the birds to defeat the pigs, or can play as on the Pork Side, as the pigs to defeat the birds. The game features over 30 playable characters.The game differs from the other Angry Birds game by being able to summon a specific bird/pig (depending on which side you are playing). This summoning can be done to replace each bird/pig to make your own line-up.

                             Elite: Dangerous

Developer(s)	Frontier Developments
Designer(s)	David Braben
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows, OS X
Release date(s)	WW March 2014
Genre(s)	Space trading and combat
Mode(s)	Single-player, Multiplayer

Elite: Dangerous is a forthcoming space trading and combat simulator that represents the fourth instalment in the Elite video game series. Having been unable to agree a funding deal with a publisher for many years,the developers crowdfunded the project through a Kickstarter campaign. The Windows version is due to be released in March 2014, with a Mac OS version three months later. On the 10th October 2013, it was announced that the game will officially support the Oculus Rift VR headset.

Elite: Dangerous retains the basic premise of previous games - players start with a spaceship and a small amount of money and make their own way in an open galaxy. Players will choose how much they interact with others,from completely offline play to something approaching an MMO.The extensively procedurally generated universe is expected to be vast both in scope and detail, perhaps allowing players to fly down into a unique cloudscape for every planet of every size in a universe containing hundreds of billions stars.Unlike previous games in the series, procedural generation of economic and political aspects of the universe will be based largely on player input, so for example a concerted campaign by players against a star system could destabilise the local government, turning it from a stable system into an anarchic one.

Many elements of previous games will be retained, with the most playable parts taken from each.For example, space flight will be more like the original Elite,whereas players will be able to buy and customise ships like in the Frontier games.The creators have often noted how the previous games lend themselves naturally to modern online gaming - for example, destroying an innocent ship has always led to a criminal record and to police attention in systems rich enough to afford law enforcement, which would provide a powerful anti-griefing mechanism in a multiplayer game.

Twenty-five ships will be available at launch, including the Eagle Mk II Fighter, Sidewinder, Cobra Mk III and Anaconda.Despite showing significant design work for the Viper Mk II and concept art for the Krait, it has not been officially confirmed whether these will be part of the initial twenty-five.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

                                           The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Developer(s)	CD Projekt RED
Publisher(s)	POL CD Projekt EU Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Distributor(s)	POL CD Projekt EU Namco Bandai Games
Writer(s)	Borys Pugacz Muraszkiewicz Marcin Blacha
Series	The Witcher
Engine	REDengine 3 with PhysX and SpeedTree
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows PlayStation 4 Xbox One
Release date(s)	Q2 2014
Genre(s)	Action role-playing
Mode(s)	Single-player

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (Polish: Wiedźmin 3: Dziki Gon) is an upcoming action role-playing video game that is currently being developed by CD Projekt RED to be published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 andXbox One. The game will be the third in the series, preceded by The Witcher and The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, loosely based on the series of fantasy novels of the same title by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski.

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor

                                   
                                      Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
               

Developer(s)	Monolith Productions
Publisher(s)	Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Designer(s)	Michael De Plater, Bob Roberts
Writer(s)	John Gonzalez (Lead Narrative Designer), Christian Cantamessa (Lead Writer)
Engine	Lithtech engine
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows,PlayStation 3,PlayStation 4,Xbox 360,Xbox One
Release date(s)	2014
Genre(s)	Action-adventure

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is an upcoming third-person action video game set in The Lord of the Rings universe, currently being developed by Monolith Productions and due to be released by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.The game will bridge the gap between the events of The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit and is due for release on PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.The game is currently slated for a release in 2014.

In Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, the player plays as a ranger with Wraith-like abilities by the name of Talion.The game is an open world video game and players will have the freedom to pursue side quests and roam around the world.

The game makes use of a new system called the Nemesis System which remembers the player's interactions with specific types of characters they will encounter in the game and adjusts the manner in which these characters will react to the player throughout the game.The player will have the option to level up the abilities of Talion both as a ranger and as a Wraith through two distinct skill trees.

Don Bradman Cricket 14

Developer(s)	Big Ant Studios
Publisher(s)	Tru Blu Entertainment
Platform(s)	PlayStation 3, Xbox 360,Microsoft Windows
Release date(s)	2014
Genre(s)	Sports
Mode(s)	Single-player, Multiplayer

Don Bradman Cricket 14 is an upcoming cricket video game for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. It is being developed by Big Ant Studios and published by Tru Blu Entertainment.The official trailer was launched on 29 November 2013.The game will be released in 2014.

Infamous: Second Son

Developer(s)	Sucker Punch Productions
Publisher(s)	Sony Computer Entertainment
Director(s)	Nate Fox
Series	Infamous
Platform(s)	PlayStation 4
Release date(s)	WW March 21, 2014
Genre(s)	Action-adventure
Mode(s)	Single-player
Distribution	Blu-ray Disc, download

Infamous: Second Son (stylized as inFAMOUS: Second Son) is an upcoming open world action-adventure video game, developed by Sucker Punch Productions and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 4 video game console. The third main entry in theInfamous series, which had previously been developed for the PlayStation 3, will be released on March 21, 2014.


Gameplay will be similar to the previous entries, sharing the open world element. Delsin will use the chain wrapped around his arm as his main melee weapon, which will be used in conjunction with other powers that he absorbs throughout the game. One notable change from previous games is that instead of the accessing an aiming system by holding down the L1 button, the player will not need to do so, and will just be able to fire whenever they want, using an on-screen reticle to aim. Parkour returns as a major element, and is executed in the same way; by jumping up walls, Delsin will automatically grab ledges, from which he can hang, pull himself to another ledge, or fire his weapons.

Need For Speed-Rivels

Developer(s)	Ghost Games Additional work by
Publisher(s)	Electronic Arts
Writer(s)	Will Staples
Composer(s)	Vanesa Lorena Tate
Series	Need for Speed
Engine	Frostbite 3
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows PlayStation 3 PlayStation 4 Xbox 360 Xbox One
Release date(s)	PlayStation 4 NA 15 November 2013 EU 29 November 2013 Microsoft Windows,PlayStation 3 & Xbox 360 NA 19 November 2013 AUS 21 November 2013 EU 22 November 2013 Xbox One NA 22 November 2013 EU 22 November 2013
Genre(s)	Racing
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer
Distribution	Optical disc, download

Rivals features gameplay somewhat similar to the earlier Hot Pursuit, with exotic cars and high-speed police chases.Players take on the role of a Racer or a Cop, with each side of the law offering its own set of challenges, risks and rewards.Rivals features eleven upgradeable gadgets such as EMPs, shockwaves and the ability to call in roadblocks.The game takes place in a fictional location known as Redview County. It's an open world and features over 100 miles (160 km) of open road, larger than that of 2012's Need for Speed: Most Wanted, but on the same size as Criterion's Hot Pursuit.The open world features a similar set-up to Most Wanted, with several jumps, speed traps and unlockable cars, as well as shortcuts that are not shown on the map.

Rivals features a full career progression for both Cop and Racer. When playing as a Cop, there are three types of career that can be followed - patrol, enforcer, and undercover.Progression is by means of Speedlists for Racer and Assignments for Cop, which are sets of objectives which involve dangerous driving, maneuvers, and race standings. When the player completes a set of objectives, the player levels up and unlocks items, and is presented with another set of objectives to choose from.The Autolog system, a competition-between-friends system developed by Criterion for Hot Pursuit and since used in other titles in the Need for Speed series, factors into the progression system, comparing how quickly the player complete an Assignment or Speedlist to other players' times and posts them to a Speed Wall for local and global leaderboards.

Rivals features a new social system called the AllDrive, which allow players to seamlessly transition from playing alone, to playing with friends, described as "destroying the line between single player and multiplayer". This allows players to in engage co-op gameplay as well as play against each other.The game also features a dynamic weather system, which makes "the world feel alive in a much bigger sense than any other Need for Speed game."

Rivals also takes on some gameplay styles of earlier Underground titles in the franchise with cues on aesthetic vehicle personalization, as paint jobs, decals, rims and license plates and liveries can be modified, as well as vehicle performance, and various Pursuit Tech gadgets.With the exception of the Aston Martin Vanquish, other vehicles are only available in either racer or police variant.Ferrari officially return to the franchise in full form for the first time in eleven years since Hot Pursuit 2 in 2002 (although they have appeared in 2009's Shift as Xbox 360-exclusive downloadable content) with the F12berlinetta, 458 Spider, 458 Italia, FF, Enzo, and 599 GTO being the Ferrari vehicles featured.

Thief-2014

Developer(s)	Eidos Montreal
Publisher(s)	Square Enix
Director(s)	Nicolas Cantin
Composer(s)	Luc St. Pierre
Series	Thief
Engine	Unreal Engine 3
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows,PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4,Xbox 360, Xbox One
Release date(s)	NA February 25, 2014 AU February 27, 2014 EU February 28, 2014
Genre(s)	Stealth
Mode(s)	Single-player
Distribution	Optical disc, download

Players control Garrett, a master thief, as he intends to steal from the rich. Similar to previous games in the series, players must use stealth in order to overcome challenges, while violence is left as a minimally effective last resort.

Gameplay is choice-driven,with players having a number of possible paths and approaches in a given level.Players may use the environment to their advantage, as well as pickpocket characters.As Garrett attempts to steal in levels, guards and other non-player characters (if they are aware of his presence) will try to flush him out and kill him. Different NPCs may use different means to find him, and the game's artificial intelligence will be aware of the level design, and therefore, know of potential hiding spots.

Players may enter a "Focus" mode, which provides several advantages.It enhances Garrett's vision, highlighting pipes that can be climbed, or candles that can be put out to make the area darker. Focus can also slow down time, so that Garrett is able to steal more effectively while pickpocketing. Garrett can also use Focus to push enemies or perform debilitating attacks. It can be further upgraded over the course of the game.

Garrett carries a blackjack, used to knock guards unconscious; a collapsible,compound bow, which can be used for both combat and non-lethal purposes such as distracting guards; and a claw, which can be used to grapple. Players may use money to purchase supplies and equipment at the end of missions.

An EXP system for the in-game growth of the character was meant to be used in the final game, but was later scrapped due to negative fan feedback, and to reflect the fact that the character was already an experienced thief.

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

Developer(s)	Platinum Games
Publisher(s)	Konami
Director(s)	Kenji Saito
Producer(s)	Atsushi Inaba
Writer(s)	Etsu Tamari
Composer(s)	Jamie Christopherson
Series	Metal Gear
Engine	Platinum Engine
Platform(s)	PlayStation 3 Xbox 360 Microsoft Windows
Release date(s)	PlayStation 3 & Xbox 360 NA February 19, 2013 JP February 21, 2013 (PS3) EU February 21, 2013 AU February 26, 2013 Microsoft Windows January 9, 2014
Genre(s)	Action, hack and slash
Mode(s)	Single-player
Distribution	Optical disc, download

Players assume control of Raiden, a katana-wielding cyborg. He is initially playable in his "White" form, which was based on his appearance in Guns of the Patriots, where he is depicted wearing white armor. At the second chapter in the game he switches to the more powerful "Black" cyborg armor variant.Nevertheless the player can alter Raiden's appearance through alternative skins. Unlike previous titles in the Metal Gear series, where players try not to be noticed by enemies, Rising is action oriented, focusing on swordfighting and a sophisticated cutting system to fight and defeat enemies. Although Raiden's main weapon is his high-frequency blade, Raiden can wield weapons such as a dagger or a rocket launcher.Other subweapons can only be obtained after defeating the game's bosses.

The game's cutting system allows players to engage in melee combat, as well as to precisely slash enemies and objects at will along ageometrical plane using the "free slicing" Blade Mode. Virtually any object in the game can be cut, including vehicles and enemies, though elements of the environment were intentionally limited to structures such as pillars and walls to better facilitate the game.^[14] Entering Blade Mode produces a special targeting reticule in the form of a transparent blue plane which can be rotated and moved, tracing orange lines across the surfaces of objects to indicate exactly where they will be cut; it can also be used to enter a bullet time state, giving players the opportunity to precisely slash targets during moments of action, such as slicing through a falling target from multiple angles before it hits the ground. These features can be employed strategically, for example disabling opponents, finding weak points and gaps in armor, severing support columns to collapse ceilings or walls onto enemies, deflecting enemy fire, or cutting through objects to remove enemy cover.However, entering into Blade Mode reduces Raiden's energy to the point that if dropped to a certain level, it cannot be used.Across the story the player obtains the Ripper Mode, a state which enhances Raiden's power for a limited time facilitating the use of Blade Mode.

Raiden has the ability to parry attacks even when his back is turned, allowing him to counterattack enemies and perform multiple combos.The player also has access to a stealth mode called "Ninja Dash" which drastically increases Raiden's speed and allows him to climb certain areas. This allows him to strategically ambush an enemy rather than fighting head to head.Another key feature is called Zandatsu (斬奪, lit. "cut and take"), and involves "cutting" through enemies and "taking" parts, energy, ammunition, items, and information from the bodies of dismembered cyborgs and robots.This maneuver can be employed when attacking an enemy during Blade Mode and helps Raiden gain energy. When completing a mission, the player will be rewarded with a specific amount of points depending on his or her performance and will receive a grade, with the highest being "S". These points allow them to buy upgrades for Raiden's equipment.

The player can carry out reconnaissance using a visor. Through this, the player can verify the areas and proceed to the objective avoiding contact with enemies. Hiding in a cardboard box makes sneaking easier for Raiden. Being spotted by an enemy triggers the "Alert Mode", in which Raiden is assaulted by multiple enemies for a determined time. The player also gains assistance from Bladewolf, a dog-like machine that gathers map information for Raiden.

Assassin's Creed Liberation

Developer(s)	Ubisoft Sofia
Publisher(s)	Ubisoft
Producer(s)	Mathieu Hector
Writer(s)	Richard Farrese Jill Murray
Composer(s)	Winifred Phillips Music produced by Winnie Waldron
Series	Assassin's Creed
Engine	AnvilNext
Platform(s)	PlayStation Vita HD PlayStation 3 Microsoft Windows Xbox 360
Release date(s)	PlayStation Vita NA October 30, 2012 EU October 31, 2012 AU October 31, 2012 JP November 15, 2012 HD PlayStation Network NA January 14, 2014 EU January 15, 2014 AU 2014 Microsoft Windows WW January 15, 2014 Xbox Live Arcade WW January 15, 2014
Genre(s)	Action-adventure, stealth
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer
Distribution	PlayStation Vita card Digital distribution

The game takes place in Louisiana near the end of the French and Indian War, where France's defeat caused the city of New Orleans to be taken over by the Spanish government. The citizens were upset over the transition from French to Spanish control and Spain's new occupation within the city. However, in 1765, the French governor Jean-Jacques Blaise d'Abbadie made a negotiation with Templar Rafael Joaquín de Ferrer to stay as governor of New Orleans. This plot was later uncovered by the Assassin Aveline de Grandpré, who infiltrated the governor's mansion and assassinated him.

Following this, de Ferrer made a deal with a man named Baptiste, who was hoping to defect from the Assassins to the Templar Order. Baptiste pretended to act as the recently deceased François Mackandal, as a ruse to attract followers to his cause. He planned to poison New Orleans' nobles and take control of smuggling operations within the Louisiana Bayou. However, his sole purpose was to force Agaté, Assassin and mentor to Aveline, out of hiding in the bayou. Aveline tracked him down, however, killing his followers and assassinating the false Mackandal.

In 1766, the Templar Antonio de Ulloa arrived in New Orleans, to serve as the Spanish governor. However, he left control of the area to French officials and allowed the French flag to remain over the city. Two years afterwards, he made strict trade restrictions and set up a covert slave-trading operation to transport slaves to a Templar worksite in Mexico, creating a rebellion among French officials and the citizens of New Orleans.

Agaté ordered Aveline to assassinate de Ulloa to eradicate Templar presence in New Orleans. Aveline ambushed de Ulloa's carriage and confronted the governor, who told her that slaves had been taken to Chichén Itzá. However, Aveline spared his life and let Ulloa leave the city, in return for a lens used to decode Templar documents and a map leading her to the Templar worksite in Chichén Itzá. Aveline's act of mercy destroyed any trust Agaté had in his student, as she had disobeyed his explicit orders.

Against her mentor's wishes, Aveline disguised herself as a slave bound for Mexico and made her way to the Templar worksite at Chichén Itzá. Whilst there, she came across a defiant slave who mentioned that Jeanne, Aveline's mother, was stationed in Chichén Itzá. Aveline investigated thoroughly and uncovered a page from Jeanne's diary and a map that lead to an artifact located inside a cenote. Upon exploring this cave system, she came across an ancient chamber filled with ruins from the First Civilization, along with a fragment of the artifact she was searching for, known as the Prophecy Disk.

Shortly after Aveline had acquired the artifact, de Ferrer, who was supervising the Templar worksite at Chichén Itzá, broke through into the chamber. However, Aveline overpowered his soldiers and killed him. At the end of the tunnels, she found Jeanne, who realized that her daughter was an Assassin and believed that Agaté had sent Aveline to kill her. She fled, though not before warning Aveline that the Prophecy Disk should never reach Agaté.

After two years of absence, Aveline returned to New Orleans to find that Spanish control was strong. After speaking to fellow Assassin Gérald Blanc, she learned that someone was bribing Spanish soldiers. Upon investigating, Aveline discovered that a man by the name of Vázquez was using Spanish soldiers to seize control of the bayou and take control of the bayou's smuggling operations, which would eventually lead him to discover the location of Agaté. Believing him to be the "Company Man", the head Templar of Louisiana, who de Ferrer mentioned in Chichén Itzá, Aveline immediately hurried to Agaté's hut to warn him of the threat posed by Vázquez's soldiers. Agaté told her to use the power of voodoo to spook the Spanish soldiers into abandoning their mission. Using her blowpipe, Aveline poisoned enough of Vázquez's soldiers so that the rest believed they were cursed and fled the bayou.

Aveline returned to Chichén Itzá and made peace with her mother, who directed her to a canoe inside another cenote. Aveline navigated her way through the cenote and retrieved the final piece of the Prophecy Disk. She offered to bring her mother back to New Orleans, but Jeanne decided to stay behind to take care of the community, which was now rid of Templar influence.

Aveline returned to New Orleans, continuously working to free slaves in the city. Her stepmother, Madeleine de l'Isle, became aware of her work and asked her to help a slave named George escape north. Aveline found a safe passage through the bayou for George to leave through. Whilst escorting him through the swamp, she met with her smuggler allies Élise Lafleur and Roussillon, helping them to deliver supplies to American patriots who were fighting in the American Revolutionary War.

Vázquez attempted to stop Aveline and her allies by sending Spanish soldiers their way, but failed. Aveline defeated Vázquez's soldiers and ensured George and the supplies reached their destination. After returning to the city, Aveline dressed herself in a noblewoman outfit and attended a governor's ball, in hopes that Vázquez would be there. After speaking with several guests, she located Vázquez and asked him to dance. Using her charm, she managed to assassinate him. However, to her surprise, Vázquez revealed that he was not the Company Man.

Aveline next spoke to Gérald, who told her that a Templar working for the Company Man had been found on the New York frontier. Aveline learned that the Templar was Officer Davidson, aLoyalist soldier of the Ethiopian Regiment. Aveline reached the New York frontier in 1777 and met Connor, a half Mohawk, half British Assassin fighting the Templars during the American Revolution.

Aveline and Connor made their way through the frontier to a fort where Officer Davidson was located. Connor distracted the guards and allowed Aveline to slip inside the fort. She confronted Officer Davidson, shocked to learn that he was actually George, the escaped slave she had helped flee north. He attempted to escape, but Aveline managed to shoot his carriage and prevent his departure. From him, Aveline finally discovered the identity of the Company Man: Madeleine de L'Isle, her stepmother. Upon returning to Louisiana, Aveline hurried to her family's mansion and confronted her stepmother. Madeleine revealed to Aveline that she had secretly manipulated her life, preparing her for induction into the Templar Order, as she believed that they shared a common goal.

Afterwards, Aveline traveled to the bayou and met with Agaté, informing him of Madeleine's identity as the Company Man. Agaté was unable to accept his failure and believing that Aveline had sided with the Templars, attacked her. Aveline overpowered him and attempted to convince him to leave Louisiana for his own safety, but Agaté could not live with the humiliation and instead chose to dive to his death.

Aveline decided to infiltrate the Templars and eradicate it from within. Upon returning to New Orleans, she made her way to the Saint Louis Cathedral and gave Madeleine Agaté's necklace to show her allegiance. Following this, she was inducted into the Templar Order by her stepmother. Aveline then gave her the two halves of the Prophecy Disk, which Madeleine placed on an altar and added another piece to hold the two fragments together. However, she could not make sense of the scrambled messages within. Aveline saw this as her moment to strike and reclaim the Prophecy Disk. She eliminated all the Templars inside the cathedral and assassinated Madeleine.

Now alone inside the cathedral, Aveline stepped up to the altar where the Prophecy Disk had been placed. She connected the locket she wore around her neck, which once belonged to her mother, to the artifact, causing it to display a holographic recording detailing a message from the time of the First Civilization. This message recounted the election of Eve as the leader of the rebellion during the Human-First Civilization War.

The Order: 1886 is an upcoming action-adventure video game developed by Ready at Dawn

Developer(s)	Ready at Dawn
Publisher(s)	Sony Computer Entertainment
Producer(s)	SCE Santa Monica Studio
Engine	Ready at Dawn Engine 4.0
Platform(s)	PlayStation 4
Release date(s)	Q3 2014
Genre(s)	Action-adventure
Distribution	Blu-ray Disc

The Order: 1886 is set in an alternate history where an old order of knights keep all of the world safe from half bred monsters, who are a combination of animal and man. In the game's history, around the seventh or eighth centuries a small number of humans took on bestial traits. The majority of humans feared these half breeds and war broke out. Despite the humans outnumbering the half breeds, their animal strength gave them the upper hand in centuries of conflict.

Centuries later, humanity finds new hope in King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. King Arthur and his like-minded knights take the fight to the half breeds, but Arthur soon realizes it's a losing battle. Through a mysterious turn of fate The Knights discover Black Water, a mystical liquid that significantly extends their lifetimes and gives them remarkable healing abilities. Despite this new advantage the half breeds continue to win battle after battle, until the industrial Revolution turns the tide. Inventors are far ahead of their time, inventing technologies such as thermal imaging, Zeppelins, and wireless communications. New weapons belch electricity, ignite clouds of molten metal on top of enemies, and fulfill dual functions as Fragmentation grenades and proximity mines.

By 1886, the war still goes on, but the humans almost have martial law. A new threat emerges in the form of the lower classes rebelling against the rich and the social order, with the Knights supporting the well-to-do upper classes and nobles. The game features four main protagonists from the same squad, who each has a given name, and the adopted name of one of the original Knights. The oldest is Sebastian Mallory, the second to bear the name of Sir Percival, and the descendant of Thomas Mallory, who in the 1400s wrote Le Morte d'Arthur, the definitive Arthurian Text. A close friend of Grayson, he is one of the best Knights in the history of the order.

Grayson is the third to bear the title of Sir Galahad, and has battled the order's enemies for centuries. He views Mallory as a mentor, Lafayette as a friend, and Isabeau as a potential love interest. Other than that, little is known about him so far. Isabeau D'Argyll is one of the younger Knights in the order, but is much older than her appearance of being in her late twenties. The latest Lady Igraine, Isabeau was Grayson's apprentice and if not for her commitment to the order, his lover. Marquis de Lafayette was a French military officer who fought in the French and American Revolutions. His tactical expertise brought him to the order's attention, and Mallory approached him and convinced him to join the order. Although the group's youngest, his globetrotting has given him a whimsical outlook on life that grounds the squad. As an apprentice, he does not yet bear the name of a Knight.

Xbox One Sells More Than 2 Million Units in the First 18 days; Sold Out at Most Major Retailers

Since its launch 18 days ago, Xbox One is proving to be the must-have gift this holiday season with more than 2 million consoles sold through to consumers worldwide, averaging over 111,111 units sold per day – a record-setting pace for Xbox. Millions of fans around the world who have purchased Xbox One have shown incredible engagement with the all-in-one games and entertainment system, spending over 83 million hours in games, TV, and apps on Xbox One since the system launched on Nov. 22.

“We continue to be humbled and overwhelmed by the positive response from our fans. We are thrilled to see sales of Xbox One on a record-setting pace, with over 2 million Xbox One consoles in homes around the world. Demand is exceeding supply in our 13 launch markets and Xbox One is sold out at most retailers.  We’re also particularly excited to see consumers engaging in a wide range of games and entertainment experiences on the platform, with more than 1 million paid transactions* on Xbox Live to date,” said Yusuf Mehdi, corporate vice president of strategy and marketing, Xbox.
Xbox One is also proving to be the most popular online multiplayer community for gamers with over 39 million Xbox One achievements unlocked and 595 million total Gamerscore achieved.
“Demand for next generation gaming continues to be very strong,” said John Love, director of video games at Amazon.  “At peak demand, customers were ordering the Xbox One console at over 1000 units per minute on Amazon.com.”
“The Xbox One entertainment system is one of our hottest selling products this holiday season,” said Bob Puzon, senior vice president of Merchandising at GameStop. “GameStop is experiencing high demand from our customers for this innovative console and we are working closely with Microsoft to receive more units to fulfill our customers’ holiday shopping lists.”
“Xbox One is one of the hottest Christmas gifts this holiday season and was a top seller this Black Friday,”  said Chris Nagelson, vice president of entertainment for Walmart U.S. “We are refreshing our inventory as fast as we can to ensure customers can give and receive the new console for Christmas.”
The Xbox team is continuing to work hard to meet consumer demand, delivering consoles to retailers as fast as possible this holiday season. To help people find Xbox One, Major Nelsonrecently shared some tips for consumers this holiday season.
Xbox One brings the best games, live TV, Skype, sports, fitness, music and more to one system at the center of the living room, all available at the command of your voice. With 22 hotly anticipated games, including 10 exclusive titles, and entertainment apps, YouTube, Netflix,Hulu Plus, and many more – Xbox One fans have the best entertainment and games available on one console this holiday season.

Sony Playstation 4 Sales Statistics

  

Statistic Verification

Source: Sony

Date Verified: 12.19.2013

PlayStation 4 (officially abbreviated as PS4), is a video game console from Sony Computer Entertainment. Announced as the successor to PlayStation 3 during a press conference on February 20, 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, and November 29, 2013, in Europe and Australia. It competes with Nintendo’s Wii U and Microsoft’s Xbox One, as one of the eighth generation of video game consoles.

Sony Playstation 4 Sales Statistics	Data
Total number of Playstation 4 console units sold	3,100,000
Total number of Playstation 4 games sold	4,800,000
Number of Playstation 4 preorders in the first 24 hours	1,100,000
Price of Playstation 4	$399
Price of Playstation 4 in Brazil	$1,759

50 best Android apps of 2013

Google ended 2013 with more than a million Android apps on its Google Play store, and a commanding share of the smartphone market – as well as rapidly-rising tablet sales.

It was a good year for new Android apps too, from entertainment and lifestyle apps through to more serious productivity tools. The year also saw a notable upswing in the number of high-quality children's apps available on Android, as developers caught on to growing use by parents.

Earlier today, the Guardian's 50 best Android games of 2013 roundup was published. This is the companion piece, covering the best non-game apps for Android smartphones and tablets of the year. As in the previous piece, each app's title is a link to the Google Play store.

Think something doesn't deserve to be included, or spotted an excellent app that's been missed out? Make your views known in the comments section. And if you want to dive into the Guardian's deeper Android app coverage from 2013, browse the archive of weekly Best Android Apps roundups.

ENTERTAINMENT

BAND OF THE DAY

An award-winning app on iPhone and iPad, Band of the Day proved just as impressive on Android, with its simple mission of spotlighting a single new band or musician every day. Streaming music, biographies, videos and photos help you tell whether they're up your street or not.

BBC SPORT

The BBC's official sports app offers news, live text commentary, fixtures and tables, and a mixture of live and on-demand video and audio from a range of events. Live radio streams and the ability to customise it for your favourite teams were among the updates added during 2013 too.

BIOPHILIA

It took a while, but Björk's Biophilia album-app finally made the leap from iOS to Android this year. As before, it offers an individual “mini-app” for every song on her last album, with a mixture of games, creativity and musicmaking tools to explore the sounds of Biophilia.

BLOOM.FM

Bloom.fm is a stylish streaming-music app, starting with free personal radio where you choose a genre or artist to get a stream of similar music. Pay £1, £5 or £10 a month, and you can “borrow” a certain amount of tracks to listen to on demand. A beautifully-designed and innovative app.

CIRCA NEWS

Circa was one of a host of startups trying to disrupt the news industry through aggregation: in this case, editorial staff “condensing the news” to bitesize segments, and updating stories over time so you can follow them. It launched this year with a US skew towards tech, politics and science.

CROSS DJ

Budding Android superstar DJs (or, indeed, super round-a-friend's-house-commandeering-the-stereo DJs) should be flocking to Cross DJ, a DJing app released late this year with a clean, uncluttered design to get you mixing and scratching your digital music files.

DIGG

Web 2.0 veteran Digg was reinvented in 2013, serving up blog posts, videos and social updates to its users on Android. The timing was good too: just as Google closed its Google Reader RSS service, Digg offered an alternative way to keep tabs on RSS feeds and share stories to social networks.

FRANKENSTEIN

The idea of interactive fiction can make some literary purists a bit grumpy, but Dave Morris' adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein wasn't a gimmick. It saw you influencing the decisions of Frankenstein himself (yes, NOT the monster, the man) as the story goes on.

RADIOPLAYER TABLET

UK consortium Radioplayer gathers live streams, catch-up shows and podcasts from a range of British radio stations, including the BBC and commercial radio alike. This was its Android tablet app, joining a separate smartphone version, offering streams and program recommendations.

IPLAYER RADIO

BBC iPlayer Radio for Android also promised live streams from the BBC's national radio stations, plus access to shows from the last seven days (and podcasts) on demand. Video clips, alerts for upcoming programmes and an alarm-clock function were also part of the mix.

SKY GO TABLET

BSkyB's Sky Go service got plenty of mobile love this year, including this app optimised for Android tablets. It was a way to watch Sky live over Wi-Fi or the mobile network, along with films and children's shows on-demand. As the year went on, more and more content was added.

SOUNDWAVE MUSIC DISCOVERY

Irish startup Soundwave aims to help people discover new music by following what friends and tastemakers are playing. The app tracks and shares song plays on Spotify and Rdio, as well as on your Android device, while showing you the plays of others – as well as aggregated charts.

XBOX ONE SMARTGLASS

Microsoft's official second-screen app debuted just ahead of the launch of its Xbox One next-gen console. You can use it to control the Xbox One, access media, browse the web on TV – and, for games that support it, use it as a companion for extra gameplay features.

KIDS

BBC CBEEBIES PLAYTIME

This was the BBC's first official CBeebies app for Android, offering high-quality mini-games for some of the pre-school TV channel's main shows including Octonauts, Alphablocks, Something Special and Tree Fu Tom. Light educational elements underpinned the gameplay.

HAKITZU ELITE: ROBOT HACKERS

Hakitzu Elite is one of the most intriguing apps trying to teach children to code: in this case, JavaScript by getting them to build and battle giant (virtual) robots against their friends. The game uses a virtual credits system: they can be earned and/or bought, then used to customise the bots.

MR SHINGU'S PAPER ZOO

This was a delightful combination of origami and virtual pets. Kids have to populate a zoo with colourful animals by folding them (virtually) together following on-screen prompts, then keep the menagerie occupied with items. The in-app currency is earned purely by playing, not paying.

THE SNOWMAN AND THE SNOWDOG GAME

Channel 4 commissioned this endless-runner game in the style of Temple Run for its Snowman sequel. You control the Snowman as he makes his way across the UK towards the North Pole. It uses in-app purchases, but with a £20 spending cap on individual players to avoid bill-shock.

TOCA BUILDERS

This was a treat: an app inspired by Minecraft from popular children's publisher Toca Boca. It involved building ... well, building anything you like using coloured blocks, helped by six robot characters – each with their own building, decorating or destroying ability. Creative joy.

TOCA HAIR SALON 2

The second Toca Boca game on this roundup was also its first on the Google Play store. It gets kids to play hairdresser for six characters, cutting, styling and colouring to their heart's content with simple touchscreen gestures, before showing off their work to the nearest sibling, friend or adult.

TOY STORY: STORY THEATER

Disney was another big name in children's entertainment putting more oomph into Android in 2013. This creative storytelling tool for kids was based on the Toy Story films. Children can pick a character, setting and props, then record their own voice telling the story.

LIFESTYLE

FITOCRACY

Released in January, Fitocracy could be just as handy a year later to combat post-Christmas bloat. It turned getting fit into an almost RPG-style game where you earn points for workouts, rise in levels and “slay the laziness dragon”. Social features are built in for extra motivation.

GOGOBOT TRAVEL GUIDE

Social travel service Gogobot wanted to help you discover interesting places to holiday based on other people's experiences, with an app to browse their virtual “postcards” and reviews, scout out more than 60,000 destinations and then book hotels to stay in.

HELPOUTS

Brand new from Google this year, Helpouts is a service that connects you to a host of experts from cooking, beauty and fitness/nutrition through to computers and electronics, for video calls paid for by the minute, or per call. An interesting idea whose wider potential may be seen in 2014.

LEARNIST

Learnist was one of the startups trying to help people learn online – or, as it describes itself: “like a collaborative, multimedia and interactive ebook from the future”. It pulls in content from around the web including YouTube, Wikipedia and SoundCloud, and sorts it into topics.

MOVES

Activity-tracking app Moves had one crucial difference to the likes of Fitbit and Jawbone UP: it didn't require an extra gadget. Instead, it uses your smartphone's sensors to measure your daily steps, recording your location as it goes for a mini life-diary on top.

SKETCHBOOK INK

Autodesk's SketchBook Ink drawing app was as warmly received on Android tablets as it had been on iPad. Working in portrait or landscape orientation, it offered slick touchscreen line-drawing, with plenty of options to export images for further work on other devices.

UP BY JAWBONE

Jawbone's UP wristband was one of a plethora of fitness gadgets available to track your activity and sleep patterns this year. Its Android companion app enabled UP owners to dig into their data, while also logging their eating and drinking, setting sleep alarms and see what friends are up to.

WOWMUM MAPS UK

This was an app to find “child-friendly places” around the UK, based on your current location. Divided into Eat, Play and Pamper categories, it covers more than 10,000 places from pram-friendly restaurants to soft-play centres. And yes, dads can use it too, although the developer also released a separate app for them.

YPLAN

YPlan was one of an emerging crop of apps aiming to help you decide where to spend evenings out. At launch, it covered London and New York, providing a slick list of events, and helping you buy tickets – often at a discount. Music, cinema, theatre and even “chessboxing” were among the offers.

THE WALK: FITNESS TRACKER GAME

Developer Six to Start made the innovative Zombies, Run! fitness game, which got people jogging while pretending to be chased by zombies. This follow-up took similar basic principles, but it is less athletic: using your walking steps as part of the gameplay rather than requiring you to run – complete with the NHS as a partner.

PRODUCTIVITY / TOOLS

BBC WEATHER

The official BBC Weather app provided forecasts for the UK, automatically for your current location or via search for other places. Besides temperature and sun/rain details, it provides pressure, visibility, humidity, UV and pollen data, with a lock-screen widget just for Android.

CAL

Cal is a calendar app by developer Any.do that works in maps, contacts and social networks to ensure you're always up to speed on where you're going and who you're meeting. It also connects neatly to the developer's previous app, task-list Any.do, to tick off your chores as you go.

CAMERA 2

The Paper Camera photography app did pretty well on Android, so this year its developers returned with a follow-up: Camera 2. Billed as the “ultimate real-time effects app”, it has a host of filters, as well as the ability to shoot photos and videos, and share the results to various social networks.

CAMERA AWESOME

The hit iOS photography app snapped onto Android this year, with just as impressive a range of photography features focused on taking better shots, not just on sharing them. You could dig as deep as you like into the app's shooting and editing tools to improve your mobile photography skills.

COVER

Cover is a “smart lockscreen” for Android smartphones, replacing Google's own lockscreen to provide speedy access to your most useful apps, flick quickly between them, and a “peek” feature to glance at what's new before opening an app. It also tries to suggest apps based on your context.

DOLPHIN ZERO

Developer Dolphin pitched its latest app as a Snapchat of browsing. No, not because it is full of nudes. It's about privacy: a browser that automatically deletes (or “shreds” in its terminology) your browsing history, cache, passwords and cookies whenever you quit browsing.

DUCKDUCKGO SEARCH & STORIES

Anonymous search engine DuckDuckGo's official Android app wanted to be a haven for more users who are turning away from Google. The app offers similarly-anonymous search functions to the website, but also doubles as a news-reading app for news, entertainment, sports, technology and other areas.

GO LAUNCHER PRIME

The original GO Launcher app was hugely popular on Android as an alternative homescreen. This year it got a new premium version, which blocks ads, adds two-finger gestures (not that kind) and additional animations, with more features promised in forthcoming updates.

MICROSOFT REMOTE DESKTOP

Reports this year suggested Microsoft makes plenty of money from Android just from patent licensing. This remote-desktop app was another facet of its business, helping people log in to their Windows computers from their Android devices.

QUIP

Quip was the startup launched by former Facebook CTO Bret Taylor, aiming to shake up the way people collaborate on documents. It's a cloud-synchronised word-processing app that runs across smartphones, tablet and computers, with an emphasis on people working together on files.

SWYPE

Typing app Swype had been available on a select few Android devices before, but this year it hit the Google Play store. Its signature swipe-based typing may now be part of other virtual keyboards, but a solid predictive engine and voice recognition features aimed to set it above the rivals.

VSCO CAM

VSCO Cam got plenty of “at last!” reviews on the Google Play store when it transferred from iOS to Android this year. It's an impressively-slick app for shooting and editing your snaps. An in-app store of “packs” to tweak your images is how it makes its money.

SOCIAL

BBM

2013 was the year when BlackBerry's messaging app BBM launched on other devices, including Android. It initially focused on text chatting and sharing photos, files and voice notes, with the group chat and broadcast messages that made it popular on its home platform. Expect more features in 2014.

LIFT

Promising “daily motivation”, Lift aimed to help you “take regular steps toward healthy life change”, whether that's giving up bad habits, getting fitter or developing new career skills. The idea being that you set your priorities and use the app to keep track of your progress.

MIXBIT

MixBit was a video-sharing app from a couple of YouTube's original co-founders. The videos you share are split into up-to-16-second clips, which can be strung together into sequences of up to an hour. Simple, slick editing tools come with an emphasis on sharing and remixing videos with other users

RANDO

Rando put a fun skew on photo-sharing: an app that got you to snap a pic (using a circular frame) and then send it to ... Well, you don't know who it's going to: Rando handles the job of pinging it “anonymously to somebody completely random” – somebody else using the Rando app, obviously.

SILENT TEXT

Technology company Silent Circle was in the news this year after shutting its encrypted email service “to prevent spying” in the wake of the Guardian's NSA revelations. Silent Text was another part of its business: encrypted text messaging with file-transfers of up to 100MB too.

TINDER

Tinder was a bona-fide craze this year: a dating app showing you people nearby who might be a match, with a hot-or-not style swiping interface to indicate interest, and the ability to text-chat to matches before deciding whether to meet. Also one of the most popular pub spectator-sports of 2013.

TWITTER

Twitter on Android isn't new, but this year saw Twitter's first native tablet app for Android, redesigned for their bigger screens. An initially-limited release for a few models led the way for more devices to come, providing an even better way to tweet (or just read) on the sofa.

VYCLONE

Video-sharing app Vyclone's tagline is “Film together”. That means you shoot video of whatever you like, then Vyclone figures out who else is filming at the same time in the same place, and stitches all your clips together into a multi-angle video.