3. Sunset Overdrive (Insomniac Games / Microsoft)
Insomniac Games has a reputation for creating great IPs - most notably Spyro the Dragon, Ratchet & Clank and Resistance - and this year Xbox One-exclusive Sunset Overdrive was added to the list. With a unique take on the zombie apocalypse ("awesomepocalypse"), fourth wall-breaking antics, and lots of humour, it certainly stood out from the crowd of games taking themselves very seriously.
The first thing that stands out about the game and its universe are the visuals. The vibrant and colourful Sunset City houses its fair share of mutants eager to burst and explode like geysers full of orange goo. These visual delights mesh well with the frantic gameplay of shooting and grinding, the brilliant weapon design, and the weird story we get to experience along the way.
There is potential for Insomniac Games to turn Sunset Overdrive into a franchise if publisher Microsoft are willing. In some ways by taking a step back from the serious nature of most AAA franchises of today, Insomniac managed to carve out something unique with Sunset Overdrive. For that they've earned the third spot on our list of 2014's best new IPs.
2. Titanfall (Respawn / EA)
You have to be impressed that Respawn Entertainment were able to make the splash that they did with Titanfall, because launching a competitive multiplayer-only shooter in the console space and being a success with it is no mean feat. But that's precisely what the fledgling studio has done. Not only that, but it was the leading light in the first part of a very tricky year for Microsoft and Xbox One.
The lore of Titanfall is particularly strong, and it has to be, because the studio decided not to bother with a single-player campaign. Why? Because doing so would have used up precious resources that they would have had to divert away from building what turned out to be a very good competitive shooter.
So single-player is actually just a guided tour through the maps of the multiplayer, but we don't mind at all. We've long stopped worrying about completing Call of Duty campaigns and the like, so it's a decision we fully endorse. Especially as that bold call ended up yielding positive results elsewhere. Titanfall is a very good online shooter, and because it launched without an ounce of fat, that means Respawn delivered a lean, mean fighting machine.
1. Destiny (Bungie / Activision)
Bungie were very particular in their description of Destiny. It's a "shared-world shooter" and not an MMOFPS, but that hasn't stopped gamers the world over from viewing it as just that. If there was an award for "most misunderstood games of the year" then surely this would win.
First and foremost Destiny is a shooter, and when considered on these simple terms, there's nothing that beats it. There's an admittedly weak story campaign, and the end-game grind is just that, a grind, but the bit in-between, the combat, the gunplay, the visuals, the lore; it's all been expertly put together by a hugely competent studio.
Bungie must have looked at the way their fans played, obsessed over, the later Halo games, and in Destiny they've presented some design solutions that seek to address these playing habits, by rewarding people who replay story missions time and time again with loot and a longterm endgame. Let's not forget that they've also shipped the game with a hugely addictive multiplayer arena; The Crucible. While it's no MMO, there's still plenty of content to chew through, even if you don't want to scour the same sandbox environments for resources every couple of days in order to level up your weapons.
But the quality of Destiny isn't just present in design decisions and in terms of gunplay. Bungie's shooter takes top spot as a new IP because of the quality of its various component parts. Mechanically it's near faultless. The score is exquisite. Visually it's a splendour. The design work is exceptional. The ball may have been dropped in a couple of areas, and plenty of people certainly didn't appreciate its charms, but it's impossible to deny that Destiny has been a huge success, even if, at times, it was a divisive one. We can't wait to see where this series is headed, and that's why Destiny is our favourite new IP of 2014.
Honourable Mentions