6. Lots Of Good Games Are Still Coming To PS3 & 360
This one is pretty self-explanatory. Despite their desire to sell their latest and greatest hardware, both Microsoft and Sony each have 360's and PS3's in nearly 80 million homes worldwide, according to VGChartz, and aren't in any hurry to abandon such a large install base anytime soon. More so than in any console transition, we're seeing lots of "cross-generational" games making it out on both the seventh and eighth generation hardware. Some of the biggest launch titles like Assassin's Creed IV, the stalwarts Battlefield 4 and Call of Duty: Ghosts, and Need For Speed: Rivals are coming to both of Microsoft's and Sony's consoles. Future heavy hitters like the Thief reboot from Eidos Montreal, Shinji Mikami's return to the action horror genre, The Evil Within, and even the newest entry in the Dragon Age franchise, Inquisition, will all see releases on the Xbox 360 and PS3. Many other titles will see similar dual releases. Most exciting, however, is the slew of excellent-looking games that won't be finding their way to next-gen consoles at all. Some of these games look downright stunning. Murdered: Soul Suspect (pictured above) looks like one of the most promising new IP's of 2014, and will release on PC as well as the PS3 and 360. Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z, a collaboration between the unlikely group of Team Ninja, Spark Unlimited, and Keiji Inafune's studio Comcept, is one of the more visually striking upcoming titles of 2014, and could help redeem the Ninja Gaiden franchise after the disappointing Ninja Gaiden 3. South Park: The Stick of Truth has, sadly, been delayed into 2014, but provides an ample reason to keep those PS360's hooked up. Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2, and Earth Defense Force 2025 are all highly-anticipated sequels that will only be available on the PS3 and 360. Sony looks to continue its streak of delivering high quality exclusives for the PS3 well into 2014, with Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus, Gran Turismo 6, Tales of Xillia 2, The Witch and the Hundred Knights, a new entry into the BlazBlue series, and an enhanced version of the monster-hunting Vita title, Ragnarok Odyssey.
Some older sixth generation games will be getting new, shiny coats of paint for their debuts on the 360 and PS3. Fable Anniversary is a complete overhaul of the original Fable, which debuted on the first Microsoft Xbox. Featuring 1080p resolution, new interfaces and controls, and Smartglass integration, Fable Anniversary is exclusive to the Xbox 360. Some of the most beloved JRPG's of the Gamecube and PS2 era will be finding their way to the PS3 in the form of HD remasters. These include Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix, Tales of Symphonia Chronicles (which also includes a remastered version of the Nintendo Wii sequel to Tales of Symphonia), and the long-awaited Final Fantasy X and X-2 collection. And lastly, who can forget what may ultimately be the most anticipated non-next-gen game of 2014? From Software's "Souls" series was one of the genuine surprises of the PS360 era, and the sequel to 2011's Dark Souls, Dark Souls II, will have PS3 and 360 owners worldwide preparing to die all over again in March of 2014. Don't be surprised if you see early adopters of the Playstation 4 and Xbox One continuing to game on their ancient PS3's and 360's well into 2014. If you're not one of these early adopters, and feel like the coming of the next generation is going to leave you behind, don't fret. These consoles will be well-supported for some time to come, and will be more than enough hold you over until the launch window drought passes by.