4. Dragon Age: Inquisition
Despite the gaming world being aware of the game's existence for quite some time now, little is known at the moment about Dragon Age: Inquisition. The game's launch trailer (see above), revealed during Electronic Arts' presser at E3, suggested that a large scale, continent-wide war has erupted, possibly stemming from the conflict between the mages and templars which fully manifested itself in Dragon Age II. Bioware has suggested previously that the game's world will be much larger than in the previous two games, and will implement an open-world design. Players will command a new protagonist, but will surely encounter characters from the previous games, as confirmed by the presence of Varric and Morrigan in the trailer. Apart from the Fall 2014 release date on both current and next gen platforms, that's about it: we don't know much else. Yet why is Dragon Age: Inquisition still one of the most anticipated releases set for next year's jam-packed release schedule? The answer is simple - it's Bioware. Clearly one of the more talented development studios the gaming industry has ever seen, the company has stumbled upon something of a rough patch since the release of Dragon Age II in early 2011. After that game's lukewarm reception from critics and fans alike, Bioware went on to release the MMORPG Star Wars: The Old Republic, which quickly lost subscribers after a strong start and has now adopted a free-to-play model. This was followed by the very loud outcry from fans regarding their disappointment at the ending of Bioware's newest game, Mass Effect 3, and by the end of 2012, the famous founders of Bioware, the Doctors Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk, both announced their retirement from Bioware and the video game industry. Bioware as a company has seen better days, and that is huge part of what makes upcoming release of Dragon Age: Inquisition so interesting. Bioware will be releasing their new chapter in the Dragon Age saga in a post Skyrim-Dark Souls-The Witcher 2 world, three games that have set new standards for fantasy RPG's in open world design, gameplay, and story, respectively. It will be their first game on new hardware, and their first game made without the guidance of their charismatic, visionary founders. And it is exactly these sort of challenges that should inspire the teams working on the game to rise up and give us their best work yet. The Dragon Age IP sits on the rock solid foundations of intriguing lore, strong gameplay, and the excellent storytelling and dialogue that Bioware is so well known for. There is no reason why Inquisition can't be the best game Bioware has ever made. Will they deliver? Fall of 2014 can't come fast enough!