Where Are These Games Now?

A number of games are slated to come out this year, but whether they will or not remains to be seen. We check in with a number of titles to see how things are going.

Bayonetta 2

News on the game has been largely silent since E3 last year, when a multiplayer mode was announced. Conventional wisdom says this Wii U exclusive – one of the few meaningful third-party titles for the system – should come out soon to appease Wii U owners. Hopefully given how long it's been since Bayonetta 2's been in the spotlight, it returns to it soon. A cursory glance at developer Platinum Games' track record shows that the studio has put out games at a pretty even clip, so here's hoping that the game's release isn't that far into 2014. There's always the possibility that Nintendo could surprise us with more info for the game in one of its impromptu Nintendo Direct presentations. Fingers crossed.

Driveclub

The game's delay in the run-up to the PS4 release was as conspicuous as its high-profile debut onstage at a PlayStation press conference in early 2013. Since its delay to "early 2014" last October, Sony has not said one word about the game's release date. We recently contacted Sony, who told us that the game currently does not have a specific release date. Assuming that Sony will take some time to reestablish the title to the public, offer more information about its club-based online racing, and also let media get hands-on time with it before it releases, I wouldn't expect this game before the summer.

Mad Max

Unlike some of the titles on this list, Mad Max's whereabouts are a little less mysterious. The game was last seen at Gamescom, and we presume that it went under radio silence to avoid the static of the console launches and holiday season. Now that that's all over, hopefully we can hear more about the game's open world, crafting system, and vehicular combat.

Fortnite

The game debuted back at the end of 2011, but we're not that surprised that Epic Games has taken its time to bring the title forward given that it's being tabbed as the first game to utilize the company's Unreal Engine 4. Work continues on the engine, and we wonder if this year's Game Developers Conference (GDC) at the end of March might reveal more about both the engine and the game. We contacted Epic about the game, and were told: "No new updates at this time."

Wolfenstein: The New Order

The New Order was delayed last fall into some unspecified time this year for polish reasons, according to Bethesda. Until that point, we'd gotten hands-on with the title, and GI's Tim Turi was impressed. Taking Bethesda at its word that all the game needs is a little extra work, it would be great if The New Order could be a part of the second wave of games for the new systems (it's also a last-gen title) this summer.

The Legend of Zelda (Wii U)

Nintendo said it was working on a Zelda game for the Wii U at E3 2011 and the concept images from the tech demo were shown. The HD version of Wind Waker is seen as a holdover for fans until the new release is ready, and series' producer Eiji Aonuma says that more info on the game will hit at E3 in June this year. We'd like to think that from there this new Zelda title would be at the starting grid for a holiday 2014 release, but you never know with Nintendo.

Rainbow Six: Patriots

Late last year, Ubisoft said that the game was not only transitioning to the new generation of systems, but that it was restarting altogether. It might even undergo a name change. Needless to say, the game has had a checkered development past – including rotating through two sets of creative leadership. Historically, the company has routinely delayed games it has not felt were ready, and it sounds like this one is going all the way back to the drawing board. I wouldn't count on a 2014 release.