More games than you can shake a controller at
When you've got a venue as gigantic as the Los Angeles Convention center, there's a ton of space to fill with the multitude of E3 2014 games on display. In fact, it's almost TOO much for any sane person to keep track of it all. With so much excitement surrounding the games shown off during press conferences, it's easy to gloss over all the other stuff. And in doing so, you might unknowingly miss out on a really exciting game.
To help shine a spotlight on everything there is to see at E3 2014, we've rounded up the 100 best games you probably didn't even know were there. Hey, we can't blame you--these games were either hidden in shadowy corners on the show floor or given a split-second of screentime in a sizzle reel. To make things a little more interesting--and save you a ton of time in the process--we're describing every one of these games in exactly 10 words apiece. You've got time to read 1000 measly words (excluding these), don't you? Then let's go!
Aztez (Xbox One)
Fight for the Aztec empire with bloody turn-based strategy.
Knight Squad (Xbox One)
Players work together (or not) in top-down dungeon arenas.
Plague Inc: Evolved (Xbox One)
Kill the world with a disease of your own creation.
White Night (Xbox One)
Find the light in this creepy, Hitchcock-inspired horror story.
Earthlock: Festival of Magic (Xbox One)
Help the world spin again in this classic-looking RPG.
Cuphead (Xbox One)
Battle big, cartoony bosses as Cuphead and his buddy Mugman.
Hyper Light Drifter (Xbox One)
Youre sick; search an ancient ruin to find the cure.
Lifeless Planet (Xbox One)
Explore a desolate planet with help from a mysterious woman.
Slash Dash (Xbox One)
Two teams of blocky ninjas compete to capture the flag.
Fru (Xbox One)
Your shadow alters the world in this quirky Kinect platformer.
Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime (Xbox One)
Help your lover defend a space station from hostile aliens.
Might No. 9 (Xbox One, PS4)
Mega Man gets a spiritual rebirth in this indie platformer.
Grave (Xbox One)
Procedurally generated horror that sets monsters loose when night falls.
Threes (Xbox One)
The high-scoring mobile game is coming to Xbox One.
Fenix Rage (Xbox One)
Jump and fight your way to the cookie! Just because.
Woolfe (Xbox One)
Little Red Riding Hood gets revenge in this stylish sidescroller.
It Draws a Red Box (Xbox One)
Help your team score the most goals by throwing balls.
Hellraid (Xbox One)
Work together to slash your way through hellish, reanimated hordes.
Below (Xbox One)
Explore a dangerous island in this roguelike adventure from Capybara.
Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris (Xbox One, PS4)
The surprising sequel to Lara Croft's last Diablo-inspired spinoff.
Binding of Isaac: Rebirth (PS4, Vita)
Delve back into Isaac's basement, complete with redone pixel graphics.
Galak-Z (PS4, Vita)
Explore the bizarre depths of space in this roguelike shmup.
Hohokum (PS4, Vita)
This artsy indie title lets you platform and relax. Simple!
N++ (PS4, Vita)
Guide your ninja through crazy obstacles in this twitch platformer.
Nidhogg (PS4)
Raucous swordfighting coming to PS4 this summer. Intense duels guaranteed.
Middle Earth: Shadows of Mordor (Multi)
Assassin's Creed meets Tolkien's fantasy world. Inexplicably absent at conferences.
Singstar (PS4)
Karaoke on PS4, letting anyone join in using their smartphone!
Sonic Jump Fever (iOS)
Sonic and co. compete to see who jumps the highest.
Project Cars (PS4, Wii U)
New-gen racing game that emphasizes realism above all else.
Super Monkey Ball Bounce (iOS)
Peggle knockoff that spices up its gameplay with boss battles.
Chasm (PC)
Explore underground in this gorgeous, 16-bit, 2D roguelike platformer.
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number (PS4, Vita, PC)
Pulse-pounding, blood-splattering action, with brutal difficulty and techno.
Lemming Touch (Vita)
The classic Lemmings gameplay, now using the Vitas touch screen!
Metrico (PS4, Vita)
A puzzle platformer about infographics, with tons of unique atmosphere.
Velocity 2X (PS4, Vita)
Old-school shooting meets platforming in this laser-blasting indie.
Counterspy (PS4, Vita)
Stealth your way into top-secret bases to save humanity.
Helldivers (PS4, Vita)
Battle beasts on alien planets in this twin-stick shooter.
Invizimals (PS Vita)
Camera-based creature pets are making their way to Vita.
Murasaki Baby (PS Vita)
Baby kills her enemies with her sharp teeth and balloon.
Nuclear Throne (PS4, Vita)
Mutants kill bandits in this apocalyptic roguelike from Vlambeer.
The Witness (PS4)
Explore a mysterious island and solve the puzzles it presents.
QUBE Director's Cut (Wii U)
Solve puzzles using cubes of many colors. Minimalist brain benders.
Scram Kitty and His Buddy on Rails (Wii U)
Glide along walls and shoot aliens to save your cat.
Shantae and the Pirate's Curse (3DS)
Shantae must stop pirate meanies to restore her genie powers.
Armillo (Multi)
Roll an armadillo around galactic obstacle courses in this puzzler.
Grinsia (3DS)
This traditional RPG for 3DS is reminiscent of Suikoden. Rad!
Hitman: Sniper (iOS)
Hitman iOS spin-off; aim for high-scoring, skillful assassinations.
1001 Spikes (3DS, Vita)
This hardcore 2D platformer may literally kill you 1001 times.
Tengami (3DS)
A unique adventure with a striking, pop-up-book aesthetic.
Jet Rocket 2: The Wrath of Tai Kai (Wii U)
Its like Jet Force Gemini meets Wave Race. Sounds awesome.
Pier Solar HD (Multi)
The remake of the Dreamcast homebrew RPG is coming to a platform near you!
Putty Squad (Wii U)
An SNES remake coming to eShop. Question: Will anyone care?
Teslagrad (3DS)
Sadly, this 2D puzzle-platformer does not include David Bowie.
Treasurenauts (3DS)
Collecting treasure is the sole goal of this pirate adventure.
Wooden Sen'Sey (Wii U)
The martial-arts themed platformer is coming to Wii U.
Retro City Rampage (3DS)
A loving retro throwback inspired by old Grand Theft Autos.
Fly Hunter Origins (Vita)
Jump on flowers and avoid spiders in this naturalistic platformer.
Unepic (Wii U)
This is an imaginative MetroidVania starring an average D&D nerd.
Siesta Fiesta (3DS)
A colorful, Latin-themed action-platformer that plays like Breakout.
Shovel Knight (Multi)
Wield a shovel/sword combo in this retro 2D platformer.
Art Academy: Sketchpad (Wii U)
The DS art instructor is coming to Wii U. Huh.
Devil's Third (Wii U)
Another gritty action game from the creator of Ninja Gaiden.
Mario Party 10 (Wii U)
Mario Party returns in HD, with Bowser and GamePad play.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong (Wii U)
Classic puzzle platforming gets the HD treatment for Wii U.
Project Giant Robot (Wii U)
Build a giant, destructive robot in this quirky prototype.
Project Guard (Wii U)
A GamePad-centric Wii U prototype inspired by tower defense.
Wii Sports Club (Wii U)
The most popular Wii game comes to Wii U. Bowling, anyone?
One Piece Unlimited World Red (Wii U)
An enhanced port of the anime action-adventure is coming soon.
Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures 2 (Wii U)
A sequel to the game based on the show. Yawn.
Akiba's Trip: Undead & Undressed (Vita)
Expose young demons to sunlight by stripping their clothes. Yikes.
6180 the Moon (Wii U, PC)
Play as the moon in this monochromatic platformer. Sounds celestial!
A.N.N.E. (Wii U, PC)
An artsy, ambitious, minimalist shooter/platformer/RPG about robot love.
Affordable Space Adventures (Wii U)
This atmospheric puzzler lets you explore space on the cheap.
Chariot (Wii U)
A unique platformer that requires cooperative play to work properly.
Chromophore: The Two Brothers Directors Cut (Wii U)
Two Brothers gets colorized and remastered for the Wii U.
Citizens of Earth (Wii U)
Play as the Vice President in a world gone mad.
Cubemen 2 (Wii U)
This is a customizable RTS with a Minecraft aesthetic. Neat!
Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition (Wii U)
The LuchaVania comes to Wii U with an enhanced edition.
Nihilumbra (Wii U)
An atmospheric, slightly spooky puzzle-platformer coming to Wii U.
Starwhal: Just the Tip (Wii U)
Wii U port of the local-multiplayer, stab-happy favorite!
Stealth Inc. 2 (Wii U)
The Wii U-exclusive stealthy 2D sequel sneaks into view.
Swords & Soldiers 2 (Wii U)
This is a fairly self-explanatory sequel for Wii U.
Fantasy Life (3DS)
Level 5's latest is Harvest Moon with combat mixed in.
Pokemon Art Academy (3DS)
Learn how to draw Pokemon (because why not) on 3DS.
Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth (3DS)
Persona meets Etrian Odyssey. It's Persona, so we're already happy.
Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal (3DS)
A 2D platforming counterpart for this year's Wii U Sonic.
Blast 'Em Bunnies (Wii U)
Itching to shoot something? Make it adorable bunnies. (Not IRL.)
Gunman Clive 2 (Wii U)
A sequel to the unique Western-themed sidescroller. Hopefully longer.
Moon Chronicles, Episode 2 (3DS)
The cult DS hit on 3DS with an episodic format.
Mechrunner (PS4, Vita, PC)
Successfully Kickstarted game where you pilot a heavily armoured mech.
Rise of the Incarnates (PC)
Namco Bandai's frenetic brawler that's essentially reskinned Gundam arena gameplay
Woah Dave! (3DS)
Its Gaijin Games' minimalist high-score-chaser. Cool name, too.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal World Duel Carnival (3DS)
A 3DS iteration of the enduring card game. Your move!
Final Fantasy Theatrhythm: Curtain Call (3DS)
Celebrate Final Fantasy's iconic musical scores in this rhythmic sequel.
Company of Heroes 2: The Western Front Armies (PC)
This standalone RTS expansion pits US forces versus German Oberkammando.
Dragon Coins (iOS)
Its an arcade coin-pusher...for your phone! Microtransactions abound.
Crazy Taxi: City Rush (iOS)
Arcade classic reinvented for mobile. Yah yah yah yah yah!
Games as far as the eye can see
PHEW! That's a heck of a lot of games--and of course, that doesn't include the myriad triple-A titles amidst the many E3 2014 games. Did we somehow miss something that you're certain is at the show floor? Or perhaps we introduced you to some games you never knew existed, but now want badly? Tell us in the comments below.
And if you're looking for more E3 coverage, check out our Nintendo E3 2014 press conference recap, Sony E3 2014 press conference recap, and Microsoft E3 2014 press conference recap.
