SDCC 2014: Top 10 Video Game Panels You Need to Attend

San Diego Comic-Con not only attracts comic book nerds, movie buffs, amazing cosplayers etc., but it also brings in a nice gathering of hardcore gamers.

A bunch of cool gaming-related panels are planned, which means gamers will be running all over the place trying to attend them all. We’re going to help you zero in on the video game panels that are worth your time.

These top 10 SDCC 2014 events are worthy of your time as you walk the halls of this massive Comic-Con.

1. Charting a Course: Developing the Next Mass Effect – Saturday, July 26 • 2:00pm – 3:00pm in Room 25ABC

We got a glimpse into the development of the next Mass Effect at E3 2014. Even though it was a very brief look, it was still an interesting one. The game’s producers Mike Gamble and Fabrice Condominas, lead animator Carl Boulay, senior artist Noel Lukasewich and community manager Jessica Merizan will give everyone some insight into how their title is being produced.

2. Halo: The Master Chief Collection Panel – Friday, July 25 • 10:15am – 11:15am in Room 6BCF

The next Halo game to launch is the massive Xbox One exclusive, Halo: The Master Chief Collection. Before it officially launches this November, fans can get a closer look at the game’s development. Plus those lucky enough to be in attendance will get a their 1st look at the Halo live-action digital series. 343 Industries’s executive producer Dan Ayoub, senior producer Dennis Ries, and franchise director Frank O’Connor, along with Certain Affinity’s president and original Halo 2 multiplayer designer, Max Hoberman will all be present.

3. Heads Will Roll! Assassin’s Creed Unity Demo an Q&A – Friday, July 25 • 2:00pm – 3:00pm in Room 6BCF

Ubisoft is ready to get gamer acquainted with the next hero of the Assassin’s Creed series – Anro, the protagonist of Assassin’s Creed Unity. Not only will the developers behind this massive action/adventure game, Rob Zombie and Tony Moore (The Walking Dead co-creator) will be on hand to debut an animated short that’s inspired by this upcoming release.

4. Battlefield Hardline: A Visceral World of Crime and Revenge – Friday, July 25 • 2:30pm – 3:30pm in Room 5AB

Visceral Games has been handed the reigns to the Battlefield franchise, which is we’re getting the cops vs. robbers spinoff of Battlefield: Hardline. Steve Papoutsis (executive producer) and Ian Milham (creative director) will speak about their work and how they’re approaching the new direction of this installment. Gamers will also get a chance to learn about the title’s incorporation of TV crime drama presentations.

5. Street Fighter! – Friday, July 25 • 5:00pm – 6:00pm in Room 25ABC

EVO 2014 was incredibly hype! Capcom’s Ultra Street Fighter 4 was the main event of the weekend’s tournament proceedings and now it will play a major role during its own panel presentation. Moderator Francis Mao (Capcom), panelist Joey Ansah (writer/director/actor of the smash hit Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist web series on Machinima.com) and Yoshinori Ono (Street Fighter franchise producer) are going to speak about the franchise’s past, present and exciting future.

6. Bandai Namco Games Fighting Panel – Friday, July 25 • 12:00pm – 1:00pm in Room 25ABC

Did you happen to catch that awesome Tekken 7 leak? Now that we know this game is official and currently in its development stages, we’re very much looking forward to this panel. Katsuhiro Harada (director of the Tekken series, Bandai Namco Games Inc.), moderator Mark “Markman” Julio (Mad Catz) and an surprise special guest will take the time to give us more info on the future of Tekken 7 at this fighting game panel.

7. Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor – Friday, July 25 • 12:30pm – 1:30pm in Room 8

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment are publishing one of the most exciting and unique takes on the video game universe for The Lord of the Rings. This next-gen project will place players in a darker version of Middle-Earth that’s full of goblins to slash and Wraith-powers ti make good use of. Panelists Michael de Plater (director of design, Monolith Productions, Tom Clancy’s EndWar, Rome: Total War), lead writer Christian Cantamessa (Red Dead Redemption), Phil Straub (art director, Monolith Productions, Utherworlds, D’artiste Digital Painting), the voice of Talion Troy Baker (The Last of Us, Batman: Arkham Origins, BioShock Infinite, Batman: Arkham City) and moderator Professor Janet Croft will all be in attendance.

8. Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo, and The Battle That Defined a Generation – Sunday, July 27 • 2:30pm – 3:30pm in Room 23ABC

Anyone who grew up during the era of the console wars between Sega and Nintendo knows just how heated this conflict was. The book that captured the many highs and lows of this gaming feud is currently available and now SDCC 2014 visitors will get to hear even more about this interesting topic. Blake J. Harris (Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle That Defined a Generation) and some of the video game personalities who were in the trenches-Tom Kalinske (Sega of America), Al Nilsen (Sega of America), Bill White (former Nintendo of America employee), and Perrin Kaplan (former Nintendo of America employee) and Julian Rosenberg (producer of the upcoming Console Wars documentary) will give a behind-the-scenes look at the book and much more.

9. Video Games and Our Future: We’re All Gamers – Saturday, July 26 • 6:30pm – 7:30pm in Room 24ABC

Gaming has taken over the world now, hasn’t it? Everywhere you look, someone is either playing an intense session of Candy Crush or trying to nab a killstreak in Call of Duty. The PS4, Xbox One, Wii U and PC gaming community is bigger and expanding at an even faster rate. This discussion panel will cover the topics of gaming and it’s impact on popular culture. Genese Davis (The Holder’s Dominion, MMORPG.com, The Gamer in You), Ryan “Morello” Scott (League of Legends), Kate Edwards (executive director International Game Developers Association) and Jennifer Zhang (Twin Galaxies) will be there to cover this wide topic.

10. How to Get a Job in Video Games – Friday, July 25 • 6:45pm – 7:45pm in Room 6DE

If you love video games, we have an inkling that you’re looking to enter the industry and make some of your own. This panel will act as a discussion and networking panel that will give future game devs some aid as they try to break into the world of game making. Moderator Francis Mao (Capcom) will share some helpful tidbits that could push your further to your gaming dream job.

San Diego Comic-Con 2014: Top 10 Video Game Panels You Need to Attend