San Francisco ( CNN ) -- More than 20,000 current and aspiring game makers have converged in San Francisco for the annual Game Developers Conference , where the next wave of gaming trends is on display : next-generation consoles , the growth of free-to-play and independent games , and the explosion of mobile gaming . Game publishers take advantage of the conference spotlight to showcase new games for the first time . Electronic Arts went big at the show by renting out a movie theater to debut a live gameplay demo of the upcoming military shooter `` Battlefield 4 '' on a giant screen . Other game companies rented luxury hotel rooms to offer hands-on previews of new titles across a variety of platforms . Here are five games that stood out : . 'LEGO Marvel Super Heroes ' ( Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment/TT Games , fall 2013 ) While Netdevil 's massively multiplayer online game `` LEGO Universe '' failed to capture an audience , every LEGO game developed by TT Games has been a huge hit . After having success with DC comic book characters ( a result of being owned by Warner Bros. ) , TT Games has partnered with its archrival , Marvel Entertainment , to give more than 100 superheroes such as Spider-Man , Hulk , Iron Man , Thor , Wolverine and Captain America the brick treatment . `` LEGO Marvel Super Heroes '' offers the patented co-op gameplay and tongue-in-cheek humor that gamers have come to expect from TT Games . The original story will have players taking control of assorted superheroes as they explore a virtual New York , battling enemies such as Loki , Galactus and Sandman . 'Daylight ' ( Zombie Studios , fall 2013 ) With a name like Zombie Studios , you 'd assume that `` Daylight '' is n't the first horror game from the independent game developer . But it is . It 's also the first horror game for Sony 's new PlayStation 4 . `` Daylight , '' which runs on Epic Games ' new Unreal Engine 4 game engine , traps players inside a haunted insane asylum . Armed only with the light and apps from your in-game smartphone , you must try to get out alive . There are no weapons other than your feet -- which are best used to run . Every time you play this game , the horrors that await -- much like the rooms and hallways -- will be different . The developer has written a lot of back story about centuries of souls who were mistreated within the asylum 's walls . And in another twist , the game 's female protagonist is mysteriously suffering from amnesia . One of the most impressive things about this macabre-looking adventure is that a team of six people conjured it up and are self-publishing on PlayStation 4 . 'Infinite Crisis ' ( Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment/Turbine , fall 2013 ) Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment ( part of Time Warner , CNN 's parent company ) is showing its commitment to the popular free-to-play multiplayer online battle arena game genre with its second licensed game in as many years . With `` Guardians of Middle-earth '' already a hit , the publisher just unveiled the DC Comics-based `` Infinite Crisis . '' This game allows five players to choose a superhero or supervillain and team up to battle against another team in unique environments based on six alternate universes . Inspired by the `` Infinite Crisis '' comic books , this game 's original story has the barriers between the different dimensions of the DC Multiverse being torn apart . That opens up six variations of each character -- such as a steampunk-themed Gaslight Catwoman and a bloodsucking Nightmare Batman . Each character will have unique combat abilities and weapons . The game will launch with a dozen characters , including Flash , Gaslight Joker , Green Lantern , Poison Ivy , Wonder Woman and Doomsday , and three maps . Turbine , the developer , says it will regularly expand the universe with new maps and characters . 'Battlefield 4 ' ( Electronic Arts/DICE , fall 2013 ) While Electronic Arts ' `` Medal of Honor Warfighter '' failed to connect with the first-person shooter fan base last fall , the publisher 's `` Battlefield '' franchise remains one of its strongest . `` Battlefield 4 '' is taking advantage of the new Frostbite 3 engine to bring what the developer promises is the next generation of shooter games this fall . The Swedish developer is n't talking about the game 's new multiplayer options , but it offered a live demo of the game 's single-player campaign on a movie theater screen . The game 's action will send a team of U.S. soldiers , called the Tombstone Squad , to photorealistic locales such as Azerbaijan , Russia and China as they battle a new global threat . The gameplay features a more Hollywood style of action , upping the ante with heavily armed ( Russian and Chinese ) enemies and tense life-or-death scenarios . This franchise has succeeded on the strength of its wide-open multiplayer battlefields , and this version appears to offer even more open environments and freedom of exploration . 'Thief ' ( Square Enix/Eidos Montreal , 2014 ) Developer Eidos Montreal is bringing back a classic first-person action game with `` Thief . '' After successfully moving the futuristic sci-fi `` Deus Ex '' action franchise forward with `` Human Revolution '' last year , the studio is going back in time with the fourth installment of `` Thief . '' The game is a reimagining of the stealth gaming franchise rather than merely a sequel . Players will once again take on the role of Garrett , a master thief , and explore a fantasy steampunk world brought to life for next-generation consoles . This story-driven game is n't about shooting , or even killing . In fact , like Arkane Studios ' `` Dishonored '' last year , the entire game can be played without killing anyone . Garrett uses his stealth and cunning to traverse the city 's shadows and achieve various objectives , which , of course , include stealing priceless items . He also has an assortment of weapons , such as specialized arrows and swords . The developer , which most recently worked on the multiplayer gameplay for `` Tomb Raider , '' promises this game will have mainstream appeal while offering new challenges for hard-core fans of the franchise .
Game makers converge on San Francisco for the Game Developers Conference . It offers sneak peek at upcoming upcoming games . Highlights include action game ` ` LEGO Marvel Super Heroes , '' puzzle game ` ` Daylight ''