Path of Exile has announced a new expansion, The Awakening. On top of a new Act, bosses, items, and all that good content, there’s also a big addition to the legendary Passive Skill Tree: radial passive boosts. I love this idea, because it turns the physical layout of the skill tree into a puzzle that players can play with. Basically, certain gems you can earn will have a circle of influence in the skill tree that affects compatible nodes. If the gem is related to Intelligence modifiers, it will give a boost of some kind to all of the Intelligence-related nodes around it. I don’t know how you place them (I haven’t researched all of it yet, but I’d guess that skill nodes have colorized sockets now too?) but this alone means that GGG is moving the game in an even crazier, rewarding direction.
Star Citizen has written about their First Person Shooter system, which I find highly interesting. Like Dark Souls, it will involve a stamina-management system, forcing players to play cautiously and “spend” their stamina on worthwhile action. Three different “stances” will emphasize different aspects of combat and interaction, and I suggest you read more about how breathing control factors into fighting in space!