Top Sliver Companies For 2014

It's hard to compete against "free."

Free-to-play and casual games finally took a big bite out of Activision Blizzard's (NASDAQ: ATVI  ) tent pole franchise, World of Warcraft. The subscription-based game lost 1.3 million members last quarter, or 14% of its total user base.

In the following video, Fool contributor Demitrios Kalogeropoulos says there's a sliver lining to this bad news, and that Activision has some levers it can pull to keep Warcraft afloat. Still, the best-case scenario is for a more steady decline for this aging game that will give the company time to build up its newer franchises.

While Activision and Microsoft have been taking the headlines when it comes to console gaming, investors following the gaming sector would do well to also keep tabs on Electronic Arts. We can help. The Motley Fool's special report breaks down the risks and opportunities facing the company to help you decide if EA is right for your portfolio. Click here to get your copy now.

Top Sliver Companies For 2014: (AUNFF)

Aurcana Corporation, junior mining company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of natural resource properties in Mexico and the United states. The company primarily explores for silver, copper, zinc, and lead. It holds approximately 92% interests in La Negra property located in the state of Queretaro, Mexico; and 100% indirect interest in Shafter silver mine located in Presidio County, southwest Texas. The company was formerly known as Cane Corporation and changed its name to Aurcana Corporation in June 1996. Aurcana Corporation was incorporated in 1917 and is based in Vancouver, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Christopher Barker]

  Aurcana enters 2012 with a remarkable production surge in the works. The company anticipates first production from the Shafter mine in Southwest Texas in May of this year, with 3.8 million ounces of low-cost silver output slated for the mine's first 12 months of commercial output. Given the simultaneous 33% expansion of the mill at Aurcana's producing La Negra mine in Mexico -- targeted for completion in March 2012 -- I see strong potential for Aurcana to approach 6 million ounces of silver-equivalent production during 2013. From a current production profile of about 1.7 million SEOs per year, a 250% surge within a two-year span represents one of the industry's most exciting near-term growth trajectories.

  According to the current mine plan, Shafter is a short-lived operation that would only support peak output for the first two years before dwindling down to 2 million ounces by the fifth year of operation. However, the Shafter deposit remains open along strike to potential expansion in two directions from the adjoined historical and modern orebodies. In its former incarnation as the Presidio mine, Shafter produced some 35 million ounces of silver between 1883 and 1942. I have learned to never underestimate the potential for modern exploration to yield meaningful expansion of historically significant orebodies.

  I consider the La Negra asset prospective for further expansion as well; 83% of third-quarter production came from new discoveries or resources not included within the existing resource estimate. Recent drill results look encouraging, and an updated resource estimate expected during the current quarter offers investors another potential catalyst for share-price advancement during 2012.

Top Sliver Companies For 2014: Hemisphere Gps Inc Com Npv (HEM.TO)

Hemisphere GPS Inc. engages in the design, manufacture, marketing, and sale of precision global positioning system (GPS) products and technologies for positioning, guidance, and machine control applications. The company provides GPS precision agriculture products, which reduce the potential for skips or overlaps, as well as enables customers to apply chemicals; precision guidance, tracking, and flow control products for applications, such as row crop spraying, pest control, forest management, and firefighting operations; and Outback Guidance products that focus on tractor guidance, automated control, and mapping for various precision agriculture operations. It also offers guidance systems for earthworks projects, including excavation, automated steering, and snow grooming activities. In addition, the company provides global navigation satellite system (GNSS) positioning and Vector GPS compass products for a range of applications comprising hydrographic surveying and dredgi ng, navigation, mapping and land surveying, machine control, and other applications that require positioning and navigation, as well as markets Crescent, Eclipse, and Vector technologies for OEM applications. It primarily has operations in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia. The company was formerly known as CSI Wireless Inc. and changed its name to Hemisphere GPS Inc. in May 2007. Hemisphere GPS Inc. was founded in 1990 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.

Top China Stocks To Watch For 2014: Great Wolf Resorts Inc.(WOLF)

Great Wolf Resorts, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a family entertainment resort company in North America. It owns, licenses, operates, and develops drive-to destination family resorts featuring indoor water parks and other family-oriented entertainment activities under the Great Wolf Lodge brand name. The company?s resorts features a combination of amenities, including themed restaurants, ice cream shop and confectionery, full-service adult spa, kid spa, game arcade, gift shop, miniature golf, interactive game attraction, family tech center, and meeting space. As of December 31, 2011, it operated 11 Great Wolf Lodge resorts located in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin; Sandusky, Ohio; Traverse City, Michigan; Kansas City, Kansas; Williamsburg, Virginia; Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania; Niagara Falls, Ontario; Mason, Ohio; Grapevine, Texas; Grand Mound, Washington; and Concord, North Carolina. The company was founded in 1992 and is headquartered in Madison, Wis consin.

Top Sliver Companies For 2014: Petrominerales Ltd (PMG.TO)

Petrominerales Ltd., an oil and gas company, engages in the exploration, development, and production of crude oil in Colombia and Peru. It holds 100% interest in various exploration blocks located in Deep Llanos, Central Llanos, Llanos Heavy Oil, and Middle Magdalena basins in Columbia. The company also has incremental production contracts in Putomayo and Upper Magdelena Basins of Colombia, as well as holds interests in exploration blocks located in Ucayali and Titicaca basins in Peru. Petrominerales Ltd. was incorporated in 1996 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.