Gamers, we’ve finally made it to 2013, and now that we’ve gotten that whole ‘Mayan apocalypse’ thing out of the way, it’s time for us to shift our focus towards an exciting, interesting, and impressive looking year for video games.
There’s no doubt about it: this year will bring about some exciting advancements to the world of video games, as it seems that the next generation of consoles is right around the corner.
Both Sony and Microsoft plan to unveil their newest consoles at some point this year, and this also happens to be the first full year for Nintendo to prove the might of its latest console, the Wii U.
But while we can speculate and debate about the future these three new devices all we want, there’s a much more vital question to address first: how many games can we look forward to playing this year? The short answer: quite a bit, actually.
The video game industry is known for many of its high profile titles being sequels and reboots and, for better or worse, 2013 looks no different. With games like God of War: Ascension for PlayStation 3, Gears of War: Judgment for Xbox 360, and countless other titles like Dead Space 3, Dark Souls 2, Splinter Cell: Blacklist, Tomb Raider, and TWO Metal Gear games on the way, it seems like nearly every major video game series of the past few years is making a return to the limelight.
Though I could have done an entire feature on all of these games, I’d like to detail a few that are really catching my eye.
For starters, there’s Bioshock Infinite, one of the most anticipated games coming this year, and for good reasons. The latest addition to the highly acclaimed FPS series, Bioshock Infinite promises to keep the core elements of the series – intense action/RPG gameplay with fully realized characters and environments – fully intact, yet also hopes to reimagine the series in a variety of ways.
The bleak underwater city of Rapture from the past two games is being traded in for the radiant, thriving aerial world of Columbia, bringing a whole new tone and a fresh coat of paint to the series.
There is also a greater sense of character development found in this entry, as the games two main characters, Booker DeWitt and partner Elizabeth, must work together and learn from one another in order to complete the games puzzles and challenges.
This emphasis on who it is you’re playing as adds a more personal dimension to the already gripping level of storytelling seen in the series, and I for one am excited to see how it will turn out. Bioshock Infinite comes out March 26 for PC, PS3, and 360.
Another hotly anticipated title expected to arrive this year for the PS3 and 360 is Grand Theft Auto V, the first major addition to the widely popular and controversial Grand Theft Auto franchise since GTA IV in 2008.
Set in the sunny sandbox world of Los Santos, GTA V aims to push the series that many of us know and love well beyond its boundaries, with the game’s story being told from the perspective of three – yes, three – main characters in a sandbox environment which will allegedly be bigger than the over worlds of GTA: San Andreas, GTA IV, and Red Dead Redemption combined. It’s a massive game that will hopefully meet some equally huge expectations.
But sequels aren’t everything in gaming, as far as future new series go, there are few that excite me quite as much as Ubisofts’ Watch Dogs.
Though it may appear on the surface to be a typical open world action game, Watch Dogs takes the genre a step further by giving the player the ability to hack into anything with a microchip. From office security systems to traffic lights and people’s cell phones, Watch Dogs gives players control over an environment in a way that’s never been seen before in a video game, and it will certainly be interesting to see how this mechanic will play out when we see the full game in action.
On to the PlayStation 3. From the intense, Olympian action of God of War: Ascension, to the cartoony sleuthing of Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time, to the strange, story-book styling’s of Beyond: Two Souls, the PS3 is looking to have a fantastic year filled with a variety of distinct exclusive titles.
But the one that has me intrigued more than the rest is The Last of Us, an upcoming action-adventure title from the makers of the Uncharted series.
Set in the ruins of a post-apocalyptic United States, The Last of Us follows survivors Joel and Ellie as they trek through dilapidated towns and defend themselves against hostile enemies. It seems a bit familiar, but the games cinematic feel and interplay between the two main characters gives reason to believe that this is a title worth watching.
And then there’s Nintendo, a company that I personally adore, but one that others might be rolling their eyes at just from me naming them here.
Sure, there are no major Legend of Zelda or Smash Bros. titles to expect in the near future (though this year’s E3 might prove that wrong), but nevertheless, there are still some exciting titles to look out for, namely, Ubisoft’s Rayman Legends, the gorgeous and wacky sequel to 2011’s Rayman Origins, out February 26 on the Wii U, and Pikmin 3, the long-awaited strategy/adventure sequel out later this year for Wii U.
Even more interesting, however, is The Wonderful 101, a super stylish and intense action game coming for Wii U made by the creator of games like Bayonetta and Okami.
Instead of just one lowly hero, The Wonderful 101 gives you control of a swarm of tiny, super-powered heroes as you travel through hyper-colored streets battling mechanized foes with a variety of unique powers.
While Nintendo’s new home console is proving to be strong, it’s handheld, the 3DS, looks to be doing even better this year.With highly anticipated sequels like Fire Emblem Awakening (Feb. 4), Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon (Mar. 24), and Pokemon X and Y, the series’ first fully 3D adventures, all due this year, it seems like 3DS owners will be quite busy playing right up until 2014.
Though I tried to touch on as much as I could in this feature, this is only the tip of the iceberg regarding what to expect in 2013. There’s always more to be announced and plenty of hidden gems to unearth, so as 2013 rolls on, keep searching, keep listening, and most of all, keep playing.
