Although 2013 has just taken off, it's already shaping up to
be a weird year for the gaming industry. It’s the end of the current generation’s
console cycle, and that means graphics - like everything else - has reached its
limit. It looks like Microsoft and Sony will try to squeeze one more year out
of their current gaming consoles before the Xbox 720 and PS4 make it into the
market. Meanwhile, Nintendo will be trying to get its new hardware, the Wii U,
off the ground. But despite the turbulent environment - the list of big game
releases still looks quite encouraging.
It goes without saying that PCs are on the forefront of
videogame development as they aren’t anywhere as constrained as their console
counterparts. They are at least half a decade ahead of the pack – which allows
developers to make use of high resolution textures and detailed physics engines.
Here are 15 of the most anticipated video games of 2013.
1. Dead Space 3
The nerve chilling sci-fi third-person shooter is back and
promises to be more terrifying than ever. Isaac Clarke is returning to
Necromorph territory more prepared than ever. Teaming up with his buddy John
Carver, Isaac intends to discover the root cause of all Necromorphs and
permanently eviscerate the abominations from the universe. Fans can anticipate
Dead Space 3 to honor the series’ identity of horror and brutality. Dead Space
3 also introduces new co-op play, where you can play as Isaac and John together
with your friends.
Platforms: PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Release date: February, 2013
2. Crysis 3
Crysis 3 sees Prophet return to a post-apocalypse New York
to finally take his revenge on the corrupt Cell Corporation. Veering away from
the corridor shooter gameplay of the second Crysis, Crysis 3 is set to offer
wide open spaces in a New York City overrun by flora and fauna. Players can
expect to be able to utilize free-form strategies against AI opponents as they
traverse through the wide open areas.
Platforms: PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Release date: February, 2013
3. Grand Theft Auto V
GTA V will be the first game in the series that allows
players to assume the role of three different main characters - Michael, Trevor
and Franklin. A gaming world said to be bigger than the environments of Red
Dead Redemption, GTA: San Andreas and GTA 4 combined. And if all that wasn't
enough, Rockstar is also promising to redefine open-world multiplayer.
Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360
Release date: Q2 2013
4. Bioshock Infinite
The game was originally scheduled for a 2012 release, but
the necromancers over at Irrational Games pushed this highly ambitious title
into 2013. BioShock Infinite introduces a whole new environment, the game is
set in the floating sky-city of Columbia, a metropolis shrouded in clouds and
secrets. Gamers will play as Booker DeWitt, a former Pinkerton agent with a rugged
yet handsome look. Matching its predecessors will be no easy task, but a
floating fortress in the midst of a civil war has certainly caught my interest.
Platforms: PC, PS3, Xbox 360, PS Vita
Release date: March, 2013
5. Sim City
As the name suggests, SimCity is a reboot of the classic
city-building sandbox, and the first true sequel since 2004. Just think of the
leaps in processing power that computers have made since then, and imagine how
much more detailed your little metropolis could be. It’ll be all the more
devastating when a UFO comes and ruins everything.
Platforms: PC, Mac
Release date: March, 2013
6. Watch Dogs
Developed by Ubisoft Montreal, the same team responsible for
Far Cry and Assassin’s Creed, comes Watch Dogs, a hacking and surveillance
sandbox game. Forget iOS vs Android. In Watch Dogs’ future, everyone is jacked
into a centralized operating system, which means that the game’s hacker protagonist
has access to the digital lives of the entire city. To complement the typical
open-world fare of shooting and driving, the game will allow players to
eavesdrop on cell phone conversations, manipulate city infrastructure, and even
just look up the names of passersby.
Platforms: PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Release date: TBA 2013
7. Starcraft II: Heart Of The Swarm
Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm is the first expansion pack
to Starcraft II, and the second chapter in a planned trilogy of games. The
game's campaign takes place after the events of the first game and you take on
the role of Sarah Kerrigan and the Zerg race in an all new single-player
campaign. The multiplayer is also set to get some major additions with new
buildings, units, and associated strategies.
Platforms: PC, Mac
Release date: March, 2013
8. Remember Me
It’s delightfully uncomfortable to think about Remember Me’s
setting of 2084 Paris, where surveillance is everywhere, privacy doesn’t exist,
and certain people—including the game’s protagonist, Nilin - have the power to
change people’s memories. With former Splinter Cell, Rainbow Six and Heavy Rain
staff overseeing its development, Remember Me should strike a nice balance
between action and storytelling.
Platforms: PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Release date: May, 2013
9. Gears of War:
Judgment
Another game, another prequel. This time, it’s the Gears of
War franchise. Gears of War: Judgement takes place before the events of the
original trilogy, with Baird and his team brought to trial for disobeying
orders. Add in class-based multiplayer, and what you have is a prequel full of
surprises.
Platforms: Xbox 360
Release date: March, 2013
10. The Cave
The Cave sees seven characters from across time and space -
including an adventurer, a knight, time-traveller and a scientist - join forces
to explore a Cave that magically brings their desires, hopes and dreams to life.
Did I mention that The Cave is the brainchild of the maker of adventure
classics Day of the Tentacle and Maniac Mansion? Could this be 2013's must-have
downloadable release?
Platforms: PC, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U
Release date: January, 2013
11. 0x10c
Mojang, the studio behind Minecraft, has a twist in mind for
its sci-fi MMO: At the core of every player’s spaceship is a fully programmable
16-bit computer. At best, 0x10c’s CPUs will spark the same type of creativity
that made Minecraft a huge hit.
Platform: PC
Release date: TBA 2013
12. Destiny
Little is known about the next big game from Bungie, the
studio that created Halo. What people have heard so far outlines a story about
an alien invasion, and a sci-fi universe that aspires to be as epic in scale as
Star Wars. We’ll see about that - but Bungie’s track record is enough to keep
us listening.
Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360
Release date: TBA 2013
13. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
Developed by Platinum Studios with input from Hideo Kojima,
Metal Gear Rising combines a thrilling combat system with an insane story. It's
also extremely violent - thanks to a brutal, albeit enormously fun limb-slicing
system - and incredibly challenging. Is "revengeance" even a word? I’m
not sure, but action and Metal Gear fans are in for a treat in 2013.
Platforms: PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Release date: February, 2013
14. God of War: Ascension
God of War: Ascension is the next in line for the popular
God of War series, exclusive to the PlayStation 3 console system. Taking place
six months after Kratos killed his wife and child, God of War: Ascension
promises to reveal a more human side to Sony's ancient Greek anti-hero, before
he was consumed by a desire for revenge. The game will also have the newly
introduced multiplayer system.
Platforms: PS3
Release date: March, 2013
15. Tomb Raider
The highly-anticipated Tomb Raider reboot reveals how Lara
Croft became the fearless treasure-hunting heroine we've all come to know and
love. Shipwrecked on a hostile island and without her usual highly-developed
skillset, it's not going to be an easy ride, especially with scavengers, wolves
and booby-trapped temples to contend with. Seriously. Lara Croft has been
around for 16 years and, in recent years, has really shown her age, hopefully
that will change with this game.
Platforms: PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Release date: March, 2013
I’m well aware that this list is non-exhaustive. There are
many more grand releases set for 2013 such as Prison Architect, The Last of Us, Total War:
Rome 2, Beyond: Two Souls, DmC: Devil May Cry, The Elder Scrolls Online, Metro:
Last Light and many others. Feel free to discuss in the comments below.
