Well here we are, at the start of new year. As I prepare to start going to the gym to follow through with my New Years Resolution of losing some weight, I think its time to start looking at the games that I'm looking forward to playing this year as soon as I give up on the gym and realize my place is in front of the couch with a controller in hand. So here are the games that I'm most looking forward to in 2013.
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Injustice: Gods Among Us (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii U)
This game has been a long time coming. While we got a taste for a superhero fighter in Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, that taste was a bit sour. However, with the same creative team behind Injustice that created the amazing Mortal Kombat reboot two years ago (which was the first fighting game outside of Super Smash Bros. that I really got into), call me excited. With a promise of an interesting story, unique characters, and interactive environments, this game seems to have everything going for it. I have no idea how Green Arrow will be able to beat up Superman, but I don’t think I’ll care.
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South Park: The Stick of Truth (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
Basically, this game looks like an interactive episode of South Park, which in and of itself is exciting. While I’ve enjoyed games like Scott Tenorman’s Revenge, they were nothing particularly special or South Park-ish. This game however, which has direct involvement from South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, seems to something more. The fact that it seems to be based on one of my favorite South Park episodes, “The Return of the Fellowship of the Ring to the Two Towers,” certainly doesn’t hurt. If it all works out, The Stick of Truth will contain some of South Parks trademark satire and inappropriate humor, all while being fun. Hopefully, the game will survive publisher THQ’s recent bankruptcy.
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The Last of Us (PS3)
The Last of Us looks to be an interesting take on the post-apocalyptic shooter game. Like The Walking Dead: The Game before it, The Last of Us seems like it really wants to make you question what it means to survive in a world where society has broken down. What does it mean to have to kill other human beings in order to survive. And this interesting story is going to be contained in a third person shooter created by the makers of the wonderful Uncharted series? Count me in. Its also nice to see a big-name developer taking a risk on a new IP, especially as this current console cycle starts to come to an end. 
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Beyond: Two Souls (PS3)
This is easily my most anticipated game of 2013, if not ever. The spiritual successor to Heavy Rain, which can probably be accurately called my favorite video game ever, Beyond: Two Souls looks to be on track to be another video game masterpiece. For those of you who read my “Are Video Games Art?” article, you know Heavy Rain is one of the few games I consider to be true video game art. Hopefully, David Cage’s newest work can live up to that legacy. However, having heard that this story was written on a very personal level by Cage, I think that Beyond will be a masterpiece in its own right. Also, it stars Ellen Page. Nuff said.
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Bioshock: Infinite (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
Bioshock was one of the first video games that truly could be called art. It was smart, meticulously developed, and wonderfully craft. Bioshock 2 however, while not a bad game in its own right, seemed to be trying too hard to live up to the brilliance of its predecessor. So it seems like a set in the right direction to take the franchise out of water so it can fly to new heights, literally. The setting, the story, the gameplay, and with Ken Levine behind it all seem to point towards this game becoming another video game classic.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aliens: Colonial Marines (Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Wii U)
I’m a huge fan of the first two Alien movies, and even enjoyed Aliens: Resurrection, the AvP series, and Prometheus (lets just forget about Aliens 3). So with the same developer as the Borderlands series, Gearbox, behind this game, I’m really looking forward to it. This game may have had a long and troubled development history, but from what we’ve seen of this game, it looks to be a tension filled experience, with great story. Hopefully it won’t end up like Gearbox’s other long in-development game, Duke Nukem Forever. 
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Star Trek (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
At first, I was wary of this new Star Trek game. I’m a huge Trekkie and love the J.J. Abrams reboot, but I’ve been burned before by tie-in games, especially from the Star Trek franchise. I still remember the awful Tactical Assault and Legacy video games of the Bethesda era. However, Star Trek video game history hasn’t been all bad with great games like Elite Force II, Armada, and Shattered Universe. However, what has me most excited about this game is that it seems to be doing its own thing. While obviously tied in terms of release date to the upcoming Star Trek Into Darkness, this game has been in the works before that film had even started. With an original story, great voice actors from the movies, and an interesting focus on coop (which is a feature sorely missed in many games today), this game had my interest, but now it has my attention. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Honorable Mentions
Great list, nice and varied. I generally dislike lists that pretend they are for all types of games and end up with two from one genre and seven from the other.
ReplyDeleteI've got a slightly relevant question: Do you think it's a necesity to play previous instalments of video game series? Or can each individual game work as a standalone piece? In my head, it seems like an issue of - "lose part of the story" vs "Lose part of your mortgage"
Take, for example, Mass Effect. I only played the last instalment and generally felt fufilled. Could I have gone back to experience the richness that is affecting the entire multiverse with even the most minute decision I made years before? Sure! But the costs have, at least at this point in time, outweight the benefits...
In a more extreme case, games that span multiple consoles! Take the Kingdom Hearts Series. To be able to experience "all" of it, you need at least a:
Playstation 2
Gameboy Advance
Multiple copies of the same game ("Final Mix" Editions, with tons of added content that is "needed" to understand the story without implying history)
A japanese phone (This one IS entirely optional as they recreated the game for the DS)
A nintendo DS
A Nintendo 3DS
A PSP
And that's not even counting the actual games themselves (for the most part), nor the fact that the series is still not over. Each console has a few games in themselves (each canon) and not to mention the suplemental material (plot relevant novelizations, for example). Luckily, the series still does not offer DLC... But that's for a different time!
So, to reiterate my question, Do you generally think it's a necesity to play previous instalments of a video game series? Or can each individual game work as a standalone piece?
I think it really depends on the game series. For things like Assassin's Creed series, I dont think its really necessary to play every single game. Most of the time, the games do a nice job of catching you up on the story pretty well. However, with games like Mass Effect, I feel that while you shouldn't be REQUIRED to play the previous games, that it would be highly encouraged, especially for a series that relies so heavily on a buildup of your input and a buildup of the vast mythology and universe. For the most part, however, I have yet to come across a game where it was NECESSARY for you to play the previous ones, but it does enrich your experience to play all of them. However, I usually like to just wait sometimes and get the whole series at once. Like right now, you can guy the entire Mass Effect series for $60 with the collection. The same can be said of Killzone, InFamous, God of War, Devil May Cry, Metal Gear Solid, Halo, Gears of War. Patience is definitely worthwhile in the game industry.
DeleteThe form of the article is really good James! Im excited for some of those too (Infinite, Beyond, Last of Us), but I'm surprised to not see GTA V on the list. Sure, IV suffered from obsessions of grit and dirt at the time, but it still holds up!
ReplyDeleteI dont know. GTAIV got way to serious for me. I loved the days when I could just pick up a controller and wreak havoc. Thats why I loved San Andres so much. I mean, it had jetpacks, and all sorts of crazy stuff. Though to be fair, Saints Row series might have filled that niche, so it might be interesting to see a more seriously toned game. It just doesn't interest me as much.
DeleteThat's what I said!
Delete