Games you shouldn’t miss in 2013
The LIFESPAN of the current crop of consoles is almost over, with Nintendo’s next generation Wii U already on shelves and Microsoft and Sony preparing to launch an updated Xbox and PlayStation, respectively. But there is life in the old dogs yet, and 2013 looks set to be another milestone year in terms of industry innovation. From new instalments of blockbuster franchises (I lie awake thinking about the hours I am going to waste playing the new Grand Theft Auto), to promising new titles (Watch Dogs, a cyberpunk adventure in the mould of Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, is my prediction for game of the year). Here is our pick of six of the best, most original upcoming games you can’t afford to miss.
DEAD SPACE 3 Released 5 Feb; PS3, Xbox 360, PC
What we hope it will be:
Another terrifying instalment in the most original space shoot-em-up on the market.
What we hope it avoids:
Becoming the first Dead Space to try to wring too much from the corridor-crawling format.
GRAND THEFT AUTO V Released 5 Feb; PS3, Xbox 360, PC
What we hope it will be:
The same blend of action and wicked humour, set in an even more richly developed city.
What we hope it avoids:
A tired re-hashing of the now-familiar GTA tropes (steal car, shoot cop, get rich).
BIOSHOCK INFINITE Released 26 March; PS3, Xbox 360
What we hope it will be:
A steampunk paradise with sinister political overtones that builds on the combat system of the original.
What we hope it avoids:
Losing the magic of the art-deco underwater world that housed the previous two iterations of the franchise.
WATCH DOGS NO release date; PS3, Xbox 360
What we hope it will be:
The first open-world game to realise the potential of hacking as a weapon; an intelligent look at the privacy debate.
What we hope it avoids:
Not living up to its incredibly ambitious premise (as it is Ubisoft, this probably isn’t going to happen).
NI NO KUNI Released 25 Jan; PS3
What we hope it will be:
A graphically rich Japanese role playing game (RPG) that reminds us why the genre still exists.
What we hope it avoids:
A case of style over substance where the Studio Ghibli-designed graphics mask the repetitive gameplay.
DEADPOOL NO release date; PS3, Xbox 360
What we hope it will be:
An irreverent, over-the-top journey through the deranged mind of one of Marvel’s top-selling characters.
What we hope it avoids:
Falling into the Duke Nukem quagmire of fart jokes and misogyny; being another photo-fit superhero bore.