I say this is the Shortlist – it’s in fact just a short list. Looking at the games for 2013, there are truly a lot of good games – but most of them aren’t really my sort of game. So when it came to looking at, well, what I was looking forward to, I found that my list isn’t probably as long as it should or could be… At least this means you won’t get much of a ramble? Perhaps. On with the list, in no particular order:
Dragon Age III: Inquisition
I’m a fan of the previous two Dragon Age games, so it’s no wonder I was excited by the Open Letter on their page revealing Dragon Age III. Now, there’s no officially release date saying 2013, other than the studio’s desire to have it released by end of year. Looking at the Dragon Age panel at PAX East 2012 last year, I was excited with the prospects offered. They seemed to have taken the criticisms regarding DA:O and DA2 constructively, the panel noting key changes such as customised, but unique armour for each character, diverse settings to explore, and the heavy hints that Orlais will play host to our adventures this time around.
The Elder Scrolls Online
I started playing the Elder Scrolls games when Oblivion came out – and I was hooked instantly. The form of play combines so many of the things I look for in a game: customisation, open adventure, roleplaying opportunities, CUSTOMISATION… It’s why I’ve also always been a fan of MMOs (though I can’t afford to play them!) – there’s just something about making your own character, to leave your own unique mark on the game world, that I really enjoy. So when Elder Scrolls Online was announced, I was eager. Now, I know it won’t look like Skyrim – I have no illusions about that. And I know that it will play differently, due to constraints and limitations. But I am optimistic and fully prepared to hold off judgement until I actually play the game. There’s been no word on an official release date, but you presently sign up for the beta and see if you get lucky.
Bayonetta 2
While I’ve liked the mechanics of the WiiU, none of the games have really clicked with me. Then I found out about Bayonetta 2. I loved the first game, as well as the similar Devil May Cry series. We’ve not seen much about how the game will play or what the storyline is like, but I’m still looking forward to giving it a go whenever it comes out.
Saints Row 4
I hadn’t gotten in to the Saints Row series until the Third game. As I said before, I love customised characters. I hadn’t been a big player of Grand Theft Auto and I originally thought Saints Row was more of the same. However, I received Saints Row the Third as a Christmas present and gave it a try. The ridiculousness of it was enough to sway me as well. As Saints Row 4 looks to be more of the same over-the-top hilarity, I’m looking forward to seeing how to measures up.
Watch Dogs (or WATCH_DOGS)
This is one of my odd “anticipated” games. There are many times that I enjoy watching someone play a game to see the story and such, but where I personally don’t enjoy playing it. I am worried that this will be another one of those games, where I sit and watch my husband play instead. However, I do still look forward to this game – particularly for the WiiU. I think that the WiiU has a great gameplay mechanic that needs to be explored with games with regards to the GamePad – and if any game tries to utilise that, it HAS to be Watch Dogs. The very nature of the storyline BEGS for that GamePad to be used in new, innovative ways. I’ll be incredibly disappointed if this isn’t the case…But we’ll just have to wait and see.
Well, that’s all I have for the moment. Hopefully, with PAX East 2013 finishing this weekend, we’ll have new insights into the upcoming titles – maybe a few new ones introduced? And we still have E3 coming up in June – I’m sure we’ll more concrete details and release dates then.