Most Anticipated of 2013: Andrew's Picks

The editorial team at Shacknews outlines their most anticipated games of 2013 individually. Next up, we've got senior editor Andrew Yoon with his list of 2013 titles.

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There's a lot to be excited for in 2013, and the Shacknews staff each have five games on their radar. The editorial team at Shacknews outlines their most anticipated games of 2013 individually. Next up, we've got senior editor Andrew Yoon with his list of next year's titles.

First off, let me just say that any game that was in my list for 2012 that didn't come out yet is disqualified. Sorry, BioShock Infinite and Ni no Kuni. I still want you for all the same reasons.


The Last of Us

The Last of Us made quite an unexpected debut at the VGAs. Coming fresh off the release of Uncharted 3, my first reaction was: "oh, that's why Uncharted 3 wasn't all that great." Yes, it's a cynical response, but UC3 failed to live up to the expectations of UC2. Perhaps it was the rushed development cycle, or the lack of surprise in Drake's third adventure.

With much more time poured into The Last of Us, and a new setting and tone unlike anything we've seen from Naughty Dog so far, I can't help but be cautiously optimistic for this zombie apocalypse.


DmC: Devil May Cry

I still don't understand the outrage at Dante's new look. (How is it "more gay" than this?) And while I can understand fears surrounding new developer Ninja Theory, I think Capcom's made a smart decision to reboot the franchise. Yes, Heavenly Sword was rather mediocre, but given it was a launch title on a notoriously difficult platform to work on, I think that can be overlooked. The team's next effort, Enslaved, was one of the most overlooked gems of this generation. With Capcom's internal team providing feedback, I feel like DmC: Devil May Cry can focus the obvious talent at the Cambridge studio and make something truly special.

Giving the franchise a reboot is really a no-lose situation for fans, too. Best case scenario: we get a Devil May Cry game that's fresh and full of surprises, unlike Devil May Cry 4. Worst case scenario: we can just play through Devil May Cry 3 again.


Beyond: Two Souls

Heavy Rain has not a perfect game. In fact, it was terribly flawed. Yet, I can't help but appreciate what it tried to do. While gamers have recently complained about the lack of meaningful choice in Mass Effect 3 and even The Walking Dead, Heavy Rain made good on its promise of offering a truly interactive narrative. In the weeks following Quantic Dream's release, gamers everywhere shared their stores, many wildly different from each other.

Beyond: Two Souls takes the spirit of Heavy Rain and addresses its main flaws head-on. Namely, having a talented actress like Ellen Paige should alleviate some of the issues we had with the performances in Quantic Dream's last game. Add a revamped graphics engine, a humbled David Cage, and a rather unique premise, and this could be PS3's other swan song.


Pikmin 3

The original Pikmin was good. But Pikmin 2 was extraordinary, offering a distinctly Nintendo take on the RTS genre. If there's any genre that can fully take advantage of Wii U's touch-screen GamePad, it's strategy. The long-awaited Pikmin 3 doesn't need to do much: it just needs to incorporate some intuitive touch controls into an already-solid gameplay formula. Nintendo will have to go out of their way in order to screw this up, and I just don't see that happening.


Tearaway

Not much is known about Media Molecule's first Vita game. But, there's good reason to be excited: Tearaway is the studio's first original IP since graduating from LittleBigPlanet. If anyone can figure out a "killer app" for Sony's struggling handheld, it's going to be this team.


Oh, and Persona 5...

Andrew Yoon was previously a games journalist creating content at Shacknews.

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  • reply
    December 28, 2012 9:00 AM

    Andrew Yoon posted a new article, Most Anticipated of 2013: Andrew's Picks.

    The editorial team at Shacknews outlines their most anticipated games of 2013 individually. Next up, we've got senior editor Andrew Yoon with his list of 2013 titles.

    • reply
      December 28, 2012 9:07 AM

      I didn't even know The Last of Us was a zombie game. The only other footage I saw was the main character fighting a couple of other humans so I just assumed there was just some war or society fell apart. That's way more interesting to me than zombies :(

      Still looks like a really good game though

    • reply
      December 28, 2012 10:29 AM

      I'm looking forward to The Last Of Us and I don't own a PS3, nor will I ever. Maybe I'll entice my brother to buy it and I'll watch him play.

    • reply
      December 28, 2012 12:12 PM

      DmC over Revengeance? GET OUTTA TOWN.

    • reply
      December 28, 2012 12:26 PM

      only one of those games is cross platform. it should be called: Most Anticipated of 2013: Andrew Picks Games on Systems I Dont Own.

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