Most Anticipated Game of 2013

January 10, 2013 by Paul Curtin

With 2013 most likely being the final year for big name games to be released on the current console generation, developers are trying their best to meet release date deadlines and push out all their final work before the next wave of systems. 2013 is a very questionable year for games: on one hand there’s a batch of amazing looking games that finally have actual release dates, like The Last of Us and Grand Theft Auto V, but others such as Cyberpunk 2077, Prey 2, Star Wars 1313, and Watch Dogs are still titles that could very well end up being delayed into 2014 or seeing releases as next-gen titles.

Last year’s winner for Most Anticipated, BioShock Infinite, was originally planned for a 2012 release and delayed into 2013. While Infinite is still looking amazing and is almost certainly going to be one of the best games of 2013, the news that multiplayer has been scrapped and lack of new footage since its jawdropping E3 2011 gameplay preview has slightly lessened its momentum as we’ve have to wait longer and longer to get our hands on Irrational’s new take on the franchise. Luckily, it doesn’t seem like there will be any more delays for BioShock as it nears its early 2013 release alongside other heavily anticipated games like Dead Space 3 and Aliens: Colonial Marines.

Both God of War and Gears of War sequels look more like cheap reasons for both Sony and Microsoft to fill their release date calendar with some final exclusives. Having Cliff Bleszinski and Rod Fergusson leave Epic Games and Adrian Chmielarz leave People Can Fly (which he founded) all in the middle of production isn’t a good sign for Judgment, a game that from the start has looked more like a glorified expansion pack than true sequel. While God of War’s development team hasn’t been dropping like people who try to fly, Ascension also seems a bit forced, however, the unique multiplayer that we got our hands on at E3 might be its saving grace that puts it ahead in the battle of console exclusives next year with the “GoW” acronym.

Even with the upcoming Tomb Raider looking amazing by trying to outdo what Naughty Dog has done in the past with the Uncharted series and Rockstar Games’ highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto V finally coming out, nothing seems to be as special as what’s been teased so far in The Last of Us. Naughty Dog’s Uncharted 2 was easily the best game of 2009 and Uncharted 3 was equally as good and one of the best games of 2011. Everything we’ve seen so far points to Naughty Dog not just outdoing everyone else, but themselves too. The Last of Us’ gameplay and story looks phenomenal and the perfect way to end the current console generation with the best game to date on May 7, 2013. Winner: The Last of Us.