This post has not been edited by the GamesBeat staff. Opinions by GamesBeat community writers do not necessarily reflect those of the staff.
Action and Adventure
Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs – thechineseroom (Linux, OS X, Windows)
Game site
January, 2013
What is it?
The next installment in what could be emerging as a series of games sharing the horror-steeped formula of Frictional Games’ Amnesia, this takes place in 1899 within the bowels of a mysterious factory. Players will be sweating inside the skin of Oswald Mandus, an industrialist who has just returned from a “disastrous expedition” to Mexico. Waking up, you’re not sure how much time has actually passed – or what might be going on. Developers are promising more storylines intertwining with each other within the game and, of course, more blood curdling moments in the sputtering light licking at the shadows next to you.
Beyond: Two Souls – Quantic Dream (PS3)
Game site
Q1 2013
What is it?
Quantic Dream is flexing its storytelling chops once again after Heavy Rain. Through a stunning trailer, the developer is teasing a mysterious girl at the center of an unearthly power tearing apart small town normalcy in the dead of night. Not much else is revealed aside from how good it already looks and what lies “beyond” death as a part of what could amount to another chilling, and mature, story-based title.
BioShock Infinite – Irrational Games (PS3, Windows, Xbox 360)
Game site
March 26, 2013
What is it?
It’s a new installment to the ongoing series than a direct sequel, this time taking players high into the skies of the early 20th century as America literally rides high. Players take on the role of Booker DeWitt, an investigator, who is sent to the flying city of Columbia to find and rescue Elizabeth in order to clear his name of past disgrace. On Columbia, Booker and Elizabeth both will be fighting for their lives against a patchwork quilt of steampowered weirdness plated over with plenty of story. And Ken Levine isn’t simply building on top of what he’s done before, either, having admitted to creating a crack team to build Elizabeth into the “best AI companion character since Alyx Vance from Valve’s Half-Life 2”.
Broken Sword: The Serpent’s Curse – Revolution Software (Linux, OS X, Windows)
Kickstarter
Q1 2013
What is it?
The Broken Sword series returns in a fifth installment after a successful Kickstarter to help fund the sequel. It’s bringing back the original voice actors, such as Rolf Saxon reprising his role as George, with series developer Charles Cecil back in action with his team. It’s going to be a 2D, animated adventure that will take George and Nico back to Europe in a quest to discover the truth behind a mysterious art theft. But as fans, like me, know too well, it’s only the first part of a much larger adventure that we can’t wait to point-and-click our way through..
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate – MercurySteam (3DS)
Game site
March 5, 2013
What is it?
The sequel to MercurySteam’s reboot of the Castlevania legend, Lords of Shadow, is a 3DS exclusive. It takes place 25 years later as Trevor Belmont, son of the hero, Gabriel, from the first game, pits himself against his father who has become the infamous Dracula. The events in this game will eventually set up the bigger sequel, Lords of Shadow 2.
Dark – Realmforge Studios (PS3, Windows, Xbox 360)
Game site
Q1 2013
What is it?
A stealth game featuring the player as a bloodsucking vampire with powers and no idea how he got them. It takes place in today’s world giving it something of a modern edge in the same way that Troika’s Bloodlines had also done. Little else has been revealed other than it will also be using RPG elements in addition to being a sneaker.
Dead Island: Riptide – Techland (PS3, Windows, Xbox 360)
Game site
April 23, 2013
What is it?
It’s the sequel to the fun, but heavily flawed, open-world zombie buster, Dead Island. The sequel takes place hours after a massive hurricane tears through the resort paradise flooding the city and laying waste to the environment, creating new dangers and challenges for the survivors who are now caught between nature and the undead who are still hungry. One of the most interesting things about the game is that it will import the saved stats of your character from the first one, so you can technically start the game as a level 60 beast and level up from there. Let’s hope the netcode is just as ambitious in simply working the way it should.
Dead Space 3 – Visceral Games (PS3, Xbox 360, Windows)
Game site
February 5, 2013
What is it?
The third game in EA’s popular sci-fi horror series will be featuring everyone’s favorite space engineer suited up for a freezing trip to the mysterious planet of Tau Volantis. They’ve kept much of the story under wraps, but one thing that has already met with some criticism is the new co-op feature which has been argued could detract from the singular horror of the previous titles. The team behind the game promises that it won’t so the jury’s still out on how creepy the game will remain with a buddy. But at least players can count that there will still be plenty of limbs to go around.
Deadpool – High Moon Studios (PS3, Xbox 360)
http://deadpoolgame.com/
TBA 2013
What is it?
Expected sometime in 2013, the “merc with a mouth” is starring in his own, third-person action game. With Deadpool scribe, Daniel Way, leading the charge on the writing, players can likely expect even more of the silver tongued crazy shown off by the popular anti-hero in the comics and in games such as Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 and Spider Man: Shattered Dimensions.
DmC: Devil May Cry – Ninja Theory (PS3, X360)
Game site
January 15, 2013
What is it?
Not much has changed since last year’s look. Capcom tapped Ninja Theory (Heavenly Sword, Enslaved) to build this prequel up from ground zero eliciting more than a few angry reactions from a number of die-hard fans who variously described the protagonist as a “drug addict” to Tameemi Antoniades’ alter-ego…anything but Dante. With a demo in the mix and with considerably even keeled reactions from community forums such as DevilMayCry.org, and in being surprisingly fun to this DmC fan, it has a lot to prove when it finally hits shelves in January.
Dynasty Warriors 7: Empires – Omega Force (PSN)
Game site
February 26, 2013
What is it?
It’s the “Empires” version of this chapter of the series adding in more politics and tactical options to the title. Instead of a retail release, though, it looks like it’s going to be download-only for the PS3 via PSN.
Fuse – Insomniac Games (PS3, Xbox 360)
Game site
October, 2013
What is it?
Formerly known as Overstrike, Fuse has undergone not only a title change but something of a makeover as a new trailer and more info on its setting have revealed in the past year. Featuring four-player, class-based co-op, Fuse is named after the mysterious energy source that everyone is after and is also responsible for the “fringe-tech” weapons that these hardcore troubleshooters use to get the job done. In addition to the Michael Baysian explosions and the bodies of bad guys dropping everywhere, an upgrade path for each agent will also improve their handiness on the battlefield.
Game & Wario – Nintendo (Wii U)
Game site
Q1 2013
What is it?
A batch of micro-games featuring Wario, it’s due out during the Wii U’s “launch window” that extends into the first quarter of 2013. The game takes its name from Nintendo’s portable “Game & Watch” series in the 80s and early 90s consisting of miniaturized versions of popular games such as Donkey Kong. In this game, players will ski, use the gamepad as a camera to photograph bad guys, shoot arrows with Wario’s mustache, and steal fruit among other challenges.
Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams – Black Forest Games (PSN, XBLA)
Game site
TBA 2013
What is it?
Another game borne out from a successful Kickstarter project, this platformer saw release for Windows PCs in October and is now slated for release on PSN and XBLA. Featuring the Giana Sisters who had their debut on the C64 in 1987 and had returned as recently to audiences on the Nintendo DS in 2009, the new game features the ability to freely shift between both “cute” and “punk” persona for Giana as she jumps, fights, and figures out her way through her dreamworld to rescue her sister.
God of War: Ascension – SCE Santa Monica (PS3)
Game site
March 12, 2013
What is it?
As a prequel, this takes us back to Kratos’ early days as Ares’ water boy and right after he was led to slay his family, so he’s primed for revenge. Years before he would finally have his vengeance in the first God of War, Kratos tries to break his chains by bringing his ire to the Furies. From the videos, my first impression was that this was like Prince of Persia meets bloody chaos as he can do things like stop time or rebuild things to get past obstacles – like any good time using hero can – while using his Blades of Chaos to annihilate enemies. The game will also boast multiplayer, a first for the series.
Grand Theft Auto V – Rockstar (PS3, Xbox 360)
Game Site
Spring 2013
What is it?
The long-awaited fifth installment of Rockstar’s mega successful urban sandbox is closing in on a release date sporting a bigger world, better graphics, and an innovative split between three different protagonists who players will see the game through. Outside of the story missions, players can also swap between any of the three making it a first for the series and opening the door to even bigger possibilities on how they will be expanding the formula. Cars, guns, heists, and even jets are all being stuffed into the massive city of Los Santos. It’s going to be an awesome ride.
Hakuoki: Warriors of the Shinsengumi – Idea Factory (PSP)
Game site
February 19, 2013
What is it?
Based in 19th century Kyoto, players will take the role of one of six main characters from the previous game, Hakuoki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom, and see the original story from their perspective or even change the story a they battle through hordes of enemies Dynasty Warriors-style. The more important focus is on the story, however, which spawned an anime and manga series of its own.
Jane Jensen’s Moebius – Pinkerton Road (OS X, Windows)
Game site
March, 2013
What is it?
A new adventure game from Jane Jensen and her husband, Robert Holmes, at their studio named Pinkerton Road. Jane Jensen is probably better known for her work with Gabriel Knight at Sierra and she has continued to bring her storytelling expertise to audiences most recently with Grey Matter. Moebius will revolve around an antiquities dealer named Malachi Rector who soon becomes involved in a mysterious plot beginning in Venice. Thanks to a successful Kickstarter, it’s going to bring the 2D look longtime fans will recognize from the first Gabriel Knight along with two modes of play to broaden its appeal to veterans and newcomers.
The Last of Us – Naughty Dog (PS3)
Game site
May 7, 2013
What is it?
A brutal, post-apocalyptic survival adventure where the player takes on the role of a man named Joel teamed up with a young girl, Ellie, in escaping the brutal military authority that now controls everyone’s lives in the wake of a cataclysmic disaster. Ellie will be helping the player as an AI companion as the two scavenge for supplies while fending off equally desperate, and far more depraved, human refuse looking for the same things. And then there’s the Infected to worry about. Noted for the unapologetic violence of its trailers and the patina of mature realism that Naughty Dog is seeking to bring out in their title, The Last of Us could be one of those games that can challenge perceptions on how well a game can tell its own story.
Lego City Undercover – TT Fusion (3DS, Wii U)
Game site
Q1 2013
What is it?
Players are thrown into an open, sandbox city as undercover detective, Chase McCain, when he heads out to stop Rex Fury’s furiously angry wave of crime. Over a 100 different vehicles, LEGO inspired disguises, and the humor that has always been a part of the LEGO series of video games will be packed into the title when it debuts sometime in 2013.
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance – Platinum Games (PS3, Xbox 360)
Game site
February 19, 2013
What is it?
It’s the action-packed gaiden to the Metal Gear Solid series focusing instead on Raiden’s life as a cyborg ninja killing machine kicking off four years after the events in Guns of the Patriots. This one isn’t so much dedicated to stealth as it is in slicing apart enemies using what could be an incredibly innovative combat mechanic that allows the player to actually angle Raiden’s blade to surgically sever limbs, arms, and robotic heads. Platinum hasn’t let me down yet when it comes to creating a singularity of bad intentions, so I’m still excited to see what this will be like.
Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 Plus – Team Ninja (Vita)
Game site (Japanese)
February 26, 2013
What is it?
It’s the Vita port of the same game that came out in 2009 for the PS3 with new tricks such as swapping between different ninja such as Ayane in “Tag Missions” as well as using the touch pad to perform special moves.
Rayman Legends – Ubisoft (Wii U)
Game site
February 26, 2013
What is it?
It’s the sequel to the critically acclaimed Rayman Origins which came out last holiday season. This time on the Wii U, Michel Ansel’s cheery platform hero will see him in an all new adventure blazing through different worlds as seen within paintings that Rayman and his friends discover. The first game was a surprisingly solid hit injecting Ubisoft’s series with plenty of fun and there’s little reason not to see why this Wii U exclusive will be any less entertaining.
Remember Me – Dontnod (PS3, Windows, Xbox 360)
Game site
May 2013
What is it?
Capcom is publishing this surprising, first-time IP from developer, Dontnod, which at first glance looks like a mix of Assassin’s Creed and Deus Ex – which isn’t so much of a bad thing. It takes place in 2084 starring a “memory hunter” named Nilin who is plying her trade in Neo Paris. Surveillance and a trade in the buying and selling of memories has become a part of everyday life in this dystopian world. Nilin also has the ability to enter people’s memories, alter them, and literally change their minds manipulating their actions. When her own memories are wiped out by those in control of this society, it’s up to her and a loyal friend to untangle their web of power and recover her past as part of another gamble by Capcom for 2013.
Sacrilegium – Reality Pump (OS X, PS3, Wii U, Windows, Xbox 360)
Game site
Q2 2013
What is it?
Reality Pump, probably best known for their Two Worlds RPG titles, is striking back with a horror themed game taking players from the “misty shores of San Francisco to the fearsome and foreboding corners of the Old Continent” as Alex tries to find her way through a nightmarish mystery. It almost sounds like a take Jane Jensen’s Gabriel Knight series, but if it’s aiming for a blend of RPG and horror survival themes, I’d buy a ticket for this trip in a heartbeat.
Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time – Sanzaru Games (PS3, Vita)
Game site
February 5, 2013
What is it?
In what will be nearly eight years after Honor Among Thieves’ release in 2005, the series returns in the hands of a new developer, Sanzaru Games, who had handled a remastered collection of his first three adventures for the PS3 which was released in 2010. In Sly’s new adventure, he has to work with his friends to travel through time in order to keep his own history from being erased.
Soul Sacrifice – Marvelous AQL (Vita)
Game site (Japanese)
TBA 2013
What is it?
Keiji Inafune (Mega Man, Resident Evil 2) will take players into a fantasy action game where they play a prisoner who discovers a mysterious book within their cell that takes them into other worlds embodying the wicked desires of humanity. But through these worlds, they will also gain power as a sorceror, but the question of what they will sacrifice – whether it is another person, or even a part of their own body – to gain that power will shape the way their character, and the story, developers as there is always a price to be paid.
Star Trek – Digital Extremes (PS3, Windows, Xbox 360)
Game site
April 23, 2013
What is it?
The tie-in game for the upcoming movie promises plenty of action in the new alternate timeline created by 2009’s Star Trek. Players will take part in a co-op story as Kirk and Spock learn to work as a team while fighting through an original story to save the galaxy from conquest. It doesn’t look like there will be much room for exploration and first contact of the peaceful kind though fans might overlook that anyway for a chance to phaser their way through some bad guys.
Star Wars 1313 – Lucasarts (TBA)
Game site
TBA 2013
What is it?
This is going to be a gritty take on Star Wars will put players into the battered field armor of a merc descending down to level 1313 of Coruscant’s undercity, literally its version of the underworld, as they try to unravel a criminal conspiracy. Little else has been revealed since its eye opening official reveal this past E3 other than it will be powered by UE3 and that Lucasarts is aiming for a “Mature” rating which is a big change from the ‘friendlier’ focus of Star Wars’ other titles. I’m not even sure when in the Star Wars universe it’s supposed to take place in (Clone Wars? After Yavin? After Endor? Between the two?). It’s a bold, and fresh, direction, but one that has a lot of fans excited to see how it turns out.
State of Decay – Undead Labs (PCs, XBLA, Xbox 360)
Game site
TBA 2013
What is it?
Had enough of zombies yet? No? Then this third person action adventure where players will try and survive the “mother of all zombie outbreaks” should be on you list. In this game, players will scavenge for supplies, shoot their way through hordes, and drive flaming cars into bunches of dead things. The game will boast an open word that will “develop in real-time” and react to your actions such as where you set up your base, whether you and your fellow survivors wage war to shave a few numbers off of the zombie hordes, or simply go crazy and become roaming madmen hacking at corpses. It’s up to you, and from the trailers, it’s looks promising.
The Cave – Double Fine Productions (PS3, Wii U, Windows, Xbox 360)
Game site
January, 2013
What is it?
An adventure game from the minds of Ron Gilbert (Maniac Mansion, The Secret of Monkey Island) and Tim Schaefer (Psychonauts, Brutal Legend), players will pick three lucky souls from a band of seven adventurers and take them into a living cave filled with strangeness ranging from an underground amusement park to an ICBM. Each adventurer has their own story to tell, and their own talents to share, to overcome the challenges of the Cave. There’s co-op, too, allowing for three friends to take control of the band of buddies going with you into the depths.
The Witness – Indie (iOS, Windows)
Game site/blog
TBA 2013
What is it?
From the maker of Braid, Jonathan Blow, and a team of designers comes another adventure testing expectations on what a game and its gameplay are capable of expressing. This time, players will journey to an island that they can explore and use what they find to solve puzzles and uncover the secrets buried there. Mysterious mazes and audio recordings will not only push players in this first-person environment to solve what they are, but also to make them think on the underlying message of what the game is trying to tell them.
The Wonderful 101 – Platinum Games (Wii U)
Game site (Nintendo)
Launch Window (up until March, 2013)
What is it?
Platinum Games’ quirky, action game pitting superhero-powered players against giant alien invaders is expected during the Wii U’s “launch window” which is expected to cover the months from its initial launch up to March. The game will also let players rescue and recruit citizens to unlock more powers that you can use against the outer space menace. The Gamepad will also let players command heroes such as Toilet Bowl Man to help hold the line or to solve the occasional puzzle.
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist – Ubisoft (PS3, Windows, Xbox 360)
Game site
Spring, 2013
What is it?
The next installment of Ubisoft’s Splinter Cell series sees the end of Third Echelon and a new Fourth Echelon picking up where they had left off. Of course, things go south when a terrorist group initiates something called ‘the Blacklist’ which kicks off escalating attacks on US interests. Players will take Sam around the world and one of his new tricks is pre-emptively targeting enemies that might be in the next room and then rolling in, taking them all out with gun-fu. Hopefully it will have more than shooting things up to offer — and come with longer campaign than the last game.
Tomb Raider – Crystal Dynamics (PS3, Windows, Xbox 360)
Game site
March 5, 2013
What is it?
The bold reinvention of Tomb Raider featuring a kind of gritty, survivalist undertone taking Lara’s past in a new and daringly mature direction. Featuring a brutal environment fraught with dangers, human and otherwise, Crystal Dynamics is hoping to push both the character and the ideas behind their changes in raising the bar on what a game such as this can deliver when put next to films, books, or television. It’s already garnered its own fair share of controversy even before the game has come out though many fans are still eager to see whether Lara’s new handlers can continue the same magic they had created after being given control of the series in 2003.
Until Dawn – Supermassive Games (PS3)
Game site
TBA 2013
What is it?
A horror-game focused on using the PS3 Move to help keep you and your friends alive at a remote mountain retreat where the power has failed, there’s no phone service, and the darkness is beginning to creep in. Players will use the Move controller like a light to help show the way and hopefully survive the night in this “teen slasher in the woods” themed game.
Watch Dogs – Ubisoft (PS3, Windows, Xbox 360)
Game site
TBA 2013
What is it?
Taking place in a “near now” vision of the future, a complex network controls the city of Chicago where game takes place in. The game centers around a protagonist named Aiden Pearce who, with his smart phone, is able to tap into the system and manipulate it in order to pursue targets in the real world whether he’s using face recognition, altering stop lights, or using visual tags to identify the people and topics around him. It’s information warfare with a third-person dash of social engineering slated for a tentative 2013 release. Definitely on my most anticipated list.