This is only my second Flufflist, but I wanted to do some kind of 'anticipation list." The problem is that I didn't want to make it sound like a countdown of the games everyone is waiting for, or make it sound like some kind of award. My solution? Make it my personal list of games I can't wait for. I tried to stick to only games currently set for release this year, but game development be a harsh mistress and I have no doubts at least one of these will slip into 2013 (much to my dismay.)
So here we go.
#5. Far Cry 3
The original Far Cry was one of the best shooters of the past decade or so. Far Cry 2 was a good successor that offered some cool changes and differences from the original, but at times felt like a boring and rather empty game. With Far Cry 3 I'm hoping that Ubisoft can find a good mix of the two. The gameplay trailer that we say at E3 is all we have to go on right now, but from what they showed it looks like Far Cry 3 will indeed be some kind of hybrid of the first two games. The main villain, Vaas, is something that stood out to me (I even discussed this after first seeing the trailer.) His animation is erratic and slightly unpredictable, his design makes him look just as insane as his actions are, and his voice acting is bewitching. The devlopers have said they really wanted to make the characters in this game memorable, and if they can do even half as good a job with the others as they did with Vaas, this game could have some surprisingly deep characters. The gameplay is also looking very solid. The one thing that I am curious about is the experience system that showed up in the demo. It could throw even more depth into the game. On the other hand it could be just a rehash of something similar to Call of Duty's. Only time will tell.
#4. Rhythm Thief & The Emperors Treasure
Odd choice? Perhaps, but if you own a 3DS this might be the first good rhythm game you'll get. Or maybe I should call it an action game. Adventure perhaps? If that description sounds odd, that would be because this game is shaping up to be a very unique experience. The gameplay revolves around mastery of several different music-based rhythm games that involve use of the stylus as well as the 3DS gyroscopic capabilities. The animation and visual style are obviously anime-inspired, I mean you could watch the cut scenes and mistake it for an anime. The story is about Ralph and his dog Fondue and their search for Ralph's missing father. He was taught to never steal by his father, but the only way for Ralph to get the clues he needs to track down his dad is to steal works of art and antiques from museums and galleries. When your not thieving priceless works of art or tapping your way through a rhythm sequence, the game is a point and click adventure. You can interact with people and objects to collect information or medallions, which are used as in game currency. You will also collect sounds at times by clicking on certain objects but the developers have not yet revealed what purpose they are for (presumably another of the rhythm sections.) This game may not be on your radar yet, but it should be. If executed properly, this could be one of the best games on the 3DS this year.
#3. Bioshock: Infinite
Bioshock: Infinite could be one of the biggest game releases of the year. Unlike Bioshock 2, Infinite is being developed by the team that made the original Bioshock, and it appears that they have once again created an incredibly detailed fantastical setting that has been turned from an ideal place to live into a dystopian nightmare. The game takes place on the air-city of Columbia in 1912. The city had initially been created and launched as a kind of traveling World's Fair by the United States. People could live on the ship and travel the world in the air. However it is revealed to also be an extremely powerful battleship a bit before the game begins through an international incident. The US disavows any knowledge of the ship, and it's location is essentially lost to most of the world, with the ship showing up randomly here and there to impose its will on others. When the game begins, several factions have been fighting for control of the ship, but only two still stand. The Vox Poppuli, a sort of amalgamation of several smaller factions with similar views. They had at one point simply been seeing to restore freedom to the people, but now simply want to destroy the city. The other faction is the Founders, the last remnants of the people of power on Columbia. A woman named Elizabeth has become the central figure of the conflict, and the main character, Booker DeWitt, has been sent to rescue her. The game is extremely gorgeous and the combat seems just as fluid and fun as the original, if not more so. The story is incredibly complex and there seem to be a multitude of ways to work your way through it. Bioshock: Infinite is shaping up to be one hell of a game, and if it is just as good as it appears to be, it might be the best game coming out this year.
#2. Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning
Despite numerous critics, sites, and magazines praise of it, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning continues to go largely under the radar. That is a real shame because this could be a real dark horse for game of the year. I went over the game in my look at 2012, but to reiterate, Reckoning is a game developed by a new company called Big Huge Games and 38 Studios, which are owned by former MLB superstar pitcher and self proclaimed gameaholic Curt Schilling. Acclaimed fantasy author RA Salvatore has created the universe and lore, as well as penning some of the story. Todd MacFarlane, the cartoonist genius and figure and sculpture creator, is the art director, and Bethesda lead design vet Ken Rolston is the executive designer. Those are three brilliant men appear to have created the next big RPG based on what we have seen so far. The games visual style is impressive, detailed, and colorful. The combat has been touted as simple, yet intuitive and the mechanics have been one of the most impressive features of the game. The skill tree is also somewhat unique and different, offering different "destinies" that yu work your way up to that cover different skills and abilities. You can swap out different destinies throughout the game if you get bored with one, allowing you to essentially change classes if you wish, instead of being stuck with the same class the whole way through the game. The game world is refreshingly different, providing several different regions to explore along with a story that is also looking to be very solid. If this game isn't on your watch list, the upcoming demo will give you a chance to see this game in action for yourself so you can get it on there. It's one of the early releases of the year as well which might give it a chance before the bigger titles drop a little later.
#1. Mass Effect 3
This is the game I have been waiting for since I first played Mass Effect almost five years ago. Commander Shepard's story will end, one way or another, on March 6th. The story starts with Reaper invasion finally occurring. Despite Shepards best attempts to delay them, they arrive quickly without warning and strike at Earth first. Shepard is forced to flee and rally the other races to stand against the Reapers, or the galaxy will be faced with extermination. All of the relationships with the characters you've met will play a part in how this story plays out, as well as your personal choices in many of the past two games missions. Combat will be very similar to Mass Effect 2 with some interesting and welcome tweaks. Melee has largely been absent in the prior Mass Effect titles, but that changes with the introduction of the omniblade, a knife that is generated by the characters wrist computer. The blade will have a different special attack depending on your class, and since this makes melee a real possibility to use, enemies focused on melee combat will also be introduced. Weapons are also no longer class restricted and along with many different models of each type to choose from you can edit them with different scopes, barrels, attachments, and accessories to personalize your weapon load out to how you want to play. Multiplayer will also be introduced in the form of a Horde-esque co-op mode. You can pick different races and classes and take on wave after wave of enemies with friends. This game will do something we've never seen before in a game series like this. You will see the decisions you made and will make through the Mass Effect 3 will determine how the story ends, letting you see how all of your actions changed the story. If executed correctly, this could be one of the absolute timeless classics that you'll want to play over and over and over again.
So there you go. You'll notice more than few high-caliber titles missing from this list, but there's only five slots after all. Next time I'll be talking about why we should stop our harsh words against the industry for a moment and reflect on how good we've got it in gaming these days.
So long until next time!
Image Sources (always go in descending order of appearance):
#1.
#2. http://www.tfmx.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/FarCry_vaas_post.jpg
#3. http://nscene.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/rhythm-thief-the-emperor_s-treasure-contains-throwbacks-to-old-rhythm-based-dreamcast-games.jpg?w=640&h=392&crop=1
#4. http://media.pcgamer.com/files/2011/12/Bioshock-Infinite-hello-golden-man.jpg
#5. http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/116/1165907/new_village_night_1304492429.jpg
#6. http://fronttowardsgamer.com/wp-content/uploads/mass-effect-3-teaser.jpg
