The Reticule

So here it is, the final four in our countdown to 2013’s most anticipated games. This year is certainly jam packed with some brilliant releases, but with so many which are the top games to look out for? Read on to find out our final four countdown of the ‘Top 10 Games To Look Forward To In 2013’.

4. Bioshock Infinite

The game environment of Bioshock Infinite just looks utterly stunning. Columbia may be floating in the sky but still has all the trademarks of any large city. Towering sky scrapers protrude through the clouds, dozens of giant hard carved statues can be seen on buildings and in parks and even shops are visible on the cobbled streets. All this is amplified by the fact that below each towering building, every street and cinema there are hundreds of meters of air and a very long fall to your death.

Bioshock Infinite leaves the cramped surroundings of Rapture and explodes into the open air of Columbia with all the intricate design and originality that made the first game so brilliant. An entirely new array of enemies have been developed, new characters and a seemingly in depth story and dialogue to rival that of the first Bioshock.

3. Watch Dogs

Watch Dogs took everyone by surprise at E3 2012. Ubisoft took the choice to gamble on a new IP when almost everyone else was creating sequels to previous games or at the very least playing safe in a genre they were known for. Along side the announcement at E3 was a gameplay trailer which showed the stunning visuals of a city that looked very much like New York and a setting that rings true to the modern day lives of the average person.

In the world of Watch Dogs people are becoming ever more dependant on the technology that they use without ever really knowing who controls the information they input into certain devices and the accessibility to it. All it would take is one person who knew their way around that technology and a lot of disruption could be caused with relative ease. In the trailer Aiden Pearce, the stories antihero, can be seen blocking mobile phone signals, hacking traffic lights and listening in to peoples phone conversations and also seems to be pretty handy with a gun.

2. The Last of Us

The last of Us is a post apocalyptic city based adventure epic set in a world where living is a daily struggle to survive against the odds. From the media released so far by developers Naughty Dog, it’s clear to see the game world has been very well designed and is so intricate that it makes me believe that every building is accessible and has an elaborate interior of crumbling brick, usable tools and all the basics needed to survive just that little bit longer.

While the list of post apocalyptic games, especially those set in large cities is certainly not on the short side, what interests me about The Last of Us is the possibility for unique interactions between you the player (playing as Joel) and your AI controlled partner (Ellie). Solving puzzles, dealing with combat situations and exploration could all be made a lot more interesting under these circumstances.

1. Grand Theft Auto V

The fact that Rockstar have released very little information about Grand Theft Auto V, yet it seems to be one of the most talked about games among my friends and fellow gamers shows just how big this game is going to be come release day. The slow drip feed of screenshots that have been released recently are all that’s needed to whip people up into an excited frenzy over the smallest detail and possibility of what might be included. I think I would be fair in saying that when that first trailer was released on November 2nd the internet almost imploded.

In Grand Theft Auto V the player will be able to take control of three characters with heavily interconnected storylines, much like GTA IV did with its Ballad of Gay Tony and Lost and Damned DLC packs. This time however, the characters stories will be heavily influenced by each other instead of just passing connections.

There are many details that can be speculated about from the released media but one things for sure, GTA V looks downright beautiful. And with a game world larger than Red Dead Redemption, GTA IV and San Andreas combined Rockstars well earned credentials will no doubt fill this virtual space with masses of quality content.