The Main Event
The Heavy Hitters
These are the games that are going to make the biggest impacts on the year. They are the big budget, and highly anticipated games that will make sure that they blow players away. These are the five games I'm looking forward to the most this year.
Resident Evil 6
I've never really been able to get into the Resident Evil games, but after seeing the trailer for Resident Evil 6, all I want to do is find all the previous games and play through them. It was announced just recently, so not much is known about the game except that the developers are determined to make this entry the biggest and best in the entire series. The greatest thing about what we know right now is that we don't have to wait too long for it to release, as it drops on November 20th.
Grand Theft Auto V
It may not come out this year, but Grand Theft Auto V is sure to be a smash when it does release. For the first time in the main series, the game will leave Liberty City and take place in Los Santos, which is part of San Andreas, and the area surrounding the city. Little has been said about the game since its announcement, but Rockstar has said that it will be the most ambitious game in the series. I'll be hoping that the game is able to release this year, but if it gets pushed back until next year, it won't bother me too much. A game like Grand Theft Auto needs all the time it needs to be perfected.
Halo 4
Halo 4 will be a first for the series. Since Bungie left the Halo series to pursue bigger and better things, 343 Industries will be taking over to create a new trilogy starting with Halo 4. This game will bring back Master Chief and Cortana, and dig deeper into the lore of the Halo universe as well as the back stories of the two main characters. It will be interesting to see if Halo can continue without Bungie behind the wheel. I'm most excited about the added focus to the story considering the previous games didn't do much for me in that department. This year could make or break the Halo series, but if you ask me, I'd say that it'll do just fine.
Dota 2
Valve really is doing something different by creating a sequel to the popular Warcraft III mod, DotA or Defense of the Ancients, which pretty much started the action/real-time strategy genre. If you're unfamiliar with how Dota 2 works, think of it as a normal RTS but the player can directly control their base and still give commands to the individual units. Dota 2 is one of those ultra-competitive games that takes a sheer amount of dedication and skill in order to do well against other players. There's a lot to say about this game, too much that could fit in this little preview, and as with every game that Valve puts out, this should definitely be worth the long wait.
Bioshock Infinite
The hype surrounding Bioshock Infinite is almost earth-shattering. The game has been talked about so much, but still brings up so many questions. How does this city float in the sky? How does Elizabeth tear through space and time? And what's with the giant robot bird? Infinite is a huge departure from the first two games in terms of setting, but aims to keep the same feel of mystery and atmosphere. Also, the choices the player makes throughout the game will have a larger effect on the outcome of the game. With more permanent results to the choices the player makes, the game will urge players to really think about what they choose. In addition to this, Irrational Games just announced "1999 mode", which is a mode for the hardcore players where death comes with a penalty. With all of these exciting elements put together, this could be the biggest release of the year.
The Consoles
Two consoles are releasing this year. Nintendo's successor to the Wii, the Wii U, will be sure to consider everyone, casual and hardcore players, when designing the system. Sony's next handheld, the PlayStation Vita, could probably be the most sophisticated handheld gaming system to date. These two systems will be the next step in the eighth generation.
The Wii U
The Wii U is an interesting console. Nintendo seems to have learned its lesson in isolating itself from the rest of the video game industry, and opened up to more third-party developers and allowing for more modern features for the console. They finally upgraded to high-definition graphics, and are focusing on a stronger online service. It's expected that we'll see an awesome HD Mario and Zelda game in the future, but some of the other projects that are planned are just as exciting.
A new Super Smash Bros. is being planned to be developed for the Wii U and the 3DS that will allow for cross-compatibility between the two systems. Among the ambitious moves being made with the Wii U comes a full-on MMORPG in the form of Dragon Quest X which will be exclusive to the Wii and the Wii U. Although this much information is out to the public, not enough is known. Nintendo plans to "re-unveil" the console at E3 this year where all our questions will hopefully be answered.
The Consoles
Two consoles are releasing this year. Nintendo's successor to the Wii, the Wii U, will be sure to consider everyone, casual and hardcore players, when designing the system. Sony's next handheld, the PlayStation Vita, could probably be the most sophisticated handheld gaming system to date. These two systems will be the next step in the eighth generation.
The Wii U
The Wii U is an interesting console. Nintendo seems to have learned its lesson in isolating itself from the rest of the video game industry, and opened up to more third-party developers and allowing for more modern features for the console. They finally upgraded to high-definition graphics, and are focusing on a stronger online service. It's expected that we'll see an awesome HD Mario and Zelda game in the future, but some of the other projects that are planned are just as exciting.
A new Super Smash Bros. is being planned to be developed for the Wii U and the 3DS that will allow for cross-compatibility between the two systems. Among the ambitious moves being made with the Wii U comes a full-on MMORPG in the form of Dragon Quest X which will be exclusive to the Wii and the Wii U. Although this much information is out to the public, not enough is known. Nintendo plans to "re-unveil" the console at E3 this year where all our questions will hopefully be answered.
The PlayStation Vita
The PlayStation Vita is one impressive piece of technology. Sony has been able to cram as many features as physically possible into their handheld console. It has a touch screen on the front, a touch pad on the back, a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a GPS, Wi-Fi, 3G, and Bluetooth, along with graphics that are almost identical to the PlayStation 3. The system also has built-in cameras that have the ability of face and head recognition along with head tracking.
Most of the games announced for the system are portable sequels to PS3 titles that look just as good as their home console brethren. The games themselves are designed to be similar to SD cards instead of the UMD design of the PSP. The whole design of the system seems to be a sign of more effort put in by Sony to create a better handheld system. They seem to have addressed the problems with the PSP that turned some consumers away. The public will be able to check the Vita out for themselves on February 22nd.
This year will be an incredible year for all gamers. The start of the line of awesome games is just around the corner. This year has the potential to be just as good as last year, and I am super excited to see how it will play out.
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