My Seven Most Anticipated Games of 2013 - Ross

Aliens: Colonial Marines

I'm really nervous about this one. The game has been through a fairly tortured development cycle and has been subject to some serious delay. That is not normally a good sign. There has also been a fairly low level of hype surrounding this one, with very few substantial previews cropping up across the gaming media and very few hands-on experiences have been talked about. That is also not a good sign.

I still have hope, because if anyone can pull this off it is Gearbox. Riding high from the success of Borderlands 2, Gearbox can do little wrong by me. The concept is sound, a terrified group of marines desperate to survive against one of the most iconic monsters in sci-fi history. The Aliens franchise has always had the key factors present to make a good game; guns, technology, action, terror and atmosphere. No other developer of an Aliens game has managed to capture the feel yet, but Gearbox just might.

Another factor that makes Aliens: Colonial Marines an exciting prospect is the multiplayer potential. Again, this is something previous attempts to tame the franchise have failed to implement perfectly; the Aliens' agility and lethality versus the technology and firepower of the marines has the potential to to create a truly unique online experience. Come on Gearbox, you can do it!

DmC: Devil May Cry

The fact that this game has already been released does in no way detract from its status as a highly anticipated 2013 title. Well, anticipated by some, highly vilified by others. There was a pretty serious amount of hate from vocal series' fans who felt that this reboot version of the Devil May Cry series by Ninja Theory was taking the franchise away from its roots. These fans shouldn't have have written things off so early.

Despite unjustified hate, it was clear from very early days that DmC was shaping up nicely. The slick, artistic style and frantic, combo-based combat were looking good from an early stage. I'm pleased to say that early indications were right, as I had the pleasure of reviewing the game this month and was extremely impressed by the tight combat and the new-look Dante.

Central to the premise of DmC is replayability, with the combination of multiple difficulty levels and modes alongside online leaderboards, character development and level exploration mean that this game is enough to keep you going through the rest of 2013. If you are looking for replayability in a 2013 title, look no further.

Tomb Raider

I've never been a big fan of the Tomb Raider franchise, having tried to get into a couple of the games, but never being gripped enough by them to play them to completion. It's not like I wasn't in the target audience; I was 13 when the original game was released, so was the perfect age to be enamoured by Lara's gigantic, pixelated boobs. Something just didn't sit right with me.

Despite my failure to fall in love with the original franchise, I had some hands-on time with this latest incarnation at gamescom 2012 and it just blew me away. Having never had any love for Ms Croft's adventures previously, this latest title went straight to the top of my most wanted list and was a highlight of the show. The gameplay was fantastic and the controls super-intuitive. I found myself hunting through the jungle, performing wall climbs and making double jumps all on instinct without once consulting the control layout that had been left on the desk.

The graphics were amazing though, utter eye candy at its best. The dirt, grime and sweat clinging to Lara's skin gave the game a gritty, dark feel given contrast by the lush, realistic vegetation and perfectly animated animals which brought the environments to life. I was playing with an Xbox 360 controller but the actual system the game was running on was hidden from sight. After my demo I asked the Square Enix staff if the game I had been playing was the PC build and was told no, it was the Xbox 360 version. Frankly I couldn't believe it. If the Xbox 360 is capable of graphics like that I can't wait to see what Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix can squeeze out of the next gen hardware on the horizon.

Beyond: Two Souls

In the months running up to the release of Heavy Rain on the PS3 I was so hyped up about it that I went out and tracked down a PS2 copy of David Cage's previous interactive fiction game, Fahrenheit. Despite the game being five years old and a last generation release, I found the storytelling power and utter immersion of the title to be an amazing liberation from the action focused alternatives on the market. Sure, the plot got a little silly at the end but overall it was an extremely accomplished artwork that laid solid foundations down for it's sequel.

Heavy Rain was so much more than Fahrenheit, a mature, intelligent and gripping story made all the more personal by its interactivity, the attachment formed with the game's four playable characters and its extremely emotional content. Frankly, the game was something of a masterpiece. Given how big a step up Heavy Rain managed from its spiritual predecessor, the hopes I have for Cage's next piece, Beyond: Two Souls, are higher than a pothead on a mountaintop.

As a plot driven title, very little has been given away regarding Beyond: Two Souls, presumably in an effort to avoid spoilers. What we do know is that Cage has assembled a stellar cast of voice actors, including Academy Award nominee Ellen Page. The game will be psychological and spiritual roller coaster, with adult themes and an exploration into death and the afterlife. One thing can be said for certain, the graphical power behind this title is astronomical and the demonstrations seen so far have showcased some of the most advanced and realistic facial animations and expressions ever seen to date in the videogames industry.

Grand Theft Auto V

I've been a fan of the Grand Theft Auto games since the original, 2D, top-down affair of 1997 but I fell out of love with the franchise in its last incarnation. Grand Theft Auto IV just seemed a bit too serious to me. Nico's tale was dark and mature, while the reimagined Liberty City was epic and alive, possibly the best example of a detailed open world environment in gaming. However, I missed the humour and 'over-the-top' feeling of some of the previous titles.

Luckily for me, it seems that silliness is about to return and some of the screenshots and footage released so far hint that Grand Theft Auto V will return to the series' less serious roots. We've seen images of a character riding a 'Speedophile' jet ski and a group of armed men leaping from a pest control van, complete with catchy slogan: 'Putting the FU in fumigate'.

The game will return to Los Santos, one of the cities available in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and hopefully Rockstar will be able to emulate the success of the last title when updating the city to a larger, more detailed and more lifelike version on modern hardware. With any luck, a substantial amount of the greater San Andreas countryside will be available to explore and we can expect a larger map than ever.

The Last of Us

Naughty Dog's Uncharted series are arguably the finest action-adventure games of the modern generation, greatly assisting Sony and cementing a position as the must-have exclusive titles on the PlayStation 3. When it was announced that Naughty Dog were working on a brand new IP, a survival adventure set in a post apocalyptic near future, it created a lot of buzz and excitement.

What has been seen of The Last of Us since that initial announcement has only served to further whet the appetites of gamers and critics alike. The setting, with cities and buildings overrun by plant life, looks unique; particularly the proliferation of colour in a post-apocalyptic environment, a setting usually portrayed in shades of brown and grey.

The gameplay itself looks particularly satisfying, with action pieces following in the footsteps of the Uncharted series but with ammunition seemingly being substantially more scarce, as would befit the setting. Particularly interesting is the relationship between primary protagonist, Joel, and his ward, 14-year old Ellie; whom he must protect from the dangers of this hostile world. If Naughty Dog's previous script writing talent is anything to go by, we can expect a well written and emotional experience and some excellent interaction between these two primary characters.

Total War: Rome II

The Total War series is the granddaddy of massive-scale action and strategy, combining turn-based empire management with epic scale real-time battles between massive opposing armies. Despite its age, the original Rome: Total War is a favourite amongst the fans and considered by many to be the highpoint of the franchise to date. Given its status as a fan favourite, news that Creative Assembly were developing a sequel was met with extreme enthusiasm by some, and quiet apprehension by others.

The recognition of the importance of Total War: Rome II is evident in the investment that is being made into the project, and Creative Assembly have revealed that the development budget for this title is an impressive 40% larger than that of any previous Total War title. The company no doubt have high hopes for this title, else they would not have saved the announcement especially for their 25th anniversary.

We can expect to see the largest ever campaign map in this sequel, alongside a greater emphasis on the 'human' elements of the setting, with political intrigue and family rivalries playing a large part in proceedings. The real-time battles seem determined to bring players into the action, with the new, remastered 'troop cam' being more effective than ever at putting the player in the shoes of one of his soldiers. Add to this the new, dynamic behaviours assigned to each individual AI controlled soldier and the battles are starting to look like the most realistic battles in a Total War game to date.