By Jonathan Audric Matias

Wildcard Editor’s Note: These are the release dates as of February 1, 2013. The photos are not owned by Wildcard and their sources are listed below this article.

Multiplatform:

• DmC: Devil May Cry (PC, X360, PS3) – 15 January 2013
  • Featuring lightning fast gameplay, exhilarating combos, and a sense of style that only Devil May Cry can deliver, DmC is set to revitalize the Devil May Cry series.

• Dead Space 3 (PC, X360, PS3) – 5 February 2013
  • Survival-horror-in-space returns with a campaign that changes if you choose to play it in coop.

• Aliens: Colonial Marines (PC, X360, Wii U, PS3) – 12 February 2013
  • “How could they cut the power, man? They’re animals!”  The Xenomorphs are back—and in the safe hands of Gearbox Software (Borderlands, Brothers in Arms).

• Crysis 3 (PC, X360, PS3)– 19 February 2013
  • Prepare to make your PC melt (or play it on a TV with your console) with the newest game in the Crysis series.

• Tomb Raider (PC, X360, PS3) – 5 March 2013
  • Experience the origins of Lara Croft’s story as she attempts to conquer the wilderness—and her own fears.

• Bioshock Infinite (PS3 and X360) – 26 March 2013
  • Bioshock in the sky—need I say more?  Explore the floating city of Columbia and “save” Elizabeth from this airborne dystopia.

• Remember Me (PC, X360, PS3) – May 2013
  • A game full of sci-fi aesthetics, featuring a female hacker who punches, kicks, and hacks her way through groups of enemies.

• Splinter Cell: Blacklist (PC, X360, PS3) – 20 August 2013
• Sam Fisher is set to take Stealth-Action to a whole new level in the next installment of the Splinter Cell series 
• Grand Theft Auto 5 (X360 and PS3) – 17 September 2013
  • The biggest game franchise returns with this gem, featuring four new playable characters and the ability to switch between them at will.

• Dark Souls 2 (PC, X360, PS3) – TBA
  • Prepare to die, and die, and die.  The king of sadistic (in a good way) action-adventure games is back.

• Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes (X360, PS3) – TBA
  • An OPEN WORLD MGS.  On X360 and PS3.  *drools*

• South Park: The Stick of Truth (PC, X360, PS3) – TBA
  • If you’re a big fan of South Park, look no further.  Developed in part with the guys who actually run the acclaimed show, this is as close to the source material as you can get.

• Star Wars 1313 (X360, PS3) – TBA
  • Delve deep into the heart of Coruscant and explore the seedy underbelly of the galaxy’s seat of power as a mercenary in this Third-Person Shooter with mind-blowing next-gen graphics.

• Watch Dogs (PC, X360, PS3) – TBA
  • With stunning visuals and a near-future world we can relate to, this new IP looks to explore just how interconnected we all are due to technology—and how you can twist those strings to bend a city to your will.

PC:

• SimCity – 5 March 2013
  • Other than the atrocious, always-on DRM that is hidden underneath the social aspects of the game, SimCity is set to revitalize the city building genre with a whole new social framework that allows you to work with your friends, simulation engine, and graphics engine.

• Star Craft 2: Heart of the Swarm – 12 March 2013
  • If you love Star Craft, or Real-Time Strategy games in general, you should anticipate this expansion to Wings of Liberty.

Xbox 360:

• Gears of War Judgment – 19 March 2013
  • The series that set the standard for third-person shooter controls, gameplay, and survival modes (“Horde Mode”) is back with Damon Baird and Augustus Cole in the limelight.

PS3:

• God of War Ascension – 12 March 2013
  • Kratos is back and is looking as good as ever!  Expect great combat, buckets of gore, and a multitude of weapons to hack and slash with.

• The Last of Us – 7 May 2013
  • Naughty Dog’s (Uncharted) next game focuses on the relationship between two characters, Joel and Ellie, as they try to survive in a post-apocalypse world.

Wii U:

• Rayman Legends – 26 February 2013
  • A delightful platformer, this game is perfect for couch coop and it provides an inventive way to play with the Wii U Gamepad (the tablet-controller thing) that shows the kind of experiences Nintendo’s new console can provide.

• Lego City Undercover – Q1 2013
  • If you have ever wanted an open-world game but are sick of all of the violence they usually provide, you’ve come to the right place.  Join Chase McCain as he explores a glorious Lego city that contains hundreds of secrets, puzzles, and missions to conquer!

• Pikmin 3 – Q2 2013
  • The Pikmin are back and are as loveable as ever!  Command hordes of these little plant people as you scour a planet for loot!

Personal:

• Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (X360, PS3) – 19 February 2013
  • Platinum Games (Bayonetta) have built a game that just screams “FUN.”  Hack your way through cyborgs, buildings, and mercenaries as Raiden—and then cut them up into thousands of little pieces.

• Star Trek (PC, X360, PS3) – Q1 2013
  • Star Trek looks to explore the camaraderie between Cmdr. Spock and Capt. Kirk as you shoot and explore where no man has gone before in this third-person shooter-slash-coop-action-game.  Did I mention that Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto are voicing the characters?

• Army of Two: The Devil’s Cartel – Q1 2013
  • Army of Two’s delightful coop mechanics return in this game.  Let the games begin!

Source and Inspiration: http://ap.ign.com/en/feature/4254/Games-to-look-out-for-in-2013-

Image sources:

• officialplaystationmagazine.co.uk
• egmnow.com
• gearboxsoftware.com
• pcgamer.com
• amazon.com
• onlysp.com
• ign.com
• cdon.no
• gamersyde.com
• awesomegames.co.uk
• gamersbin.com
• arabicgamers.com