2013. The year after the Apocalypse. You’d expect that the end of life as we know it would put a bit of a damper on the gaming industry. Fortunately, the suits at the top don’t seem to prescribe to these doomsday myths, so those of us who remain after Planet X comes crashing down on our heads have a year filled with gaming goodness to look forward to.

Now, as a prospective ruler of the new world that is sure to rise from the ashes of the old, I think my gaming opinions are a teensy bit more important than yours. So, as your benevolent future ruler, I invite you to take a look at the top five games I am (and by extension, you should be) excited for in the New Year. If you don’t agree, you may or may not be getting a visit by my highly trained ninjas in the near future.

So without further ado, take a look at my top five most anticipated games of 2013. All approved by the official People’s Republic of Kotanistan Bureau of Gaming.

Number 5

Watch Dogs Logo - Games of 2013Watch Dogs

The latest open-world game from Ubisoft Montréal ditches the historical settings of the Assassin’s Creed series in favour of a modern-day Chicago. We haven’t heard a lot about Watch Dogs since its premier at E3 2012, when it made a big splash at Ubisoft’s press conference, but what’s been shown has certainly been intriguing.

The game seems to promise control over all manner of the fictional Chicago’s electronic devices. Need to stop your target’s car? Hack the streetlights to cause a pile-up. Need to escape from a police chase? Raise a drawbridge behind you. Want to be a bit more subtle?  Cause a distraction by cutting off cell phone reception. And these are just some of the actions shown off in the E3 gameplay promo. Who knows what you’ll be able to do in the final game?

Watch Dogs Screenshot 2 - Games of 2013
Gunplay seems to be but a small part of Watch Dogs’ gameplay.

Now, I’m generally not a fan of open-world games unless they’ve got an interesting hook. In Assassin’s Creed, that hook was history. In Watch Dogs, it’s control, and control is certainly an attractive concept to a budding dictator. Rest assured that when the New World rises next year, I shall be sure to create a Watch Dogs-esque system to maintain control of my subjects.

…Or I’ll just play the game.

In the meantime, I’ll keep planning for my takeover/hoping for a Wii U release of Watch Dogs.

 

Number 4

Nintendo DirectLego City Undercover

 Don’t laugh at me. Doing so may be bad for your health in the near future.

Lego was a big part of my childhood. Building up creations to make the little Lego people’s lives better… Only to smash them into little pieces again! Despair, little people! Despair!!

*ahem*

Lego City Undercover Screenshot 1 - Games of 2013
In 2013, you may just see me surveying my lands from my personal helicopter.

Anyway, I’m a fan of the Lego Star Wars games (Well, the ones based on the movies, anyway), and I may pick up Lego The Lord of the Rings at some point in the future as well. Unlike Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings, Lego City Undercover isn’t based on a huge media franchise. Instead, it’s based on the Lego City line of Lego sets. Without an impressive pedigree, one is forced to judge Lego City Undercover on its own merits. It’s an open-world game (Gasp! Another one!) filled to the brim with Lego. Top it off with a goofy story, and you’ve got a nice little break from the serious stories that usually accompany such games. Add in some nice Wii U functionality, and you’ll find yourself with an interesting looking game that’s sure to liven up the Wii U’s launch window a bit.

Remember! Even the world’s greatest leader needs to take a break from ruling the world every now and then. Now, quit reading Das Kapital for a few minutes and take a look at the newspaper comics.

 *DISCLAIMER: I didn’t actually do this. Don’t call the authorities out of concern for my well being.

This is a top five, right? There’s more on the next page. Take a look, or you’ll be working in my gulags until at least 2014.

Devin Kotani
Devin is a Canadian, and as such, plays hockey (no he doesn’t) and drinks maple syrup (not really) while riding a wild moose (he’s never seen a moose). When he’s not perpetuating cultural stereotypes, he’s playing videogames, which has been, on occasion, very bad for his mental health, problems with which have plagued him for years. Now, at 20, he’s getting his mental health issues under control, and he’s trying to decide what to do with his life. He’s currently debating between journalism and trying his hand at the dramatic arts.