Image via Complex Original
We’ve attended the press conferences, walked the South Hall, West Hall and meeting rooms in between at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Now that we’ve let things stew for a few days, we’ve reviewed our notes and have come up with the best games from this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo. If this is the last year that the current generation of consoles gets the spotlight, it makes for a fitting send off. The M-rated games might be more brutal than ever, but the show floor also had its share of worthwhile family-friendly titles. From older projects we’ve known about for years to new IPs we’ve only known for a week, here are our top 25 picks from E3 2012.
25. Sleeping Dogs
Platform: PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Release Date: 8/14/2012
Sleeping Dogs' Asian urban setting gives the impression of what Sega's Yakuza series would be like if it were truly a sandbox game. All signs point to a comprehensive story-driven open world experience, mixing vehicle based missions, races, shoot outs, melee brawls, and foot chases. Its heavy emphasis on a modern day crime narrative--let alone one inspired by the undercover plotlines of various films--makes me as excited for Sleeping Dogs as much as I was for L.A. Noire and The Getaway.
24. God of War Ascension
Platform: PlayStation 3
Release Date: 3/12/2013
With Ascension, the God of War series now has more prequels than it does sequels, not that there's anything wrong with that. The inclusion of multiplayer--a first for the series--is the primary challenge Santa Monica Studio has put upon themselves; not an easy task when you consider how fast-paced the combat is expected to perform. We're keeping a close eye on this as we're also expecting a full single player experience as well, one that rivals all previous console God of War games.
23. The Walking Dead: Episode Two
Platform: PC, Mac, PSN, XBLA
Release Date: June 2012
The 15-minute demo that Telltale Games presented pretty much ensured that we're get the same mix of reflex-intensive quick time events and decision-driven narrative that worked great in the first episode. For those unfamiliar with this serialized game, Telltale presents a storyline outside of the graphic novel and TV show, featuring a new cast of well-developed characters. Many of your survival-based choices from Episode One play out further in this next installment, delivering remarkable replay value to this series.
22. ZombiU
Platform: Wii U
Release Date: TBD
It doesn't seem like the Wii U will be short of launch window games, but what it could really use are some new IPs to offset the ports, sequels, and familiar names that we've already played on other consoles (Arkham City, Mass Effect 3, etc.). Okay, ZombiU is and isn't a new IP (named after Ubisoft's first published game from 1986, Zombi), but it is the Wii U's M-rated frontrunner and the only zombie game currently in the pipeline for the new console. The one feature I'm most excited about are the single-bite permanent deaths.
21. Metal Gear Rising: Revengance
Platform: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Release Date: 2013
This is certainly not the Metal Gear I've been used to playing these past 15 years, but if Konami is looking to take franchise to another direction, I'm glad that a studio like Platinum Games is handling it. All the “anything-goes” slicing from previous gameplay vids take a backseat to the rest of the action, which are about as over-the-top as all those Raiden cutscenes in Metal Gear Solid 4, except those type of scenes are now playable. The ability to jump on incoming missiles makes Revengance the 2012 frontrunner for the best playable anime-styled game of 2012.
20. Star Wars 1313
Platform: PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Release Date: 2013
While we have seen Star Wars games focused on bounty hunting in the past, 1313 looks to be the first promising project not reliant on or tied to the Star Wars movies' storylines and characters (unlike 2002's Star Wars: Bounty Hunter). Its setting is focused on the hostile urban underworld deep below the surface of Coruscant, explored with cover-based third-person gameplay. Powered by the Unreal engine and produced in collaboration with other Lucas studios, expect a great deal of large set piece interaction, including some Uncharted-inspired platforming.
19. XCOM: Enemy Unknown
Platform: PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Release Date: 10/9/2012
This E3 was surprisingly short in the alien invasion department, but XCOM: Enemy Unknown might be more than enough to give us our 2012 genre fix. Not to be confused with the in-development tactical shooter known as XCOM: Enemy Unknown features the more familiar isometric overhead perspective and strategy gameplay that fans expect from an XCOM title. As an added touch, 2K's E3 demo also included a surprise character reveal from none other than Firaxis' Sid Meier.
18. The Unfinished Swan
Platform: PSN
Release Date: 2013
Sony's Santa Monica Studio is not unfamiliar with indie/student projects like The Unfinished Swan, especially when one recalls that this is the same studio that helped bring Flow (and subsequently, Flower & Journey) to the masses. It also speaks to the studio's admiration and respect for Swan creator Ian Dallas that little gameplay has changed since his 2008 tech demo, at least as far as the first area of the game is concerned. From our hands-on time with The Unfinished Swan, we can say that the paint throwing mechanic is just the tip of the iceberg in regards to Swan's inspiring gameplay.
17. Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch
Platform: PlayStation 3, Nintendo DS
Release Date: 1/22/2013
A JRPG collaboration between Level-5 and Studio Ghibli almost sounds too good to be true, but it's a reality and Namco Bandai is getting the credit for bringing the PlayStation 3 version of Ni No Kuni to the west. Cel shaded design has finally reached that level where it's a worthy vehicle for Studio Ghibli's trademark visuals, so much so that it really feels like you're playing one of their animated films. This vibe is all the more convincing since the game's music was composed by longtime Ghibli collaborator Joe Hisaishi.
16. The Cave
Platform: PC, PSN, XBLA
Release Date: 2013
Had this been a Top 50 list, 2D games like New Super Mario Bros. U, Mark of the Ninja, and Power of Illusion would be no-brainer additions. For this Top 25, we could not ignore the imagination of Ron Gilbert and the magic touch of Double Fine. When playing a game called The Cave, you can pretty much expect a strong emphasis on exploration, not to mention a wealth of platform-based puzzles.
15. Call of Duty: Black Ops II
Platform: PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U, Wii
Release Date: 11/13/2012
With its near-future setting, Activision's 2012 first person shooter entry could've been titled Call of Duty: Post-Modern Warfare. And considering its plotline related to unmanned drone attacks, it could've also been named Call of Duty: Robots in the Skies. Whatever you want to call it, this latest shooter from Treyarch has surely proven the studio's emergence from Infinity Ward's shadow.
14. Resident Evil 6
Platform: PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Release Date: 10/2/2012
After six proper installments in the Resident Evil series, it was only a matter of time before the bio-terrorist threat would go truly global. With three distinct storylines starring three different operatives, RE6 calls to mind the sheer robustness of Resident Evil 4. And even though it is already 2012, it's cause for celebration that we finally have a main series Resident Evil that features the ability to move and shoot at the same time!
13. Pikmin 3
Platform: Wii U
Release Date: TBD
The unveiling of Pikmin 3 garnered less of a surprise reaction and more of a “Finally!” response from those viewing and attending Nintendo's press conference. While I'm looking forward to its local multiplayer feature, Pikmin 3 would rank even higher on this list if Nintendo actually included online multiplayer. Still, its stellar visuals and familiar Pikmin game mechanics make it a must-buy Wii U launch window title.
12. Tomb Raider
Platform: TBD
Release Date: 3/5/2013
Part reboot, part origin story, this gritty reintroduction of Lara Croft chronicles her development from an inexperienced explorer to a hardened survivor. This signals a major shift in perception and control of Lara; as some eloquent articles have put it, you're not “playing” Lara like in past Tomb Raiders so much as you're “helping” her. That aside, every demo we play and trailer we watch continues to make the point that this is a re-imagined Tomb Raider in the most definitive sense.
11. Beyond: Two Souls
Platform: PlayStation 3
Release Date: Spring 2013
As it has been two years since Heavy Rain, we were pleased to finally get a proper unveiling of Quantic Dream's latest project, let alone another publishing deal with Sony Computer Entertainment. Featuring the motion and facial capture likeness of actress Ellen Page, Beyond chronicles the troubled life (within a 15-year span) of a woman named Jodie and a mysterious force accompanying her named Aiden. From our initial impressions, the gameplay feels like a sensible evolution of the button-prompt gameplay from Heavy Rain while also adding more weight and significance to player choices, especially since Beyond won't feature permanent death, only multiple story paths based on positive and negative consequences.
10. Hitman: Absolution
Platform: PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Release Date: 11/20/2012
This is one of those games where every preview unveiling and subsequent write-up just feels more and more depressing; it's just makes the wait for the completed version that much more excruciating. The game's lighting has been as exquisite as much as the thoughtful selection of environmental colors that it's easy to forget how brutal this game can be. Yet how much commotion Agent 47 causes is up to you, much thanks to the wealth of stealth tools provided by studio IO Interactive.
9. Persona 4 Golden
Platform: PS Vita
Release Date: Fall 2012
This is the only re-release in this top 25 list, which speaks to how fully featured and overly stylish this Vita port promises to be. With new events, areas, characters, and cutscenes, calling this a “director's cut” doesn't do it justice. With the Vita sorely lacking in JRPGs (not counting the PSP library), Persona 4 Golden should satisfy one's Vita role playing fix until Final Fantasy X HD or a new JRPG IP decides to show up.
8. Crysis 3
Platform: PC, Playstation 3, Xbox 360
Release Date: February 2013
Now in the exosuit of Prophet and back in near-future New York City, the concrete jungle is now a jungle amongst the concrete. The heavy marketing imagery and gameplay demos of Prophet's advanced bow and arrow weapon paints Crysis 3 as if it were the last third of the first Predator movie. Indeed, along with some improved technical and production values over Crysis 2, Crysis 3's theme of “becoming the hunter” makes for an assertive and fitting conclusion to this trilogy.
7. Dead Space 3
Platform: PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Release Date: February 2013
Admittedly, a small part of me misses the horrific Alien atmosphere and pacing of the first Dead Space, but EA & Visceral did make a solid case to pay attention to Dead Space 3 thanks to a very effective closed-door demo. This presentation placed Isaac Clarke on a snowy planet, simply replacing the tension of darkness with the tension of dense snow storms, preserving the pulse-pounding stress of not seeing beyond a few feet at times. And the studio has given the newly added drop-in/drop-out co-op a lot of thought; while both experiences will put you on the same path, many, many brief events will unfold differently depending if you're going solo or with a partner.
6. Borderlands 2
Platform: PC, Playstation 3, Xbox 360
Release Date: 9/18/2012
This is the one game on this list that truly epitomizes the term “building upon its predecessor”. Every aspect has been improved and refined from the enemy AI to character growth to vehicle performance. Moreover, I can't decide if I'm more impressed with the deeper weapon customization or the now-vast and expansive game world.
5. Dishonored
Platform: PC, Playstation 3, Xbox 360
Release Date: 10/9/2012
Between now and its eventual release, Dishonored will draw a ton of comparisons to some of the best first person adventure games of the last 15 years, from the Thief series to Half-Life 2 to Bioshock. Developer Arkane Studios is perfectly fine with those flattering comparisons and also doesn't hide Dishonored's strong steampunk-influenced art direction. While very much a mission-based game, I'm wholly excited about Dishonored's multi-path approach to these objectives.
4. Halo 4
Platform: Xbox 360
Release Date: 11/6/2013
With this being 343i's first proper title (not counting last year's Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary), I had remained on the fence about Halo 4 leading up to this year's E3. Now having seen enough gameplay from both the single player and multiplayer, November 6 could not come soon enough. The more I learn about Halo 4, the more I admire all those involved for distancing the game from Bungie's quadrilogy, not just with a darker plot, but also with other aspects of the production such as the audio design.
3. Watch Dogs
Platform: PC, Xbox 360, Playstation 3
Release Date: 2013
Ubisoft already had a solid showing even before finishing off their press conference with this bold new IP, which only made Watch Dogs' unveiling all the more poignant. It's an adventure game that questions and taps into the true potential and dangers of our interconnected, under-surveillance society. However thought-provoking, Ubisoft still manages to present Watch Dogs as an involving action-driven game with some potentially innovative “assistance-based multiplayer”.
2. The Last of Us
Platform: PlayStation 3
Release Date: 2013
If Naughty Dog's latest project didn't make an impression on you prior to last week, it would have if you watched Sony's press conference, even without the shotgun to the face. With the abysmal AMY and the mixed response to I Am Alive, the door's wide open for The Last of Us to show how a proper post-apocalyptic adventure is done, complete with bullet scarcity and life-or-death situations at every turn. And props to Naughty Dog believing in the viability of escort mission gameplay, something that many gamers and developers still cringe at in 2012.
1. Assassin's Creed III
Platform: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U, PC
Release Date: 10/30/2012
Renaissance Italy has run its course in the Assassin's Creed universe and Ubisoft is challenging themselves by moving the series to the snow-laden, NPC-dense battles Revolutionary War America. The developer/publishers' faith in the project was underscored by the unusual wealth of videos and demos shown last week, including a previously unannounced ship battle mode and a very promising Vita side story, Assassin's Creed III: Liberation. The hero, the setting, and modes of killing are new, but this is still unmistakably an Assassin's Creed game.