GameRevolution has once again ventured into the wonderland of E3 and has survived its bright lights, long hours, and feet-destroying queues. In what is an unusual role reversal, this year's Best of E3 awards highlight the strength of third-party titles, which was far and away above the smattering of first-party offerings.
Sony was able to snag a couple of our awards, especially for one title that blew everyone's minds away at their E3 press conference, but in general we were left shrugging our shoulders at the first-party press conferences. Nintendo didn't reveal the price or release date for the Wii U, while Sony and Microsoft have yet to declare anything about the next-gen consoles we know are in production. With the door wide open, third-party developers, notably Ubisoft and Electronic Arts, have stepped through to show why the next 12 months will belong to them.
In fact, we've had to give away three more awards this year just to contain our praise. We actually wanted to give away more, but we had to hold ourselves back. Who knows what would have happened if The Last Guardian or Grand Theft Auto V actually decided to show up? That's probably for the best, though… our bodies wouldn't be ready.
Tomb Raider
Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: Crystal Dynamics
Release Date: March 5th, 2013
Excerpt: The reboot from Square Enix and company gives players the opportunity to completely shape Lara Croft in an origin story that sees her transform from a weak, naïve little girl into a real raider.
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The Last of Us
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment of America
Developer: Naughty Dog
Release Date: TBA 2013
Excerpt: We still don't know how Joel and Ellie were thrust together or what circumstances propel them from the quarantine zones on the East Coast to the lawless West. Still, it's the mystery that makes The Last of Us so compelling and entertaining, so watch with us as we learn more leading up to the game's 2013 release.
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Dead Space 3
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Visceral Games
Release Date: February 2013
Excerpt: In one section, a snowstorm actually inhibited visibility like the shadowy sections of the Ishimura. Dead Space 3 certainly seems to be cut more from Dead Space 2's cloth, but it's nice to see features being added without alienating what made the series so appealing in the first place.
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Assassin's Creed III
Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Ubisoft
Release Date: October 30th, 2012
Excerpt: It might just be one of the hallmark set-pieces Assassin's Creed is known for, but fighting off an attacking ship provided for plenty of explosive moments. Perhaps Captain Connor can engage in these sequences when fast traveling between Boston and New York? Regardless, the scene crescendoed to a fever pitch as Connor's merry brotherhood boarded the enemy ship and forcefully persuaded the other crew to abandon ship.
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Beyond: Two Souls
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment of America
Developer: Quantic Dream
Release Date: TBA 2013
Excerpt: But that’s only one outcome of many, again akin to Heavy Rain. David Cage follows the same philosophy with Beyond: Two Souls, preferring everyone to experience the game for the first time in one playthrough, even if certain stages are met with failure, forming his or her unique story. Whether you liked Heavy Rain or not, this is one to watch when it release some time in 2013.
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Best of E3 2012 Awards Cont.
Resident Evil 6
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Release Date: October 2nd, 2012
Excerpt: The series is at an impasse—it saw plenty of success with a more survival horror offering, most recently seen in Resident Evil 4 with Leon Kennedy, and sold millions with action-horror in Chris Redfield’s latest outing in Resident Evil 5. What’s a historic, genre-defining series to do? The best of both worlds, and then some.
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Watch_Dogs
Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Ubisoft
Release Date: TBA
Excerpt: It'll probably be a long wait. Watch_Dogs certainly seems like it could be a next-generation game, considering the level of interaction, detail, fidelity, and advance physics systems it promises to employ. A mobile app is also in the works that will allow you to interact with your friends while on the go.
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SimCity
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Maxis
Release Date: February 2013
Excerpt: This re-imagining of SimCity is all about detail, generated by the game's Glassbox Engine. The core idea of envisioning a city plan, paving the landscape with roads and houses, supplying electricity and water to every building, and meeting the demands of the citizens remains intact. The difference comes in sheer graphical power, being able to zoom into a friendly culdesac and see the miniature Sims going about their day, purvey the city and witness the foggy pollution in the air, and construct curvy roads that aren't fixed along the square grid anymore.
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Borderlands 2
Publisher: Take Two Interactive
Developer: Gearbox Software
Release Date: September 18, 2012
Excerpt: As you would expect, Borderlands 2 is more of a "new and improved" model of Borderlands than a complete redo. You will still accept bounty board quests, choose from four classes based on the original four, earn experience, gain skill points for various trees, open familiar red treasure chests, and cheer when you find an 4x-incendiary sniper rifle.
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Injustice: Gods Among Us
Publisher: Warner Bros.
Developer: NetherRealms Studios
Release Date: TBA 2013
Excerpt: Only six characters were shown during E3, but the character selection screen has room for 24 heroes and villains. Plus, with NetherRealm calling the shots, there’s bound to be some secrets or hidden characters. The biggest surprises, however, are sure to be storyline-related, as this is an all-new take on the storied characters said to blur the line between good and evil.
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Best of E3 2012 Awards Cont.
Dishonored
Publisher: Bethesda
Developer: Arkane Studios
Release Date: October 9, 2012
Excerpt: Innovation is scarce, even among new IPs, and everyone knows that people may clamor for innovation but they're not easily impressed. Dishonored won't have that problem. It is now one of this editor's most anticipated games for when it releases some time later this year.
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Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
Publisher: Konami
Developer: Platinum Games
Release Date: Early 2013
Excerpt: Platinum Games gives the player the experience of being the Raiden of the cinematics in Metal Gear Solid 4, and puts that speed and agility in the hands of the player. It feels like that's a success from this early view. This does mean that, yes, this is not the subtle stealth espionage action of Metal Gears of the past, but that's why they dropped the "Solid" and put "Rising" in its place.
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Star Wars 1313
Publisher: LucasArts
Developer: LucasArts
Release Date: TBA
Excerpt: Following our behind-closed-doors demo of Star Wars 1313, we knew that we just saw a Next Generation game. Demoed on a PC, 1313 was the troll of E3 2012.
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Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Developer: Level-5, Studio Ghibli
Release Date: January 22, 2013
Excerpt: For a comparative description, Ni No Kuni is somewhere between Level 5's Rogue Galaxy and Dragon Quest VIII, with more than just a touch of Pokémon.
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Persona 4: Arena
Publisher: Atlus
Developer: Arc System Works
Release Date: August 7, 2012
Excerpt: It's not exactly a traditional SMT title, but Arena played exactly how it looks: all at once smooth, classic, clean and beautiful. The sprites are detailed down to the pixel and simply glide across the screen. This is definitely a title to watch out for.
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