Video Games to Watch Out For in 2013 Part #4

As it’s still near the start of a new year, new video games are coming out to look forward to. Over the next few days or so I will be listing about seventy games that you should watch out for this year.

Each part will have around nine games that you should look out for. In no particular order.

Read more to see the video games to watch out for in 2013 Part #4.

This part includes the following games:

Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist, War for the Overworld, Grim Dawn, Grand Theft Auto V, Killzone: Mercenary, Rayman Legends, Pokémon X and Y, Total War: Rome II and Wasteland 2.

Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist (PC, PS3 and X360)

Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist is an upcoming third person action adventure stealth game published by Ubisoft. It is the sixth installment of Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell series and will act as a sequel to Splinter Cell: Conviction.

The game will introduce a new gameplay mechanic called killing in motion, allowing the player to highlight targets and take them out in quick succession while moving. There will be voice integration with Xbox 360’s Kinect peripheral, which will allow gamers to say things to distract enemies and then attack and you can use the Kinect sensor to control the protagonist instead of using the Xbox 360 Controller.

Following the events of Splinter Cell: Conviction, Patricia Caldwell, the President of the United States, orders the corrupt Third Echelon terminated all its operations ceased. President Caldwell forms Fourth Echelon, a team of elite operatives drawn from different agencies, who operate in a mobile environment and perform missions assigned by the President. Former Third Echelon agent Sam Fisher is appointed Commander of Fourth Echelon.

While Third Echelon is shutting down, Fourth Echelon activates. A group of twelve terrorists initiate a terror ultimatum called “The Blacklist“, a deadly countdown of escalating terrorist attacks on United States assets. Fisher and his team must hunt these terrorists down and stop the Blacklist countdown before it reaches zero.

It is due for release on 20th August 2013 in North America and 23rd August 2013 in Europe.

War for the Overworld (PC)

War for the Overworld is an upcoming real-time strategy video game developed by Subterranean Games. The game started as a Kickstarter campaign, which ran from 29th November 2012 to 3rd January 2013. The game is inspired by Dungeon Keeper, Starcraft, Overlord and Evil Genius. It will include a campaign, sandbox mode, and online multiplayer.

In the game, players assume the role of an Underlord tasked with building dungeons that contain deadly traps and enemies to kill wandering heroes.The game starts with a blank slate and lets players choose where to “dig, fortify, and build” to create their dungeon.The game is played in real-time, with the player actively making decisions while fighting occurs.Armies of minions can be trained and commanded to vanquish foes, and spells are available which can injure enemies or assist minions during battle.The game requires micromanagement to keep minions working, supplying them with food and gold.

It is due for release in Q4 2013.

Grim Dawn (PC)

Grim Dawn is an upcoming action role-playing game developed by Crate Entertainment. Crate Entertainment announced on 27th July 2009 that they had licensed the Titan Quest engine from Iron Loreand announced Grim Dawn’s development on 21st January 2010. Initially, few details were revealed, with Crate Entertainment simply stating that Grim Dawn is set in a thematically dark fictional world loosely based on the Victorian era. Since then more information about the game has slowly been released.

Like other prominent action role-playing games, the majority of the gameplay in Grim Dawn will center around fast paced combat and the collection of loot: armor, potions, weapons, and money. Crate confirmed in an interview that Grim Dawn will feature a crafting system similar to that used in Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos’s popular mod Defense of the Ancients. Grim Dawn will also build upon existing systems present in Titan Quest, such as improved physics, location specific damage effects, dismemberment, and a completely redesigned quest system. In redesigning the quest system, Crate Entertainment confirmed that Grim Dawn will feature factions.

It is due for release on 31st August 2013 in North America and Europe.

Grand Theft Auto V (PS3 and X360)

Grand Theft Auto V is an upcoming open world action adventure video game being developed by Rockstar North in the United Kingdom and published by Rockstar Games. The game will be the first major title in the Grand Theft Auto series since Grand Theft Auto IV released in 2008 and a continuation of the fictional universe that was introduced in that game. The fifteenth game in the series overall, Grand Theft Auto V is to be set in fictional Los Santos in the state of San Andreas and its surrounding areas, based on modern-day Los Angeles and Southern California. Renditions of San Andreas were previously featured in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas released in 2004, and the original Grand Theft Auto released in 1997.

Grand Theft Auto V is destined to be biggest Grand Theft Auto open world game, The game will concentrate on “the pursuit of the almighty dollar“.In a break with recent tradition, Grand Theft Auto V will feature three playable protagonists.

Grand Theft Auto V was officially announced on 25th October 2011 and the debut trailer for the game was unveiled on 2nd November 2011. The first demo of the game was revealed to press on 11th October 2012 and the second trailer of Grand Theft Auto V was announced on 5th November 2012 and released on 14th November 2012. Three more character trailers were announced on 25th April 2013 and released on 30th April 2013.

Grand Theft Auto V “evolves nearly every mechanic“found in previous games in the series. Grand Theft Auto V world is bigger than the worlds of Red Dead Redemption, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Grand Theft Auto IV combined. Areas in the game world include beach fronts, mountains, the wilderness, a “Salton Sea” region, a military base and the suburbs. The ocean floor is fully detailed and can be explored.

Grand Theft Auto V’s single-player story is told through three player-controlled protagonists. They are Michael, Trevor and Franklin, criminals whose stories interconnect as they complete missions together. During story missions, the player can switch between the protagonists as they work together to accomplish an objective; in one such mission, Michael rappels down the side of a building, Franklin provides covering fire with a sniper rifle, and Trevor controls the getaway helicopter.

Outside of missions, the player is free to swap between the protagonists and explore the game’s open world, which includes a fully fledged ecosystem. The camera zooms out to a “Google Earth-style” perspective when switching characters and then drops into wherever the chosen character is. Even when the player is not controlling them, each character will still go about their own business across Los Santos. As any of the protagonists, the player can engage in activities such as yoga, the triathlon, jet skiing, base-jumping, tennis, golf, scuba diving or go to the gym. Each character will have unique hobbies, which can be completed with the protagonists’ friends, but the dating system from Grand Theft Auto V won’t return. San Andreas’ role-playing game-like player customisation is also absent, but the player can customise the clothing of each character.Characters can “flip off” people who will in varied circumstances cause different reactions from people.

It is due for release on 17th September 2013 in North America and Europe.

Killzone: Mercenary (PSVita)

Killzone: Mercenary is an upcoming first-person shooter video game for the PlayStation Vita. Developed by Guerrilla Cambridge, it is the second hand-held title in the Killzone series of video games, and fifth overall. It is the first installment to not be developed by Guerrilla Games directly.

Starting just after the ending of the original Killzone, and revisiting many of the events from the Killzone trilogy, the game puts players in the rugged combat boots of a mercenary named Arran Danner. Danner is a former UCA soldier who has no qualms about taking on paid contracts from the ISA as well as the Helghast.

When a seemingly routine mission to evacuate the Vektan Ambassador and his family in Pyrrhus goes wrong, Danner discovers that the outcome of the war could very well depend on the fate of the Ambassador’s young son. With both sides going through increasingly desperate lengths to get hold of the boy, he begins to wonder whether the price of victory is really worth the paycheck.

For the first time in a Killzone campaign, players will be fighting alongside Helghast forces as well as ISA specialists, carrying out missions that regular soldiers can’t. As a mercenary, players are free to decide which tactics and loadouts they’ll use to fulfill their contract; employers will reward players with weaponry and money if successfully completed.The game will utilise the PlayStation Vita’s touch screen and rear touch panel to some extent.

It is due for release on 10th September 2013 in North America and 04th September 2013 in Europe.

Rayman Legends (PS3, X360 and WiiU)

Rayman Legends is an upcoming platform game developed by Ubisoft Montpellier and published by Ubisoft. It is the fifth main title in the Rayman series and the direct sequel to 2011’s Rayman Origins. It was revealed in a trailer that appeared on the internet on 27th April 2012.Originally announced as a Wii U exclusive, the game will also be released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. A free Challenge mode was released on the Wii U eShop on 25th April 2013.

The game carries on the style of gameplay from Rayman Origins in which up to four players run, jump, punch, and kick their way through tricky levels. Lums can be collected by touching them, defeating enemies, or freeing captured Teensies. Along with Rayman, Globox, and the Teensies return as playable characters, players can now also control a new female character named Barbara.

In the Wii U version, an additional player can control Murfy using the Wii U GamePad’s touch screen. Murfy can perform various actions such as cutting through ropes, activating mechanisms, grabbing hold of enemies and assisting in gathering Lums. These offer a range of levels in which co-operation is required to progress, such as levels that mix platforming for Rayman and friends with rhythm gameplay for Murfy.

The majority of the single player campaign will be platforming with Rayman or one of the other characters, temporarily switching to Murfy during certain sections.

It is due for release on 3rd September 2013 in North America and 30th August 2013 in Europe.

Pokémon X and Y (3DS)

Pokémon X and Y are upcoming role-playing video games developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. They are the very first installments in the sixth generation of the main series of Pokémon games.

Like the many games before it, Pokémon X and Pokémon Y see players in the role of a Pokémon Trainer who travels across one of the various regions of the setting, catching creatures known as Pokémon and using them to battle against other trainers. Along with various Pokémon from previous generations, X and Y will introduce many new species of Pokémon, which include the three new starter Pokémon: the rodent Grass-type Chespin, the vulpine Fire-type Fennekin and the frog Water-type Froakie.

For the first time in the series, the entire game, including environments, character models, and battle sequences, are presented in fully polygonal 3D graphics. Pokémon X and Y are also the first games in the main series to allow movement in all directions, including diagonally and the ability to interact more with the environment for example with benches.

It is due for release in October 2013 in North America and Europe.

Total War: Rome II (PC)

Total War: Rome II is an upcoming strategy game under development by The Creative Assembly and published by Sega. The eighth standalone game in the Total War series of video games, Total War: Rome II is a successor to the 2004 game Rome: Total War.

As with Rome: Total War, Total War: Rome II will be set in classical antiquity and focus on the Roman Republic, allowing players to transform it into the Roman Empire if they so choose.

Warscape Engine will power the visuals of the game, and new unit cameras will allow players to focus on individual soldiers in the battlefield, which in itself may contain thousands of combatants at a time. Creative Assembly has stated that they wish to bring out the more human side of the war this way, with soldiers reacting with horror as their comrades get killed around them, and officers inspiring their men with heroic speeches before siege towers hit the walls of the enemy city. This will be realized using facial animations for individual units, adding a feel of horror and realism to the battles.

Armies and navies will also have changeable stances on the campaign map. These stances determine many things, among them total movement points per turn or the ability to deploy traps for an ambush. These stances will initially be called “Forced March” that will enable an army to march further, but which will also tire out its men and reduce their fighting ability; Defensive Stance that will enable the player to place stakes and perhaps build temporary forts, and finally “Ambush Stance“, that will enable the placing of bales of hay which can be set alight and rolled into the enemy’s formations when ambushing.

As with Total War: Shogun 2, the player will be prompted with decisions. The Creative Assembly is expanding on this mechanic, with each decision leading the player down a particular ‘decision path’ based on the player’s previous decisions. These decisions will then affect the way the campaign plays out, such as turning the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire.Additionally, rather than solely assigning traits to generals and family members as with previous Total War games, the player can now assign traits to legions as they gain combat experience through their years of conquest.Players can also customize legions by choosing their weapon loadout.

Navies will also play an even more important role in Total War: Rome II than in its predecessor. Creative Assembly plans to introduce mixed naval and land combat for land battles and city sieges for the first time in the company’s history. This will reflect the naval strategies of the classical era, where coastal cities were conquered and destroyed in great invasions of infantry disembarking from warships. Legions can now attack the enemy’s ground forces and cities, while naval units provide supporting fire or ram each other far away in the seas. Navies can also conquer poorly guarded coastal cities by themselves. Creative Assembly also plans to make naval units bigger in size, so instead of building one ship per construction, a player can have a formidable navy more quickly. The Creative Assembly has also revealed that naval regions will make a return from Medieval: Total War.

It is due for release on 3rd September 2013 in North America and Europe.

Wasteland 2 (PC)

Wasteland 2 is an upcoming post-apocalyptic role-playing video game under development by inXile Entertainment and Obsidian Entertainment. It is the first official sequel to the 1988 video game Wasteland (though both Fountain of Dreams and the original Fallout were considered spiritual successors). The game was successfully crowd funded through Kickstarter, part of a trend of high-profile developers launching projects on the site.

The game is set in an alternate history timeline, in which a nuclear holocaust took place in 1998 in relation to an impact event involving a cluster of meteors that sparked a global nuclear war. On the day of the cataclysm, a company of U.S. Army Engineers were in the desolate southwestern desert constructing bridges in an area with a number of small survivalist communities and a newly constructed federal death row prison with light industrial facilities. The soldiers sought shelter in the prison, expelled the inmates and invited nearby survivalists to join them shortly thereafter. Years later, together they formed “the Desert Rangers, in the great tradition of the Texas and Arizona Rangers“, to help other survivors in the desert and beyond it.

Wasteland 2 features a semi-overhead view with a rotatable camera.It will be a turn-based and party-based role-playing game with tactical combat. The player’s party will feature seven characters,split up into four player characters (Rangers) and three non-player characters. The Rangers will be highly customisable and the player’s choice of statistics, skills and appearance will give the Rangers an individualized personality. The party will also include non-player characters, each with their own personality, motivations, opinions and agendas.

It is due for release in October 2013 in North America and Europe.

Source: Information help from Wikipedia.

Previous Part:

• Video Games to Watch Out For in 2013 Part #1.
• Video Games to Watch Out For in 2013 Part #2.
• Video Games to Watch Out For in 2013 Part #3.

Next Part:

• Video Games to Watch Out For in 2013 Part #5.
• Video Games to Watch Out For in 2013 Part #6.
• Video Games to Watch Out For in 2013 Part #7.
• Video Games to Watch Out For in 2013 Part #8.