Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, the NY Knicks showing their true colors, feeling cold in 64F weather, or how sadly underrated The Great White Hype is, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
Happy new year everyone! I hope 2013 is off to a great start for you guys and dolls. Hopefully all of us have great success and health in 2013. Now let’s talk about the most anticipated games of the year! I’m sure a lot of you are amped for Grand Theft Auto V, but interestingly enough there are five games that I’m even more excited for. I’ll go through my list in today’s column. When you’re done reading, kindly share your most wanted games of 2013. In the immortal words of Michael Wilbon, “Let’s do it.”
5) Tomb Raider: I’ve been excited for Lara Croft’s return since seeing Tomb Raider at E3 2011. The wait is almost over and I expect Lara’s origin story to be the best Tomb Raider adventure yet. The gameplay looks fresh, modern, and gripping. The graphics and sound seem first-rate. After being thoroughly trounced by the Uncharted series, Tomb Raider aims to reclaim the throne as gaming’s best adventure series in 2013. I’m really looking forward to seeing how Lara fares.
4) The Last of Us: I’ve always had great respect for Naughty Dog, but the Uncharted series left me wanting more. The graphics and gameplay were there, but I couldn’t get into the characters and story. The Last of Us already seems way more interesting to me in terms of narrative. A compelling story and fascinating characters combined with Naughty Dog’s phenomenal graphics and proven gameplay prowess should be a huge winner.
3) South Park: The Stick of Truth: It’s an old-school RPG with South Park graphics, humor, and voice acting. Of course I’m going to love this one! While THQ has had its share of exquisitely written games over the years, I have a feeling that this is going to be the best yet.
2) BioShock Infinite: This was another game that dazzled me at E3 2011. It looks gorgeous. The gameplay appears tight. And it just feels smarter than most videogames. It’s pretty much what I expect from Irrational. Those guys and gals are pretty awesome, and I expect another brilliant adventure in BioShock Infinite.
1) Dragon Age III: Most of you know that I’m a huge BioWare mark and I loved the first two Dragon Age games. I’m really, really looking forward to the latest adventure and seeing how everything ties together. In my head, I see an epic quest that wraps things up with the Hero of Ferelden and the Champion of Kirkwall, while mixing excellent new characters and memorable ones from the previous games. Even without seeing actual gameplay footage, I want this one badly.