Can 2014 top 2013 in gaming?

2013 will go down as one of our young industry’s best years to date, thanks in large part to games like Grand Theft Auto V, The Last of Us, and Super Mario 3D World among others. But as with all good things this year is slowly coming to an end, and I would like to take this opportunity to look into the not-so-distant future and categorize my top 10 most anticipated games of the coming year. A huge shoutout to 1212thedoctor for tagging me in this chain blog! Let’s get started.

10. Kirby: Triple Deluxe

There exists only two types of gamers: those who love Kirby, and those who do not. I happen to fall in the former, which means I am Kirby: Triple Deluxe despite knowing very little about it. Triple Deluxe is the first Kirby game to come to the 3DS and the first Kirby game since Mass Attack in 2011. Unlike other titles in the franchise, Triple Deluxe is played on a side-scrolling 2D plane with multiple layers, meaning Kirby can now jump into the foreground as well as the background in order to complete each stage. And it looks like a blast.

9. Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS

There is a reason why I am choosing Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS over its Wii U counterpart. Aside from the fact that I’m in college now and the only gaming system I have near me at all times is my lovely blue-black 3DS XL (excluding Steam, of course), I’m just really excited to finally have a portable Smash Bros. around. Imagine if you will a day when you are stuck at the bus stop yet again, with nothing to entertain you but your 3DS (no, put that smartphone away!). Whip out that sucker and play a few round of Smash! Besides, Smash Bros. for Wii U will probably find its way into my home somehow anyways.

8. A Hat in Time

3D platformers are a dying genre, with no one other that Nintendo actually caring to make them – that is, until now. Okay, perhaps I was over-exaggerating a bit, but it is true that 3D platformers are not as prevalent as they were back in the late nineties, which is probably why I was so excited when this indie title was announced. Inspired by Rareware classics like Banjo-Kazooie (to the point where the game’s original composer is now writing music for the game!), A Hat in Time is a collectathon 3D platformer starring Hat Kid in a mystical world full of angry French chefs. I swear that part was not an exaggeration.

7. Mirror's Edge 2

I will admit, the only reason why this isn’t higher on my list is because I’ll probably have no way to play it (and that I hate Origin, which I guess is my own responsibility), but that doesn’t mean I can’t be excited about it. Mirror’s Edge 2 is a prequel to the original Mirror’s Edge, which took place in a dystopian society where “runners” free-run across rooftops to deliver messages. I thought the game itself was great, but it had a few glaring flaws that I just could not overlook. Regardless, Mirror’s Edge 2 looks to fantastic from the little we have seen from it, which is why it deserves a spot on this list.

6. Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy

I did not expect to be so entranced in the world of Professor Layton until I picked up Miracle Mask earlier this year. The world of Professor Layton is charming, even if ridiculous, which bleeds into the puzzles and story. Just a few months ago, I managed to finish every single DLC piece available for the game, which Level-5 let leak over a period of one entire year before pulling out. Frankly, I desire more Layton, and Azran Legacy looks to fulfill that need in just a few months.

5. The Walking Dead: Season 2

There is little that needs to be said about this game. 2012’s The Walking Dead: A Telltale Series was fantastic. This is its sequel.

4. A Bird Story / To the Moon 2

To be honest, I have no idea when either of these two games will be released. A Bird Story is supposed to be out by the end of the year, yet we have not heard anything about it since last summer. To the Moon 2 is supposed to come out after A Bird Story, but we have not heard anything about it since… last summer. Anyways, Bird Story takes place in the To the Moon universe and is about a little boy and a little bird with a broken wing. This little boy eventually grows up and becomes the patient in To the Moon 2. Both games are created in the style of the original To the Moon, a point-and-click adventure that made the whole world weep like little babies when it was released in 2011. I hope to weep again soon.

3. Mario Kart 8

My eyes bled when I saw Mario Kart 8 at E3 this year. Never mind next-gen; the new Mario Kart looked stunning in high-definition, not to mention one of the most colorful games I have ever seen. The “anti-gravity” component may be a gimmick, but allowing tracks to loop around like will surely pave way to some great track designs. I hope that they will break away from the 32-track mold this time around and add an extra cup or two, but whatever the case, I am so ready for some more Mario Kart.

2. Watch_Dogs

Watch_Dogs was my game of E3 in 2012. It was also my game of E3 in 2013. This spring, after over a year and a half of waiting, we can finally experience the game for ourselves on practically any home platform we desire. Personally, I will probably be picking this up on PC, which will probably look fantastic on the new desktop I plan on building this summer. Take that, you filthy console peasants!

1. X

*Ahem*. Trailers do not usually make me cry, but both of X’s trailer made me want to. As a big fan of Xenoblade Chronicles, I cannot wait to get my hands on X this upcoming year. With a huge world to explore and undoubtedly another jaw-dropping story to tell, if X is not at the time of any JRPG fan’s list then I do not know what is. I just hope X manages to sell at least a million copies this time around though; Nintendo’s newest I.P. needs that type of boost to keep them rolling.

That’s all, folks! How do you feel about my picks? Leave a comment below!