Most Anticipated Games for the Rest of 2013

We've reached the halfway point of 2013, and already we've been delighted with some fantastic titles. The rest of 2013 is absolutely packed with compelling games all competing for your hard earned dollars. We here at SuperPhillip Central have come up with a list of 18 games that have our gaming thumbs twitching in anticipation just thinking about playing them. After we're finished listing ours, why not mention which games interest you most?

Grand Theft Auto V (Multi)

If you have been following our Top 100 Games of All Time list (and if you haven't, shame on you!), then you know how much we love Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and find it our favorite of Rockstar Games' series. It's almost criminal how much we love it. Seeing as Grand Theft Auto V is releasing in but a couple of months now and that it is taking place in an expanded Los Santos setting, we are beginning to feel the hype. That gameplay video Rockstar Games shared certainly helped with that regard. We hope that GTA V is more like San Andreas when it regards fun than GTA IV.

Watch Dogs (Multi)

We usually get the most new IPs at the start of a generation, and that seems to be holding true with generation eight. That said, Watch Dogs is a cross-gen game, releasing on both seventh generation and eighth generation platforms. Combining stealth, parkour and third-person shooting, Watch Dogs is a new IP from Ubisoft that prominently features hacking objects like civilian phones in its gameplay. What has us most interested, which goes with the hacking component, is the online multiplayer, that has one player trying to hack the other via surveillance cameras. Watch Dogs is hitting consoles of all shapes and sizes this November.

Batman: Arkham Origins (Multi)

He is vengeance... He is the night... He is... BATMAN! In Rocksteady's games, Arkham Asylum and Arkham City, we saw a professional and hardened Batman. In this prequel to those titles we get to see a Batman whose skills aren't at the height the current Dark Knight is known for. WB Games Montreal promises to deliver a compelling story where Batman will meet many of the foes who would go onto be part of his rogues gallery as well as how Batman went from early caped crusader to the Dark Knight who strikes fear into the heart of evildoers.

Saints Row IV (Multi)

After being down about Grand Theft Auto IV's neutered amount of pure fun, we graciously opened our arms to the Saints Row series. The series didn't come into its own until Saints Row 2. Then Saints Row: The Third came along and not only gave us plenty of laughs but plenty of exciting manic missions to do. Saints Row IV might not have the same publisher (since THQ is no more), but everything that we love about the franchise seems to be returning just fine. This time the series is going even further into madness with the addition of aliens. Beam us up, Johnny Gat. We're ready to take 'em on.

Rayman Legends (Multi)

Last year we had Rayman Legends on our list of Most Anticipated Games for the Rest of 2012. Then we had it on our Most Wanted Games of 2013 list, thinking the game would release in February. Lastly, we listed it when we showcased the games that would be releasing in February of this year. It seems that finally the game will be releasing this September, and the extra development time seems to have been worth it. Rayman Legends will come with 40 levels from Rayman Origins in the art style of Legends. That's adding to the content already on the disc. What you are left with is one of our most anticipated platformers in quite some time, and now a much broader audience can play it-- even Vita owners!

Killzone: Shadow Fall (PS4)

For the longest time the media had desired to call Killzone Sony's Halo-killer. Basically, any new first-person shooter from a big publisher is their Halo-killer or whatever nonsense to be used as an excuse to get gullible people to give their site traffic. Regardless, even if Killzone did not scratch the itch of Halo players, it more than did its duty for PlayStation fans, which is all that really matters in the grand scheme of things. Sony is set to release two Killzone games this year, one for PS4 and one for the Vita, with the former being on this list, Killzone: Shadow Fall. The game is set thirty years after the third installment, and it is shaping up to be a great showcase of the PlayStation 4's power... oh, and it looks fun, too!

Gran Turismo 6 (PS3)

We skipped on Gran Turismo 5 because we were all raced out with the Forza franchise. Since we aren't too hyped for Forza 5, we've chosen Gran Turismo 6 on the PlayStation 3 (and possibly PS4) to entertain our racing urges this holiday season. There's over 1200 vehicles to select-- more than a player could possibly drive and over 30 different racing locations, most of which have multiple layouts to them. To say that Gran Turismo 6 isn't shaping up to be the ultimate driving simulator of generation seven is something that SuperPhillip Central's staff cannot get behind.

Puppeteer (PS3)

Of all the games that did not make this list (like yearly series we've grown tired of like Call of Duty and Assassin's Creed), it's odd to see something as quirky as Sony's Japan Studio's Puppeteer have a place on this list of our most anticipated games. What can you say about a game about a boy whose been turned into a puppet, has lost his head, and needs to come across different objects to be used as his head to progress through the game? We call it innovative, and we just know that Puppeteer will be making the rounds on our Most Overlooked PlayStation 3 Games segment sometime in the near future.

Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus (PS3)

After failed experiments like All 4 One and Full Frontal Assault, Insomniac is finally returning the Ratchet & Clank series back to its roots with multiple planets, a full story centered on everyone's favorite talking lombax, the combination gunplay and platforming that have made the series so beloved, and the series's knack for making its players laugh. Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus was quite a surprise when it was announced, and it being released this holiday season (so quickly) is simply put, awesome.

Super Mario 3D World (Wii U)

Many would have preferred to see a 3D Mario in the form of a Super Mario Galaxy 3. Instead, what we have is something that we at SuperPhillip Central are excited about regardless, a sequel to our favorite Nintendo 3DS game, Super Mario 3D Land. It's Super Mario 3D World, introducing for the first time in a 3D Mario, full multiplayer for up to four friends or family members. That has us sold, if the cat suit didn't do so already. While Super Mario 3D World is not the most technologically impressive game on the Wii U, the fun that players will almost undoubtedly have more than makes up for it.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (Wii U)

A loud faction of Nintendo fans were severely disappointed that Retro Studios new project was the next in the Donkey Kong Country series, despite Donkey Kong Country Returns being one of the best platformers of the past generation. Tropical Freeze is set to release this November, and it seems that Retro Studios is aiming to seriously trump their last project. The series regains David Wise as its composer, swimming levels return, and so does Dixie Kong. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is set to surpass its predecessor. Oh, did we mention there's no shaking the controller this time around?

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD (Wii U)

No one on our small little staff has played the GameCube classic, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, since its release. That was a decade ago, so to say we're excited to have another reason to play through it would be an understatement. The glorious toon-shaded art style of The Wind Waker looks absolutely sensational in HD, and we look forward to seeing the improvements, such as more Miiverse integration and Wii U GamePad functionality firsthand. We're anxiously awaiting the day we can once again return to the Great Sea, sail its deadly waters and save the kingdom from Ganondorf once more.

Sonic Lost World (Wii U, 3DS)

This might be an anomaly for the ages. We're excited more for a 3D Sonic game than we are for a 3D Mario game. Is this backwards day? Have we ruined the time-space continuum somehow? Hold up. We have to check if hell froze over. In all seriousness, Sonic Lost World looks to continue Sonic's impressive 3D streak, following Sonic Colors (Wii) and Sonic Generations (PS3, 360, PC). The game has been likened to Super Mario Galaxy. All we know is that we're seriously impressed and dying to play the final version of Sonic Lost World when it releases in the second half of October.

Pikmin 3 (Wii U)

Shigeru Miyamoto and his team have made us wait almost a decade for a sequel to Pikmin 2, but now it has released in Japan with open arms. Soon, the West will get to experience what the hubbub is all about when Pikmin 3 releases on this side of the world. Pikmin 3 involves micro-managing three different captains and their collection of Pikmin to solve environmental puzzles and take down hostile creatures in order to obtain enough fruit for their home planet to continue surviving. Not only does that planet need to survive, but so do players as they switch between captains to explore the dangerous world. Containing the traditional story mode, a mission mode, multiplayer and online leaderboards, Pikmin 3 is the start of the gaming goodness this year for Wii U owners.

The Wonderful 101 (Wii U)

In what looks to be the pinnacle of Platinum Games' development career, The Wonderful 101 is all thanks to the combined efforts of Platinum and Nintendo. Using a team of 100 superheroes to take down robotic forces both small and behemoth-sized, The Wonderful 101 features excellent use of the Wii U GamePad, high octane action and a beautiful colored world to explore. We posted the intro video to the game earlier this morning. We encourage you to watch it, and see other gameplay videos after you're done with perusing this list.

Pokemon X and Y (3DS)

The last time we were this excited for a Pokemon generation was back in the Game Boy Color days when Pokemon Gold and Pokemon Silver were set to release. Obviously that was a long time ago, but finally it seems the series is evolving much like a Pikachu into a Raichu, except without needing a Thunder Stone to do so. Pokemon X and Y are releasing worldwide for the first time on October 12, a day that will live in infamy for Pokemaniacs across the globe. With 3D graphics and battles, two new Pokemon types and a myriad of new Pokemon to collect, Pokemon X and Y will no doubt beef up the Nintendo 3DS's already incredible lineup for 2013.

Mario & Luigi: Dream Team (3DS)

As part of the Year of Luigi, Luigi gets a starring role within his dreams in Mario & Luigi: Dream Team. The game has released in Europe recently, and the feedback for the game has been quite pleasant with one of the only knocks toward the game being lengthy tutorials. As long as the dialogue during them entertains like the series is known to do, we'll be satisfied. Mario & Luigi: Dream Team is a game that no only beefed up its visuals but also its length-- having players chime in with over 30 hours of play time. We'll be surrendering part of our summer to Dream Team when it releases in North America on August 11.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (3DS)

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is one of SuperPhillip Central's favorite Zelda games ever. The idea that we are getting a full blown game set within its version of Hyrule makes us giddy like schoolboys. The added gameplay element of Link turning into a wall drawing to access new portions of Hyrule as well as dungeons is something that opens up new exploration possibilities for Link's old stomping grounds. Add this to the impressive use of 3D, and you have a title that we hope will satisfy our hunger for a new top-down Zelda.