E3 2012 Musings: The Last of Us, Watch Dogs & BEYOND: Two Souls

 

With E3 now in the bag, we begin our countdown to some of the most anticipated games that are due for release right around the corner. Big shots such as Halo 4, Dead Space 3, and Assassin’s Creed III go without saying, but what about the other ‘underdogs’? Sony’s conference blew audiences away with the introduction of new games such as The Last of Us and BEYOND: Two Souls while Ubisoft wraps up their conference with their surprise gift, Watch Dogs. If you have not had the chance to watch the conferences or missed E3 completely (what were you thinking!), here is why these three games will also make their way onto your gaming wishlist alongside the champions.

The Last of Us (PS3)

Release date: 2013

A PlayStation 3 exclusive developed by Naughty Dog (Uncharted series), The Last of Us invites us to play a thrilling post-apocalyptic game of survival where earth’s population have been decimated by a modern plague. More zombies and the end of the world scenario? Don’t get bored just yet. Set 20 years later after the plague’s breakout, the fun begins in a Boston quarantine zone. The main protagonists include Ellie, a 14-year-old orphan who has inherent knowledge despite her age, as well as Joel, a black market dealer who is older, masculine and is a hardhearted survivor (it has been confirmed that you’ll be placed in Joel’s shoes while Ellie will be controlled by the AI). Together, both characters attempt to make their way out of the quarantine zone and travel across the United States but their escape does not sit undetected for long. From military hostiles to the infected and other merciless survivors who would do anything to live, you can already tell that it’s going to be one epic battle of survival. The gameplay also presents itself smoothly, combined with excellent graphics and acute audio that will create a realistic feel when you slap your headphones on. Honored as IGN’s Best PS3 Game, Machinima’s Best of Show, and Gamespot’s Best of E3 among the pool of other awards that the game received, Sony without a doubt became the show stealer of the evening. Check out the demo below:

Watch Dogs (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

Release date: 2013

From the first glimpse at the gameplay demo, it looks as though we’re about to enter the world of Desmond Miles’ memories on Animus island, a feature in Assassin’s Creed Revelations. Think again. A few seconds later, we’re transported into a dark noir-like setting, surrounded by tall skyscrapers, busy streets and suspicious characters. The game’s protagonist Aiden Pearce presents himself as a supreme hacker, one who is able to utilize any device tied to the city’s central operating system (ctOS) as a weapon against itself. Ubisoft Montreal’s Watch Dogs offer the perfect blend of futuristic technology with a realistic and relatable metropolitan setting that alleviates this game to a whole new level. Revolving around the concept of information warfare, the game makes us question our own dependency of technology, wondering how reliable they actually are today as well as their purpose in the future. From slow motion shooting where you can see your bullet shells hover through the air right before they hit the ground to hijacking a car in order to escape from law enforcement, your adrenaline will be hitting the roof with this game’s exceptional graphics and flexible gameplay. And of course, Pearce’s masked identity just seals the deal.

BEYOND: Two Souls (PS3)

Release date: 2013

Sony can’t help but make it seem like its Christmas this time around for gamers worldwide. Beyond: Two Souls certainly stirred up audiences at E3, serving as the next game from Heavy Rain developer Quantic Dream.  We’re introduced with a dark and captivating opening that invites us to take a closer look at the main character, Jodie Holmes – played by actress Ellen Page (Juno, Inception) – who appears to have a ghostly presence that lingers around her, an invisible entity named Aiden. In the words of game director David Cage, “Beyond is a story of Jodie through 15 years of her life and we’ll see how she evolves, how she grows and how she lives with this thing.” The game revolves around the concept of discovering what lies beyond death, which ultimately awards players with an option of controlling either character. Whether it involves jumping off a speeding train or fending off an entire SWAT team, we can already deduce that this game is going to be one chilling adventure.

It looks like 2013 has a lot of exciting goodies in store for us gamers, so lets hope the world doesn’t come to an end this December.

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