E3 2013 Day One

With only a day in, E3 2013 is proving 2013 is going to be a tremendous year for gaming.  With two new consoles, exciting additions to beloved franchises, and tantalizing new IPs, it's like Christmas come early.  While there's certainly a lot of content to cover, I'll be sticking to what has excited me the most thus far.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2

MercurySteam and Konami blew me away with their 3D reboot of the Castlevania series.  Following the story of one of the first Belmonts and his radical transformation with one of the best twists in a game, this has been a long anticipated sequel.  For the first time, we get to play as the fabled count.  What other secrets will be uncovered?

Saints Row IV

Saints Row the Third was a raunchy and shamelessly filthy game.  It was also one of the best games I've ever played.  The comedy was top notch without being overdone and there was so much content to consume, I always found a reason to keep going back to Steelport.  Now, players find themselves in the super-powered shoes of the President of the United States fighting aliens.  What more could you ask for?

Mirror's Edge 2

Mirror's Edge wowed with its innovative first person free running experience in a beautifully realistic world.  This sequel steps it up with mind-blowing visuals and what appears to be a more in-depth combat system that should make it hard to wait for it to release.

Halo

It hasn't been too long since we've seen Master Chief.  But Microsoft knows that if they want to drive new console sales, then another dose of the Chief can only help.  Without spoiling the events of Halo 4, this should be a different Chief we're dealing with.  Some might even say he's a broken man.

Final Fantasy Versus XIII (Final Fantasy XV)

A game that has taken so long to release, they renamed it to be a later entry in the series.  If you've been holding your breath for this one, don't expect to exhale any time soon.  Who knows?  It might be renamed Final Fantasy XVII by the time it sees final release.

Kingdom Hearts 3

This is a moment that I never thought would come.  Square Enix has been content to release and re-release remakes of the first Kingdom Hearts for the better part of a decade.  Compound that with a slew of handheld only releases, and fans have been dying for a true sequel.  In a moment of pure surprise and delight, Kingdom Hearts 3 has finally been announced.  I look forward to playing it when its released in a decade.

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag

I haven't delved back into the world of Assassin's Creed since Ezio's first adventure.  They all seemed the same after that and the third entry had no appeal to me.  Then they revealed pirates as the central theme for the latest entry.  Now you have my attention.

Batman: Arkham Origins

Taking place before the previous two entries in the Arkham series, Origins doesn't look like it is treading new ground.  It did however, lose the two critical voices of Mark Hamill (Joker) and Kevin Conroy (Batman).  I wish the best of luck to the new voice actors.  They have some large shoes to fill.

inFAMOUS: Second Son

I never had the opportunity to play the other entries in the PS3 exclusive series, but I plan on rectifying that with the release of the PS4.

Star Wars Battlefront

Yet another series that I never thought would see the light of day again, Star Wars Battlefront.  Since being acquired by Disney, it looks like the new owner has heeded fan demand for a new entry into the series.  I can't wait!

Watch Dogs

Watch Dogs is probably the most exciting new IP in years.  Having taken the gaming world by storm, each new trailer only builds up more excitement.  If there only one game I could play out of all the ones I have listed here, Watch Dogs would be it.