With a surprisingly good year in gaming behind us, it’s time to look to the future and see what 2013 holds for us. Breaking from the annual pattern, this year actually has most of its anticipated releases in the first half of the year. There better be some announcements at E3 because at the moment we won’t have anything to play around the holidays next year on our brand new consoles. So without further ado let us go through the most anticipated games for the first two quarters of 2013.

     January: DMC: The newest entry in the hack and slash giant that is the Devil May Cry franchise. It ditches the goofiness of the previous entries for a more serious tone. Being the first Capcom game to be developed outside of Japan, its Western influences are apparent but it is yet to be seen if they are to the games detriment or advantage. Those who can’t wait to take the new Dante for a spin can download the demo now from Xbox Live and PSN.     February: Dead Space 3: The third instalment of Isaac’s journey will be making its debut in February. The acclaimed survival horror set in space is poised to be the next Resident Evil (I mean when RE was good). However adding a co-op partner does seem to take away from the scares a bit but the talented team at Visceral seem to be doing a good job so far and insist that it won’t detract from the atmosphere. I recommend an extra set of pants if you’re going to get this one.     Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time: The master thief and his team of lovable bandits make their long awaited debut on the PS3 and Vita. This is one for all ages. Everyone from young kids to the most grizzled of gamers will be able to enjoy this one it seems. With three playable characters and visits to different eras throughout history, Sly plans to make his return to our consoles a triumphant success. Be sure keep an eye out for this one, unless you have an Xbox.     Aliens: Colonial Marines: An official sequel to the movies, this first person shooter has been raising eyebrows since it was first announced. Its development has not been the smoothest with some delays but from what I’ve seen the finished product seems pretty good. If you want to shoot some face huggers without being face hugged this is the way to do it.     Crysis 3: The Crysis franchise may not be the rig killer as it once was but that doesn’t mean it’s ugly. The newest entry in the series will be hitting the consoles as well as PC with some updated graphics and some interesting new multiplayer options. If you’re a fan of the franchise or like first person shooters prepare to don the nanosuit once more and rip through the urban jungle of New York.     Metal Gear Rising: Revengance: Just because the title is stupid doesn’t mean the game is going to be. Developed more by Platinum Games (famous for their work on Bayonetta) than Kojima’s team, it’s had a difficult birth. The first Metal Gear game to grace the 360, it sheds its stealth roots to become an action game. Don’t let that put you off though, the game is looking amazing and I for one can’t wait to take control of cyborg Raiden and carve up some henchmen, in slow mo, with a lightening katana. And to be fair, who doesn’t want to?     Rayman Legends: Perhaps the first must have game for the Wii U, this platformer from Ubisoft was one of the games that impressed me most at E3. Boasting new characters, asymmetric gameplay, a beautiful art style and some of the best platforming you will ever come across, this is the game all Wii U owners have been waiting for.     March: Tomb Raider: Lara Croft makes her much anticipated return in 2013 sporting a new gritty, realistic look and some pretty cool looking gameplay. Gone are the oversized breasts of Lara’s past as she’s replaced with a hapless young girl trying to survive on an island filled with wild animals, treacherous terrain and some pretty angry natives. The game show the transition of Lara from the helpless college student to the formidable treasure hunter she came to be. Being shipwrecked never looked this good.     God of War: Ascension: Kratos returns yet again for another bloody rampage through ancient Greek mythology. This time it’s a prequel showing how Kratos escaped from the clutches of Aries to become his own man once again. Brutal as it is epic, the GOW series has defined the PlayStation brand to quite an extent. And with the addition of multiplayer, this entry to the series is bringing something very new and exciting to the table. Unleash your wrath on the Furies and show ‘em what the soon to be god of war is capable of.     Gears of War: Judgement: If you were a bit depressed hearing about all the Playstation exclusives on this list here is something to cheer you up. Set in the early days of the Locust war, the story follows fan favourite Baird as he and his squad are accused of treason. With solid gameplay, story and some new multiplayer modes it’s hard to think of a reason not to pick this one up if you have a 360 (unless you’re broke which, seeing as you’re probably a student, is very possible).     Bioshock Infinite: Perhaps the most visually striking game on this list, the third instalment in the Bioshock series is looking more and more amazing with every piece of media released for it. Take control of former Pinkerton Agent, Booker DeWitt as you shoot your way through the floating city of Columbia with the help of Elizabeth and her supernatural powers. Drink tonics to gain new powers and see some of the most imaginative enemies in the industry today. The Songbird will send chills down your spine.      April: Injustice: Gods Among Us: The age old question is...who would win in a fight, Batman or Superman? Thanks to the team behind the latest rendition of Mortal Kombat we will finally know the answer. Take control of heroes and villains in the DC universe and use them to bash each other to oblivion. With deep gameplay and an impressive visual style, this is a must buy for fans of fighting games and/or comics. Ed Boon and his friends know how to make a good fighting game and have ditched the hyper violence of Mortal Kombat in favour of a more over the top action movie style.     May: The Last of Us: Another Playstation exclusive makes the list. Perhaps the most anticipated game of 2013, Naughty Dog’s latest project puts us in the shoes of apocalypse survivors Joel and Ellie. Seriously, if you haven’t seen this game drop whatever it is you’re doing and go look it up. With very realistic stealth gameplay from what we’ve seen so far and fascinating mechanics such as resource conservation and having to construct items in-game not just a pause menu. If you have a PS3, you owe it to yourself and your machine to get this game. I’ve yet to play a bad game made by Naughty Dog and I’ll eat my hat if this is the first.There are many games that didn’t make the list to don’t get upset if your favourite isn’t there. These dates are also subject to change as games often get delayed. As crowded as the first half of the year is we’ll have to cross our fingers and hope the second half gets some more games because as it is now, there isn’t anything there besides crickets.