Though the industry has been swept up by the hype surrounding the next-gen consoles of late, 2013 has proven to be a remarkable year for video game releases thus far. From atmospheric and intense adventures to first-person shooters that challenge the conventions of their genre, the past six months have served up some truly memorable experiences that will in time act as a fitting send off for our current-gen systems. With the month of March heralding a bold reinvention of Tomb Raider and the third; and arguably greatest entry for the Bioshock franchise in Infinite. Not to mention further iterations for God of War and Gears of War. As such, we were spoiled for triple-A choice.
Of course, this slew of great games was finite by nature and once we entered June, the industry began to retreat from the looming shadow of the summer blockbuster. This retreat was typified on June 14th, which itself was an interesting date on two levels. First, it marked Superman’s mighty return to the cinema screen with Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel, which irrefutably established the tentpole season of movies. And secondly, the 14th of June witnessed the release of The Last of Us. Hailed as a masterpiece, Naughty Dog’s stunning creation is the final sizable release of Q1 2013 and one that will undoubtedly resonate with many gamers for a very long time.
Still, the industry’s conveyor belt may have slowed, but it hasn’t stopped. Grand Theft Auto V will act as light at the end of the tunnel for much of the community when it hits stores on September 17th. While releases such as Tales of Xilia, Saints Row IV, Splinter Cell: Blacklist, Dragon’s Crown, Killzone: Mercenary and The Bureau: XCOM Declassified will all individually compete for your hard earned cash in August. But what about those games from 2013 that slipped your radar? Beneath the triple-A maelstrom of Q1 and Q2 exists a series of fine and worthy titles that are more than capable of filling the time between now and August.
So now that we’ve entered the second half of 2013 and gaming’s annual summer drought has taken effect – mind you, it’s a lot less severe than previous years – here’s a list of 5 titles you may have missed over the last six months and why they absolutely deserve your time.
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