I See the Future: Five Amazing Things That Will Happen in 2013

Using overly complicated computers with blinking lights and super-colliders that make the Higgs Boson seem tiny, NA complied a list of five amazing things that WILL happen in 2013.  Over the years we’ve become very good at predicting trends in pop culture and gaming, so just remember that you heard it here first-ish. Hold onto your Tardis, here we go.

Indie Games Will Steal the Spotlight: 2013 will be the year of the indie game.  With new consoles coming very soon we’ll probably see less AAA titles in 2013 than recent years.   The booming success of indie and mobile gaming has forced publishers to become a bit more cautious when funding new AAA IPs. Going “all in” on a brand new IP is simply a risk that many publishers aren’t willing to take.  When smaller studios like Telltale and Robot can produce AAA quality games for less money, the way games are being funded and made has forever changed.  Some great examples of next year’s indie-offerings include  Republique by Camoflaj+Logan and even the indie console The OUYA which should be launching some time in 2013.  With indie games getting better and better, it’s becoming harder for massive publishers to make a living using the formulas of old.. Sorry Capcom and THQ.

NEXT GEN CONSOLES Q4– While this rumor has been circulating for what seems like forever, we’ve heard from a number Bothan spies that 2013 will in fact be the launch of next-gen consoles.  And no, I don’t count the Wii-U.  Where did we get our intel? First, the folks over at Bloomberg stated that the next-gen Xbox would launch in 2013 with an improved connect sens0r (because everything is better with Kinect…right?)  Other sites like Kotaku, CVG,  and Joystiq have all but confirmed that we’ll see the 720…err…Durango…uhm..new Xbox in 2013.  Oh yeah, and there is also the little fact that developers are already hard at work on titles for these new systems.  Examples?  DICE is working on Battlefield 4, Bungie is building their ambitious new MMO Destiny (which looks incredible), and 343 is plugging away on Halo 5 (which they would be smart to offer as a launch title/bundle).  Like it or not these systems are coming, so save your shillings.

Telltale’s Walking Dead: Season 2 –*SPOILERS*  Telltale’s Walking Dead series will return in (Q2 or Q3) 2013 for season two of  Clementine’s tale of survival in the zombie infested wastes of America.  If you’ve beaten the Walking Dead, you’re probably aware that things don’t exactly end with Lee and Clem hopping on a sailboat and riding into the sunset.  Here are two possibilities as to what could happen in season 2.  1) Molly is the Main Protagonist:  Molly, the zombie killing parkour ninja from episode 4 will return as the main protagonist in season 2.  Why? Molly was a loner, but instantly took a liking to Clementine and Lee.  Molly vanishes at the end of episode 4 and presumably gets out of Savannah alive due to her climbing axe and gravitas.  Playing as Molly on a search for Clementine would allow for some new puzzles and gameplay mechanics due to Molly’s speed and vertical mobility.  We really hope we’re right about this one.  2) Time Jump – Making Clem even six or seven years older would  allow players to see what became of Clementine after the events of season one.  While I’d love to see Clementine all grown up, I highly doubt that Telltale will go the time jump route. Oh yeah, Kenny and Lily are still alive… no doubt about it.

Dragon Age 3: Inquisition Will Be Incredible : Even though we liked it, Dragon Age 2 took a lot of lumps.  The crew at Bioware seem to be focusing extra hard on DA3 and are really taking their time with this title.  Currently being built on a modified version of DICE’s Frostbite 2 engine (see: pretty/destructible environments), Dragon Age 3 will follow a brand new protagonist on a crazy adventure to fix a world at war.  Many outlets are reporting that Dragon Age III will also have some sort of online multiplayer component, which, if anything like ME3 Multiplayer, should prove amazing. If DA3 does in fact come out in 2013, look for it in Q4….When those new consoles are coming out.

Mass Effect: Cart Racing: Laugh all you want, but this title is money in the bank. While we’ve joked about this idea on countless podcasts we think this could actually make one hell of a Bioware title.  Imagine racing around the halls of Omega in your turbo charged Mako with Saren on your six riding on his hover disk thingy.  Play as your favorite big-head Mass Effect characters while racing in familiar ME locations like Tuchanka and the Citadel.  Utilize biotics and tech powers to sabotage and stun other racers.  Silly?  Sure.  Fun?  Hell yes.

We promise to be right about at least 50% of what we’ve claimed here… Okay, maybe not the cart racing. Onward to an amazing 2013!