Imagine if you will, that video games never went into the third dimension. Instead of the polygon arms race that began in 1995, game artists and designers simply continued to hone the craft of 2D, hand-drawn sprites. What would the video games industry look like today? With that picture in your head, imagine that character-action games like Devil May Cry and God of War still existed, but were known for their gorgeous animation and parallax scrolling as much for their over-the-top combo systems and precise control schemes. Enter Dust: An Elysian Tale, a game that seems to come from this amazing alternate gaming reality.

It felt like the big message of E3 2012 was that 2013 will be one of the greatest years in gaming history. But what about the rest of this year? There are plenty of new and interesting games on the way, even if it feels like the games we’re really waiting for won’t drop for a long time. That leaves plenty of opportunity for some dark horse entries to find an audience and success. Enter Sleeping Dogs, the new open world action game from United Front Games and Square Enix.

Street Fighter X Tekken was released for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 earlier this year but the PlayStation Vita version is still on the way. Capcom plans on selling you on purchasing a portable version of the game by including touch screen functionality, cross-platform play with the PlayStation 3, and more. So will you want to buy another version of the same game? Do you need another version of this game if you already own one? Should you be upset if you got the Xbox 360 version?

Last year's amazing Arkham City is now making its way to the new Wii U in the form of the Armored Edition. Along with the console's new controller, a slew of new features are making its way into the port and Nintendo is hoping fans find that this new edition is the definitive edition.

I don't know about you, but I'm more than ready to terrorize yet another ecosystem with the ferocious ant/plant-like species that, on command, can attack enemies 10x their own size, break down gates, throw bombs, and other constructive activities. Pikmin 3 literally doubles your fun with several layers of depth and scope that could only be done on Wii U.

While the PS Vita is struggling to build up its sales numbers, new game releases for the PSP have still dwindled to almost nothing.  Gungnir is one of the few games set to dribble out for the system this year, and it looks like a good reason to spin up your UMD drive once again.  A strategy role playing game that promises to touch on some heavy topics like racism and class struggles while throwing in some mechanics new to the SRPG genre, Gungnir is the latest and possibly final entry in the Dept. Heaven series.

Given the great succes of New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Nintendo is bringing back the franchise for the launch of their brand new Wii U system. With a healthy dose of new power-ups, New Super Mario Bros. U is set to offer more than a Mario sidescroller has ever seen before. 

Skulls of the Shogun is a new 2D turn based strategy game from first time developer 17-Bit. Comprised in part of former employees of EA LA (responsible for the Command and Conquer series), the game aims to please fans of titles like Shining Force with a light-hearted presentation and skull collecting. I know those two don't go together but trust me, it will  all make sense.

Every year, about the time the massive Electronic Entertainment Expo occurs, there are the rumblings of an ancient prophecy. Myths and rumors are whispered about a truly revolutionary video game, one that will change the world and the way humanity sees it. A few games have bubbled up in this century and the last that have shown some potential, but as time passed, it was clear they were only precursors to the video game messiah.

As a kid I remember being told that my imagination was the greatest toy I could ever own, but what my parents didn’t tell me was that it's also my greatest weapon. That’s the exact mentality that Arkane Studios brings to their new first-person action title Dishonored. Cast as a supernatural assassin armed with a cornucopia of awe inspiring abilities, players will be free to choose how and when they strike their prey. Everything from instant teleportation to melding your mind with a fish is possible. Truly, this is one game where; “if you think it, you can probably do it”.

I love Doom.  From the moment I shot my first demon with a shotgun on an occupied Martian base in the early '90s, I was hooked.  The sense of power, the satisfaction of getting a perfect shot, the click-clack of cocking that beastly boom stick yet again for another blow, all balanced with the tension of not knowing what’s around the next corner. It all came together to form an addictive stew of demon slaying madness.  Doom II was basically more of the same, and after that, the franchise lay dormant for over a decade.

Ubisoft is showing up big on the Wii U.  With eight different titles either being ported to, or developed specifically for the system, the publisher has laid down a heavy bet on Nintendo’s next console’s success.  With so many titles being produced, you’d be forgiven if you thought that perhaps games were being rushed and that not anything terribly unique would be delivered, but one title in their arsenal, ZombiU, seeks to prove you wrong.

Dead Space 2 was one of my favorite games of 2011, and when rumblings began to stir about a third game in the series I waited with giddy anticipation for details. Now that the game has been officially announced and the first gameplay has been shown I can’t help but find myself…concerned about this title. While I see enough of the core DNA of Dead Space in the E3 demo, it feels like the game is losing some of its identity, not unlike what happened with the Mass Effect series.

I’m not sure why, but South Park: The Stick of Truth ended up being one of my favorite games at the Microsoft press conference. It could have something to do with the fact that I’m a huge fan of the show and watch it religiously. Or it may have been due to how annoyed and underwhelmed I was with the focus of the conference. It even could have been because Trey Parker and Matt Stone were far and away the most entertaining—and real—people to get on stage the entire time. Whatever the reason, this game could end up becoming one of my favorite games of 2013, even in a year that seems poised to have the most crowded release schedule of all time.

In a defensive style at their E3 press conference, Electronic Arts announced FIFA 13 for Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 with Kinect. Like a penalty kick, you probably did not see this one coming since last year.

Dante's next outing hopes to impress you with fast paced gameplay, fluid mechanics and memorable bosses. If you look at the game itself and past the controversial design change of Dante, you'll find an action romp not unlike the last four in the series but with changing environments, cleaner graphics and top-notch presentation.

2D Castlevania games have been on a short hiatus since the release of Order of Ecclesia on the Nintendo DS in 2008. Four years later and we’re finally seeing a new title, this one for the Nintendo 3DS. Development has shifted hands to Mercury Stream, the same team behind Castlevania: Lords of Shadow on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Fittingly, the brand new title, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate is set 25 years after the events of the original game, telling the tale of Gabriel’s descendants.

Resident Evil has been an important series in gaming for a long time now. Games like Resident Evil 2 and 4 were revolutionary landmarks in survival horror and third person gameplay. Despite its lineage of quality titles, the series has been often criticized for its departure from survival horror and its venture into more of an action oriented style.  Resident Evil 6 aims to combine the best of both its past horror-focused outings and the action-oriented gameplay of its more recent titles.

Going by the old proverb ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’, Quantic Dream’s newest title Beyond: Two Souls must be worth a million. After showcasing their impressive “Kara tech demo” back at GDC, it was obvious that Quantic’s next title would be a visual splendor and this game does not disappoint. Using the same sophisticated capture technology as James Cameron’s Avatar, Beyond: Two Souls is able to depict the uncanny life like mannerisms of its actors, which is welcomed considering  award winning actress Ellen Page will be playing the lead.

Lego City was announced at last year’s E3.  Initially the concept was a curiosity; gamers and journalists alike were unsure of exactly what we would expect from the title once it was formally revealed.  Nintendo’s press conference on Tuesday gave us all some clarity and presented an open world, story driven game that will be the Lego brand’s most ambitious video game title yet.

One of the new Wii U games that Nintendo showed off in a quick reel at their E3 Press Conference on Tuesday was a little title called Tank! Tank! Tank! from publisher Namco Bandai.

Back in February Sega announced a downloadable title simply called Hell Yeah! Wrath of the Dead Rabbit from Arkedo Studio.  Now, with E3 here they’ve pulled back the curtain on this gem of a title and given us all reason to get behind this title, screaming hell yeah all the while.

If you’re feeling a little burned out from the deluge of indie puzzle platformers with unique art styles, you are not alone.  Pid, which is just this sort of game, makes a good argument for you to make an exception: it’s being developed by the same team that created Bionic Commando: Rearmed.  Although Bionic Commando: Rearmed was a remake of a perfectly crafted classic game, the development team that now makes up Might and Delight perfectly nailed the recreation of the original’s faultless controls and physics.  Add a completely new game concept and art style to that proven record of gamepad artistry, and you’ve got a downloadable title that should be worth your time.

The Unfinished Swan is an incredibly innovative and creative title that aims to use your sense rather than your reflexes. This "first person painting game" strives to push the boundaries set by titles like Braid and Journey. The premise is simple: you are in a completely white world and must use balls of black paint to "feel" around the levels.

With Diablo III exploding onto the world and making headlines for everything from its high sales numbers to its controversial internet connection requirements, it seems as if Blizzard’s new monster is set to dominate the gaming landscape for some time to come. If you’ve read my review you know that I’m rather fond of that game. Perhaps you’re still not impressed. Perhaps you yearn for a game less streamlined that plays more like the Diablo of yore. That’s the exact sentiment that Runic Games is banking on with Torchlight II--a love letter to Diablo II in a post-Diablo III world. But let’s just not talk about Diablo for now, shall we?