[E3 2013 Feature] Our top five games of E3 2013

Dual Destinies was a game I didn’t pay much mind to before E3 2013 started, for I felt I knew exactly what its contents held before demoing it. Shortly after playing, I realized my preceding thoughts turned out to be correct: more world-class dialogue, more heart-pounding tension, and more well-executed logic problems than you can shake a big ol’ stick at. While the Mood Meter functionality seemed depthless and superfluous at face value, the updated visuals and truly tremendous use of 3D make this one feel new despite returning to the exact same tried-and-true formula.

Suda 51 of Grasshopper Manufacturer has yet to let me down, and that trend looks to continue on with the release of the darker, yet still sarcastically juvenile Killer is Dead. While not possessing a protagonist as memorable as Travis Touchdown from No More Heroes, in the brief time that I spent with it, Killer is Dead seemed to possess stronger core gameplay than its predecessor while still maintaining Suda 51’s trademark humor (see: Gigolo Vision). Now, if only it could come to Wii U…

With the previous two Zelda games on DS coming through for the most part but leaving a lot to be desired, the prospect of a sequel to A Link to the Past basically guaranteeing a proper overworld made me optimistic concerning Link’s first romp in 3D. Not only did it fulfill my initial expectations, A Link Between Worlds went above and beyond by introducing both wonderfully dynamic idiosyncratic gameplay and a color-concentrated new visual aesthetic not really seen before in the handheld iterations.

As with Phoenix Wright, I was expecting more of the same with the sequel to the popular, yet not popular enough to warrant a solely Sega-funded second chapter coming into E3, and got just that; as it turns out, the more Bayonetta, the better. Bringing back the same fluid, dodge-based hack’n’slash gameplay on top of even more hilarious trope-ic shenanigans from its protagonist, Bayonetta 2 looks to provide an experience not found quite yet on Wii U. GamePad-based touch control, while overall being slightly worse than the orthodox dual analog control provided, still manages to add an interesting element to the mixture.

Exhibiting a level of meticulousness even uncharacteristic for Nintendo’s standards, Pikmin 3 unexpectedly takes my vote for “Best Game I Played at E3”. Adding two new Pikmin types really complicates matters to an excellent degree, a bevy of single and multiplayer side-missions on top of the standard campaign look to increase replayability, and New Play controls still feel great.