Part three of my gaming features, this is what I'm looking forward to the most in 2013...at the moment, anyway. Who knows what surprises 2013 has in store for us? I'm half hoping for a Golden Sun: Dark Dawn sequel (because it really needs one, it was an awful game by itself) and I'd also like to see something new from tri-Ace.

Again, things are in order~

5. Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch

After careful consideration, I have decided I am going to buy this. Given my frequent frustration with the lack of a satisfying conclusion to the movies, a Studio Ghibli video game could both enthrall and infuriate me depending on how it's handled. But the gameplay looks appealing - nothing wrong with a monster spree; I've been playing Pokemon for years and it can't possibly be any worse than Final Fantasy XIII-2 or Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World - and the soundtrack is absolutely fantastic. The voice acting is very British, which immediately puts it a cut above the rest (I'm sorry, but when you've heard JYB and Yuri Lowenthal in one thing, you've heard them in everything) and it LOOKS like a Studio Ghibli movie. I don't pay much attention to graphics, but it just wouldn't be a Ghibli work without that distinctive style. Level-5, as a developer, have a moderately good reputation with me as well; I didn't like Dragon Quest IX or the Layton games much, but I DID quite enjoy White Knight Chronicles. Level-5 know how to make RPGs. So, it's in fairly good hands. Just under a month to go!

4. Disgaea Dimension 2

This might be a bit ambitious, but with a March release in Japan, we SHOULD get it before the end of the year...it takes about seven months to localize these. And they can't NOT localize this. A sequel to the original Disgaea. Whilst I am perhaps more fond of Disgaea 4 now than I am the original game, I can't not be excited to see the dynamic trio of Laharl, Etna and Flonne back together again. With D4, NIS proved that they can keep the franchise going: I didn't find D2 or D3 particularly captivating, if I'm honest. What better way to celebrate the 10th anniversary with a sequel to the original game? This being NIS, I am positive that they'll come up with something for it. This is another 100+ hours of my life just waiting to be blown. It just wouldn't be a new year without another Nippon Ichi Software grindfest. Mugen Souls was horrific. They CAN'T mess this up. This isn't Square Enix here.

3. Dragon Age III: Inquisition

Nobody suspects the Ferelden Inquisition! Dragon Age II was EXTREMELY disappointing - the final boss was a Sith Lord, for crying out loud - and I expect Bioware to learn from their mistakes...they're on very thin ice with the gaming community at large over Mass Effect 3 (which I have yet to play, actually) as it is. But the world of Dragon Age remains a fantastically detailed fantasy world easily equal to the likes of Skyrim in terms of detail (let me get one thing straight: I dislike the Elder Scrolls as a series, but I do respect the depth that has gone into the creation of the world itself) and with the improvements made on the combat in DA2, I expect to see the best of both games in the third game. Plus...Inquisition. Sounds exciting. It's a strong indicator that there will actually be some PLOT to this this time. Perhaps Dragon Age II is merely a precursor for this game, and it will salvage Bioware's rapidly deteriorating reputation. I'll not hold my breath, but nonetheless, it looks promising. Mostly I'm just looking forward to the dialogue; there is bound to be an Alistair or Isabelle in it. Maybe Morrigan and/or Flemeth will return as well. So many possibilities...alas, so long to wait.

2. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow II

The original Lords of Shadow is one of the better games of its kind of this generation. The story leaves a little to be desired, but nonetheless, for a reboot of a very good franchise, it doesn't let it down. It manages to stay reasonably true to the roots of the series - at least, it does by the end of it - and be an entirely new chapter at the same time. It also boasts the greatest voice cast in the history of video gaming. Seriously, not even Xenoblade can match Patrick Stewart narrating at the start of every section of every chapter, or a protagonist voiced by Robert Carlyle, amongst others. This was very, VERY well cast indeed, and whilst a lot of the characters didn't get very many lines, this gave the game a very professional feel to it. The new music style paid off - oh god, did it pay off - and you were given a reasonable degree of freedom into how you played; between light/dark magic, the multitude of combos, and secondary weapons, there was plenty to pick from. It's not unique in this regard, but it more than held to the standard.

So, to the sequel. You get to play as Dracula. Sit, for a minute, and let that sink in. This is even more exciting than fighting Death and Dracula in tandem in Portrait of Ruin. This is something that I expect many Castlevania fans have dreamed of since being given control of Alucard in Symphony of the Night (who is also in this game, I believe) but never thought would come to pass. Well, someone evidently knows what they're doing, because even an underpowered Dracula is going to be better than random Belmont...especially when that Dracula IS a Belmont. This can only build on Gabriel's character, and already it has so much to offer: what happened to him? Why? How exactly is Gabriel going to turn from the religious, righteous man from the first game into the infamous Dracula? Will he? Castlevania is one of the few franchises that has never let me down, so it's difficult not to be overwhelmingly excited for this. Especially not after the two trailers we've had thus far.

...but please, oh please, let Patrick Stewart narrate some more. PLEASE. LoS2 needs more Zobek.

1. Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Twilight Land

Ayesha, of course, had to be first in this list. Another instalment in the Atelier franchise, I'm looking forward to seeing where Gust is going to take it. Were the Arland games a one-off, or can they carry on the trend of excellence? Will a new setting make things better, or was the magic entirely down to Arland? The theme is said to be "overcoming sadness" which, I think, sounds quite dark for an Atelier game...there is little in the way of melancholy in Rorona, Totori (well, there is a bit in Totori) or Meruru, so something a bit more reserved this time around will be a welcome change. I'm wondering how Ayesha will develop at the game progresses, as well; she's slightly older than Meruru was when she started (17 to 15, respectively) so perhaps she'll be a little more mature? Q1 2013 release, so hopefully that mean by the end of March this will get released. There aren't many games I absolutely must have on release date, but this one of them. I'm already hooked on the OST...