TECH POP-UPS

It’s the end of an era – at least for the current generation of gaming consoles. As patrons impatiently wait the release of the Xbox One and the Palaystation 4, we’re still preparing ourselves for a world where a forgotten Xbox 360 sits on a shelf and collects dust. As this generation of video games draws to a close, I would like to   salute the five most visually stunning, interesting, enthralling and playable video games of 2013.

For the second trip down Desmond Miles’s DNA helix, Ubisoft Montreal introduced Ezio Auditore and gave players more options for mayhem in the urban centers of the Italian Renaissance. You can hire courtesans to distract guards or use mercenaries to do the dirty work for you. The swordplay showed increased flexibility and depth, too, with more weapons and tactics than before. Underneath it all, the game’s virtual Italy sported a more varied, vibrant population than any other free roaming game so far.

A Good Match for: Fans of serialized fiction. With a conspiracy fetish tying everything all together, the Assassin’s Creed games represent a journey through history and iteration, where you get to see how tings were in the real world and where ideas are going in game design. Do follow through and continue Ezio’s story in Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood and Assassin’s Creed Revelations.

Not for Those Who Want: A harmonious whole. The framing story of Assassin’s Creed is the franchise’s biggest problem. The present-day world that ordinary Desmond Miles wals through just isn’t as lushly imagines as those his hooded predecessors prwled. The pieces of the fame don’t sync up in terms of appeal and you’ll start getting involuntarily annoyed when you start to hear Desomnd actor Nolan North’s voice again.

Rocksteady’s second outing with Batman sharpens two areas where open-world games usually floundered: getting around and beating up bad guys. Arkhan City’s combat system perfectly combines fists, feet and gadgets to make B atman feel formidable. The experience of gliding above the rooftops and pouncing onto criminals from on high nails the feeling of being a creature-of-the-night crime fighter superhero.

A Good Match for: Comic-book fans who want to embody the Dark Knight. With plot and voice work by top talents who’ve brought Batman’s world to life, Arkhan City’s creative pedigree enhances its great mechanics. Not for Those Who Want: The atmosphere of Arkhan Asylum. In delivering bigger environments, this Bat-game sacrifices some of the moody atmospherics of its predecessor.

Regularly cited as one of the best games ever made, Irrational Games’ beloved adventure submerges platters in Rapture, an undersea world city torn apart by civil war and rife with the worst behaviors in human nature. The way you wield your character’s supernatural abilities doesn’t just advance the game’s plot but also reveals a little about you as a person.  A Good Match for: College Students. BioShock feels like a new kind of cultural experience, one that you help create as you play. Its use of directed aesthetic and literary reference has also made it the fame that’s launched 1,000 thesis papers

 Not for Those Who Want: High-octane action. While the fameplay encounters in BioShock are entertaining, there’s a lot of space between them when compared to other first-person games.

Gears 3 fills the marquee spot held by Bungie’s Halo games and with good reason. Epic Games’ scifi shooter threequel represents hardcore shooter nirvana: a tightly-polished campaign that plays great solo or coop and some of the best multiplayer found anywhere. Moreover, the fame’s been robustly supported with both campaign and multiplayer DLC designed to deepen an already hearty release.

A Good Match for: Dedicated online shooter fanatics who play every day. The more you play, the more Gear 3 rewards you.

Not for Those Who Want: Deep character development or intriguing story structure. Gears 3 games have always been meat-and-potatoes in terms of plot.

Paradoxical as it may seem, stealth and freedom should go hand-in-hand in video games. The folks behind this stellar hybrid understand this and give players the chance to steer Corvo Attano’s quest for revenge however they choose. With the abilities and weapons on hand, you can teleport through a level and knock every one unconscious for a non-lethal run or slow down time and gun down ever fool who comes your way. No matter how you play, the atmospheric world of Dunwall is a beautiful place to creep through.

A Good Match for: Alternate reality enthusiasts. If your’re a fan of Earths where thing went seriously wrong/different, then you’ll want to heed Dishonored call. They city of Dunwall harbors just enough tech for you to hack and repurpose but the game also endows you with a slew of magical abilities that let you get creative in how you work through a mission. This isn’t Solid Snake or Sam Fisher sneaking. It’s something more steampunk.

Not for Those Who Want: To know where they’re going to wind up. The reticule that you use for the Blink teleport ability can be hard to see/aim, making it a bit of painful guesswork to figure out if Corvo will be going exactly where you want him to.

Automotive destruction’s never looked as sexy as it does in Criterion’s hi-speed racing game. You’re tasked with driving against traffic, scraping against civilian cars and shoving competitors into signature crashes called Takedown. But, Paradise also deserves praise for a seamless integration of multiplayer where dropping into a showdown can be quick as tapping a button.

A Good Match for: Street racing fans. If you’ve ever pulled up to a stoplight and imagined what it’d be like to burn rubber on a wide-open stretch of asphlt-and survive any ensuing mishaps-

Not for Those Who Want: To tune the specs of their rides. It may be Paradise but these aren’t real-world cars. You can’t do much more than swap out paint jobs, so those wanting to make changes to brakes, shock or engines will need to get their grease-monkey fix elsewhere.

Bethesda Softworks’ hit role-paying game does nothing so much as deliver a giant, Tolkien-styled possibility space to its players. The high-altitude climes of Tamriel feel alive with wonder and threat. The ability to customize your warrior outcast with a singular mix of mystical skills and lelee mastery feels as broad as ASkyrim’s horizon.

A Good Match for: Dungeon & Dragon players. Adventuring in Skyrim feels like spinning your own epic yarn, as songs of your feats spread digitally from town to town in a game world that reacts to your actions. You can spend weeks meandering in its fascinating side quests, leaving the main story.

Not for Those Who Want: Urgency. Then drive to wander and discover over powers the drive to compete in Skyrim. If you’re the kind of player who wants those two vectors to meet in a meaningful way, you’ll find The Elder Scrolls V a bit frustrating. While we’re excited for the launch of the PS4 and Xbox One, we’re certainly going to miss amazing consoles like the Xbox 360 and PS3. These systems have kept us entertained for the past seven to eight years and introduced us to amazing games and franchises like “Uncharted” “Gears fo War”, “Borderlands” and “Good War”. Even though we’re stoked for next-gen games like “Final Fantasy XV” and “Infamous: Second Son”, we won’t forget the many hours we’ve spent completing missions on our current consoles? And what are you looking forward to most on the next-gen consoles? Sound off in the comments in the comments section.