TSA’s Top 100 of 2013 Recap: 60-56 – Dust 514, Elder Scrolls Online & Fuse

As we approach the midway point of our recap, it’s quite interesting to see a rather online slant to this particular group of five. Two MMOs and two primarily multi player titles, alongside two shouts to Platinum Games.

60. The Wonderful 101

60. The Wonderful 101

As the only game of the five which isn’t heavily focussed on online play, The Wonderful 101 spawns from Nintendo’s partnership with SEGA, setting Platinum Games loose on the Wii U for a release towards the end of this month.

It sees you take control of a crowd of super heroes, featuring a wonderful art style which feels like a mixture of Viewtiful Joe, perhaps courtesy of Atsushi Inaba producing both titles, and the Mii avatars, as your group of heroes transform into various “Unite Morphs” to  defeat whatever enemies and puzzles come your way.

These abilities can be controlled via the Wii U Gamepad’s touchscreen, letting you pick from a large assortment, which one moment has you wielding a giant sword, a huge gun the next or perhaps a simple fist.

For those with a Wii U console, and fans of Platinum Games’ output, this one’s a title to keep an eye on. You can expect a preview and subsequent review in the coming weeks.

59. Dust 514

59. Dust 514

This one was quite the oddity for the list, last year, as it had already been in closed beta for several months. Those who wanted early access to what would be a free-to-play hook into the EVE Online universe could pony up a bit of cash whenever they wanted.

Eventually, the online shooter went into open beta in January, before a final release on May 14th. Yet such a protracted development and beta seemed to have sapped a little enthusiasm for those of us voting in the top 100 list.

Unfortunately, though the game can easily transform from its state at release, Jim found it lacking in his review. Needless complexity and a lack of real teamwork saddled with just two game modes and spartan maps held the final release back to a 6/10 score.

58. Anarchy Reigns

58. Anarchy Reigns

Anarchy Reigns saw us come back to SEGA and Platinum Games for their loose successor to the Wii exclusive MadWorld, with a healthy dose of team-based multiplayer brawling added to the mix. Even though it was in the top 100 list for 2013, this actually saw a release in Japan during 2012, with Westerners having to wait a little longer.

Sadly for a game with a more online focus, it didn’t seem to pick up much momentum, and for his review Dan Lee said that even at launch the online servers felt a bit quiet. Certainly, the large variety of game modes didn’t see quite as much action, as the standard Battle Royale Deathmatch mode was most populated. Without a doubt, the servers will have become even quieter as time has passed.

Yet, for an already budget priced release, 8-odd hours of single player fun, and maybe a bit of fun online, it was given a healthy 8/10.

57. The Elder Scrolls Online

57. The Elder Scrolls Online

TES is big business for Bethesda, and they’re naturally hoping that TES Online will grab a healthy chunk of subscribers when it’s released. Except that it’s no longer going to happen this year, as the game has been pushed back to early 2014.

On the plus side, we heard news at E3 that it would now be coming to both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One alongside the usual PC home which MMORPGs inhabit, all housed on a single Mega Server. Additionally, there have been a steady stream of closed beta invites being sent out, and plenty of leaks from those tests, even though it’s supposed to be under wraps.

There’s clearly some solid progress being made, so hopefully the next dose of TES will hit home next year for fans of the series. In the meantime, it will be featured in a live stream from QuakeCon tomorrow at 6:30 PM UK time.

56. Fuse

56. Fuse

Insomniac is currently living in foreign lands, as they first shifted away from Sony exclusivity to multiplatform games with Fuse, and in the future are working on an Xbox One exclusive titled Sunset Overdrive. Then again, they’re still on for another Ratchet & Clank game.

Fuse hit shelves back at the end of May, still with a hint of controversy surrounding it, after its move away from the originally unveiled style, back when it was known as Overstrike.

That seemed to have detracted from the title, as it received some rather middling reviews and poor sales, with the change in tone key. Yet, at its heart, Insomniac were still able to craft a solid co-op title with some of their trademark inventive weaponry thrown into the mix.

Here’s hoping they have better luck with Sunset Overdrive, even if they’re batting for the green team this time around.

1 Comment

  1. I’d always had a healthy dollop of respect for the Resistance franchise with special enjoyment reserved for the first and third outing. However, after moving away from the comforting, feathered-wing of Sony they decided to branch out and make Fuse. Sad to see such a mediocre effort considering their past. Hopefully, they’ll have a damn good think about where they’re going as a studio and come up with something wonderful once more.

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