10 Video Games That Stole The Show At PAX East 2013

Electronic Super Joy

Developer: Michael Todd

Release Date: TBA

If the 3 years since Super Meat Boy’s release has been long enough to let your thumbs heal, it might be time for you to check out Electronic Super Joy. With an erotically-charged techno soundtrack, some interestingly minimal pixel artistry, and level design so challenging a majority of booth attendees barely beat a level, Electronic Super Joy is primed to fill that dark hole finishing Super Meat Boy has left in your bitter, cynical heart.

PWN: Combat Hacking

Developer: 82 Apps

Release Date: Already Released

If you’ve ever watched Hackers or any of the other 90s-era techno-thrillers about cyberpunk bad asses cracking into corporate mainframes, then you know why the concept behind PWN: Combat Hacking is so fun. Using a 3D grid of nodes, players face off in an attempt to override the network using viruses, firewalls, backdoors, and trojans for complete control of the technosphere. It was recently released for iOS (Android version is in the works) but seeing people face off locally at the games’ booth has convinced me this could be one hell of a geeky party game.

Duck Tales: Remastered

Developer: Wayforward Technologies

Release Date: TBA

Wooo hoo!

While it's improbable many of you have a legitimate affinity for the Duck Tales universe, there's no denying that the NES game bearing its name was one of the best platformers on the system. Capcom has seen fit to revitalize the title with an HD re-release with some new additions including an easier mode that's at least a little less punishing than the original. It's also been announced that the game will include voice acting from many of the original cast members and include some new recordings of the shockingly good soundtrack that was layed for the original.

Charlie Murder

Developer: Ska Studios

Release Date: TBA

It’s hard not to fall in love with a good 4-player beat ‘em up, but it’s damn near impossible when the game has a theme as cool as Charlie Murder. Rather than casting you and your friends as nameless castle storming knights, anthropomorphic turtles, or a pair of high-kicking kung-fu masters, Charlie Murder puts you in control of a rockin' punk band with magic powers based off their instruments. With a healthy campaign, the signature Ska Studios style, and all the fixings you'd expect from a modern beat 'em up (like dedicated friendly fire arenas), it'll definitely be worth calling a few buddies over for some beers and a little mayhem when it releases.

Luftrausers

Developer: Vlambeer

Release Date: TBA

Made by the dudes who brought you the incredibly addictive Super Crate Box, Luftrausers has set their sights on the sky. Mixing the old school gameplay of titles like Time Pilot with a very responsive physics engine, the game feels like a natural evolution of a really solid (albeit old) concept. The feeling of whipping through the air with only a loose sense of precision and your jet engine to keep you from crashing into the sea is undeniably fun.

Saints Row IV

Developer: Volition Inc.

Release Date: August 20, 2013

After THQ collapsed and Saints Row: The Third developer, Volition, was bought up by Deep Silver many lamented the franchise’ future as nobody knew what the team’s new overlords would demand of the games. Thankfully it appears that the insanity that we’ve come to love from the Saints Row games is well intact with IV. Mixing pieces from the unreleased Enter the Dominatrix DLC with a whole new story that elevates the player to being President of the U.S.A., Saints Row IV seems to be on track to deliver another injection of madness straight into your eyeballs.

State of Decay

Developer: Undead Labs

Release Date: TBA

What happens when you unleash the zombie plague in Grand Theft Auto? You get State of Decay. Targeting an XBLA release in the coming months (hints indicate sometime this summer), State of Decay is an open-world zombie game that gives you control of an array of survivors as you look for supplies, capture safe houses, and mow down hordes of the undead with reckless abandon.

Metro: Last Light

Developer: 4A Games

Release Date: May 14, 2013

If you missed Metro: 2033 when it released in 2010, you've done yourself a great disservice. Metro: Last Light is expanding on its predecessors grim version of an apocalyptic future with a brand new story that capitalizes on the feelings of desperation that made the original so wonderfully uncomfortable. You'll fight off irradiated monster things, traverse the dimly lit subway tunnels that house the last of humanity, and barter with bullets - the only currency that matters when everyone's life is on the line.

Transistor

Developer: Super Giant Games

Release Date: TBA

Transistor is a very unique game both in terms of aesthetic and gameplay. It recalls some of the Super Giant hallmark artistry we saw in Bastion but mixes it with a whole new high-tech environment to offer something familiar, but altogether fresh at the same time. Our favorite narrator has returned, this time in the form of a fancy weapon called the transistor that gives its wielder, Red, the ability to stop time and chart out attacks to take down the robotic oppressors who want her dead. Keep an eye on this one, Super Giant's momentum is just getting started.

The Last of Us

Developer: Naughty Dog

Release Date: June 14, 2013

While the demo shown on the expo hall floor was the same one we saw earlier this year, it's hard not to be excited about Naughty Dog's apocalyptic survival game. Lines for this one wrapped around the booth, and rightly so, it's looking to be the perfect way to close out the PS3's lifecycle. Grim and scary, but with a delicate touch of humanity to make it all the more real, The Last of Us remains at the very top of our triple-A watchlist.