Bethesda opened its E3 presentation with The Evil Within. On-hand representatives claimed, “We wanted to make a game that was truly horrifying.” Horrifying was right.

The Evil Within was so damn scary that I truly do not have faith in myself, or many others to review it. The game has an old Resident Evil or Silent Hill feel that keeps you not only on the edge of your seat, but on the edge of sanity.

A few months ago, Persona 4 Golden for Vita sucked up hours of my life even as it declared the importance of socializing. Shin Megami Tensei IV for 3DS looks to do the same this July. Between the two, we have Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers, an updated port for the 3DS of a Sega Saturn title from 1997. It, too, traps me in its sticky web of interlocking systems, charming characters and grainy mid-90s visuals. Is it an essential RPG like Persona 4 Golden? Perhaps not, but it is a decent time capsule worth unearthing for fans of demon fusions and dungeon-delving.

Dark Souls stands out for many of reasons – though in this writer’s opinion, its incredible challenge, methodical action combat, brilliantly thought-out world and lore, and impeccable attention to detail are what set it in a league of its own. The DLC content released during the fall of last year, titled Artorias of the Abyss, further expanded the rich world and lore of Dark Souls. Everything about Dark Souls’ gameplay and setting is rooted in the mythos of the game world and vice versa, creating a wonderfully rounded and mature action/RPG/adventure.

Monster Hunter excels in its sense of teamwork and community, much like Phantasy Star Online for the Dreamcast over a decade ago. It combines the 4-players-only community aspect of Phantasy Star Online with the challenge of Demon’s/Dark Souls and the complexity and choice of Capcom’s own Street Fighter. It’s hard for me to be objective about this game. I love it, and encourage anyone curious to give it a chance.

2013 has already proven quite the year for the 3DS. Who could have guessed that Nintendo’s handheld would have the most exciting software library of any console this year? It’s only the first quarter, but the platform already hosts Fire Emblem: Awakening, Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon, and Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, with more games on the way (some of which are titles we covered in part one of our look at the 3DS onslaught).

In part two, we turn an eye toward the rest of the year. First, we’ll run through the titles that will most likely get localized given the overall popularity of their brands. The last two, however, are up in the air despite how interesting they look. Put up enough of a ballyhoo on Twitter and publishers may change their mind.

It was no contest. The line around the Supergiant Games booth dwarfed the indie side of PAX East. It looked as if everyone and their cosplaying mother wanted to get their hands on Transistor, the spiritual successor to Bastion. Supergiant’s first big hit made a lot of fans back in 2011 for its superb soundtrack, painterly visuals, and inclusion of a gruff narrator who told your tale in real-time as you played it. The deep-if-not-exactly challenging gameplay helped, yes, but it was Bastion’s lush presentation that set itself apart and captivated so many. Though it shares the same isometric view and a similar emphasis on sound and art style, Transistor takes the formula established by Bastion even further.

I knew next to nothing about Wildstar pre-PAX East, but as I bounced from panel to panel, its promotional banners caught my eye. I also heared snickering and side conversations in which people pegged it as the next World of Warcraft. Anyone who’s played MMOs knows that when a game is compared to WoW you can’t simply ignore it. So I didn’t. Yet, when I wandered into a Wildstar Q&A I wasn’t expecting to be smitten, but I did. Wildstar is a new IP from NCSoft. If that name doesn’t ring a bell, NCSoft is the company behind Guild Wars and City of Heroes, so you can expect a quality MMO.

I love video games.

Everything about the medium delights me. The music, characters, level design, stories, and every single morsel that goes into creating a game — I love it all. My mother often jokes that my first word was SEGA and that Nintendo soon followed. It’s not surprising; I’ve been around games since the day my mother brought me home from the hospital, thanks to my older brother’s Atari and Master System. Everyone in my immediate family is involved in some form of gaming. Although the gamers in my family vary from the hardcore to casual I can safely say that everyone has enjoyed games at one point or another. My mother holds the house Tetris record with 150 lines and is currently obsessed with Bust-A-Move on iOS. Games are a part of my daily life no matter the console. I love them all.

Kingdom Hearts is a title that genuinely piqued my interest, despite my initial disdain for the silly “kiddy” title. The idea of a Disney game that melded elements of the Final Fantasy series into the game’s narrative was too interesting to pass up, even if these elements were cameos at best. And despite the game’s flaws, I had a great time playing the game — so much so that I felt it deserved a place among the PS2′s top ten games.

Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD ReMIX is a high-definition re-release of Kingdom Hearts: Final Mix, Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories and cutscenes from Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days.

Bioware recently released its final Mass Effect 3 DLC, The Citadel, which represents the last downloadable content that series fans will see in some time — at least until the company’s new title set in the Mass Effect universe hits store shelves. Commander Shepard’s final adventure, as expected, is both shocking and special. The Citadel is obviously designed to be played before Mass Effect 3′s final mission as much of the dialogue references “one last good run” and “one last night together.” As such, the story and its components, are incredibly sentimental, giving the fans dialogue to satisfy their head cannons.