I hope that you had a fantastic holiday period and are enjoying 2013 so far! Hopefully we can make the New Year just a little bit better.

Well it’s time to talk exclusives. The PS3 has a number of great PlayStation-only titles due for release in 2013, The first quarter of 2013 and much of the second quarter are packed when it comes to games for the PS3 while the PS Vita has several titles with lingering release dates,Hopefully there is something for everyone here so blow away the January blues with a few little treats.

The current lineup of Sony PS3 games kicked off  in January with "Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch" followed by "Sly  Cooper: Thieves in Time" in February and "God of War: Ascension" in  March. "The Last of Us" will likely be the last of the big AAA games . the release schedule  for the second half of 2013 is pretty much a mystery at this point  suggesting a late fall release for the Playstation 4.

Sly Cooper: Thieves In Time

ETA: February 2013 In A Word: Sneaky

Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time is set to be the fourth game in the Sly Cooper series, and the first  since 2005 when Honor Among Thieves hit the PS2. The game will also be  appearing on the PS Vita, but the PS3 version will be superior. And it’s  a PlayStation exclusive as far as home consoles go. So it counts.

The  story carries on where the last game left off, with Cooper reuniting  with his gang in order to keep the pages of the Thievius Raccoonus from disappearing through time. The gameplay  remains the same, with the player able to employ a variety of  techniques and abilities to solve quests.

God Of War: Ascension

ETA: March 2013 In A Word: Epic

God Of War: Ascension is set to be the seventh game in the God Of War series, but we’re  actually going back in time with this prequel set around 10 years before  the first God Of War game and six months after Kratos killed his wife  and child. Kratos only did this evil deed after being tricked by Ares.

The  game shows a more human Kratos seeking to sever his ties to Ares, which  he will do by defeating the three Furies. The story mode has been given  a makeover, with a revamped combat system, and, for the first time in  the series, God Of War: Ascension will feature a multiplayer element  with several modes augmented by incremental additions to the story.

The Last Of Us

ETA: May 2013 In A Word:Alive

The Last Of Us is a brand new IP from Naughty Dog, the developers responsible for the  Uncharted series. The new game clearly shares some elements with its  older brother, but The Last Of Us looks to be more brutal than Uncharted  ever managed to be.

The game is  set in a post-apocalyptic America, with the two main protagonists — A  middle-aged man named Joel and a teenage girl named Ellie — having to  take on fellow survivors, the Infected, and military forces. Each  situation encountered on the journey can be tackled in a number of  different ways, with stealth, melee combat, and weapons all at the  player’s disposal.

Beyond: Two Souls

Beyond: Two Souls is the  latest game from Quantic Dream, previously responsible for Fahrenheit  and Heavy Rain. Stunning  visuals, a convoluted story, and strong acting/motion capture are the  order of the day.

Quantic Dream doesn’t so much make games as  create experiences. A story is woven, and it’s up to the player to lead  their character through it as well as they can. Beyond: Two Souls looks  to follow this formula, with Ellen Page playing Jodie Holmes as she sets  out to discover who or what her lifelong companion Idan is.

Puppeteer

ETA: End 2013 In A Word: Unique

Puppeteer is a platformer with a difference currently in development at SCE Japan  Studio. Puppeteer employs  a strange mix of 2D and 3D reminiscent of the LittleBigPlanet titles.  So while you’re essentially traveling to the left or right of the  screen, you can move in and out of the screen as well.

The game  tells the story of a boy named Kutaro who is turned into a puppet by the  evil Moon Bear King before having his head bitten clean off. Which is  common practice, obviously and sets  off on an adventure to find his real head and return home once more.

The PS3 already has a healthy dose of unmissable Best PSVita/PS3 Games 2012  ,  with a mix of cross-platform and exclusive titles forming the Top PSVita/PS3 Games on the Sony console. These five could well displace some of  those games, forcing their way into the list of absolute must-play PlayStation 3 games in 2013