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Get ready to mash buttons, scarf Doritos, and chug Mountain Dew. This is the 2013 video game preview. It’s time to look forward to see what games will have us cutting class, procrastinating on papers, and suffering our sleep schedules in the year to come. So, without further ado let’s scope out the prospects.

The final, or so we think, installment of the Dead Space trilogy released Feb. 2. The cleverly dubbed “Dead Space 3” will take Isaac to the source of the Necromorph outbreak where he is also tasked with saving Ellie. It seems as if they’re taking the series in a different direction, but that’s no surprise considering how the series has a reputation of throwing plenty of twists and turns at the player.

Kojima Productions and Platinum Games have partnered to flesh out the new Metal Gear game titled Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (MGRR) and, goofy title aside, the buzz is that this game is set to release Feb. 19. This game is for the serious MG fans out there. With everyone’s favorite cyborg ninja, Raiden, as the central character, MGRR is sure to have gamers everywhere doing flips off of their couch. Just refrain from doing so with a kitana in hand. That would not be safe.

The Gears of War series is getting a debatable reboot in the form of Gears of War: Judgment. The game centers on Kilo Squad led by Damon Baird and Augustus “The Cole Train” Cole confronting the initial locust invasion. Hopefully, one of the best sagas in recent gaming history will be done justice by this prelude, set for release March 19.

The debate between who would win in a fight between Superman and Batman will surely be answered on April 16 when Injustice: God Among Us is released. Nether Realm studios – the same people that created Mortal Kombat – have successfully twisted DC Comics’ arm into letting them make an all superhero fighting game.

Naughty Dog’s next epic, The Last of Us, is scheduled for release May 7, and will tell the story of Joel, a survivor in post pandemic civilization charged with transporting a girl named Ellie to safety. Needless to say, Naughty Dog did not name their company because their games were centered on sunshine and happiness. The best players should be ready to have their instincts and survival skills thoroughly tested.

Switching gears, the next game will put players’ “BADA#$” skills to the test. That’s right boys and girls, Sam Fisher is back in the next installment of the Splinter Cell series called Splinter Cell: Blacklist. Fisher has recently formed a new espionage group known as the Forth Echelon and shortly after its formation, the world is thrown into chaos and it is solely up to Sam and his crew to dispatch the bad guys and save the day. Saving the world will have to wait until August 20 when Blacklist is released.

With the gaming industry ramping up to have one of the biggest years for new releases, prequels, and sequels, one thing is certain: college gamers everywhere will be asking for extensions on their papers while they try to hold their heads up in class. Remember fellow students; you have to work hard to play hard. So hit the books… and then the buttons.