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Joe’s Most Anticipated Games of 2012
10. Prey 2
This one is more about curiosity than anything else. The original Prey wasn’t a terrible game like some people would have you believe, but beyond its grandious opening, it wasn’t anything special. Though playing as a character who is an amnesiac is equally lacking, Prey 2 may well revitalise the genre with its bounty hunting mechanics and vast alien world. We haven’t seen much, but I’ll be keeping my eye on Bethesda’s Prey 2 for sure.
09. Overstrike
We still have no idea what this game is, but I guess that goes to show that a single CG trailer can do wonders. What the trailer did show is that the game will no doubt be four-player cooperative compatible, and that it’ll sport an art style and general flavour not unlike a Pixar film. Definitely endearing. Though I must say, for this game to a success, it cannot hinge on the cooperative – the single-player or two person co-op experience must also be a triumph. Too many games fall flat because of their co-op nature, especially when it’s for more than two. A trivial complaint? Perhaps, but it’s definitely an issue.
08. Borderlands 2
Having played through the original Borderlands close to ten times on PC alone, in addition to owning an Xbox 360 copy…I’d say that I’m a big enough Borderlands fan. Why isn’t the game higher on my list? Well, it’s more of the same. Though I may have a soft spot for Borderlands, there was still plenty wrong with it including everything about the story, lack of any real characters, and incredibly repetitive gameplay thanks to a not-so-hot loot system. I’d love it if the guns were more…well, ‘gunny’. I’d love it if the game had a gripping story (with memorable characters to boot), and I’d love it if they conquered the same mastery of loot as Blizzard’s Diablo franchise. Until I see more of Borderlands 2, it’s staying right here at number eight.
07. Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning
Is it weird to say that I’m drawn to this game because of the colour? I don’t think so. As a man who plays a lot of shooters, I see a lot of grey and brown, but Kingdoms of Amalur much like 2011′s Saints Row The Third is self-aware. What I mean by that is that it knows it’s a video game, so you may as well throw all the colour in that you can. Aesthetics aside, the game’s combat – while not particularly deep – certainly seems to do a lot more than something like Skyrim, and although the framework may be a tad MMO-y, Reckoning looks like a blast. With my budget, I probably won’t be able to pick it up this Friday, but I’d love to take a crack at it later on in the year; I may even end up waiting for some sort of a Game of the Year edition later on down the line.
06. Resident Evil 6
Though it definitely wasn’t the highest point in the series, Resident Evil 5 was what kicked off my interest into the series. I’ve always had an outside-looking-in appreciation for one of gamings great villains, Albert Wesker, but that was about it. No trailer had ever peaked my interest anywhere past a nod acknowledging the games existence, but the recent Resident Evil 6 trailer had me excited. It looks faster, it looks slower – it’s striking a balance between Resident Evil 5 which was completely over the top and the earlier games with their plodding pace and tensity. It also appears be taking cues from Western games with third-person cover and more precise control over your character – which is something the series definitely needs, despite the leap in Resident Evil 4. I’ll be keeping a close eye on this one, and provided the games release date doesn’t change, it’ll be a birthday purchase for me.
05. Hawken
The amount of free-to-play games that I’m playing lately is beginning to scare me. Will they soon conquer the world of PC gaming as we know it? I’m already playing a whole lot of the Tribes Ascend and Super Monday Night Combat betas (with a little bit of Dota 2 on the side), so that model is definitely standing its ground. But Hawken isn’t your average free-to-play game, because you know what? It looks stunning, and on top of that, mechs. Mechs. With a look that screams ‘MechWarrior NeoTokyo’, fast paced action, and a first person heads-up display that makes me grin like a Cheshire cat. I haven’t a clue how it plays, though it looks like a perfect balance between heavy handling and twitch based finesse. To be quite honest, MechWarrior may well have replaced Hawken on this list if we’d actually seen anything new since that debut trailer on IGN a couple of years ago. Thanks for that.
04. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
My history with Counter-Strike reaches into my childhood, and now that you know that, it is of no surprise that Global Offensive has made its way to number four. But this is also a weak entry, because all Global Offensive appears to be is another Counter-Strike game with matchmaking, better graphics, and overhauled weapon balance. Oh, and Gun Game is an official mode now. So why do I care? Simple – Counter-Strike is one of the best online multiplayer shooters of all time, and for a time, it was the online multiplayer shooter. I’m a strong believer that the Counter-Strike formula still holds up today, with the majority of the Counter-Strike games still being at the top of Steam’s most played list. Anybody can pick it up, particularly if they’ve played an FPS before, and it’s definitely easier to grasp than something like Team Fortress 2, but the series will always have its deep competitive edge that essentially started E-Sports in the first place. I want more of that…I want more Counter-Strike.
03. Mass Effect 3
Commander Shepard, we’ve come so far. But it has to end somewhere, right? My pick for Game of the Year 2010, Mass Effect 2, needs a worthy sequel – and I hope this is it. Space Operas don’t get better than the Mass Effect games, and this is a BioWare game so it’s bound to be awesome, right? Ignore Dragon Age 2, though. I’m ready for Mass Effect 3, but not just for closure. The series brings us some of the best sci-fi story telling around thanks to memorable characters, gripping plot lines, incredible set-pieces and stellar gameplay. Mass Effect 2 was an incredible improvement over the already spectacular original Mass Effect, and though Mass Effect 3 probably won’t make the same leap, I bet BioWare still have some surprises in store for us. With something so great, I can’t help but fear that they’ll somehow bugger it up…
02. Guild Wars 2
I have fond memories of the original Guild Wars, and though I wasn’t too fond of the Factions and Nightfall expansions, the standard campaign and Eye of the North was something will remain high in my estimations. I don’t exactly know why I stopped playing, but that’s beside the point – Guild Wars 2 looks spectacular, especially considering it’s an MMO that has no subscription. Well, that, and NCSoft have crafted a wonderful world for Guild Wars to be set in. I could have spent my life in Ascalon during the prequel portion of the original game, and I imagine that Guild Wars 2 will have so many places to explore, quest, and kill in that will look just like it. Though many may look at it as simply ‘another MMO’, but Guild Wars has always done what other games of its kind fail to do – have a story that you’d expect to find in a single-player RPG. Guild Wars is one of a kind, and I expect Guild Wars 2 will expand on that in leaps and bounds.
01. Diablo III
As if I already wasn’t sold, I finally got my hands on the Diablo III beta recently. Despite it being incredibly short…I want the full game right now. It might be simple, repetitive clicking but my word it’s exhilarating. I can’t wait to play through the game over and over again, both alone and with friends, all in search for that next bit of loot that’s just that little bit sweeter. Slaughtering thousands of demons doesn’t sound bad either, coupled with the dark gothic aesthetic (though a bit brighter this time around, actually) and a story that is essentially a quest to beat the crap out of the devil. Who doesn’t love that? The Diablo series is phenomenal in its simplicity, and this will be many peoples first foray into its sadistic universe despite what they may say. Yes, people do lie about the games they’ve played.
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Compleatly forgot about Guild Wars 2! cant wait for that!