2011 was one of gaming’s biggest years in recent memory, extremely crowded with titles to look forward to, this year appears to be same. Let’s take a look at some of the confirmed titles for 2012.
Mass Effect 3
The biggest game coming out in the first quarter of 2012, Mass Effect 3 will put the icing on the Commander Shepard’s trilogy with the Reapers finally invading Earth. You are Commander Shepard, a character that you can forge in your own image. You determine how events will play out, which planets to explore, and whom to form alliances with as you rally a force to eliminate the Reaper threat once and for all. How you wage this war is completely up to you: go into combat with guns blazing or use cover to plan a more tactical assault.
Publisher – Electronic Arts
Developer – BioWare
Platforms – Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC
Release Date – March 6, 2012
Max Payne 3
The originator of bullet-time is finally coming out. The long-awaited action title is coming this March. Max Payne 3 continues the tale of former New York City detective, still haunted by the memories of his traumatic past, he begins a new life working private security protecting a wealthy industrialist and his family in Sao Paulo, Brazil. When gangs target the family under his protection, and he is forced to fight to save his clients and clear his name, in a bid to, once and for all, rid himself of the demons that have tortured him for far too long.
Publisher – Rockstar Games
Developer – Rockstar Vancouver
Platforms – Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC
Release Date – March 2012
Twisted Metal
Sony hopes to inject new life into its aging car-combat franchise with a new take from series creator David Jaffe’s new studio, Eat Sleep Play. Twisted Metal, the longest running franchise in PlayStation history, is now back, exclusively on the PS3 system. With four factions battling for control, players step into the combat boots of a twisted disciple in a high octane, highly destructible world. Players fight for the prize of one wish fulfilled by the stylishly evil Calypso, the mastermind behind the Twisted Metal tournament.
Publisher – Sony Computer Entertainment America
Developer Eat Sleep Play
Platforms – PlayStation 3
Release Date – February 14, 2012
Borderlands 2
Gearbox Software hopes to build upon its surprise hit Borderlands from 2009. Borderlands 2 is the epic sequel to the ultimate four-player role-playing shooter loot fest. Combining invention and evolution, Borderlands 2 features all-new characters, skills, environments, enemies, weapons and equipment, which come together in an ambitiously crafted story. Players will reveal secrets, and escalate mysteries of the Borderlands universe as they adventure across the unexplored new areas of Pandora.
Publisher – 2K Games
Developer – Gearbox Software
Platforms – Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC
Release Date – TBD 2012
Final Fantasy XIII-2
Square Enix surprised many when it announced a sequel to Final Fantasy XIII. Three years after Lightning and the others saved Cocoon — a utopia in the sky. Its inhabitants believed their world a paradise. Under the Sanctum’s rule, Cocoon had long known peace and prosperity. Mankind was blessed by its protectors, the benevolent fal’Cie, and believed that tranquil days would continue forever. Their tranquillity was shattered with the discovery of one hostile fal’Cie.
Publisher – Square Enix
Developer – Square Enix
Platforms – Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Release Date – January 31, 2012
Darksiders II
Darksiders II follows the exploits of Death, one of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse, in a weaving tale that runs parallel to the events in the original Darksiders game. This epic journey propels Death through various light and dark realms as he tries to redeem his brother War, the horseman who was blamed for prematurely starting the Apocalypse in Darksiders.
Publisher – THQ
Developer – Vigiil Games
Platforms – Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, Wii U
Release Date – Summer 2012
Diablo III
Blizzard fans have been waiting forever for the third title in the popular Diablo series. Diablo III picks up the story twenty years after the events of Diablo II. Mephisto, Diablo, and Baal have been defeated, but the Worldstone, which once shielded the inhabitants of the world of Sanctuary from the forces of both Heaven and Hell, has been destroyed, and evil once again stirs in Tristram.
Publisher – Blizzard
Developer – Blizzard
Platforms – PC
Release Date – TBD 2012
Assassin’s Creed III
Ubisoft confirmed it will release a new Assassin’s Creed title in 2012. Whether it will be Assassin’s Creed III or some other spinoff title, fans of the series can expect to see another game this holiday.
Publisher – Ubisoft
Developer – Ubisoft
Platforms – Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC
Release Date – TBD 2012
Halo 4
Halo fans will get to see what a Bungie-less game will look like with Halo 4. The next blockbuster installment in the iconic franchise that’s shaped entertainment history and defined a decade of gaming. Set in the aftermath of Halo 3, Master Chief returns to confront his own destiny and face an ancient evil that threatens the fate of the entire universe. Halo 4 marks the start of a new trilogy that begins with its release coming holiday.
Publisher – Microsoft Game Studios
Developer – 343 Industries
Platforms – Xbox 360
Release Date – Holiday 2012
DmC: Devil May Cry
DmC Devil May Cry will be the first title in the series not to be developed internally at Capcom. DmC reinvents Capcom’s classic action franchise to explore new frontiers with the series. The “Devil May Cry DNA” of stylish action, rewarding combat and a brash, smart-talking protagonist all remains; however, it has now injected with a dark and brutal gameplay that promises to redefine the franchise.
Publisher – Capcom
Developer – Ninja Theory
Platforms – Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Release Date – TBA 2012
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance pits cyborg against cyborg in battle that blazes past every human limit! The main character, Raiden, was once feared as the child soldier “Jack the Ripper” on the front lines of the First Liberian Civil War. Now, his combat mastery is channeled through a cyborg body as the strikes from his high-frequency blade slice even massive assault drones in two. Raiden is contracted for VIP protection, military training and other duties by PMSCs (Private Military and Security Companies) in a developing country piecing itself back together after a bloody civil war. Little does he know that the stage is set for a clash with an enigmatic force of countless cyborgs.
Publisher – Konami
Developer – Platinum Games/Kojima Productions
Platforms – Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC
Release Date – TBD 2012
BioShock Infinite
The third game in the popular Bioshock series, BioShock Infinite breaks away from the underwater setting of the first two games to take players into a floating city held aloft by dirigibles. The game is set in 1912. You play as Booker DeWitt, a disgraced former private detective who’s picked up a new case. Your goal is to find Elizabeth, a young woman who’s gone missing and return her unharmed. The only problem is that she’s being kept on this flying city. Columbia was once a symbol of America’s success as a nation, floating around the world as a traveling World’s Fair, a marvel of human innovation. But strange things have happened since Columbia’s unveiling in 1900, and now the city has disappeared into the clouds.
Publisher – 2K Games
Developer – Irrational Games
Platforms – Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC
Release Date – TBD 2012
Grand Theft Auto V
Trouble taps on your window again with this next chapter in the Grand Theft Auto universe, set in the city of Los Santos and its surrounding hills, countryside and beaches. A bold new direction in open-world freedom, storytelling, mission-based gameplay and online multiplayer, Grand Theft Auto V focuses on the pursuit of the almighty dollar in a re-imagined, present-day Southern California.
Publisher – Rockstar Games
Developer – Rockstar North
Platforms – TBA
Release Date – TBA
Prey 2
Prey 2, the sequel to the award-winning 2006 game, is an open world sci-fi shooter about a Marshall, Killian Samuels, who is abducted by a cruel race of aliens. Playing as Killian, you find yourself marooned on an alien planet called Exodus. While working as a bounty hunter, you uncover a plot that threatens your home world and it’s up to you to take action.
Publisher – Bethesda Softworks
Developer – Human Head Studios
Platforms – Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC
Release Date – Summer 2012
Counter Strike: Global Offensive
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is an objective based multiplayer first person shooter and it expands upon the team-based action gameplay that it pioneered with Half-Life: Counter-Strike. CS: GO features new maps, characters, and weapons, and delivers updated versions of the classic CS content. In addition, CS: GO introduces new gameplay modes, matchmaking, leader boards, and more.
Publisher – Valve Corporation
Developer – Valve Corporation, Hidden Path Entertainment
Platforms – Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, Mac
Release Date – Early 2012
Tomb Raider
Tomb Raider delivers an intense and gritty story of the origins of Lara Croft and her ascent from frightened young woman to hardened survivor, armed with only raw instincts and the physical ability to push beyond the limits of human endurance. Superb physics-based gameplay is paired with a heart-pounding narrative in Lara’s most personal, character-defining adventure to date.
Publisher – Square Enix
Developer – Crystal Dynamics
Platforms – Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, Mac
Release Date – Q3 2012
South Park: The Game
“South Park” creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker, THQ, Viacom Media Networks and Obsidian Entertainment, Inc. are developing the next chapter in South Park entertainment: “South Park: The Game.” “South Park: The Game” is an epic role-playing adventure that will allow the user to befriend Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Kenny and explore the quiet little mountain town like never before. South Park: The Game is an epic role playing adventure that will allow th euser to befriend Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Kenny and explore the quiet little mountain town like never before.
Publisher – THQ
Developer – Obsidian Entertainment
Platforms – Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, Mac
Release Date – Second half of 2012
StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm
The long-awaited return of StarCraft has been rumored for years, and now is finally official — Blizzard officially announced on May 19, 2007 the sequel to its incredible strategy title Starcraft. The plot of Heart of the Swarm begins where Wings of Liberty left off. It will focus on the Zerg race and feature Sarah Kerrigan as the protagonist, and anti-hero. The campaign begins with Kerrigan’s quest to assume leadership of the swarm in her regained human form, and exact her revenge on Arcturus Mengsk, Emperor of the Terran Dominion. The Zerg have split into several factions without her leadership, and she must take control of the various rival broods, headed by powerful queens, while General Warfield of the Dominion is attempting to eradicate the Zerg on Char.
Publisher – Blizzard Entertainment
Developer – Blizzard Entertainment
Platforms – PC, Mac
Release Date – TBA
Hitman: Absolution
Hitman: Absolution follows Agent 47, a cold-blooded assassin, who takes on his most dangerous contract to date. Betrayed by those he once trusted — and now hunted by the police — he suddenly finds himself at the center of a dark conspiracy and must embark on a personal journey through a corrupt and twisted world. Boasting a cinematic story, distinctive art direction and highly original game design, Hitman: Absolution combines much-loved classic gameplay with features never seen before in the Hitman franchise.
Publisher – Square Enix
Developer – IO Interactive
Platforms – Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, Mac
Release Date – 2012
Far Cry 3
With Far Cry 3, players step into the shoes of Jason Brody, a man alone at the edge of the world, stranded on a mysterious tropical island. In this savage paradise where lawlessness and violence are the only sure thing, players dictate how the story unfolds, from the battles they choose to fight to the allies or enemies they make along the way. As Jason Brody, players will slash, sneak, detonate and shoot their way across the island in a world that has lost all sense of right and wrong.
Publisher – Ubisoft
Developer – Ubisoft Montreal
Platforms – Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, Mac
Release Date – TBA 2012
Other Notable Releases Confirmed For 2012
Dishonored – Bethesda – Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC
Dragon’s Dogma – Capcom – Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Spec Ops: The Line – 2K Games – Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC
Call of Duty – Activision – Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC
Ninja Gaiden III – Tecmo Koei – Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U
Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2 – City Interactive – Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC
Overstrike – Electronic Arts – Electronic Arts – PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Soulcalibur V – Namco Bandai Games – PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
In case we missed some of the games. Tell us what your most anticipated game of 2012 is in the comments section below.
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