Top 10 Upcoming Games

That You Should Buy This Year

by Nicholas Laborde

©2012 Nicholas Laborde

2011 was the last big shebang of this generation, but that doesn’t mean that 2012 is a dying breath.

Across all franchises, platforms and genres, 2012 is a big year filled to the brim with quality titles.

In no particular order, here are ten upcoming games that you really should get this year.

Open the floodgates!

Halo 4

Master Chief is back, and he’s not the Spartan you remember.

In the new trilogy headed by 343 Industries, we’ll see Chief – and Cortana – evolve exponentially on deep, personal levels, as well as see an entirely new enemy and storyline unfold.

With the campaign looking stellar, multiplayer shaping up to be the best in the series, and the new Spartan Ops cooperative mode providing a plethora of free content (longer than ODST!), Halo 4 is looking to be an absolute steal wrapped up in an incredible package.

Assassin’s Creed 3

Goodbye, Ezio, and hello Connor!

Assassin’s Creed 3 is the long-awaited conclusion to the Assassin’s Creed story arc, starring new protagonist Connor. Set in colonial America during the Revolutionary War, Connor is a Native American serving as a neutral party between the British and the colonists.

He has no alliance except to his people, which will be interesting to see played out. New weapons, moves and abilities abound, and with a vastly upgraded engine allowing for thousands of enemies on-screen at once, Assassin’s Creed 3 looks to be the epitome of the Assassin’s Creed franchise.

Dishonored

Easily the most unique game releasing in 2012, Dishonored casts the player as a supernatural assassin framed for the murder of the empress.

Not too much about the story has been let on, but the gameplay alone should seal the deal: teleportation, possession, and even the ability to summon the rat plague.

Players must navigate the environments, assassinate targets, and play the way that they want to play. If you want a breath of fresh air, make sure to pick up Arkane Studios‘ labor of love this October.

Assassin’s Creed 3: Liberation

The fact that Liberation is a Vita game still blows me away.

Don’t dismiss it as a cash-in tie-in game; it’s way more than that. Liberation is a full-blown Assassin’s Creed title on the PlayStation Vita, taking place roughly during the same time frame as its big brother on consoles.

However, Liberation stars a female assassin in colonial New Orleans, Louisiana, giving perspective to what life was like among clashes between the French and Spanish. There’s no reason not to pick up Liberation, especially since it releases conveniently on the same day as Assassin’s Creed 3.

Medal of Honor: Warfighter

Medal of Honor (2010) did fairly well for a reboot, but Warfighter aims much higher than just “fairly well.”

Once again putting players in the boots of Tier-1 Operators, Warfighter will have players playing as special forces personnel from across the globe in a massive international conflict.

It all comes together on the beautiful Frostbite 2.0 engine, powering both the campaign and multiplayer. With an intriguing campaign coupled with a completely fleshed out multiplayer, there’s no reason not to pick up Warfighter.

Resident Evil 6

Take the over-the-shoulder formula established in Resident Evil 4 and perfected in Resident Evil 5.

Now, add six characters and three separate campaigns.

On top of that, add segments where the stories in the various campaigns intersect (known as Crossovers) and the idea of, although temporarily, six-player coop.

What you end up with is Resident Evil 6, an action-packed zombie experience. While it may be upsetting to some that survival horror isn’t as predominant a theme as in prior iterations of the franchise, Resident Evil 6 will still be an extremely fun, polished title that’s sure to be filled to the brim with Capcom shenanigans.

Hitman: Absolution

If you’re anything like me, I love a good stealth game.

The atmosphere. The slow stalk through environments after your prey. The use of your surroundings to your advantage.

There truly is nothing like it, and Hitman: Absolution serves as an ardent reminder of that. Any fear of the game being an action-packed piece of Hitman sacrilege is unjustified; I’ve had time with the game, and it’s still the Hitman you know and love. 47 is back, and is more equipped for any situation than ever before.

Make sure to pick up what could possibly be one of the final AAA stealth titles ever released!

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2

Call me crazy, I know, but Black Ops 2 is actually peaking my interest.

Treyarch know how to craft a story, and after the mind-twisting events of Black Ops, I’m ready to see what they have packing in the sequel. Playing off of the current hysteria around hackers and using the ol’ wild card of the United States being invaded, Black Ops 2 is the most ambitious Call of Duty campaign yet.

Featuring a full-blown zombies mode (the full extent of which has yet to be revealed) and the same classic multiplayer, Black Ops 2 is looking to provide the most bang for your buck next to Halo 4 this fall.

ZombiU

It’s a simple concept.

There are zombies. They want to eat your face. You must do everything possible to prevent this from happening.

Set in a plague-ridden London, ZombiU has the potential to be one of the greatest zombie titles ever produced. Players start as a random survivor, and have one life; one bite from a zombie, and you’re history. You’ll respawn as a different survivor in a different place. The game places heavy emphasis on inventory management, which provides a perfect amount of intensity for when things heat up.

While the controls did need a bit of improvement during my time with the game, ZombiU is a shoe-in for best Wii U launch title.

Pikmin 3

Pikmin 3 revolves around four brand spanking new characters who come to the Planet of the Pikmin for unknown reasons, and end up exploring the planet after getting lost.

While the lovable Olimar hasn’t been shown, Nintendo promises that more of the story will be revealed as the Wii U launch looms.

You’ll be getting in to shenanigans with the Pikmin gang all over again, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. Look for Pikmin 3 near the WiiU’s launch.

WillU buy?

There’s a lot coming out this year, and hopefully we’ve encouraged a few purchases.

Will you be picking up a WiiU?

Or will you just buy a bunch of other games instead?

©2012 Nicholas Laborde

Filed under: 1st Party Titles, 3rd Party Games, Console gaming, Editorial, Game Impressions, Microsoft Games, New PS3 Games, New Xbox 360 Games, Oxcgn Special feature, PC News, PC Previews, PS3 Game Previews, PS3 Reviews, PSVita, Wii U, Wii U News, Wii U News, WiiU, Xbox 360, Xbox 360 3rd Party Games, Xbox 360 Game Previews Tagged: | AC3, arkane studios, Assassin's creed, Assassin's Creed 3, Assassin's Creed: Liberation, Black Ops 2, call of duty black ops 2, Cortana, Dishonored, Halo 4, Medal of Honor Warfighter, New Orleans, new pikmin, pikmin 3, Playstation Vita, Resident Evil 6, zombi u, ZombiU