411 Games Top 5 01.12.12: Top 5 Most Anticipated of 2012

Posted by Todd Vote on 01.12.2012

From games like Mass Effect 3, Bioshock Infinite, and Twisted Metal X to the Wii U, the potential announcements of new consoles from Sony and Microsoft, and more, 411 Games Staffers rank their Top 5 Most Anticipated Game Stuff in 2012!

Welcome back to the Top 5. Hope the new year finds you all well. Let's jump right into some feedback about the crap of 2011.

Comment Time with Toddo!


5) LA Noire
4) LA Noire
3) LA Noire
2) LA Noire
1) LA Noire

Basically a B version of LA Confidential with a handful of cut scenes where you actually get to play a game. Marketed as though your interrogation skills actually mattered.
What a crock of shit...
Posted By: Guest#6860 (Guest)

This x 1000
Posted By: Guest#5368 (Guest)

So... I trust you were not a fan of LA Loire. I can certainly see your point on the game, interrogating the criminals ultimately didn't mean anything as the person had to be arrested in order to progress through the game anyways. The game was basically an amped up point & click adventure. But I enjoyed it for the most part. Granted it wasn't big on replay value, but the game offered a unique take on things. I'm curious to see what they can do with the technology moving forward.

The 3DS is doing OK for itself; it's apparently outselling the original DS at the same point in its life-cycle, but considering the hype and the fact that Nintendo was coming off of not one but the two biggest selling consoles of the last generation, anything short of a blockbuster was going to be a disappointment.

Man, Capcom really did screw over fans in 2011, didn't they? With the re-releases (Off the Record, Ultimate Marvel), the Resident Evil Revelations debacle ($10 premium over already too expensive 3DS games), the save system for Mercenaries and two Mega Man games getting canned (and blaming lack of fan support for the cancellation of a game)...they couldn't have dug themselves in a bigger ditch than they did last year.
Posted By: Vince Osorio (Registered)

The 3DS has sold better than the Wii did in its first nine months of sale. It may have started ruff but sales spiked when they cut the price and a lot of new premium tiles came out late last year.
Posted By: gobllet (Guest)

The 3DS did rebound quite well at the end of the year, but that doesn't change the fact that the launch was fumbled a bit. Nintendo launched the system, thinking that the name Nintendo is enough to sell it. You can't deny that. I'm going to end the feedback for the week right there. Wasn't much else to talk about just some crap about Tim Tebow, and I don't want to get into that.



This is it. This is the official kick-off to the new year here at the Top 5. This week the staff takes a look at what we have coming at us in 2012, and tries to narrow down what they are most excited about. Very similar format to last week. Anything gaming is allowed. Consoles, games, apps, DLC, if it is coming this year, it can be in here. Are you with me so far? Good, let's get started.

Justin Weinblatt

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Kid Icarus Uprising - Kid Icarus looks like it will look amazing in 3D, but the controls seem a bit iffy.

Kingdom Hearts 3D- I haven't played any of the KH games since KH2, but I think I'm ready for another adventure with Sora and company.

Xenoblade- Xenoblade has been getting rave reviews in Europe and Japan, so I'll definitely keep an eye on this when it comes out in the US.

5.Luigi's Mansion 2 - I may be the only one, but I can't wait for a sequel to Luigi's Mansion. The first entry of the series was an incredibly underrated game. With ten years to think of new ideas and increase the scale of the original, Nintendo can make something truly awesome.

4. Tomb Raider - The newest Tomb Raider game wasn't even on my radar until last year's E3. The E3 demo showed showed off some incredible atmosphere, and a follow up trailer was equally amazing. I've actually never played a Tomb Raider game, but this looks like a great place to start.



3. Bioshock Infinite - I loved the original Bioshock, but was lukewarm on the second. Bioshock Infinite seems like a step back on the right track with a new world to explore, an intriguing story, and new gameplay mechanics. Hopefully, Infinite can recapture the magic of Bioshock.

2. Mass Effect 3 - Mass Effect 2 was one of my favorite games of all time, so naturally I'm excited to see how the trilogy ends. The second entry did a great job of setting up for an epic intergalactic war. Mass Effect 3 looks like it will spruce up the combat and deliver the amazing conclusion fans want.

1. Wii U - The success or failure of the Wii U will change the future of gaming in general. I think that Nintendo has a great idea on their hands, and if they've learned the importance of a strong online interface and third party games, Nintendo can potentially dominate in the hardcore and casual sectors. I'm eager for some more information on Nintendo's new console.

READER VOICE Lee Jones

5.Vita - So I'm only 60% sure I'm getting it but I'm still
excited to see how it takes of, what cool features it ends up with, Uncharted: Golden Abyss, how good the screen looks, and sadly the most important one for me - a whole new range of trophies to earn, while i'm commuting/eating lunch!!! Course there's a dark undercurrent of expense slowly building up with this handheld so it only gets 5th.

4.Journey - I've played the beta, far too long ago (raises eyebrow at developer) and enjoyed it. It was just a peaceful relaxing experience but with hints of later difficulty. I'm not sure the online experience is going to mean as much as they're hoping but making the Journey (look I made a funny, accepts applause) alone will be worthwhile

3.Trine 2 - Still not out for EU, WTF!!! I enjoyed the 1st game though it took me awhile to buy as one of the earliest £10+ psn games but drunken curiousity got the best of me. Best parts of original was music, looks, setting and gradual difficulty curve (leaning towards easy). Trine 2 looks to keep all that, maybe not difficulty, and adds proper bosses. Strangely its the music I'm most looking forward to.

2.Next Assassins Creed - Just finished Revalations and loved it. The Creed series just seems to suit my gaming desires. Now we're getting a new setting (I'm wondering if Embers gave that setting away??) and err Desmond. Wonder if the developers would have changed the story if they'd known the future success/fan reactions cause they've been stuck with him thanks to original. I don't mind him too much its the flags/feathers/fragments that annoy me. Core gameplay very good regardless.



1.Mass Effect 3 - Because last game rocked my world... by showing me how great another one was. Talk about immersive settings. Storyline was okay, gameplay was okay, characters were good, graphics were good, galaxy was incredible. Looking forward to seeing how previous game's decisions affect 3. Just more of the same please bioware, I might even forgive Dragon Age 2. Screw it, you're damn right I will, Mass Effect 3 = 2012s Skyrim, without an arrow in sight.

Stephen Randle

5.Wii U - I don't know if I'll get so hyped over it like I did about the Wii, I don't even know if I'll buy it. But I am very interested in what it's going to turn out to be.

4.Twisted Metal X - We don't have near enough car combat games, you know? Hell, at one point I was so starved for that style of game that I actually bought and attempted to enjoy WWE Crush Hour. No, I'm not kidding.

3.The Last Of Us - Didn't even know about this game until the trailer, but that alone sold me on the game, and with Naughty Dog, makers of Uncharted, on board, I have a lot of faith in what they'll turn out.

2.Final Fantasy XIII-2 - No, I don't know how they keep managing to drag me back in. Hope springs eternal, I guess. Although sometimes Hope is a whiny emo kid that you just want to die but have to use because he's the best healer. Damn you, Square-Enix!



1.Diablo III - Duh. It's the game I warned my wife about when we started dating. She's legally not allowed to divorce me over it. Yes, you can put that in a marriage contract. If you know the right people, that is.

And now, R. Lee Ermey

Adam Larck

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Diablo III - I'm interested in this game, but I'm more interested in seeing if this will ever make it to consoles.

5. Twisted Metal - Black got me back into the series, and this seems to be keeping with Black's feel. The combat looks as destructive as ever, and the customization has me intrigued. Honestly, though, I just want to destroy some friends online as Sweet Tooth.

4. Wii U - I'm more ... intrigued by this than anything. I want to see if this will actually be a console worth picking up, or something that feels more like an add-on akin to the Sega Genesis days. From what's been shown so far, it seems more of the latter. However, with the current graphics, it may seem worth it. Only time will tell.

3.Mass Effect 3 - I'm ready to see how Commander Shepard's tale comes to an end. It looks like quite a bit more has been added to the game, and I'm itching to get my hands on it. Plus, it may even convince me to go back and play more ME 2 to try different save files. We'll see if the time opens up for that, though.

2.BioShock Infinite - If it wasn't for my No. 1 game, this would have easily been tops for me. I loved the first BioShock, but felt the second wasn't needed. Now, Infinite looks to be what should have been the second game in the series. The environment looks amazing and I'm already intrigued by the story. Can't wait for the release.



1.Borderlands 2 - Considering how much time I spent in Borderlands, it should be no surprise I'm waiting for the second game. With new classes and areas to go to, I want to start looting again already. Plus, I want to see how many different types of guns will be in this game, along with finding all the rare guns again.

Dan Watson

5. Tomb Raider Who isn't interested in a darker version of Lara Croft. Maybe they change the story as to how she got her wealth from daughter of wealthy father to something along the line of porn star. I don't know but the story looks darker and is more interesting to me.

4. I Am Alive I know this is an arcade game, but this could really turn out to be the best arcade game we have seen in a while. I am extremely intrigued by the idea of screwing people over to save myself during the end of the world.

3. BioShock Infinite BioShock was originally a game that I said pass to. Then I sat down and played and was hooked. I then grabbed BioShock 2 on release and plan to do the same this year with Infinite. This is going to be a great game and should live up to the hype without a problem.

2. Borderlands 2 This game should have been game of the year. It is everything the world of video games should be. Original content, adult oriented, funny story, and tons of weapons and blood. This game was perfect for everything. I am still playing the first one and cannot wait for the second one later this year.



1. Twisted Metal Ah, Sweet Tooth, Mr. Grimm, Darkside, and so many other long lost friends. I loved the Twisted Metal series. I enjoyed playing through with each character to see what wish they would have granted at the end of the game. The series was amazing and then Sony got crazy with it. I cannot wait for this one. I hope it is over the top chaos with awesome endings.

READER VOICE Donald Stewart

HONORABLE MENTIONS

New PC for me - Looking forward to getting a kinda new pc soon this year as the one im using at the moment is 8 years old and starting to give up the ghost I think. My friend has offered me his old one for free that is only about a year old so should be still capable of running all but the latest of games at a decent spec. He's a class act.

5.HD Versions - This year we're seeing HD collections of Metal Gear, Silent Hill and Devil May Cry. 2 out of 3 of these are on my list and it'll be great to see these games reach a new audience and with updated visuals and achievements these will capture my interest. Silent Hill 2 again makes me a happy Sunderland.

4.Bioshock Infinite - The move away from Rapture may have got some peoples noses out of joint but the floating of city of Columbia is an apt replacement. Ken Levine's latest epic has all a gamer needs with emotive characters, top action and a first class story. I welcome the return.

3.New Xbox announcement - With rumours that the Xbox720, or whatever it'll be called, will be announced at this years E3, this has got me looking forward to it. The new xbox will hopefully be still mainly a games machine and not this strange hybrid that its become at the moment. My only concern with this is that I'll have to blast through my back log of games! I've still got Eternal Sonata in this cellophane wrapping from when I bought it over 3 years ago! Backwards compatibility is a must Microsoft!

2.Mass Effect 3 - Prob be on a lot of gamers lists for this year. The concluding part of all our Shepherd's stories, this is the (proposed) final battle for him/her and I want to see how my choices from the first 2 games have affected the 3rd. The Mass Effect trilogy has, in my opinion, been ground breaking and truly defined the action RPG for this generation. One thing I'm concerned about this the proposed multi player. This has the mark of EA all over it and i've got the feeling that it will end up like the Dead Space 2 multi player, unused and unloved. I'm Commander Shepherd and this is my favourite column in the Citadel.



1.Max Payne 3 - I love me some Max Payne. From his first case uncovering the Valkyrie drug and the seeking vengeance for the death of his family to (SPOILER) his revenge and death of Mona Sax in 2. The game was responsible for the bullet time mechanic we see in many games today and was novel in this mixture of cinematic 3rd person action and gripping action movie story. From the first few bars of music in the 3rd's trailer I was hooked. The story looks like it could be in the style of Man on Fire and the action is still there. Rockstar are developing this with the original creators Remedy overseeing the game. Lets hope they can do it justice. Good times

What Toddo Plays:

This week I spent most of my time with WWE '12. The online servers really are horrendous, and it is a shame that they haven't been able to get them workin properly yet. By the by, I could use some help from you guys. I need five people to go download my arena or one of the finishers I have uploaded. I'll be the first to admit that I am nowhere near as creative as some of the people who upload things, but it would be nice if I could get five downloads to knock out that achievement. Anyone interested in helping out, shoot me an email at the link below with your gamertag. I'll give you my tag, and if you want i will return the download favor.

Tuesday, I started playing the download only game, AMY, it is a survival horror game, that has you trying to make your way out of an infected area while protecting a young girl named Amy. Amy has certain abilities, but I haven't really gotten far enough in to see just what those all entail. The review should be up sometime this weekend, if not sooner, so keep your eyes on the review section for that if you are interested.

Haven't hopped into Assassin's Creed 2 yet, but I am hoping to get to it soon. Other stuff on the back-burner include Gears of War 3, and the Battlefield 3 campaign. Plenty to keep me busy till March, which is when the first game I am looking forward to will release in UFC Undisputed 3.

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Well that brings a close to our look ahead at 2012. What are you looking forward to in 2012? Do you think the Wii U can be the big console that Nintendo is hoping for? Do you even have any interest in the Wii U? Let us know down below in the comments section. We'll see you back here in seven.

One to Go On:
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