What Excites Me? 2011 Releases

Battlefield 3 (Q3 2011, PC/PS3/360)

The footage so far has been staggering in the attention to detail. Sure, we’ve seen a lot of shooters go by, especially modern milsim games lately, but the new game powered by the Frostbite 2 engine, looks impressive to say the least. My only hope is they don’t try to “out CoD” Activision’s franchise by making the game too similar. The last Bad Company 2 sold well and for good reason, it was a distinctly different game from CoD, and they stuck with what worked from the previous Battlefield games, along with giving it a feel that was unmatched by the “other guys”.

Batman: Arkham City (21st Oct, PS3/360)

Another tent-pole release, and while it may be “another sequel” if there is one studio which can deliver on the promise afforded by the first game, it’s Rocksteady Studios. The first game was a standout hit, combining excellent fighting gameplay mechanics, which made you feel truly like a superhero, with the more comic-inspired vision of the angst-ridden masked vigilante. The game was like a perfect storm of quality: great visuals, gameplay, voice work, etc. which all came together to make one of 2009’s surprise best-sellers. Actual gameplay footage has been kept tightly under wraps so far, but I’m confident that Rocksteady will build upon their past success, instead of just following the “more, more, more” philosophy.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine (Aug 2011, PC/PS3/360)

It’s ironic that of all the games depicting a superhuman soldier stomping alien baddies and extending the finger of a power-augmented mailed fist, this is the first actual game spawned from the franchise which gave those heroes their name in the first place: the Space Marines. Since Relic’s first game, the original Dawn of War, I have been a fan of the series, and I’m happy to see them taking the property in a new direction, perhaps in an attempt to break out of the appeal of the Real Time Strategy arena (and also to make something that works well on consoles). And, unlike other games that bear more than a passing resemblance, and who also may have capitalised on the appeal of hulking, armoured dudes of war, there’s no cover mechanic, mainly because Space Marines “ain’t got time to bleed”, or duck.

From Dust (Q3 2011, PC/PS3/360)

Eric Chahi is known primarily for a game known as Another World, an imaginative adventure/puzzle game from the 90s. From Dust looks a lot like a mixture of Populus and Black and White in that you can shape the land in order to help some inhabitants survive in their little virtual world. From the screenshots, the game looks beautiful, and I know that word is thrown around a lot, but there is a definite artistic presence in the guiding hand of From Dust. Some of the fluid dynamics they have demonstrated; with flowing lava, water, sand, etc. look like a great sandbox to play with on their own, but there seems to also be a story beyond pure game mechanics. Chahi has taken too long of a hiatus from videogames; here’s hoping his return will be a triumphant one.

Retro City Rampage (Q3 2011, PC/PS3/360)

Hopefully many of you share my love of nostalgia and pixel art, but this is one indie game that I hope makes it to market. Retro City Rampage, which is a loving homage to all of the games many of us grew up with, including River City Ransom, Grand Theft Auto, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the list goes on. The game started out as a Wii shop title, but has since made the jump to XBLA and will hopefully be on PSN as well.

Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception (4th Nov, PS3)

Judging from the latest trailer, which introduces the quintessentially English villain Katherine Marlowe, the game is continuing from the series cinematic roots. For me, there is something more than novel about the obvious fondness that the developer Naughty Dog has for film, and the game just nearly bridges the gap, and was touted as such in the advertising. When I sat down to play Uncharted 2, by coincidence I had a small audience as I played through the opening moments. Very few other titles would have had this particular group enraptured as they were. Naughty Dog is another top tier developer that never fails to deliver on their promise; often sticking with what they know best and given that the formula hasn’t soured this is a sound proposition. Uncharted 3 finds its inspiration from the epic of Lawrence of Arabia, which brings our charming hero to the dark continent, presumably for an extended stay.

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (11th Nov, PC/PS3/360)

Against my better judgement I’ve been wowed by what little has been shown so far. I know it wasn’t universally lauded, but I loved the teaser trailer released at the end of last year. Much like Battlefield 3, there are many smaller details which make the first person experience seem more real, mostly in how the game’s camera moves to mimic a real person’s movement. I never really got sucked into the open experience that was Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, but from all of the positive opinion and my own experiences, consider me signed up for the next in the series.

So what’s your personal Top Ten for 2011? I’m sure I’ve missed more than a few indie titles, or perhaps even a personal favourite of yours. I’ve listed them in chronological order, but if you have an order of importance, I’d be curious to know what it might be. Please discuss them in the comments, we’d love to hear what you all are looking forward to!

Pages: 1 2

3 Comments