Hitman Absolution

The Hitman series was one of last generation’s best, providing an entertaining sandbox experience that lets you kill your targets the way you want to.  The last Hitman title to be released was 2006’s Blood Money which was the most refined title in the series to date.  When SquareEnix announced a new entry in the series last year many of us were excited at the possibilities.  At E3 though it was the first title I got to see and I have to say it was one of my favorite games of the show.

You can read my preview of the game below but probably the most exciting thing about the return of Agent 47 is exactly how different it wants to be from its predecessors.  The demonstration wasn’t a traditional Hitman level (though Eidos has said that the game will contain them) but what it did show was something no Hitman title has ever done: transitional levels explaining how and why you go from one mission to the next.  The demonstration felt quite fluid and the universal comparison to Splinter Cell Conviction isn’t without merit, nor should it be condemned for it.  Absolution looks great and you should definitely look forward to its appearance at E3 2012 if not beforehand.

Prey 2

2006’s gravity-shifting, Native American on alien-focused shooter from Human Head Games had been in development in one form or another since 1995 having only be surpassed as one of the longest development times for a game by Duke Nukem Forever.  Human Head’s “Turok meets Quake” title was a nice demonstration of what the Id Tech 4 engine could accomplish on a console but as good as it was it wasn’t destined to be able to stand in the face of other shooters like Call of Duty that would go on to become juggernauts in the industry.

Prey 2 is another E3 2011 premiere but the game is a far cry from what we expected.  Abandoning the linear focus of Prey along with its protagonist Tommy, the new game takes place several years later on an alien planet that looks quite similar to the classic sci-fi film Blade Runner.  Playing as a bounty hunter that was abducted by aliens years before, you have to regain your memory while trying to adapt to the hostile megalopolis filled to the brim with every species but your own.  The game showed off both a surprisingly great amount of parkour gameplay that occurs in a very non-linear environment.  The amount of weapons and tools you have on hand ensure that you can have a remarkably different experience from anyone else as your targets can be taken in alive or dead and even then will sometimes be of more benefit to you narratively speaking in one form or another.  Prey 2 definitely hits the sweet spot in a space that desperately needs a sequel to Mirror’s Edge and is a title that has an outstanding amount of potential.

Devil May Cry (DmC)

Ninja Theory over the past few years has become one of my favorite developers, bringing already good stories together with fantastic deliveries from believable characters.  2007’s Heavenly Sword and the despairing quest of protagonist Nariko dazzled players with its combat while 2010’s excellent Enslaved: Odyssey to the West was one of the year’s sleeper hits.  Their latest project, a supposed reboot of the Devil May Cry franchise, has been the target of controversy for its redesign of main character Dante and will good reason: up until the most recent trailers he hasn’t looked or acted a thing like what we remember him to be.

Since the game was announced at 2010’s TGS every single trailer shown has been progressively better in showing off the game’s capabilities and just how similar, rather than different, it is to the core DMC titles.  The combat looks smooth as silk and all of the aspects that make a DMC title what it is appear to be there.  Will this new vision of Dante be what the people didn’t know they wanted?  We’ll find out later this year.

Bioshock Infinite

A lot of things can be said about the Bioshock series but I don’t think any word other than ‘captivating’ properly conveys what the series does to its audience.  The previous games in the series took us under the ocean to a city in the midst of a civil war over Plasmids, addictive genetic enhancements that inevitably turn its users into warped, insane mutants.  Bioshock Infinite takes us beyond Rapture to a city in the sky called Colombia in the early 20^th century.  As a former Pinkerton agent, Booker DeWitt is hired to rescue a woman named Elizabeth from the city who has become the most-wanted figure of power for its warring factions.  What lies within the conflict is anyone’s guess but given the accomplishments of the series thus far it’s sure to be one hell of a ride.

Infinite has easily been one of the most desired games any of has have seen in recent memory with an intriguing concept of bending the fabric of reality while being hunted by Elizabeth’s giant jailer known as The Songbird is sure to stir the same feelings you had when met your first Big Daddy in Bioshock.  Beyond that Elizabeth is a character that you genuinely care about and want to protect above all else.  Bioshock Infinite looks fantastic and I couldn’t pick a better title to begin the closeout of this generation of game consoles.

Aliens: Colonial Marines

Ridley Scott’s incredible film franchise was destined for video games the moment Aliens was released to theater goers back in 1986.  Over the years gamers have experienced a monotony of titles based on the series, the most prominent being the Aliens vs. Predator titles whose most recent iteration came out almost two years ago.  Those titles however look to pale in comparison to this new Aliens title.

Developed by Gearbox Software, the creators of the Brothers in Arms and Borderlands series, Colonial Marines has been in the works for a long time, its initial announcement dating back to early 2008.  This new entry takes place shortly after the events of the Aliens film as has you traveling back to LV-426 along with a battalion of marines to discover what happened to the rescue team Ripley lead into Hadley’s Hope and beyond.  Beyond having an authentic feel to the universe, the game will feature four player drop-in, drop-out cooperative play.  Gearbox is determined to make this an authentic Aliens experience filled with action and horror and This looks to be THE licensed title of 2012 and given that Gearbox is the developer you can rest assured that there’s going to be something great about it.

Tomb Raider

The adventures of Lara Croft have been one of mixed feelings for gamers over the years.  While many veterans fondly remember the classic PS1 titles in the series the more recent titles have been somewhat mediocre.  SquareEnix and Crystal Dynamics made a real splash however in 2011 when they announced the new Tomb Raider, this one taking us back to Lara’s origins and giving us a stark shift in both gameplay and focus.  Trapped on a hostile remote island, Lara has to fight to survive in a gritty presentation that has never been associated with the series.

This new vision of Lara Croft not only gives you an entirely different experience in comparison to the previous games, it also shows her beginnings as she transforms from a young naïve adventurer into the strong, wise treasure hunter that we know her to be.  The gameplay dynamics and overall presentation look to make Tomb Raider one of the most exciting titles to date and perhaps could be just what is needed to revitalize a series that has been in need of a refresher more than any other.

Mass Effect 3

It’s hard for me to accept that Mass Effect 2 was released two years ago this month.  While I really enjoyed Mass Effect its sequel was a wondrous thrill ride for me that had me play through it twice, a rare occurrence for me when it comes to RPGs.  Not only did it have a strong and smart DLC service that produced new content for over a year, it also allowed you to kill off the entire main cast, something that you never see in a game these days.  It told an epic story and was easily the best RPG experience to have in 2010.

Mass Effect 3 is due to arrive this March and looks to be a more intense game than the previous titles combined.  Whereas Mass Effect 1 & 2 were about preparing for war with an invading alien armada this new title is about the war proper, seeing the Reaper invasion of the galaxy (most notably Earth being a primary target) as it happens and the race against time to stop the assimilation of all sentient life.  Mass Effect 3 will reincorporate many of the elements featured in the first game that weren’t in the second and the combat looks even faster and more responsive, pushing the boundaries for what an RPG can be.  There’s no doubt that this conclusion to Commander Shepard’s story will be a great one and you don’t need to do any calibrating to see that.

Diablo III

Twelve years was a heck of a long time to wait for the next Starcraft title for Blizzard fans but the anticipation for a third entry in the Diablo series has been just as tumultuous.  Hinted at for years, Diablo III was a title that was announced in 2008 and only recently was publically playable in the form of a beta.  This classic isometric dungeon crawler returns to the world of Sanctuary twenty years after Diablo II and sees the rise of new heroes to face the impending invasion of the armies of the Burning Hells.

There’s so much to offer in a Diablo title that it’s hard to even list them on a single page.  Five classes to choose from, an online auction house, PvP arena matches, even a hardcore mode offers unique challenges to the player whether they play alone or cooperatively.  Diablo III will easily be one of the biggest titles on the PC this year and you shouldn’t be surprised if a home console port is released in the back half of 2012, if not early 2013.

Grand Theft Auto V

Finding itself in the “everyone saw this coming” category, Rockstar’s biggest franchise announced its return this past November to universal excitement.  The 2008 release of Grand Theft Auto IV was easily one of the most hotly anticipated titles of this generation and its possible that GTA V may exceed it.  This new entry takes us from the ragged streets of Liberty City to the glamorous scene of Los Santos, Rockstar’s take on Los Angeles and one of the three cities from 2004 title San Andreas.  We haven’t even met the main protagonist yet and we here at Hooked are already excited.

What’s probably more exciting than the game itself is the speculation everyone is putting to the title.  Is the main character really a father figure?  Will we see the return of classic characters like CJ from San Andreas?  There are lots of questions that need answering and you can be certain that Rockstar will answer them later this year as the windup to E3 2012 begins.

Dishonored

Hidden amongst the titles you read about above, Dishonored is a game that has come out of left field and looks to fill in a gap that hasn’t been properly tended to in years.  In development at Arkane Studios, the studio responsible for 2006’s Dark Messiah of Might and Magic, this new IP looks to combine the player capabilities and plot intrigue of Bioshock with the parkour elements of Mirror’s Edge.  If that combination doesn’t do it for you then you should be concerned for your mental wellbeing.

Set in the retro-futuristic steampunk-esque city of Dunwall, you play as royal guard turned assassin Corvo who is imprisoned after the Empress was murdered.  This tale of vengeance that aids in the liberation of the city from the Lord Regent who has taken power in a game that has you altering the events of the world based on your actions therein.  Dishonored not only stands out as one of the most visually unique titles of 2012, it also serves as representative for all those titles who deserve far more attention than the next inevitable Call of Duty title.  It’s also the only title on this list that can only be described in word right now as there is no video content currently available to the public so I highly encourage you to read my preview of the game from Quakecon.

Far Cry 3

After Crytek went on to make what would eventually become the graphical juggernaut title Crysis during the last generation of consoles, Ubisoft retained the Far Cry title and published a series of ports to the Xbox and Xbox 360.  In 2008 it released a sequel to the game whose only relations to Jack Carver’s adventure were in both name and scope of the world you play in.  Though Far Cry 2 did well commercially and critically it didn’t scream that it needed a sequel.  So, for myself and many others, it came as quite a surprise at E3’s Ubisoft Press Conference this past year when Far Cry 3 was presented to the world.

Returning to the tropical setting, this new Far Cry has the player attempting to escape from an island chain with crazed inhabitants.  The game retains the open-world nature the series is known for as well as the gunplay and first-person actor characteristics that made Far Cry 2 a hit but also seems to tie in a RPG-esque leveling system like that seen in Borderlands.  The game definitely gives off a sense of danger and excitement at every turn so if you want a shooter that doesn’t pit you against the Russian army this may be the one to get this year.

The Last of Us

Naughty Dog is a studio that is capable of tremendous things and has been demonstrating this since the last generation of consoles.  With the seeming conclusion to the core Uncharted series for the inevitable future, the team from Santa Monica has decided to create a new IP and looks to venturing into a genre gamers are all too familiar with: zombies.  Playing as Joel and Ellie, you survive in a world that has seen a deadly fungus wipe out most of the human population, the remainder of which either became infected, murderous cannibals or, to a far lesser extent, fight to survive in a world that sees nature taking our homes and cities back years after the world has ended.

Zombie games are nothing new and have thankfully begun to slow down in appearance and popularity over the past year or so but a Naughty Dog-developed title may be just what is needed to keep this declining genre shambling along.  Naughty Dog is well known for their storytelling capabilities as well as smart, engaging gameplay and the potential for stealth and survival mechanics is definite possibility.  The only thing you can’t be sure of is whether this game will find itself a 2012 release date but given the game’s wonderful announcement trailer we can’t wait to see more.

There you have it: the twelve titles destined for this year that deserve your attention.  Some of these will be guaranteed purchases for you but others you may not even have been considering, let alone heard of.  Sure, there’s the inevitable return of annual franchises like Call of Duty or that remake of that classic franchise but each of these are either new IPs or revitalized sequels that don’t come along very often.  2011 was a great year for gaming but, as hard to believe as it is, 2012 may be even better.  Keep an eye out for on my personal blog as well as my articles on Hooked Gamers and 4Player Podcast.  I failed this past year to review every game I played but I'm hoping to rectify that this year as a New Year's Resolution.  In the mean time, gird your wallets people.