Skyrim, Arkham City, Modern Warfare 3, the best games of 2011 are going to be a hard bunch to beat. But with the arrival of the PS Vita and the Nintendo Wii U joining the current console stalwarts, gamers will not be short changed in 2012.
Looking ahead to the year in gaming, we pick out the top titles across the formats that we can't wait to get some hands-on time with. Get saving and feast your eyes on these...
1. Assassin's Creed 3
Three years in the making Assassin's Creed 3 sees players sent to 18th Century America as Half-English Half-Native American assassin Connor. Thrust into the middle of this huge conflict gamers will experience a brand-new approach to Assassin's Creed with the largest map yet and an environment that completely changes with the seasons.
2. Dishonored
In Dishonored you play Corvo, an ex-imperial body guard who has been framed for the murder of the Empress. Corvo is also a skilled assassin, blessed with supernatural powers and these form the crux of his revenge mission against the man who framed him, known only as 'The Regent'.
As we've come to expect from Bethesda, the game world looks to be a highlight, a mash of influences which are both individually and collectively vibrant. The backdrop for much of the game is the industrial, steampunk city of Dunwall and though you don't have complete freedom of the city, you can tackle the game in any way you wish, whether that involves killing everything in sight, or never being seen at all.
3. The Witness
You may not have heard of Jonathan Blow, but you should be aware of his work. His is the mind behind Xbox Live Arcade's wonderful platformer-cum-brainteaser Braid, released in 2008. Well, now he and his team are back with a new game, primarily aimed at bending our mind-tanks in yet more ludicrous ways.
The Witness is an 'exploration-puzzle game' according to Blow's blog, and is set on an island. As you solve more of the puzzles, you gain access to more of the island. Details on a plot or story line are scarce (read: non-existant) but there's definitely an air of Myst/Riven about The Witness and if Braid was anything to go by, we're in for a real treat.
4. Wreckateer
We were ready to write this off as a lazy attempt at a 3D Angry Birds, but while Wreckateer openly takes its inspiration from smartphone's beat-the-leaderboard social challenge, there's genuine innovation, depth and charm here. Charged with demolishing a succession of increasingly complex medieval forts with a variety of wrecking balls boasting different powers (Angry Birds, see?), you have to use a responsive set of arm wafts to score points for damage, speed and flair.
Thankfully, Wreckateer truly gets the best out of Kinect, proving that the hardware's sometimes patchy response can be excellent when controls are kept slow and subtle rather than wild and manic. As you glide your flying shot, arms outstretched, into a hidden block of TNT and take down the east tower in one go, you instantly want to do it again – but this time from an angle so that it topples and takes out the west tower too. This way madness lies…
Post a Comment