As the video game industry enters a new, the companies continue to focus on successful characters of the past like Mario, Ryu and Spectre from the Resident Evil series. In the first quarter of 2012, five games stand out among the many releases and hope to revamp gaming genres like party games and survival horror.
Reality Fighters- February 15, 2012 – PS Vita
The Vita launch includes a lot of great titles including spin-offs of Hot Shot Golf and Uncharted, but the one that really stands out is Reality Fighters. Using the built-in Vita camera, players can become 3D fighters that battle in multiple environments.
The game’s unique appeal is enough to purchase the game, but hopefully the fight tactics and surprises keep the replay value alive. If successful, this could put a whole new spin on games like Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat.
Street Fighter X Tekken – March 6, 2012 – XBox 360, PC, PS3, Vita
If you like your video game fighting traditional, then the mash-up of Street Fighter and Tekken is right up your alley. Available on multiple consoles, the game mixes the world of Tekken and Street Fighter for the first time. The game looks promising because the characters blend well, the tag team modes will add a lot to the fighting and the characters look naturally mixed together in the game.
Mario Party 9 – March 11, 2012 – Nintendo Wii
The Wii releases have dwindled to nothing significant except the large releases from characters like Mario and Zelda. The start of 2012 goes to Mario as he joins his universe of friends in Mario Party 9. Mario Party 8 was one of the best puzzle and action games for the Wii and this round should improve upon it. With new game boards, the title should be a bigger hit than Wii Party.
Gotham City Imposters – February 2012 – PC, XBox 360, PS3
Arkham City is a dark, richly detailed Batman game. Gotham City Imposters is the complete opposite, but in a good way. The first person shooter places you in the gritty crime-filled world of Gotham where Joker and Batman imposters raise havoc in the streets.
The Batman theme is great alone, but the game adds even more with unique weapons and ways to move around the city. Oddly enough, it is reminiscent of the Nintendo 64 South Park game where characters had weapons like chicken guns and yellow snow balls.
Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City – March 20, 2012 – Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Survival horror is back in a huge way with the release of Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City. Taking a page from the current zombie craze, Resident Evil returns to its roots in the third person shooter that features a lot of team play, zombie attack features and weapons.
The game looks detailed and HD televisions should easily display the darker levels, an issue with previous versions of the game. The franchise has been tainted with bad editions and movies, but this could be step in the right direction for a huge revival.