2012 is set to be a great year for video games. There are several highly anticipated releases set for Q1 of 2012 and quite a few more with release dates that are still to be announced (TBA). I’m super excited, although I am still playing SWTOR (just released in December). Here’s a look at some of the great upcoming games.
Here are some of the most anticipated video games of Q1 2012:
Mass Effect 3- MS3 tops the list as one of the most anticipated games of the entire year. Set to release March 6th, Mass Effect 3 will bring Commander Shepard to earth to fight a final battle with the Reapers who want to harvest humans. A lot of characters from past games are going to be brought back and MS3 is supposed to the one final, epic battle.
Final Fantasy XIII-2-From the game description, “Cocoon — a utopia in the sky. Its inhabitants believed their world a paradise. Under the Sanctum’s rule, Cocoon had long known peace and prosperity. Mankind was blessed by its protectors, the benevolent fal’Cie, and believed that tranquil days would continue forever. Their tranquillity was shattered with the discovery of one hostile fal’Cie.”
How does that not sound awesome? Final Fantasy fans around the world are going to want to try this one from Square Enix, set to release January 31st on the Xbox 360 and the PS3.
Resident Evil: Operation Racoon City- Here’s another chapter in the Resident Evil saga. Planned to release March 20th, this version will allow players to make major decisions in the single player mode and there was even the hinted possibility that you can kill off a main character from past Resident Evil games. Multiplayer mode is going to give you more options – including the option to be the zombies themselves. I’m pretty excited to see what this one is going to be like. If you spook easily, don’t play it alone in the dark!
Soul Calibur V– New from Namco Bandai for the 360 and the PS3 on January 31st is Soul Calibur V. It’s been almost four years since the last Soul Calibur so fans are on their haunches for the next piece of the story. Based on the past games in the series, this will be a real winner as they always try to outdo themselves on the next episode. Soul Calibur IV had awesome graphics and this game is set 20 years after the events of the previous games so the story should be great.
All of these popular games are franchise sequels, not new independent titles, which is not really a surprise since it’s better to play off of a popular franchise than try something new that may flop. These are all very popular games and the gamers keep demanding more- so that’s just what the developers are giving them.
I’m also greatly looking forward to Diablo 3 but it does not have a release date yet and Bioshock: Infinite, and Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm are also still to be determined in 2012. Here are some more honorable mentions that are expected in 2012 but their exact release dates are still to be announced:
Mutant Mudds
Dillon’s Rolling Western
Metal Gear Solid 3D: Snake Eater
Gravity Rush
Skullgirls
NightSky
I Am Alive