Video Game 2012 Preview

Silent Hill HD Collection
Publisher: Konami
Release Date: January 24

Why You Should Care: HD remakes are all the rage right now and Silent Hill is getting the royal HD treatment on January 24. The collection brings both Silent Hill 2 and Silent Hill 3 to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 with some fancy new duds. Konami is doubling down on the Silent Hill series lately with these new versions and the upcoming Silent Hill: Downpour coming out later this year. If you've never had the chance to play these classics, here is a brand new way to enjoy some classic games in a way that won't hurt your precious eyes!

Final Fantasy XIII-2
Publisher: Square-Enix
Release Date: January 31

Why You Should Care: The Final Fantasy series may be down on its luck, but that doesn't mean you should turn a blind eye to the series. In a very un-Japanese publisher move, Square-Enix admitted the previous game in the series wasn't up to snuff and set out to fix and solve some of its issues with this new adventure. Players can now jump, there are towns and a whole lot more exploration. Now you no longer run in a straight line! Progress!

NeverDead
Publisher: Konami
Release Date: January 31

Why You Should Care: Haven't you always wanted to play a video game where you can never die? Well, that's basically NeverDead, a game that has you control Bryce, a cursed, wise-cracking, gun-toting demon killer as he attempts to stop a demon invasion. He's cursed, because he can never actually die... he just falls apart. As Bryce's body falls apart from taking damage, he'll have to collect his parts and reassemble himself to continue his fight with the demons. It's an interesting mechanic which we can't recall seeing before... so that's why it's worth checking out when it hits January 31.
 


SoulCalibur V
Publisher: Namco-Bandai
Release Date: January 31

Why You Should Care: The fighting game renaissance more than likely isn't going away anytime soon, so you best pay attention to the next crop of fighters, especially SoulCalibur V. SoulCalibur V is the latest in the excellent weapon-combat fighter from Namco and looks to be continue the excellent tradition. It doesn't matter if you're going to stick with classic characters like Ivy, Siegfried or Nightmare (or Voldo... shudder), or play new additions or guest characters like Assassin's Creed's Ezio Auditore, you're going to have a great time and THE SOUL STILL BURNS!
 


Alan Wake's American Nightmare
Publisher: Remedy Entertainment
Release Date: Unknown, Q1

Why You Should Care: If you loved the original Alan Wake game for Xbox 360, you're going to want to pay attention to this new XBLA title from your friends and mine at Remedy. Alan Wake is back in a grindhouse-esque title that's 2/3 action and 1/3 story; Alan finds himself in Night Springs, a Route 66-inspired town that just so happens to be in an episode that Alan wrote for the Night Springs TV show. We got a chance to go hands on with this game earlier this year and thought you'd enjoy this tip... save your Microsoft Points now, you're going to want this game.

Gotham City Imposters
Publisher: Warner Bros.
Release Date: February

Why You Should Care: Gotham City Imposters is a tale of the other crime fighters and criminals living in Gotham, namely the psychotic people that idolize The Dark Knight and the Clown Prince of Crime. Gotham City Imposters is a downloadable Team Fortress-like multiplayer shooter that pits teams of players against each other using guns and gadgets to take down foes and capture points. In a post-Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 or Battlefield 3 haze, this looks like a nice pickup to get you through the winter.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning
Publisher: EA
Release Date: February 7

Why You Should Care: This is the first game from the 38 Studios and Big Huge Games partnership and it looks like exactly the game to scratch your Skyrim itch... if you've put down Skyrim, that is. Amalur is a fantasy RPG birthed by Morrowind and Oblivion designer Ken Rolston with the help of author R.A. Salvatore (we just call him Bob Salvatore around here) and Spawn creator Todd McFarlane. Amalur sports a massive world, action-RPG fighting mechanics and a familiar feel if you've played any of the Bethesda Softworks RPGs of the last decade or the God of War games.
 


The Darkness II
Publisher: 2K Games
Release Date: February 7

Why You Should Care: The Darkness II is the follow-up to the sleeper hit The Darkness, a first person shooter based on Top Cow's comic book. It stars Jackie Estacado, the Don of the Franchetti New York City crime family as he takes down his foes with guns and... oh, and he also wields The Darkness, a demonic power that grants him supernatural powers. The Darkness II features a single player campaign mode, but also a four-player co-op set of scenarios so that you and your friends can all the use The Darkness together.

Inversion
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Release Date: February 7

Why You Should Care: Inversion is going to scratch that Gears of War-styled itch you'll get somewhere in the middle of the winter. It's big trademark is gravity-gameplay, which means that enemies will be attacking you from all over and you'll have to manipulate gravity and deal with gravity changes to take down your foes. You'll be able to tackle enemies in single play or co-op starting February 7th.

 


UFC Undisputed 3
Publisher: THQ
Release Date: February 14

Why You Should Care: The world's biggest mixed martial arts league collides with your consoles on February 14^th in the most accurate representation of the sport yet. Submissions have been reworked, PRIDE is now included and there are over 150 fighters to bring into the Octagon. There really isn't much more you can ask for as a fight fan...and you're not going to want to miss this one.



Binary Domain
Publisher: SEGA
Release Date: February 14

Why You Should Care: Yakuza series creator Toshihiro Nagoshi directed this squad-based futuristic third-person shooter from SEGA and it's looking pretty good. We saw Binary Domain at last year's E3 and loved the clean-look and shooting action and have this on our short list of potential surprise hits for the year. The game sports a consequence and dialogue system that will affect how your team behaves and how they respond to you as a leader - we've seen it in action and sometimes even the smallest choice can have far-reaching implications. So get ready to shoot the hell out of some robots on February 14.

Twisted Metal
Publisher: SCEA
Release Date: February 14

Why You Should Care: Twisted Metal is back! After a fairly long hiatus, the hallmark car combat series makes it PlayStation 3 debut and it's back with a vengeance. Action is handled either with up to four players locally in split screen or 16 players online. If insane, over-the-top missiles and gun multiplayer fights aren't your thing, you can go through the story solo with the game's trademark characters, like Sweet Tooth.  There are never enough killer clowns in our lives and Twisted Metal looks to fix that!

Syndicate
Publisher: EA
Release Date: February 21

Why You Should Care: The fan-favorite strategy game gets some new life and a new look in this first person shooter from EA and Starbreeze Studios. The original may have been a tactical strategy game, but this new fancy version is a first person shooter. Set in the 2069, the world has been divided into regions controlled by large corporations, known as, get this... syndicates. You play Miles Kilo, the EuroCorp syndicate's bio-engineered agent and you're tasked with battling and infiltrating the world's other syndicates on a mission of revenge. The change in genre might upset some diehard Syndicate fans, but the look, style and gameplay of this new game have us hooked.
 


Asura's Wrath
Publisher: Capcom
Release Date: February 21

Why You Should Care: Stop reading this for a moment and check out some of the many trailers for this game.... Ok, back now? Great... did you see that s&*% ? Crazy battles, a badass character and a ton of action make Asura's Wrath not something you should pass up if you're craving fists and fury this winter. We played a bit of this game at last year's E3 and nary a man, woman or child walked away from the kiosk without smiling.



PlayStation Vita
Release Date: February 22

Why You Should Care: The PlayStation Vita ramps up the handheld wars with a beautiful screen, back and front touch capabilities and a serious helping of great-looking games. If you're looking for near-console experiences on a handheld device or crave a new generation of multimedia device, don't hesitate to pick up a Vita. On launch day there will be almost too many games to list in separate entries, so we'll just put them all.

On launch day, you can pick up: LittleBigPlanet, Hot Shots Golf, Wipeout 2048, ModNation Racers: Road Trip, Little Deviants, Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Army Corps of Hell, Asphalt Injection, EA Sports FIFA Soccer, Lumines Electronic Symphony, Touch My Katamari, Rayman: Origins, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and Virtua Tennis 4: World Tour. That's a serious amount of games... and it's not even counting downloadable games!
 


SSX
Publisher: EA
Release Date: February 28

Why You Should Care: SSX has been taking a nap at the lodge for a couple years, but it's back. This series relaunch brings snowboarding back to the console forefront this winter (seriously, when was the last time there was a good snowboarding game to play on consoles?) and we couldn't be more excited. Get ready to rev up that dub step Run DMC and set yourself loose on a mountain....

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Future Soldier
Publisher: Ubisoft
Release Date: March 6

Why You Should Care: Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Future Soldier has been a long time coming. At this point there have been multiple versions of this game in development and on March 6, we'll finally get to see Ubisoft's vision of the future. The Ghost Recon series was a sleeper hit during the late days of the Xbox and the early days of Xbox 360 and its back to see if it can get its footing in this crazy Call of Duty world. Fans of tactical and squad-based shooters will love Ghost Recon's mix of combat and gadget use, so look for it on store shelves soon.
 


Mass Effect 3
Publisher: EA
Release Date: March 6

Why You Should Care: It's the conclusion to the amazing Mass Effect trilogy, that's why you should care! After taking the fight to the Reapers and Collectors, Shepard is back to fight against the invasion of Earth. The fan-favorite series has changed quite a bit over its short run and this third entry brings with it a whole host of changes, like a multiplayer mode and Kinect integration. Finish the epic tale starting March 6!
 


Ridge Racer Unbounded
Publisher: Namco-Bandai
Release Date: March 6

Why You Should Care: Ridge Racer is getting a bit of an action make over with Unbounded. Courses are littered with obstacles, other racers and crazy ways to make your own shortcuts and there's a serious intensity to your vehicle's speed. Ridge Racer has drifted into the periphery of racing titles as the prominance of simulation series like Forza Motorsport and Gran Turismo dominated the scene, but it's looking to fit a niche that's part action game, part racing title.
 


Street Fighter X Tekken
Publisher: Capcom
Release Date: March 6

Why You Should Care: Street Fighter "cross" Tekken looks to extend the fighting renaissance of the last couple years with a brawler between the biggest stars of Capcom's legendary series and Namco-Bandai's hallmark franchise. If you've ever wanted to know who wears the best gi
 or throws the best kicks, you're going to want to check this game out.
 


Max Payne 3
Publisher: Rockstar Games
Release Date: March 6

Why You Should Care: Max Payne is a character that doesn't need much of an introduction. The two previous games garnered critical and popular acclaim and people have been chomping at the bit since Rockstar announced that they were releasing a third game in the series. Max Payne got old, but he's still looking to kick some ass! In Max Payne 3 Max's life is a mess (when is it not...?) and so he beats feet out of New York City for the sunny skies of Sao Paulo, Brazil to work private security for a wealthy family. Obviously things don't go as expected and Max is forced to find a way out of a Brazil turned to hell. 



Silent Hill: Downpour
Publisher: Konami
Release Date: March 6

Why You Should Care: Downpour is the eighth title in the Silent Hill series and a major change for the series under new developer Vatra Games. From what we've seen of the trailers shown, it looks like a seriously moody take on the town everyone loves to hate. When a prison bus crashes, its riders are freed into Silent Hill and everything basically goes to hell. Main character Murphy Pendelton says he doesn't want to go back to prison, but why the hell would he choose to stay in Silent Hill instead? Give us three square meals over an encounter with Pyramid Head anyday! From what we've seen of Downpour, we're amped to turn the lights down low and grab a controller.
 


Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City
Publisher: Capcom
Release Date:  March 20

Why You Should Care: You should really care about this game if you love Resident Evil, but have grown a bit tired of the standard RE gameplay. This new title from developer Slant Six Games pits multiple players against a horde of zombies and other Umbrella Corporation horrors. This single player and multiplayer third person shooter, set during the events of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3 might just have enough to re-energize even the most jaded Resident Evil fans.



Kid Icarus Uprising
Publisher: Nintendo
Release Date: March 23

Why You Should Care: If you own a 3DS and you're done with Mario Kart 7 and Super Mario 3D Land, you're counting down the days until the next big Nintendo game... and it's Kid Icarus Uprising. There were rumors of a Kid Icarus game for years, and now its mere months away from release. Pit comes to Nintendo's littlest system courtesy of Team Sora and Masahiro Sakurai, the director on the Smash Bros. series. You should most care, because Nintendo is putting a ton of effort into resurrecting ones of its lesser known NES classic characters... and that shows they care and are listening to fans. 
 


Dragon's Dogma
Publisher: Capcom
Release Date: March 27

Why You Should Care: Capcom is making a serious investment into capturing the Western audience with this Western-like open world action RPG. You'll take on massive beasts, like dragons and this griffin here with a group of adventurers; you'll control your character directly and issue commands to your companions to assist you in battle. Coming off Skyrim and Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, Dragon's Dogma might just be the thing you need to continue your fantasy addiction.
 


Dragon's Crown
Publisher: Ignition Entertainment
Release Date: March 31

Why You Should Care: If you haven't played Vanillaware's other games, Muramasa: The Demon Blade and Odin Sphere, close your browser and go pick them up; they are both beautiful 2D action games with a serious dedication to artwork. Dragon's Crown will continue Vanillaware's tradition of beautiful artwork, fantasy works and intense 2D action.

Aliens: Colonial Marines
Publisher: SEGA
Release Date: March 31

Why You Should Care: Aliens: Colonial Marines is being published by SEGA, but it's being developed by your friends and mine at Gearbox Software, developer of titles like Borderlands and Brother in Arms. It's been in production for quite some time, but from all apperances, it's going to be an incredible ride in the Aliens world. We'll know more about Aliens: Colonial Marines in the coming weeks and months, but for now, it's near the top of our must play list.

Lollipop Chainsaw
Publisher: Warner Bros.
Release Date: April 24

Why You Should Care: We're really not sure what to make of Lollipop Chainsaw, the new game from Suda 51 and Grasshopper Manufacture. Watch a trailer and see if you can figure this game out... there's a cheerleader girl and she kicks ass and there are zombies and the titular chainsaw... it's almost too much, which is why we think it's going to be awesome. If over-the-top action and bizarre situations are your thing, you're going to want to check out Lollipop Chainsaw.

Spec Ops: The Line
Publisher: 2K Games
Release Date: April 30

Why You Should Care: Spec Ops: The Line is technically the ninth game in the series, but for all intents and purposes it's a brand new series to 99% of players. We've seen a few previews of the game since it was was announced and have marveled at some of the crazy sand physics and action sequences and it looks like its shaping up nicely as an early spring action title.

The game follows Captain Martin Walker in a post-apocalyptic Dubai on a rescue mission to rescue one of the founding members of the Delta Force. In interviews, the developers have said that the game was inspired by Joseph Conrad's seminal novel Heart of Darkness. Look for Spec Ops: The Line on April 30.
 


Diablo 3
Publisher: Blizzard
Release Date: Unknown Q1

Why You Should Care: If you were a PC player in the 90s and early 2000s, you undoubtedly played Diablo. It's been 12 years since the release of Diablo 2 and players are barely holding it together as they wait for this new entry. It really doesn't need an explanation or a description... it just needs to be released now. Please Blizzard?
 


Warp
Publisher: EA
Release Date: Unknown Q1

Why You Should Care: We saw Warp at an EA event in the fall and fell in love with this seriously fun and interesting downloadable title. Warp is a puzzle-action title with a healthy degree of stealth and cunning. You play as a test subject alien that needs to escape a lab using a variety of teleportation powers and abilities...and you'll just so happen to kill a few evil scientists along the way. Make sure you save your Microsoft points and open up your PlayStation wallet to pick this title up when it hits later this year.
 


Shank 2
Publisher: EA
Release Date: Unknown Q1

Why You Should Care: The first Shank had some issues and it didn't exactly make a major impact, but the second title really looks like developer Klei Entertainment took player feedback and really made an improvement on their vision for this over-the-top action title. Shank 2 still has the crazy action and amazing artwork that people loved on the first go-around, but it looks like it's seriously improved on its gameplay. If you love action movies and nasty ways to dispose of your enemies, put Shank 2 on your short list for the spring.

Prototype 2
Publisher: Activision
Release Date:  Unknown April

Why You Should Care: Prototype 2 is Activision's latest attempt to bring superheroes to an open world. The sequel ditches the original's Alex Mason for Sergeant James Heller as he tries to destroy the Blacklight Virus and the evil Blackwatch. If you're a fan of open world games and the superhero genre, you owe it to yourself to give Prototype 2 a shot.

Tony Hawk Pro Skater HD
Publisher: Activision
Release Date:  Unknown Q2

Why You Should Care: People have been beggining for a return to the original Tony Hawk for years and Activision has listened and will be releasing an HD collection of the first few games of the series. It won't have the original soundtrack, but it's going to have a great mix of our favorite original levels and skaters and for that, we can't wait to give it a spin, or a Christ Air.