41. GUITAR HERO (unnamed project)
Date TBA || Platforms TBA || Activision
Earlier this year, Activision announced it was getting out of the rhythm-game business, laying off employees and confirming there wouldn’t be a new Guitar Hero in 2011. ATVI later backpedaled a bit, stating that the series was merely on hiatus, and at E3 it was reported that someone high up at Activision stated that they’d almost certainly do a Guitar Hero for Nintendo’s new Wii U at some point.
42. HALF-LIFE: EPISODE THREE
Date TBA || Platforms TBA || D/P: Valve
Another E3, another year with no sign of Episode Three, especially with Valve not demoing at the show. Earlier this year, Valve reassured the gaming world that it wasn’t done with the Half-Life series, although it raised the possibility that it might not continue the episodic format, but whatever Valve’s plans are, they weren’t revealed at E3 2011.
43. HALO: ANNIVERSARY
Nov 15 2011 || X360 || D: 343/Saber, P: Microsoft
Has it really been 10 years since Halo was released as a launch title for the Xbox? To commemorate the occasion, Microsoft has commissioned a remastered version of the game for the Xbox 360, which will include proper online and co-op play and seven of the game’s most popular maps. My question: why no Kinect support? With all the emphasis Microsoft put on Kinect at E3 this year, this seemed like a perfect place to experiment and maybe drum up some excitement for the peripheral.
44. HALO 4
2012 || Xbox 360 || D: 343, P: Microsoft
News of this was leaked the night before Microsoft’s press conference on Monday morning, and sure enough, the briefing wrapped up with a brief teaser for Halo 4. All the familiar faces are back, including Master Chief and Cortana, with development handed off to new developer 343 Industries, and will be the start of a new trilogy for the Xbox 360. Other than that, news on the Halo 4 front was all quiet.
45. Hitman: Absolution
2012 || X360, PS3, PC || D: IO Interactive, P: Square Enix
Shown for the first time at E3 2011, developer IO revives Agent 47, but with a slightly different take on the series. Demos show a game that relies on light and shadows for stealth in a way that wasn’t possible a decade ago, has a bit more of an open-world feel, and appears to be taking a more cinematic approach in its presentation.
46. ICO + SHADOW OF THE COLOSSUS HD COLLECTION
Sep 27 2011 || PS3 || D: Team ICO, P: Sony
Fans who didn’t get to experience these two stellar games on the PS2 will get a second chance on the PS3 via an HD remastering coming this fall. In addition to the improved graphics, the games will feature 3D support, trophies and support for 7.1 surround sound. Possibly one of the best reasons to date to pick up a PS3 if you haven’t already.
47. INVERSION
Feb 7 2012 || X360, PS3 || D: Saber, P: Namco Bandai
A third-person action game, Inversion plays tricks with gravity in a number of ways – you can pull items towards you to use as cover, hurl large items at enemies to crush them, create gravity fields to pin enemies to the ground, eventually reaching zero-gravity environments where it’s hard to tell up from down from sideways. The entire game can be played cooperatively with a buddy, opening up all sorts of possibilities as two players find interesting ways to combine their gravity powers.
48. JUST DANCE 3
Oct 11 2011 || X360, PS3, Wii || D/P: Ubisoft
There wasn’t much info released on Just Dance 3 at E3, but really, what’s to know? It’s the completely expected sequel in the popular Wii dance-game series, this time making its multiplatform debut, with support for the X360 Kinect and PS3 Move. Artists announced so far include the Black Eyed Peas, Earth, Wind & Fire, and Katy Perry, who also appears in the game’s celebrity-filled E3 trailer.
49. KINECT SPORTS SEASON TWO
Oct 25 2011 || X360 Kinect || D: Rare/Big Park, P: Microsoft
After the success of Kinect Sports, which reportedly sold over three million units to become one of the best selling Kinect titles (alongside Dance Central), a second entry was a no brainer, which will arrive this holiday season. New sports will include football, skiing, tennis, golf, baseball and darts, and this version will support voice commands as well as motion tracking via the Kinect camera.
50. Kinect Star Wars
Holiday 2011 || X360 Kinect || D: LucasArts, P: Microsoft
Maybe one of the most natural fits for a Kinect game, this title, unveiled at E3, will let you play as a Jedi through locations from both the original trilogy and later prequels. Via Kinect, you’ll be able to use Force powers to fight enemies and manipulate objects in the environment, and of course, you’ll engage in lightsaber combat as well. While there wasn’t much detail on the plot given away, it does seem the game is aiming for a casual-friendly experience.
51. KINGDOMS OF AMALUR: RECKONING
Early 2012 || X360, PS3, PC || D: 38 Studios/Big Huge Games, P: EA
Former World Series MVP, noted EverQuest addict and 38 Studios founder Curt Schilling was on hand at EA’s press briefing to unveil Reckoning, a single-player RPG being developed in conjunction with Big Huge Games and designer Ken Rolston (who was the lead on Morrowind and Oblivion). With a universe and lore created by fantasy author R.A. Salvatore and artwork from Todd McFarlane, it’s clear that Reckoning is shooting for something in the Elder Scrolls vein, although it remains to be seen if it can achieve that level of polish.
52. THE LAST GUARDIAN
2012 || PS3 || D: Team Ico, P: Sony
One of the most disappointing no-shows at E3 2011 was The Last Guardian, a PS3 title from the team that created ICO and Shadow of the Colossus. In fact, I found it fairly shocking that Sony didn’t even have a clip to show during its press conference, as it’s one of the most exciting platform exclusives in the PS3 pipeline.
53. LORD OF THE RINGS: WAR IN THE NORTH
Aug 24 2011 || X360, PS3, PC || D: Snowblind, P: WBIE
Snowblind is going for a balance between hack-and-slash action and deep RPG progression with this latest co-op friendly adventure based of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Using new locations and settings not pulled from the books, one of the big highlights of the game’s E3 demos was the ability to summon a giant eagle to fight by your group’s side, who can either attack enemies or even pick them up and carry them away.
54. MADDEN 12
Aug 30 2011 || X360, PS3 || EA Sports
NFL lockout or not, there’s obviously going to be a new Madden game this year. It’s launching a few weeks later than usual, but EA is promising a lot of tweaks to Franchise mode and new features like “confidence†that try to simulate intangible effects on your players.
55. MASS EFFECT 3
Mar 6 2012 || X360, PS3, PC || D: Bioware, P: EA
The third installment in the Mass Effect trilogy was seemingly everywhere at this year’s E3 – it was a key part of EA’s press conference, Microsoft showed it using Kinect functionality during its keynote, and you really couldn’t get far at E3 without being reminded of its presence. The big news was the announcement of a March 2012 release date, and demos showed off some previously unseen missions with a little more emphasis on action than previous games, as well as new customization options for your weapons.
56. MAX PAYNE 3
Date TBA || X360, PS3, PC || D/P: Rockstar
Its development was announced years ago, switched from Remedy to Rockstar in 2009, and just a month ago confirmed to still be in development in a Take-Two conference call. But, like Rockstar, it was nowhere to be seen at E3, so any further news on the game will have to wait for another day.
57. METAL GEAR SOLID: RISING
Date TBA || X360, PS3, PC || D: Kojima Productions, P: Konami
Sadly, both series creator Hideo Kojima and Metal Gear Solid: Rising skipped E3 2011. Other than brief word from Kojima that work was continuing, Rising was barely hinted at during Konami’s pre-E3 video press conference as well.
58. METRO: LAST LIGHT
Late 2012 || X360, PS3, Wii U, PC || D: 4A Games, P: THQ
From Ukraine developers 4A Games comes the sequel to 2010’s Metro 2033, a game set in the subways underneath a post-apocalyptic Moscow. For the 2012 release, the developers aren’t looking to tamper much with the formula, which was part survival horror and part open-world FPS with a heavy emphasis on realism, as much as refine it and iron out the technical issues from the first game.
59. MINECRAFT
Late 2011 || X360 Kinect, PC || D/P: Mojang
A mild surprise from the Microsoft press conference: the massively popular Minecraft will be arriving on the Xbox 360 this holiday, with Kinect functionality. Will it support mods of any kind? Will it work with a controller or be Kinect-exclusive? How, if at all, will this affect development of the PC version? Sadly, the trailer was all we saw of Minecraft’s at E3, so those questions remain unanswered for now.
60. NBA 2K12
Oct 4 2011 || X360, PS3, PC || 2K Sports
This basketball game got prime placement near the front of Sony’s press conference, surely due in no small part to the presence of Kobe Bryant, who joked that the game did a better job of running the triangle offense than the Lakers did in the playoffs. With an NBA lockout looming and EA Sports’ NBA series on hold, this might be the only way to get your hoops fix this fall.
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Sluggo’s 100 Games of E3 2011
41. GUITAR HERO (unnamed project)
Date TBA || Platforms TBA || Activision
Earlier this year, Activision announced it was getting out of the rhythm-game business, laying off employees and confirming there wouldn’t be a new Guitar Hero in 2011. ATVI later backpedaled a bit, stating that the series was merely on hiatus, and at E3 it was reported that someone high up at Activision stated that they’d almost certainly do a Guitar Hero for Nintendo’s new Wii U at some point.
42. HALF-LIFE: EPISODE THREE
Date TBA || Platforms TBA || D/P: Valve
Another E3, another year with no sign of Episode Three, especially with Valve not demoing at the show. Earlier this year, Valve reassured the gaming world that it wasn’t done with the Half-Life series, although it raised the possibility that it might not continue the episodic format, but whatever Valve’s plans are, they weren’t revealed at E3 2011.
43. HALO: ANNIVERSARY
Nov 15 2011 || X360 || D: 343/Saber, P: Microsoft
Has it really been 10 years since Halo was released as a launch title for the Xbox? To commemorate the occasion, Microsoft has commissioned a remastered version of the game for the Xbox 360, which will include proper online and co-op play and seven of the game’s most popular maps. My question: why no Kinect support? With all the emphasis Microsoft put on Kinect at E3 this year, this seemed like a perfect place to experiment and maybe drum up some excitement for the peripheral.
44. HALO 4
2012 || Xbox 360 || D: 343, P: Microsoft
News of this was leaked the night before Microsoft’s press conference on Monday morning, and sure enough, the briefing wrapped up with a brief teaser for Halo 4. All the familiar faces are back, including Master Chief and Cortana, with development handed off to new developer 343 Industries, and will be the start of a new trilogy for the Xbox 360. Other than that, news on the Halo 4 front was all quiet.
45. Hitman: Absolution
2012 || X360, PS3, PC || D: IO Interactive, P: Square Enix
Shown for the first time at E3 2011, developer IO revives Agent 47, but with a slightly different take on the series. Demos show a game that relies on light and shadows for stealth in a way that wasn’t possible a decade ago, has a bit more of an open-world feel, and appears to be taking a more cinematic approach in its presentation.
46. ICO + SHADOW OF THE COLOSSUS HD COLLECTION
Sep 27 2011 || PS3 || D: Team ICO, P: Sony
Fans who didn’t get to experience these two stellar games on the PS2 will get a second chance on the PS3 via an HD remastering coming this fall. In addition to the improved graphics, the games will feature 3D support, trophies and support for 7.1 surround sound. Possibly one of the best reasons to date to pick up a PS3 if you haven’t already.
47. INVERSION
Feb 7 2012 || X360, PS3 || D: Saber, P: Namco Bandai
A third-person action game, Inversion plays tricks with gravity in a number of ways – you can pull items towards you to use as cover, hurl large items at enemies to crush them, create gravity fields to pin enemies to the ground, eventually reaching zero-gravity environments where it’s hard to tell up from down from sideways. The entire game can be played cooperatively with a buddy, opening up all sorts of possibilities as two players find interesting ways to combine their gravity powers.
48. JUST DANCE 3
Oct 11 2011 || X360, PS3, Wii || D/P: Ubisoft
There wasn’t much info released on Just Dance 3 at E3, but really, what’s to know? It’s the completely expected sequel in the popular Wii dance-game series, this time making its multiplatform debut, with support for the X360 Kinect and PS3 Move. Artists announced so far include the Black Eyed Peas, Earth, Wind & Fire, and Katy Perry, who also appears in the game’s celebrity-filled E3 trailer.
49. KINECT SPORTS SEASON TWO
Oct 25 2011 || X360 Kinect || D: Rare/Big Park, P: Microsoft
After the success of Kinect Sports, which reportedly sold over three million units to become one of the best selling Kinect titles (alongside Dance Central), a second entry was a no brainer, which will arrive this holiday season. New sports will include football, skiing, tennis, golf, baseball and darts, and this version will support voice commands as well as motion tracking via the Kinect camera.
50. Kinect Star Wars
Holiday 2011 || X360 Kinect || D: LucasArts, P: Microsoft
Maybe one of the most natural fits for a Kinect game, this title, unveiled at E3, will let you play as a Jedi through locations from both the original trilogy and later prequels. Via Kinect, you’ll be able to use Force powers to fight enemies and manipulate objects in the environment, and of course, you’ll engage in lightsaber combat as well. While there wasn’t much detail on the plot given away, it does seem the game is aiming for a casual-friendly experience.
51. KINGDOMS OF AMALUR: RECKONING
Early 2012 || X360, PS3, PC || D: 38 Studios/Big Huge Games, P: EA
Former World Series MVP, noted EverQuest addict and 38 Studios founder Curt Schilling was on hand at EA’s press briefing to unveil Reckoning, a single-player RPG being developed in conjunction with Big Huge Games and designer Ken Rolston (who was the lead on Morrowind and Oblivion). With a universe and lore created by fantasy author R.A. Salvatore and artwork from Todd McFarlane, it’s clear that Reckoning is shooting for something in the Elder Scrolls vein, although it remains to be seen if it can achieve that level of polish.
52. THE LAST GUARDIAN
2012 || PS3 || D: Team Ico, P: Sony
One of the most disappointing no-shows at E3 2011 was The Last Guardian, a PS3 title from the team that created ICO and Shadow of the Colossus. In fact, I found it fairly shocking that Sony didn’t even have a clip to show during its press conference, as it’s one of the most exciting platform exclusives in the PS3 pipeline.
53. LORD OF THE RINGS: WAR IN THE NORTH
Aug 24 2011 || X360, PS3, PC || D: Snowblind, P: WBIE
Snowblind is going for a balance between hack-and-slash action and deep RPG progression with this latest co-op friendly adventure based of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Using new locations and settings not pulled from the books, one of the big highlights of the game’s E3 demos was the ability to summon a giant eagle to fight by your group’s side, who can either attack enemies or even pick them up and carry them away.
54. MADDEN 12
Aug 30 2011 || X360, PS3 || EA Sports
NFL lockout or not, there’s obviously going to be a new Madden game this year. It’s launching a few weeks later than usual, but EA is promising a lot of tweaks to Franchise mode and new features like “confidence†that try to simulate intangible effects on your players.
55. MASS EFFECT 3
Mar 6 2012 || X360, PS3, PC || D: Bioware, P: EA
The third installment in the Mass Effect trilogy was seemingly everywhere at this year’s E3 – it was a key part of EA’s press conference, Microsoft showed it using Kinect functionality during its keynote, and you really couldn’t get far at E3 without being reminded of its presence. The big news was the announcement of a March 2012 release date, and demos showed off some previously unseen missions with a little more emphasis on action than previous games, as well as new customization options for your weapons.
56. MAX PAYNE 3
Date TBA || X360, PS3, PC || D/P: Rockstar
Its development was announced years ago, switched from Remedy to Rockstar in 2009, and just a month ago confirmed to still be in development in a Take-Two conference call. But, like Rockstar, it was nowhere to be seen at E3, so any further news on the game will have to wait for another day.
57. METAL GEAR SOLID: RISING
Date TBA || X360, PS3, PC || D: Kojima Productions, P: Konami
Sadly, both series creator Hideo Kojima and Metal Gear Solid: Rising skipped E3 2011. Other than brief word from Kojima that work was continuing, Rising was barely hinted at during Konami’s pre-E3 video press conference as well.
58. METRO: LAST LIGHT
Late 2012 || X360, PS3, Wii U, PC || D: 4A Games, P: THQ
From Ukraine developers 4A Games comes the sequel to 2010’s Metro 2033, a game set in the subways underneath a post-apocalyptic Moscow. For the 2012 release, the developers aren’t looking to tamper much with the formula, which was part survival horror and part open-world FPS with a heavy emphasis on realism, as much as refine it and iron out the technical issues from the first game.
59. MINECRAFT
Late 2011 || X360 Kinect, PC || D/P: Mojang
A mild surprise from the Microsoft press conference: the massively popular Minecraft will be arriving on the Xbox 360 this holiday, with Kinect functionality. Will it support mods of any kind? Will it work with a controller or be Kinect-exclusive? How, if at all, will this affect development of the PC version? Sadly, the trailer was all we saw of Minecraft’s at E3, so those questions remain unanswered for now.
60. NBA 2K12
Oct 4 2011 || X360, PS3, PC || 2K Sports
This basketball game got prime placement near the front of Sony’s press conference, surely due in no small part to the presence of Kobe Bryant, who joked that the game did a better job of running the triangle offense than the Lakers did in the playoffs. With an NBA lockout looming and EA Sports’ NBA series on hold, this might be the only way to get your hoops fix this fall.
Pages: 1 2 3 4 5