61. NCAA 12
July 12 2011 || X360, PS3 || D: EA Tiburon/EA Canada, P: EA Sports
There’s not a ton of hoopla surrounding EA’s college football game this year, as it wasn’t even mentioned in EA’s press briefing. On the field, a better collision system has been promised, as well as a better pass coverage system. Off the field, EA is promising a new coach mode, the ability to create custom playboots and more pre-game mascot shenanigans.
62. NEED FOR SPEED: THE RUN
Nov 15 2011 || X360, PS3, Wii, PC || D: Black Box, P: EA
There were quite a few raised eyebrows when EA unveiled the latest Need for Speed game – which there wasn’t much demand for in the first place – and then revealed the game’s big hook: the ability to get out of your car and run around on foot. The E3 demos introduced the main character, Jack, and the idea that instead of a series of unconnected missions, there will be a larger story that takes you cross-country.
63. NEVERDEAD
Q3 2011 || X360, PS3 || D: Rebellion, P: Konami
Truly one of the more bizarre games shown at E3, NeverDead’s conceit is that the main character is immortal, but can lose limbs through the game and can both use them as weapons or reattach them by rolling over them. Accompanying you are other characters who aren’t quite as immortal, so you need to protect them, and are a motley crew indeed.
64. NHL 12
Sep 13 2011 || X360, PS3 || D: EA Canada, P: EA Sports
It’s hard to say whether NHL 12 will be all that improved over previous years, but EA showed up with three talking points: the addition of the Winter Classic at Heinz field, an all-new physics engine, and the ability to (finally?) hit the goalies and fight with them, which, if you’ve been watching the Stanley Cup, is not something you want to do to Tim Thomas. There are also plans to get the newly relocated Winnipeg team in the game, assuming the logos and such are finalized in time.
65. NINJA GAIDEN 3
Early 2012 || X360, PS3 || D: Team Ninja, P: Tecmo Koei
Controversial changes are afoot as the third installment of the Ninja Gaiden series changes settings to London, particularly the addition of stealth elements and quick-time events. What hasn’t changed is the fast-paced, violent action and gory swordplay. Another element shown off at E3 is how Ryu’s cursed right arm will slowly amass energy as you kill enemies, leading to special attacks you can unleash at appropriate moments. A Wii U version of the game was also confirmed at E3.
66. OVERSTRIKE
Date TBA || X360, PS3 || D: Insomniac, P: EA
Insomniac’s latest game was announced at EA’s press briefing, which looks to focus on a misfit team of four elite operatives with all sorts of high-tech gadgets. Not much info was available at E3 beyond the trailer, other than the fact that it will be Insomniac’s first multiplatform offering, coming to the Xbox 360 as well as the PS3.
66. PAYDAY: THE HEIST
Date TBA || PS3, PC || D: Overkill, P: Sony
A new multiplayer game unveiled at E3, Payday will feature 4-player co-op play not unlike Left4Dead, except instead of fighting zombies, you’ll be taking on scenarios like bank heists and jailbreaks. Planned for the PC as well as a release on PSN, Payday will feature the ability to play with and against both humans and computer controlled bots.
67. PIKMIN 3
Date TBA || Wii U || D/P: Nintendo
Disappointingly, Pikmin 3 didn’t make an appearance at E3 this year, but we did get one important piece of information: development had jumped platforms from the Wii to the Wii U. How will Pikmin 3 make use of the tablet controller? It’s unknown for now, but you can only imagine Miyamoto-san will come up with something crazy.
68. PREY 2
2012 || X360, PS3, PC || D: Human Head, P: 2K Games
One of the big surprises at E3 2011 was the slick trailer and impressive demo for Prey 2, a sequel that, honestly, no one was asking for. But with the new direction of the game – you play a bounty hunter in an alien metropolis, taking on missions in an open-world setting – it’s gotten people excited in a hurry. A lot of the urban world is designed vertically, and fluid, acrobatic movement is a big part of the design, so we’ll probably hear a lot more about this going forward.
69. PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 2012
Oct 2011 || X360, PS3, Wii, PC || D/P: Konami
The biggest competitor to EA’s FIFA series, PES 12 initially turned up during Konami’s pre-E3 video presentation, showing footage of mo-cap sessions and promises of improved off-the-ball movement. Otherwise, other than a general trailer of gameplay footage, there wasn’t much new info on the game beyond AI improvements.
70. PROTOTYPE 2
2012 || X360, PS3, PC || D: Radical, P: Activision
Alex Mercer is the enemy this time around, as you play Sergeant James Hellar, who’s on a mission to track down and take revenge on the first game’s protagonist. As New York has been devastated by the Blacklight virus, the city’s been split into three zones, which should each have their own distinct feel. Most of the E3 demos were dedicated to talking about how Radical has been working on refinements from the first game, especially in terms of combat, and showing lots of the same over-the-top destruction that fans enjoyed in the first game.
71. RAGE
Oct 4 2011 || X360, PS3, PC || D: id Software, P: Bethesda
Seven years after the release of DOOM 3, id Software finally prepares to release its next epic: part shooter and part driving game in a post-apocalyptic wasteland caused by a meteor strike. id showed up at E3 with a variety of missions to show off and basically opened the vault on what to expect from the game, which is shaping up as id’s most ambitious project to date. Originally set to release in September, news broke on the last day of E3 that the launch had been pushed to October 4.
72. RATCHET & CLANK: ALL 4 ONE
Oct 18 2011 || PS3 || D: Insomniac, P: Sony
Built for 4-player co-op from the ground up, the latest R&C game casts players as Ratchet, Clank, Captain Qwark and Doctor Nefarious, each with their own unique abilities. The co-op also has a competitive feel, as characters get bonuses for smashing stuff and collecting the most bolts. Of course, crazy, upgradeable weapons are a huge part of the action, with a campaign that can also be played solo with the player as Ratchet with an AI Clank.
73. RESIDENT EVIL: OPERATION RACCOON CITY
Late 2011 || X360, PS3, PC || D: Slant Six, P: Capcom
In a twist on the Resident Evil series, Raccoon City rewinds the timeline back to RE2 and RE3, and this time you’re playing as the villains: as members of Umbrella Corporation, you’re there to wipe away any survivors or evidence connecting you to the T-Virus outbreak. With 4-player co-op supported, it’s impossible not to see parallels between Raccoon City and Left 4 Dead, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, giving you the chance to pick from one of six characters as you blast your way through a city full of zombies while hunting for Leon Kennedy.
74. RESISTANCE 3
Sep 7 2011 || PS3 || D: Insomniac, P: SCEA
With Resistance 3 just a few months away, E3 was a chance for Insomniac and Sony to display more of Joseph Capelli’s journey across America from Oklahoma to New York, in a world where the invading Chimera have won the war against humanity and you’re just trying to survive alongside various insurgence groups hanging around. More details on the game’s multiplayer were given, which will include co-op play.
75. RAYMAN ORIGINS
Holiday 2011 || X360, PS3, Wii || D/P: Ubisoft
Series creator Michel Ancel made the rounds at E3 this year showing off the return for the Rayman series. A colorful 2D platformer, the E3 footage of Origins showed off several sharply illustrated areas of the game, which at times looks more like a cartoon than a game, as well as the co-op play, which will support up to four players using familiar faces from the series.
76. ROCK BAND (unnamed)
Date TBA || Platforms TBA || Harmonix
A few months ago, Harmonix announced that there wouldn’t be a Rock Band 4 in 2011, so there wasn’t much news on that front expected at E3. There was hope the show might prompt some cool news on upcoming Rock Band DLC or maybe some new Pro Guitar hardware, but alas, it wasn’t to be.
77. ROCKSMITH
Oct 11 2011 || X360, PS3 || D/P: Ubisoft
With both Guitar Hero and Rock Band taking the year off, here’s Ubisoft with Rocksmith, eschewing plastic guitars in favor of the ability to plug in a real guitar and play along. Shown off at E3 on a converted tour bus, the game features a somewhat daunting 3D interface, but also includes an adaptive difficulty feature that will up the challenge if it detects if you’ve advanced beyond the beginner level, and a tone designer that lets players customize the in-game sound of their guitar.
78. RYSE
Date TBA || X360 Kinect || D: Crytek, P: Microsoft
Part of Microsoft’s full-court press on the Kinect front was a trailer for Ryse, a new game from Crytek that debuted via a brief trailer at the MS press briefing. Set in Rome, it looks to be a hack-and-slash game where you’ll be doing quite a bit of waving and gesturing at your TV.
79. SAINTS ROW: THE THIRD
Nov 15 2011 || X360, PS3, PC || D: Volition, P: THQ
It would be an understatement to say that Volition is taking the third Saints Row game in a slightly new direction: from the looks of E3 demos, they’re going for over-the-top sillyness, such as performing power drops on unsuspecting pedestrians and then striking a pose on the sidewalk. In an appropriately ridiculous plot, the gang you helped build up in the first two games has now gone Hollywood, and after you fall out with them, you’re forced to relocate to a new city. If your idea of videogame fun is dancing with hookers, beating up strangers with purple sex toys and shooting pedestrians out of a cannon, it’s a safe bet what you’ll be playing this holiday.
80. SERIOUS SAM 3: BFE
Sep 30 2011 || PC, X360, PS3 || D: Croteam, P: Devolver Digital
Sam’s back! It seems to have been a low-key return, but which would be decidedly out of character for Sam, but the E3 demos this year showed the type of gameplay we’ve come to expect from the series: hordes of enemies charging from every direction, crazy weapons, and destructible environments. 16-player co-op is being promised, as the game will first arrive for the PC and then consoles later in the year.
Pages: 1 2 3 4 5
Sluggo’s 100 Games of E3 2011
61. NCAA 12
July 12 2011 || X360, PS3 || D: EA Tiburon/EA Canada, P: EA Sports
There’s not a ton of hoopla surrounding EA’s college football game this year, as it wasn’t even mentioned in EA’s press briefing. On the field, a better collision system has been promised, as well as a better pass coverage system. Off the field, EA is promising a new coach mode, the ability to create custom playboots and more pre-game mascot shenanigans.
62. NEED FOR SPEED: THE RUN
Nov 15 2011 || X360, PS3, Wii, PC || D: Black Box, P: EA
There were quite a few raised eyebrows when EA unveiled the latest Need for Speed game – which there wasn’t much demand for in the first place – and then revealed the game’s big hook: the ability to get out of your car and run around on foot. The E3 demos introduced the main character, Jack, and the idea that instead of a series of unconnected missions, there will be a larger story that takes you cross-country.
63. NEVERDEAD
Q3 2011 || X360, PS3 || D: Rebellion, P: Konami
Truly one of the more bizarre games shown at E3, NeverDead’s conceit is that the main character is immortal, but can lose limbs through the game and can both use them as weapons or reattach them by rolling over them. Accompanying you are other characters who aren’t quite as immortal, so you need to protect them, and are a motley crew indeed.
64. NHL 12
Sep 13 2011 || X360, PS3 || D: EA Canada, P: EA Sports
It’s hard to say whether NHL 12 will be all that improved over previous years, but EA showed up with three talking points: the addition of the Winter Classic at Heinz field, an all-new physics engine, and the ability to (finally?) hit the goalies and fight with them, which, if you’ve been watching the Stanley Cup, is not something you want to do to Tim Thomas. There are also plans to get the newly relocated Winnipeg team in the game, assuming the logos and such are finalized in time.
65. NINJA GAIDEN 3
Early 2012 || X360, PS3 || D: Team Ninja, P: Tecmo Koei
Controversial changes are afoot as the third installment of the Ninja Gaiden series changes settings to London, particularly the addition of stealth elements and quick-time events. What hasn’t changed is the fast-paced, violent action and gory swordplay. Another element shown off at E3 is how Ryu’s cursed right arm will slowly amass energy as you kill enemies, leading to special attacks you can unleash at appropriate moments. A Wii U version of the game was also confirmed at E3.
66. OVERSTRIKE
Date TBA || X360, PS3 || D: Insomniac, P: EA
Insomniac’s latest game was announced at EA’s press briefing, which looks to focus on a misfit team of four elite operatives with all sorts of high-tech gadgets. Not much info was available at E3 beyond the trailer, other than the fact that it will be Insomniac’s first multiplatform offering, coming to the Xbox 360 as well as the PS3.
66. PAYDAY: THE HEIST
Date TBA || PS3, PC || D: Overkill, P: Sony
A new multiplayer game unveiled at E3, Payday will feature 4-player co-op play not unlike Left4Dead, except instead of fighting zombies, you’ll be taking on scenarios like bank heists and jailbreaks. Planned for the PC as well as a release on PSN, Payday will feature the ability to play with and against both humans and computer controlled bots.
67. PIKMIN 3
Date TBA || Wii U || D/P: Nintendo
Disappointingly, Pikmin 3 didn’t make an appearance at E3 this year, but we did get one important piece of information: development had jumped platforms from the Wii to the Wii U. How will Pikmin 3 make use of the tablet controller? It’s unknown for now, but you can only imagine Miyamoto-san will come up with something crazy.
68. PREY 2
2012 || X360, PS3, PC || D: Human Head, P: 2K Games
One of the big surprises at E3 2011 was the slick trailer and impressive demo for Prey 2, a sequel that, honestly, no one was asking for. But with the new direction of the game – you play a bounty hunter in an alien metropolis, taking on missions in an open-world setting – it’s gotten people excited in a hurry. A lot of the urban world is designed vertically, and fluid, acrobatic movement is a big part of the design, so we’ll probably hear a lot more about this going forward.
69. PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 2012
Oct 2011 || X360, PS3, Wii, PC || D/P: Konami
The biggest competitor to EA’s FIFA series, PES 12 initially turned up during Konami’s pre-E3 video presentation, showing footage of mo-cap sessions and promises of improved off-the-ball movement. Otherwise, other than a general trailer of gameplay footage, there wasn’t much new info on the game beyond AI improvements.
70. PROTOTYPE 2
2012 || X360, PS3, PC || D: Radical, P: Activision
Alex Mercer is the enemy this time around, as you play Sergeant James Hellar, who’s on a mission to track down and take revenge on the first game’s protagonist. As New York has been devastated by the Blacklight virus, the city’s been split into three zones, which should each have their own distinct feel. Most of the E3 demos were dedicated to talking about how Radical has been working on refinements from the first game, especially in terms of combat, and showing lots of the same over-the-top destruction that fans enjoyed in the first game.
71. RAGE
Oct 4 2011 || X360, PS3, PC || D: id Software, P: Bethesda
Seven years after the release of DOOM 3, id Software finally prepares to release its next epic: part shooter and part driving game in a post-apocalyptic wasteland caused by a meteor strike. id showed up at E3 with a variety of missions to show off and basically opened the vault on what to expect from the game, which is shaping up as id’s most ambitious project to date. Originally set to release in September, news broke on the last day of E3 that the launch had been pushed to October 4.
72. RATCHET & CLANK: ALL 4 ONE
Oct 18 2011 || PS3 || D: Insomniac, P: Sony
Built for 4-player co-op from the ground up, the latest R&C game casts players as Ratchet, Clank, Captain Qwark and Doctor Nefarious, each with their own unique abilities. The co-op also has a competitive feel, as characters get bonuses for smashing stuff and collecting the most bolts. Of course, crazy, upgradeable weapons are a huge part of the action, with a campaign that can also be played solo with the player as Ratchet with an AI Clank.
73. RESIDENT EVIL: OPERATION RACCOON CITY
Late 2011 || X360, PS3, PC || D: Slant Six, P: Capcom
In a twist on the Resident Evil series, Raccoon City rewinds the timeline back to RE2 and RE3, and this time you’re playing as the villains: as members of Umbrella Corporation, you’re there to wipe away any survivors or evidence connecting you to the T-Virus outbreak. With 4-player co-op supported, it’s impossible not to see parallels between Raccoon City and Left 4 Dead, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, giving you the chance to pick from one of six characters as you blast your way through a city full of zombies while hunting for Leon Kennedy.
74. RESISTANCE 3
Sep 7 2011 || PS3 || D: Insomniac, P: SCEA
With Resistance 3 just a few months away, E3 was a chance for Insomniac and Sony to display more of Joseph Capelli’s journey across America from Oklahoma to New York, in a world where the invading Chimera have won the war against humanity and you’re just trying to survive alongside various insurgence groups hanging around. More details on the game’s multiplayer were given, which will include co-op play.
75. RAYMAN ORIGINS
Holiday 2011 || X360, PS3, Wii || D/P: Ubisoft
Series creator Michel Ancel made the rounds at E3 this year showing off the return for the Rayman series. A colorful 2D platformer, the E3 footage of Origins showed off several sharply illustrated areas of the game, which at times looks more like a cartoon than a game, as well as the co-op play, which will support up to four players using familiar faces from the series.
76. ROCK BAND (unnamed)
Date TBA || Platforms TBA || Harmonix
A few months ago, Harmonix announced that there wouldn’t be a Rock Band 4 in 2011, so there wasn’t much news on that front expected at E3. There was hope the show might prompt some cool news on upcoming Rock Band DLC or maybe some new Pro Guitar hardware, but alas, it wasn’t to be.
77. ROCKSMITH
Oct 11 2011 || X360, PS3 || D/P: Ubisoft
With both Guitar Hero and Rock Band taking the year off, here’s Ubisoft with Rocksmith, eschewing plastic guitars in favor of the ability to plug in a real guitar and play along. Shown off at E3 on a converted tour bus, the game features a somewhat daunting 3D interface, but also includes an adaptive difficulty feature that will up the challenge if it detects if you’ve advanced beyond the beginner level, and a tone designer that lets players customize the in-game sound of their guitar.
78. RYSE
Date TBA || X360 Kinect || D: Crytek, P: Microsoft
Part of Microsoft’s full-court press on the Kinect front was a trailer for Ryse, a new game from Crytek that debuted via a brief trailer at the MS press briefing. Set in Rome, it looks to be a hack-and-slash game where you’ll be doing quite a bit of waving and gesturing at your TV.
79. SAINTS ROW: THE THIRD
Nov 15 2011 || X360, PS3, PC || D: Volition, P: THQ
It would be an understatement to say that Volition is taking the third Saints Row game in a slightly new direction: from the looks of E3 demos, they’re going for over-the-top sillyness, such as performing power drops on unsuspecting pedestrians and then striking a pose on the sidewalk. In an appropriately ridiculous plot, the gang you helped build up in the first two games has now gone Hollywood, and after you fall out with them, you’re forced to relocate to a new city. If your idea of videogame fun is dancing with hookers, beating up strangers with purple sex toys and shooting pedestrians out of a cannon, it’s a safe bet what you’ll be playing this holiday.
80. SERIOUS SAM 3: BFE
Sep 30 2011 || PC, X360, PS3 || D: Croteam, P: Devolver Digital
Sam’s back! It seems to have been a low-key return, but which would be decidedly out of character for Sam, but the E3 demos this year showed the type of gameplay we’ve come to expect from the series: hordes of enemies charging from every direction, crazy weapons, and destructible environments. 16-player co-op is being promised, as the game will first arrive for the PC and then consoles later in the year.
Pages: 1 2 3 4 5