Generation's end
But there's a distinct lack of racing games, with Motorstorm RC on the PS Vita the only presently announced title showing any real promise. Likewise, RPGs are conspicuous by their absence, and after Final Fantasy XIII-2 and Mass Effect 3, there's precious little to look forward to.
Lollipop Chainsaw
The real trend for 2012, then, is that there is no real trend. The year's other standout titles comprise an eclectic mix of genres. Tomb Raider and Hitman are both set for reboots. Metal Gear Solid Rising sees a new protagonist take the franchise in a more action-oriented direction. Sly Cooper returns for more cartoon racoon thievery. Konami takes to the skies in the promising looking WWII flier Birds of Steel. Grasshopper serves up another delicious slice of Japanese esoterica in Lollipop Chainsaw. And, finally, Crytek swaps the nanosuit for a breastplate and loin cloth in the gladiatorial epic Ryse.
Ryse
All in all, there's a fair amount to look forward to. But even accounting for a few surprise releases, it's obvious there aren't as many games being released next year, which points to an industry already gearing up for the next generation.
Tomb Raider
So, what of that hardware? Well, firstly, despite the fierce competition for pocket space, I'm betting the PS Vita will prove its detractors wrong. It's powerful, versatile and priced low enough. But the real edge over touchscreen devices is, of course, those twin-sticks. And until some bright spark develops a standardised fondleslab control peripheral, it's a unique selling point that should guarantee the PS Vita's success.
Success looks less assured at Nintendo. The company would be committing harakiri if it didn't ship the Wii U before Q3, so it's disconcerting that it remains tight-lipped on concrete launch details. When it does finally ship, I'm concerned the Nintendo Difference won't be sufficient to provide the console with enough of a head start in a year that should also see Microsoft and Sony confirm their next-gen plans.
Motorstorm RC
2012 promises to be a year of change – a muted goodbye to the current generation with a decent, if not stellar line up. All eyes will be on E3 in June for the expected unveiling of the next generation. And then the hype machine shifts into overdrive, with the traditional year-long drip feed of specs, screenshots and videos.
There's nothing quite like the prospect of a new generation to get gamers' thumbs twitching. So forget next year, it's 2013 we should all be looking forward to. That is, of course, if any of us is still alive on the 22nd of December 2012! ®
2012 Games Preview
COMMENTS
The Olympics?
"What are you most looking forward to next year? Euro 2012 and the Olympics? "
The Olympics?
Do you mean The Olympics with hordes of cheating, blood-doping, performance-enhancing-drug taking, money-seeking "athletes" in a display pandering to the shallowest kind of national chauvinism by allowing nations to compete against each other in fields of endeavor which have no actual significance whatsoever - scored by dishonest and biased judges and run by the corrupt officials of a corrupt corporation known as the IOC?
Those Olympics?
To answer the original question, no, I am not looking forward to the Olympics.
Write your own damn game then
Complaining that nobody has written games you like is the same as complaining that none of the prostitutes you've hired has really known how to get you off -- unless you lost both hands in the war, which would do a lot to explain your typography now I think about it, you're perfectly capable of doing for yourself, and will find that the attempt does you far more good (and makes you far less annoying) than sitting around whining about how poorly you're served by the commercial fare on offer.
Portal.
Portal got made. OK at its most basic it's a glorified FPS, but in its own way it's original and it's commercially successful. I'd wager that these days if you've got a good enough idea someone will stump up some cash...
so?
*sigh*
If we're going to get re-hashes and repeats, could we at least get a new Baldur's Gate? I've been replaying that since it showed up on Antiques Code Show, and even at 12 years old, it's still a damn fun, damn playable, damn absorbing game. Damn it.
never happen...
console makers like their exclusives.
im hoping that colonial marines makes it this year and isnt the painful game that AVP2 was.
looking forward to a new tombraider too. unchartered was fun but the puzzles were so easy. me and the wife love that type of game and play them together.
im also looking forward to see if splash damage can come up with something. brink was great fun but early problems killed the game a bit and the community died off quick.
devs need to separate pc and console games. im fine with both getting the game but PC shouldnt have the gimped options consoles need.
