With the new year in full swing and a torrent of games to look forward to over the next twelve months, it’s time to don some scuba gear and dive into a brief look at ten of our most anticipated games for 2012. Hold on to your digital butts.
Journey (Spring)
thatgamecompany has made a name for itself by creating minimalist, artistically compelling games, and Journey is shaping up to be no different. The game features a crimson-hooded wanderer venturing across vast desert landscapes in a gorgeously rendered art style. If TCG’s previous efforts, flOw and Flower, are anything to go by, then we can expect another emotionally engaging, almost euphoric gaming experience out of Journey.
One of the most interesting features of the game is its incorporation of multiplayer, namely the amount of restriction – and in a good way. While playing online, other random gamers may be found wandering the desert as well, however contact between you and them is limited to your character calling them with a musical shout. TCG also claims that collaboration is the aim of multiplayer, and when touched by other players the only effect is that you’re given extra power, which theoretically negates others from disrupting your experience.
Quantum Conundrum (Spring)
Quantum Conundrum, developed by Airtight Games, is a first-person puzzle-platformer that utilises a dimension shifting mechanic to alter the placements of objects within plains to solve problems. If this sounds familiar, there’s a reason for that.
A lot of people have made comparisons between Quantum Conundrum and the Portal games. It’s no wonder, since the idea was created by Kim Swift, lead designer on Portal. That should be enough to pique your interests, but if not, you should also know that in the game you shift to what’s called the “fluffy dimension”, where the visuals feature white environments that make objects up to 10 times lighter. Keep an eye on this one.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD (sometime 2012)
If you grew up in the 90s and owned an original PlayStation, chances are that Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater gets you all warm and fuzzy with nostalgia. It also had a kicking soundtrack full of punk rock and ska – staple characteristics of 90s pop culture. Well thankfully, it was announced at Spike TV’s Video Game Awards late last year that THPS was getting an HD remake in the form of a downloadable package. The original helped reinvigorate the “extreme sports” genre of games with some over the top and arcade-like tricks. It also inspired the acclaimed skate games that have since become the go-to skateboarding titles of this generation. Let’s see if this remake can reclaim the crown and hold up to 2012′s standards.
Papo & Yo (sometime 2012)
Papo & Yo is probably one of the most interesting games due to come out this year. Developed by Minority Inc., this title features the imaginative adventures of Quico, a poor boy growing up in the favelas of Brazil with his best friend Monster. Monster and Quico share a symbiotic relationship; Quico needs Monster to help overcome puzzles, and Monster needs Quico to help feed his frog addiction. The catch: when Monster indulges in frogs, he becomes recklessly destructive which impacts Quico’s world and relationships. It’s a smart, emotionally captivating idea that a lot of people can relate to, metaphorically and realistically. Colour us intrigued!
Warp (Spring)
Zero is an alien on a mission… And that mission is to defeat and elude his captor scientists. After being held as a test subject for some time, Zero’s deceptive small size has finally allowed him to conduct his stealthy escape, and armed with the ability to teleport through objects, can warp into enemies to explode them in gruesome fashion. Developed by Trapdoor Inc.
I Am Alive (Q1 2012)
What separates I Am Alive from every other post-apocalyptic game is the focus on surviving a dystopia that has no real supernatural threat. After years of development hell, you’ll be able to play as a man looking to reunite with his family set one year after The Event – a cataclysmic catastrophe that’s devastated a vast majority of the world and its population. To survive you must evade danger in the wake of human savagery, while navigating toxic clouds filling the air off the ground through to the tallest skyscrapers searching for resources and routes to traverse.
The landscape and sense of scale are enough to deem Ubisoft Shanghai’s efforts nothing less than ambitious… In a good way.
Gotham City Impostors (February 2012)
Fan of Batman but disagree with his “no killing” policy? Always wanted to follow in the Joker’s footsteps and take crime to the streets of Gotham? Warner Bros Interactive and Monolith Productions have your back. Equip yourself with an arsenal of homemade weapons and gadgets to take justice or anarchy into your own hands in the form of this charmingly humourous, first-person romp.
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2 (sometime 2012)
Another year, another Sonic game, right? Hopefully Sonic 4: Episode 2 will make us eat those words, with Sonic Team going on the record to admit that the first episode had problems and that they’ve revamped the entire game to rectify that. It also helps that over the last couple of years we’ve been seeing great strides in the right direction for the series, with Sonic Colours and Sonic Generations receiving such critical acclaim.
Closure (Spring)
This generation has seen a huge surge in creatively crafted indie games, and Closure seems to be another example of this welcome trend. Utilising a visually striking black and white art style, players must use a combination of light and darkness to navigate 2D puzzles. The game has gone on to catch loads of attention at conventions such as PAX and IndieCade, so it’s a no brainer at this point to at least keep an eye on it.
Skullgirls (Spring)
Fluid, well-drawn animations? Check! Controls competitive with other hardcore fighting games? Check! Ridiculous, over the top action involving demonic ladies beating the crap out of each other? Check check!
Development house Reverge Labs is aiming to release a crazy, hilarious, and ultimately fun 2D fighter with Skullgirls, and judging by the trailers we’ve seen they’ve just about done it. With an accessible look and hardcore fighting controls to master, this is a fighting game well worth the glitz and glamour. Definitely a competitive game to look forward to!
Disagree with some of these choices? Got a game you’re most excited for? Don’t forget to drop a line or two in the comments below!
