The Big Games of 2012

2011 is finally done and it was awesome. Now the question is, can 2012's list of big games be as good as 2011? you decide. Looks like a decent lineup to me. Check the big games that are said to be released in 2012.

Bioshock Infinite

Developers - Irrational Games Publishers - 2k Games Release Date - June 1, 2012 Platforms - Playstation 3, Xbox 360, PC

I loved Bioshock. The world of Rapture was such a treat to explore. Irrational Games is taking a break from the underwater world and provide a setting that's completely opposite. Bioshock Infinite is set on a city in the sky, a city called "Columbia" that has giant blimps and balloons to keep the city afloat. Just like Rapture, it looks gorgeous and the change in setting is perfect to bring the Bioshock franchise forward.

Max Payne 3

Developers - Rockstar vancouver, New England, London, and Toronto Publishers - Rockstar Games Release Date - March 2012 Platforms - Playstation 3, Xbox 360, PC

Max Payne is back, and with how amazing Rockstar is as a studio now I can't wait to play the third installment of Max Payne. Everything you remember about Max Payne will be back especially the famous bullet-time feature known in past Max Payne games. For the first time, they will be introducing multiplayer(go figure)

Diablo 3

Developers - Blizzard Entertainment Publishers - Blizzard Entertainment Release Date - 2012(Hopefully) Platforms - PC

It will happen. This game will be released eventually. Diablo 3 has been on beta testing for months so its only a matter of time until we get a release date. just hold your breathe a little bit longer.

Dragon's Dogma

Developers - Capcom Publishers - Capcom Release Date - March 27, 2012 Platforms - Playstation 3, Xbox 360

Capcom's latest title. Dragon's Dogma is Monster Hunter meets Shadow of Collosus minus the multiplayer elements which kinda sucks. The game pits you against mythical monster like gryphons, hydra's, and of course dragons. Capcom aims to give you the complete experience of fighting these huge monsters instead of just hacking away in their feet in other games. Its going to be an open world game with around 30-100 hours of content.

Halo 4

Developers - 343 Industries Publishiers - Microsoft Studios Release Date - Holiday 2012 Platforms - Xbox 360

Not much of a surprise when they revealed Halo 4. What's more shocking is that Halo 4 will not be developed by Bungie, the team who pretty much started this franchise. Not only that, it is said to be another trilogy. So aftter four, expect five and six. Not much has been revealed since it's reveal in E3 2011 but expect its release at the end of the year.

Mass Effect 3

Developers - Bioware Publishiers - Electronic Arts Release Date - March 6, 2012 Platforms - Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC

The final chapter of Commander Shepard. The reapers have finally arrived and are invading earth. Can't wait to see the epic conclusion. I got my save file all set up to be imported  into the game and ready to use that sweet tech blade added into the game. In terms of gameplay, nothing much has changed, just improved hopefully for the better.

Tomb Raider

Developers - Crystal Dynamics Publishiers - Square Enix Release Date - Q3 2012 Platforms - Playstation 3, Xbox 360, PC

This isn't a new game, its a reboot of the franchise. This new Tomb Raider will be an origins story of the famous Lara Croft, and how she came to be. First look of the game was revealed in E3 2011 and was pretty impressive. One of the best reveals during E3. They say it won't play like the old Tomb Raider and the main focus of gameplay is survival.

There are tons of other  big games to look out for like Twisted Metal, Final Fantasy XIII-2, Prey 2, Borderlands 2, the yearly games for the Call of Duty and Assassin's Creed franchises. I haven't even touched the handheld games coming this year. With Vita coming out, that's another list of games to look out for, not to mention the 3DS games. If there are any more you think should be mentioned or can't wait to get this year, hit the comments. Looks like 2012 might be another good year.

Our Top 5 Best Games of 2011 [Update: Migoy's Top 5 added]

2012 is only hours away and just like last year, we came up with our top 5 games of the year. It was yet another amazing year for gaming. 2010 was great and all and had good announcements, but those announcements became a reality in 2011. This year had so many big titles coming out all at once that made all our wallet's bleed. There was a lot to pick from for our top 5 so it was definitely a tough one. With how great 2011 was, it made me wonder, can 2012 be just as great or even better? There were so many great triple A titles that I still can't believe all them came out in a span of just one year. From the start of the year, until the end, there was always that big title that people have been eagerly anticipating for release. Sadly, we didn't get a chance to try ALL the big games that 2011 has to offer so we only consider games that we've played during 2011.

Quash's Top 5 Games of 2011

#5 L.A Noire

Oh Rockstar, thank you for releasing an amazing game each year. I think I'll always have a Rockstar game on my top five. L.A Noire was simply amazing. While it was not perfect, it was a successful first attempt to immerse a player with actual police work with interrogation and all. A unique game that you might not see in a long time. The new technology used to capture the facial expressions from actors is just genius. It worked so well that it succeeded in making it a clue for players to identify if the person being questioned is either lying or telling the truth. Definitely a must try.

#4 Batman: Arkham City

This is the best video game based on a comic book character to date. The freeflow combat and the sneaking around is just perfect. It literally feels like you're playing Batman. If you've played Batman: Arkham Asylum, then you know what to expect. My only problem on the first game was that you're restricted in just the Asylum. Well now that complaint is gone since we have a whole city to roam around in. With how stunning Arkham City looked, it's one of the best looking games of 2011.

#3 Dark Souls

God this game was a freakin pain in the ass. I died numerous times were I wanted to throw my damn controller for dying over and over. I got over it, got better at the game and is one of the best games I've played.  Character customization is so deep, the boss fights are epic and oh so challenging, and the game has online features that you will never find anywhere else. It's a sequel to the painful Demon's Souls and is now an open world game. Yes, it's very challenging, but to be honest, that's the beauty of Dark Souls. Give it a chance and you'll probably regret it. Stick to it, and you'll be just as amazed and satisfied as I am when I finished the game.

#2  Portal 2 

To put it simple, this was just one of the most well crafted video games I've ever played. Literally pure genius and was such a treat going through its 10+ hour campaign. It has quite a complex concept, at the same time it first started out as a side game for Half Life 2. People honestly started buying Orange Box just for Portal. It was just really good. The sequel is now a full retail game and just got everything right.  From the well designed puzzles that have a perfect difficulty curve, to the hilarious dialogue between Wheatley and the famous GLaDOS. Any gamer or even a non-gamer will appreciate Portal 2. It's that good.

#1 Elder Scrolls: Skyrim

Literally blown away by Skyrim. One of the most anticipated game on my list. Since its been years since the last one, my expectations of Skyrim was damn high. When I finally got a chance to play the game, I was gone for days and was over satisfied with what this game has to offer.  Surpassed my expectations easily.

The new leveling system with perks and all just made the game so much better and of course you can't forget the amount of content this game has. This game can easily clock over 100 hours. Game looks amazing and the fact that you can be and do whatever you want is just great. Skyrim for me is the best Elder Scrolls to date, and possibly the best western RPG out now. If you haven't played Skyrim, you're missing out.

What about you guys? what's your top 5 games of 2011?

Migoy's Top 5 Games of 2011

Yet another great year for gaming. A lot of big releases and empty wallets plus I finally got a PS3 even though we are arguably at the end of the PS3's life span. Now being late to the current gen HD gaming party, I missed out on a lot of great titles released this year so forgive me if my list is a little unorthodox but here are my Top 5 video games of 2011.

5. Beyblade: Metal Fusion (DS)

I may be the only living person in this world that would out a Beyblade video game in his Top 5 games of the year. I originally got this game just for shits and giggles, sure the real thing is a fun little spinning top toy and usually games based of movies, animes and especially childrens toys are just made for a quick cash-in. To be honest the game surprised me very much and in a positive manner too. Previous Beyblade games have been nothing more than a either a digital simulator of the real thing where you barely had any control aside from waiting for a super bar to fill up and activating it or some campy RPG/plaformer with characters from the show.

This one felt like a legit video game. You spin your top and instead of just watching it clash with another, you could actually move it around, attack, jump, and defend while all fighting against the physics of a spinning top which, in my opinion, was very well done considering that this is a DS game and usually details like that are forgotten given the nature of the source material in general.

I know you must all thing this is pretty bogus to be in my Top 5 or even on my gaming radar but hey, there must have been SOMETHING in the game that let me spent a good 30 hours of my life on it.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lHk4v_KMUg[/youtube]

4. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii)

This may not be the "Ocarina of Time" killer that some people been claiming and it may also not be the best Zelda game out there but Nintendo did a damn good job with what they were going for in what I would say is the real Zelda release for the Wii.

Most people say that the first hour or so of the game is super boring which I can see the merit of their opinion but after Twilight Princess' boring ass first (4?) hours this was very refreshing. The motion controls works great for the most part outside of aiming and the mixed art styles of Wind Waker x Twilight Princess looks really good.

My only real gripe with the game is the lack of seamlessness in the world. If you could fly in and out of the surface world and Skyworld without it having to load then that in itself would have made a ton of difference. Not only that but Skyloft alone is it's own area that needs to load every time you go to it (which happens a lot in this game). Now I understand that these maybe due to hardware limitations, plus this was the only real major release that the Wii got this year but it is indeed library.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Zm1tLH1Oks[/youtube]

3. Dissidia 012 (Duodecim) Final Fantasy (PSP)

The prequel to one of my favorite PSP games of 2009. Duodecim added more features, more characters, and a new story to the convoluted Final Fantasy crossover action fighting game w/o sacrificing quality.

The additions did nothing but bring good to an already great game. Dissidia Final Fantasy used to be one of my top PSPs games but has been dethroned by Duodecim. Back then I couldn't even imagine what a Final Fantasy crossover fighting game would look like, now I wouldn't have it any other way.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTWNthnswWE[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeKoDl6KXto[/youtube]

2. Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (PS3)

Seriously, I need to stop playing this game. I am having such a good time with this game that it is impeding my progress in other games such as Skyward Sword and GTA4 (which I borrowed) where there is an actual story to push through and finish.

Usually when I boot up Ziggy (my PS3), UMvC3 is often the first game I pop in for reasons beknownst even to myself. Playing online has been a very laggy experience but I still want to try it even if I spend more time waiting in lobbies than actually playing. This was the first PS3 game I ever bought and it does not disappoint.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuTeQ7MMz9o[/youtube]

1. Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective (DS)

When I heard that this game was being developed by the same team who made the Phoenix Wright series, that was enough to hook me. Though hearing other people describe the concept of the game and the actual gameplay itself was really hard to figure out in my head. I did not want to watch gameplay videos outside of the officially released trailers as since this is essentially a puzzle game that I would see the answers to some of them.

I went into this game knowing next to nothing on how it actually played but with all the excitement in the world and I gotta say I loved every second of it. Everything from the story, the twists, the gameplay, the kickass soundtrack, and the very colorful characters just makes this game all the more memorable. A lot of people might say that once you are done with this game that there is no more replay value but I would say that it's just the same as reading a good book. Even if you know what's going to happen next, you just want to read it all over again once it's done.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JzevLn-N0M[/youtube]

Getting sucked In By amazing Steam Sales

Just when I said I'm done getting new games in 2011, I see myself with three new games on my PC.  I honestly had no plans on getting it but great sales and pure luck got the best of me. Hey, not really complaining. Bastion and Dungeon Defenders where two games I've always had an interest in. When I saw the huge sale for each game while exploring their Steam Holiday Sale, I couldn't help it. Oh and to top that off I got access to the Dota 2 beta. Win!

What a way to end 2011. With just 367 pesos($8.75) spent, I have three new games to seek my teeth in. I first got bastion on its one day sale in Steam for five bucks, then the next day Dungeon Defenders was on a one day sale for only 3 bucks. With Bastion turning out to be an amazing game and how addicting Dungeon Defenders is, its money well spent.

Bastion - A superb indie game

I finished Bastion the next day and it's literally a masterpiece. This indie game just blew me away. The narration, solid gameplay, and satisfying RPG elements just made Bastion one of the best games coming out of 2011. I want to talk a bit more if bastion but I'll save it for when I make a full review post. It should be back to 15 bucks on all platforms, but it's worth the buy.

I actually played most of my first playthrough on our live streaming channel. Apparently my PC can take streaming and Bastion running all at once. Yes, my PC isn't that strong anymore and a hardware update is long overdue. Quality is indeed not the best but it will get better in the future. Not shelving the game just yet, I'm still playing my second playthrough on New Game Plus with all idols activated at the start of the game(hardest difficulty) and will be streaming that as well so look out for that. Already started and I believe I'm halfway done already. The game is only 4-5 hours  really.

Dungeon Defenders - Tower Defense + Diablo/Borderlands style loot + RPG elements + 4 player co-op = WIN

It was past midnight and the Steam Holiday Sale showed their next one day sales for the day. One of it was Dungeon Defenders at $3.75. Just that much for a game I was considering to get on the Xbox 360 at 15 bucks? I just clicked it and bought the damn game. Thats just 158 pesos for countless hours of game play. The bold description above says it all on what Dungeon Defenders is all about. Max level is 70 and you have four classes to choose from with a couple more classes if you choose to get the DLC. I didin't bother with the DLC(downloadable Content) since they haven't applied any discount on the DLC. It was still priced higher than the actual game. That's how crazy the deal was, because it was literally a 77% discount.

I'm playing the mage class and only at level 11 so I won't say much about the game yet, but so far so good. It's easy to pair up with players, and a level seems to last around 30 minutes to an hour. I was enjoying Dungeon Defenders until I got lucky with Steam's The Great Gift Pile that gives you a chance of winning coupons and actual games when completing achievements given every day until new years.

Dota 2 Beta thanks to The Great Gift Pile

I wasn't really paying attention to this. When I saw a few achievements that are just flat out easy and can be done through the Steam, so I said why not. When I say easy I mean tasks like - Recommend a game, or join a community. Pretty much asking you to be active in the Steam community. The rest of the achievemnts are based on certain game achievements, and most of the games with achievements that I need to get a gift I don't own. I bet Steam was able to lure people into buying certain games just to unlock these achievements and earn some gifts. I didn't bother.

Out of all the achievements currently given, I was able to do seven of them. Each achievement earns you either a lump of coal or a gift. The gift has a chance of giving you discount coupons or actual games. The lump of coal can be converted into a gift if you already have seven in total. those seven achievements earned me five lumps of coal, two discount coupons for Valve games, and access to Dota 2. It came as a gift and I instantly unpacked it to claim as my own. I played a lot of Dota during my college days and seeing how the sequel is shaping up first-hand is an amazing reward.

So far I got into four games of Dota 2. I'll make an impression post as soon as I do a few more matches but it's literally Dota with better graphics. Not sure if this should be called a sequel. There's really no change to the gameplay and even the old heroes play the same. I haven't even seen a new hero added that was not in the first game's roster. The only change they did to the roster was certain names to heroes since Dota 2 isn't involved with Blizzard anymore. Even skill names are different. They all perform the same way just like the old game. They must have changed it to avoid copyright issues when released.

I see a leveling system for your account but it looks like it's disabled for now. because after four games I'm still at level one with 0 experienced earned. What do you get as you level? have no idea yet, we'll see when they introduce the feature.

matchmaking is pretty awful at the moment. It literally takes 15 minutes to get a game going. I know it's a beta after all, but I keep thinking I should have spent that 15 minutes on somewhere else.

Check out Steam's holiday sale by visiting Steam's site. Also, if you have a Steam account, why not participate and do those easy achievements that will only take a few minutes to do. You never know, you might get something interesting from the gifts.

Migoy's gaming backlog (Dec. 2011)

The month of big name sequels has passed and our wallets have been emptied. With so many games and so little time, I'm sure some of us have quite the gaming backlog. Here's mine

Now my list doesn't only consist of games from the month of November, some of these games were released earlier and I just haven't had time to play enough of them. I'll divide them by console to avoid confusion as well as talk a little bit about each game starting off with the handhelds.

Nintendo DS:

Professor Layton and the Last Specter - The 4th game in the Professor Layton series from Level-5 is actually a prequel of the 1st game as this takes place in the time where Layton meets his young apprentice Luke. Usually when a new Layton or Phoenix Wright game comes out I'm it like a moth to a bright lamp. The Layton series is not something I can just bust out and play for a few minutes while waiting in line. I have to be in a place where no one can disturb me and I need to play it with headphones on so I can hear all the music, the sounds, and the voices as I like to get immersed in the adventure. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCPKuyf8up4[/youtube]

9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors - I know little to nothing about this game aside from it having anime characters, it being an adventure game, and some convoluted plot that I've heard people say is interesting. All that and the mysterious title of the game was enough to attract me. Sadly though I've had this game for quite sometime, I have not popped it in once in my DS. I will get down to playing this game eventually. I hope. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfioFxOEHKA&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]

Aliens Infestation - The side scrolling, squad based, Metroidvania game with Xenomorphs in it. Nuff said. A lot of good things have been said about this game even before it's release just from people trying it out at tradeshows and what not. Only spent 5 mins in game just to try things out and I gotta say it terrifies me. The slightest noise or a cat falling out of a vent made me jump. Graphics are a bit outdated even for DS standards but the atmosphere just nails it. I hear that combat is quite the challenge in this game and that scares me too. For games like Metroid and Castlevania, combat was just there and you were never really afraid of anything as either you are just not equipped to face such enemy types or your level isn't high enough. My cousin got to play more of Aliens Infestation and he told me that when he just recklessly charged into the game he lost 3 of his team members in an instant. Usually when I play squad based single player games I get all OCD and do my best to keep everyone alive the whole time which gets a little bit tiring for my psyche in game.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTcfICWSugU[/youtube]

Kirby: Mass Attack - I could probably breeze through this game a lot faster but my OCD kicks in making me replay a level until I get all the gold stars before I proceed to the next one. Now just beating the level is enough to unlock the next but that nagging feeling of "GET ALL THE GOLD STARS" just won't stop. As Kirby games go, getting all the gold stars probably unlocks something. I don't even know what that is or if I really want it but seeing a blank star at the end of a level just makes me want to rip my hair out and keep playing the same level till it's complete.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_kBt0-lkso[/youtube]

Sony PSP:

Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Impact - CyberConnect2 finally brought the gameplay style of Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm into the portable realm which is what I have been hoping for since it came out for the PS3. The story mode just feels like mindless Dynasty Warriors action which I will just have to power through but from what I've seen, the actual VS. combat of Ninja Storm really is in this portable version. I would really like to play more of this but my problem is that my analog nub tends to stick and forces my characters to run down the whole time. It's probably just a loose connection or spring but remember that I got my PSP-3000 second hand so there might be a chance that there is something actually wrong with the device. Since I got it, it's made a clicking noise when I rotate it and input registration for it is a little weird even before it sticks so I might just go to a shop and have the analog nub replaced. Problem is I haven't put away any money for it as I was busy with other things and the analog nub on the fat PSP was horrible to being with so I'm not playing it on Phats.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAdMQ54fBmY[/youtube]

Nintendo Wii:

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword - An obvious candidate on my list. This game is amazing but I really have to spend more time on this. To be honest, since that one weekend where I just hit the game head-on, I haven't booted it up since. Just like with Layton, Zelda isn't a game for quickie fixes. It's a game where you have to spend AT LEAST an hour on playing straight, and even then it isn't enough. With my current setup at home, I don't get to do a lot of late night gaming like I used to do back in highschool and college. The main reason is the room where my consoles are in is shared with other people and since everyone is busy doing stuff during the day, once they get home sleep is the 1st option so even if I would like to do some late night gaming I simply can't due to the fact that people are asleep in the room. Wiimote flailing makes a lot of noise too.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Zm1tLH1Oks[/youtube]

Kamen Rider Climax Heroes: Fourze - I still enjoy watching costumed super heroes fight bad guys and defeating them in a formulaic manner. So when you have a cross-over fighting game that features most of the heroes from a certain tokusatsu series duking it out? Good clean shallow fun.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mofNTPuWUYM[/youtube]

Sony PlayStation 2:

Odin's Sphere - Aside from my unfinished Final Fantasy XII and Devil May Cry  I have added another one to the list. Odin's Sphere is a game done by Vanillaware Ltd., the same guys who did Muramasa: The Demon Blade on the Wii. This game has a very similar art style and gameplay as Muramasa and since I loved Muramasa, this was something I had to get.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gI-V3Uw1b3U[/youtube]

Sony PlayStation 3:

Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 - This might not really count as a backlog since this is the game that is getting the most attention from me lately. Although I still haven't gotten all the character endings yet and have only done 5 of Wesker's missions so I still have a ways to go with this game.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3gRwvQnHe0[/youtube]

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune - So aside from UMvC3, I don't own any other disc game for the PS3. A friend of mine was nice enough to lend me a few of his games, one of which was the Game of the Year Edition of Uncharted 1. I turned it down to easy because I found the shooting tedious but I will finish this game and go on to borrow Uncharted 2: Among Thieves.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4fahAdNHpM[/youtube]

Grand Theft Auto IV - Another game that my friend lent me. Truth be told, I have not finished any GTA game story wise. I've always either just loaded another person's completed game and ran around the city or started a new game, do the first part and then use weapon cheats once I was allowed to free roam.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOZ8bRAO7YQ[/youtube]

PC:

Limbo - I've had this game on PC for quite some time now but I'm having trouble setting up a stream of it. I want it on the PS3 but I am very tight on cash at the moment. If I get a decent broadcast setup done for this version then I will play it on PC.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1vexQzA9Vk[/youtube]

That's pretty much it for my main backlog. I have around 3 times the amount of games that aren't included here but these are the main ones that I want to spend time with right now. I haven't written a lengthy post in a while but I hope you guys enjoyed the list and maybe I'll write one again in the near future. Thanks and happy gaming.

Don't Pirate Serious Sam 3: BFE, unless you want to face an immortal pink scorpion

Yup, an immortal pink scorpion that will chase after you forever! but of course this will only happen if you chose to pirate Serious Sam 3. This is the developers way at getting back at you if you choose to pirate their new game. Some might not like the idea, I think its genius.

Pure genius, I wouldn't mind if this becomes a trend for future game releases to hurt piracy. Of course they will find a fix to work around it but its still a pain regardless. I'm actually curious on pirating it to try it out, but damn that scorpion is fast. Serious Sam 3: BFE  is now available in Steam, Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.

[Source: GameInformer]