20 Most Anticipated Games 2011

We gamers are a funny lot.  We spend our entire year in anticipation of a certain game or games.  But as soon as we get it and start playing and we’re back into looking forward for the next game that we just can’t wait to play.  There was a British researcher who likened two hours of gaming to have the equivalent addictive qualities of snorting a line of coke.  I think the dude was onto something – though I wouldn’t go as far as to say we’re all a bunch of crack addicts, but we do have an insane addiction to the next game.

It’s with this in mind that we present GameGuide’s Top Twenty Most Anticipated Games of 2011.  It’s time to stop doing drugs and get some cold sweats over the anticipation that this little list will bestow upon you.

The list, which will come later has been complied by a scientifically obscure method that we made up,  which resulted in the illegitimate child of a sordid Ménage à trois that combed our three personal most anticipated lists. 

Famousfive’s top four  |  The most anticipated title for me this year is one that may not even see the light of day in 2011 – such is the nature of game development – but still one has to hold onto hope, right?  It’s a game that very little is known about, and surprisingly for me, it’s a PS3 exclusive.  The game will be set in the late 1970’s, during the Cold War and will take players into “the world of counter-intelligence, espionage and political assassinations.”  It’s called Agent and is being developed by Rockstar.  Knowing so little about a game would normally keep it off most people’s lists until at least the first screenshots have dropped.  But the premise of the game along with the name behind it is enough to give me the shakes and put it on the top of my personal list.

The Second game on my list is Homefront.  Another entry into the over-saturated FPS market, but one that has a back story that actually interests me and promises a slightly different gameplay to the current fodder of FPS games.  Homefront will see you (well an American version of you) living under a brutal Korean occupation when the resistance decides to enlist your help (break you out of a prison transport) hand you a gun and ask you politely to fight with them.  Mixing a bit of standard FPS with the cold hard reality of ammo shortages and having to pick up dead men’s guns to keep in the fight, along with a story-line that has the premise of being a ripping yarn, Homefont is a game that I’m hoping will engage me for many a late night.

Thirdly is Deus Ex: Human Revolution.  It’s a prequel to the original Deus Ex, which was released in 2000 to worldwide acclaim.  Whilst I never played the original, the possibilty of having a more open world, RPG style FPS where there promises to be more that one way to complete each mission – from what I’ve read, most situations will give you the choice to sneak past, run in guns blazing or some other approach – has my hands sweating in anticipation.  Of course, even with the ability to sneak, give me a gun and I’ll probably chose to use it.  It’s how my adversaries react that has me most interested, shoot the squad leader and his squad will apparently fall apart without leadership allowing you to pick them off easily.  Sweet.

And finally there is another Rockstar title, on that I know will be releasing this year, and one that I know will consume my life with equal amounts of joy, and joyous frustration!  It is of course L.A. Noire, and you can read what I think about it right here.

UrbanKiwi’s top four  |  First up is Total War Shogun 2.  I saw this last year in its pre-release beta code. It’s very tight.  Detail was amazing, gameplay is once again improved on the previous editions, and the detail with music and visuals is surreal. This is going to be the strategy game of the year.

Homefront claims second spot.  Another FPS with what appears to be a very cool storyline. Some very cool action sequences, perhaps a little linear in places, but seriously looking sweet.

Coming in third on the grid is Forza 4.  I still think Forza 3 did what GT5 should have done. Social racing was sublime, im just looking forward to the next generation to my favorite racing game.

Last but not least, LA Noire. Three things I need to say about this.. 1) 1947 Los Angeles Murder Mysteries, 2) Open ended play, 3) Rockstar. Being that its now coming to Xbox and ps3 this should be a big launch.

Rhettspect’s top four  |  My top choice has to be Mass Effect 3. There was no question about it for me. Mass Effect 2 was probably my favorite game of all time. The gameplay was outstanding, the graphics were top-notch, but most important of all it had an incredible story. That’s usually what makes a game stay with me. Mass Effect 3 concludes Commander Shepherd’s story, and I simply can’t wait.

My second choice is another game from Bioware (can you guess who my favorite developer is?), Dragon Age 2. The original Dragon Age was an old school RPG, harking back to my other favorite game of all time, Baldur’s Gate 2. It didn’t translate perfectly to console from PC, but it was still good enough that I enjoyed it a lot. Dragon Age 2 promises to be a more refined experience, drawing on the success of the Mass Effect series. What’s not to like?

Next has to be the Next Call of Duty.  I’m probably one of the few who looks back on Modern Warfare 2 with fondness. Sure, Black Ops was balanced and mostly frustration-free. But it lacked a crucial ingredient: fun. I’m hoping that the next Call of Duty game turns out to be Modern Warfare 3, and no some action adventure game developed by Sledgehammer games (a distinct possibility.)

Finally, Batman: Arkham City  Arkham Asylum came out of nowhere in 2009. I enjoyed it a lot… who could complain about playing a decent superhero game for once? Not much is known about Arkham City so far, but if it’s anywhere close to as good as the first game. it’ll be worth the suspense.

The combined Top Twenty Most Anticipated Games:

Homefront Forza 4 LA Noire Batman: Arkham City Deus Ex: Human Revolution Agent Mass Effect 3 Total War Shogan 2 Dragon Age 2 Rage Next COD Project Draco Rise of Nightmares Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Mindjack Driver San Fransisco FIFA 12 Hybrid inFamous 2

Gears of War 3

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