Player Affinity’s PC staff
has logged a good thousand hours in Skyrim between us all, and by the time we’ve scoured the land of Tamriel for
every last wedge of cheese we’ll be well into 2012. By that time a whole new slew of must-play games will be on
shelves waiting to devour our precious time. Here are the ones that we’re most looking forward to
playing.
Guild Wars 2
Joe Wong: This year, much like last year, seems to have a ton of sequels in them, with Guild Wars not being an exception. While the first Guild Wars was a unique idea, a non-subscription based MMO focusing on quick expansions to keep the content flowing, Guild Wars 2 is poised to capitalize on those great ideas, while adding on exciting new features that weren’t present in the previous game. Though there is a glut of new features, such as a new skill system as well as a dynamic combat system, there is one feature that truly stands out: Jumping. I’ll look forward to jumping into the world of Guild Wars when it releases in 2012.
Bioshock Infinite
Ari Runanin-Telle: This is
the game that I am looking forward to the most next year. There are plenty of
reasons for this, from the creative environment traversal to the art style, but
the biggest is probably how unique the setting is. Like the original Bioshock, Infinite benefits from taking place in an environment you don't immediately
understand. Many game worlds can be easily identified as "modern",
"apocalypse", or "fantasy", and the prospect of exploring
Columbia, a new place that seems just as unique as Rapture, is very exciting to
me. It's also a departure for Irrational Games, moving away from its comfort
zone of claustrophobic corridors and a dark color palette. Just those two
features, and Ken Levine writing it is enough for me to get excited, but there
are also a large number of improvements as far as game design is concerned.
Watch any of the interviews with Levine and it's apparent that Irrational has
learned from both it's successes and mistakes in the original Bioshock.
Charles Battersby: I can quote Atlas
Shrugged in three languages, so the
original Bioshock with its Ayn
Rand-inspired speeches was one of my favorites from 2007. I’m also one of the few people who
enjoyed Bioshock 2 almost as much
as I did the first game, so I’m very excited to see where Irrational takes the
series next. This time around our
protagonist actually speaks, has a backstory and makes a friend along the
way. I’d be lying if I said I
didn’t have a massive crush on Infinite’s
leading lady Elizabeth, so getting to spend a few hours in her company,
while shooting bad guys will be one of the highlights of my gaming year.
Borderlands 2
Ari: Borderlands, while not the best made game of 2009, was certainly
one of my favorites of the year. While many of my peers were complaining about
the color palette and repetitive activities, I was maxing out a second
character class. That being said, I understand that Borderlands had a lot of issues and problems that held it back.
That's why I'm so excited for Borderlands 2. Gearbox understands what made the first game so
divisive, but also what made it so great. The new classes and skill trees have
plenty of potential, and some interesting ideas about weapon manufacturers and
variety have already been shown. Gearbox has gone on the record, saying that
more effort is being put into the story, one of the first game's largest
problems. One concern I do have is the PC version's online features. Gamespy
ruined the co-op features for the first few weeks in the original, and I'm
hoping that the online services are improved this time around, at least enough
so that I can join a game in the first month. Full of personality, fun, and potential,
Borderlands 2 stands out to me in
the crowded year ahead.
Joe: Having thrown around 100+ hours into
the first Borderlands, Gearbox
Software has me really excited and pumped for the next installment of this
great franchise. While not a lot has been revealed so far, the notion of
previous gun brands being fleshed out and having special abilities, such as the
Tediore brand having the ‘cheap’ aesthetic and having the ability to toss out
your used ammo as a grenade. These things, coupled with a more robust skill
system will hopefully make Borderlands 2 a fantastic game in 2012.
Mass Effect 3
Ari: More so than other games coming out in
2012, Mass Effect 3 is the game
that I'm looking forward to for story closure. After Mass Effect 2, it's clear that Bioware is sticking close to the
formula they so well established in the sequel, almost to its detriment. The
meat isn't the gameplay in these games, however; it's the story. In this
respect, Mass Effect 3 looks like
it will deliver in spades. From what's been shown so far, it's clear that the
stakes are higher, not just on a galactic scale, but a personal one as well.
This anticipation comes with a caveat, though. There are a lot of parts of Mass
Effect 3 that look somewhat
unsubstantial. The multiplayer has the potential to have interesting
consequences and outcomes on the main singleplayer storyline, but the gameplay
itself in the co-op seems like Horde mode in Mass Effect dressing. No matter how the multiplayer content
turns out though, it's a safe bet that Bioware will craft an excellent
singleplayer experience and conclusion to the trilogy.
Charles: Okay, I’m a Bioware fanboy. Whatever they make, I’m there. Still, I couldn’t care less about the
multiplayer, which seems like meddling from the publisher. Mass Effect is Commander Shepard’s story, and I don’t want to
spend my time playing as Generic Space Commando #2 in Horde Mode.
Diablo 3
Joe: No list of mine would ever be complete
without the inclusion of a Blizzard title, and with Diablo 3 around the corner,
this fits the bill perfectly. Diablo 2 was truly one of my favorite games of all
time, spending countless hours doing a Diablo or Baal run over and over just to
get more loot was awesome. There have been a lot of changes inside and outside
of the Diablo universe, with Blizzard North dissolving into numerous different
studios, this will be the first Diablo game that hasn’t been spearheaded by the
Schaefer brothers. That being said, this game is looking phenomenal, with a few
key changes to the formula being made, streamlining the game while still
allowing for a lot of player customization and loot grubbing.
Charles: Diablo 3 made my
“Most Anticipated “ list from last year too. What I had to say then still applies this year: Technically Diablo III is coming out whenever
Blizzard gets it done. Regardless
of when it hits store shelves, I’ll be there waving a fistful of money begging
to get my paws on it. I’ve been a fan of this franchise for well over a
decade and played the first Diablo game on a mac powerbook with a 56k modem back in the days
when a 56k modem was “High Speed Internet”. Some might say that Diablo 3 looks too much like the same old Diablo we’ve had for fifteen years- but
that is in no way a bad thing. Give me more of the same, with pretty new
graphics, and I’ll be happy.