Forza Motorsport 4
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios | Developer: Turn 10 Studios | Release Date: Q3
Sorry. Still can’t touch it.
Forza Motorsport has recently become the big daddy of the racing sim genre, effectively dethroning Gran Turismo with the release of the awesome Forza Motorsport 3. Sony fanboys might deny it with all their conviction, but it’s true. In the five years that Sony took to develop GT5, and then delivered a disappointing package, Forza took over the genre, and pushed Gran Turismo down to #2, claiming the crown for itself. And as if Forza Motorsport 3 wasn’t the best racing sim till date already, Turn 10 have announced a plethora of new, cool features for Forza 4. The Kinect support, the feature which allows us to inspect the car in full detail all make it the ultimate racing sim experience till date. Let’s hope Turn 10 can deliver.
Some Notable Stuff About The Game:
Motion sensing, in detail exploration of all car models possible, interiors of cars look more real than reality
Dragon Age II
Publisher: Electronic Arts | Developer: BioWare | Release Date: March 8
Will Dragon Age II streamline the experience? Or will it just ruin the Dragon Age franchise?
If you notice carefully, or even not so carefully, we can easily draw the comparison between Dragon Age II and Mass Effect 2. Both games were being somewhat bashed by fans of the first games before their release for having stripped off all the RPG elements that made the original so good, and turning it into a more action-oriented franchise. And why not? Dragon Age II has removed the strategic overhead view, it has removed hotkeys. It has removed a lot of stuff from Dragon Age: Origins in its attempt to make the entire experience more streamlined. But is that so bad? If you look at Mass Effect 2 again, you’ll realize that it removed a lot of stuff from Mass Effect, and it all turned out to be for the better. Dragon Age II, according to me, will be a great game with a more streamlined approach at the RPG genre. And the fact that the animations have been overhauled, and that the game can also be played without having to think a lot just makes it more accessible. Bash it all you want to, two months later, you’ll all be looking at this article and smiling.
Some Notable Stuff About The Game:
Story spans 10 years, the new dialogue wheel, improved combat and RPG mechanics
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Publisher: Square Enix | Developer: Eidos Montreal | Release Date: April (tentative)
April can’t come sooner.
Deus Ex is probably one of the most fabled Action Role Playing franchises of all time. The first Deus Ex game was a brilliant game, with an intricate and complex storyline, and great blending of genres into one Role Playing-centric game. Invisible War, the second game, was great as well, despite many technical hiccups. With a legacy as legendary as that of the Deus Ex series to live up to, Human Revolution has a monumental task ahead of itself. But from what we have seen of the game so far, it looks to be every bit as awesome as a Deus Ex fan would want it to be, and then some more. The game looks to be blending several genres perfectly (so far), the graphics are nothing short of breathtaking, and the new badass protagonist looks like one hell of a character. If Deus Ex: Human Revolution can get just a few things right, it’ll turn out to be one of the best releases on any system this year.
Some Notable Stuff About The Game:
Return of the Deus Ex franchise after a seven year long hiatus, the brilliant graphics, the blending of several gameplay styles
Batman: Arkham City
Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment | Developer: Rocksteady Studios | Release Date: Q3
The Dark Knight is back. Can he save an entire city from an army of psychopaths?
Never before had any Batman game been good, and that’s very surprising, seeing as how awesome games based on Batman always had the potential to be. Arkham Asylum came along, and it did everything right. It retained the spirit and feel of a Batman based installment, and implemented a spectacular gameplay engine. Striking from the shadows was thrilling, especially for a long time Batman fan. The combat was nothing short of awesome, and to see old time Batman antagonists such as Harley Quinn, The Joker, Riddler and Scarecrow made Arkham Asylum a treat for all Batman fans. And now, Arkham City has been announced, and it looks frigging awesome. It promises to remove all the flaws of the first game, and if it can pull that off successfully, it will truly become the best superhero game, never to be triumphed in the future.
Some Notable Stuff About The Game:
Interrogation, New gadgets, Riddler Challenges make a return, Detective Mode enhanced
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks | Developer: Bethesda Game Studios | Release Date: November 11th
Can Skyrim improve upon the terrible glitches of Oblivion?
The Elder Scrolls series has always been renowned for its rich and complex worlds, with the lush histories behind every character and location. Over the years, the series has grown to provide players with what is possibly the most epic and consistently high quality high fantasy role playing experience ever. Each release of an Elder Scrolls game marks the next step in the evolution of the genre, and at least about a hundred hours lost per player, and Skyrim looks to be no different. Although we don’t know much about this game, except for that it will be a direct sequel to the highly lauded Oblivion, and that it will use a new game engine (that hopefully should get rid of all the bugs that this series is historically known for), just the fact that this is an Elder Scrolls game is enough to get us excited for what looks to be the biggest Xbox 360 game of 2011.
Some Notable Stuff About The Game:
Game uses a new engine which will hopefully remove all glitches, Direct sequel to Oblivion, Dragon Shouts
Mass Effect 3
Publisher: Electronic Arts | Developer: BioWare | Release Date: Fall
A lot if expected of Mass Effect 3. Will it deliver? Or will it succumb to the trilogy curse?
BioWare moves from strength to strength. The developers have been on fire this generation, and most of this credit undoubtedly goes to their Mass Effect games. The first Mass Effect, which was developed with the Xbox 360 as the lead platform, and was released back in 2007, instantly took everybody by storm, as they all lauded its sweeping and epic space operatic story, as well as the immense character development, backed by classic Bioware gameplay. The second Mass Effect, released early last year, went on to become one of the highest rated games of all time, thanks to its uber refined gameplay, and its thrilling continuation of the first game’s story, to which it did complete justice. With the third game of this franchise, which already has such a high pedigree, due for release later this year, it follows that it will naturally be at the very top of any ‘Most Anticipated’ list. And while there may be some that talk about franchise fatigue, or raise doubts as to whether the direction that the trailer for the game implies that the story will take is suitable or not, on the whole, I think it is a safe bet to assume that Mass Effect 3 will be one of the best games of 2011.
Some Notable Stuff About The Game:
Has over a thousand variables from Mass Effect 1 and 2, Save file from Mass Effect 2 can be imported, Being developed on a new engine, Reapers have found Earth
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