Tribes: Ascend
The Tribes games have always possessed a certain following among the PC community for their unique charms, even when the series began to lose touch with its roots. The time for that is over though, with Ascend bringing back the classic jet-pack gameplay of old whilst adding in a class load-out structure that is more reminiscent of modern shooters. With its free to play model and promised class variety, Tribes: Ascend could be an interesting look into the future of price models within PC gaming.
Transformers Universe
Who cares if it’s browser based? The idea of a Transformers MMO sounds awesome and, though very little is known about what direction Transformers Universe will take, we know that you’ll get to design your own Transformer. It’s like I’ve died and gone to heaven. Though there isn’t a confirmed release date, 2012 is the expected time of arrival with more info on the game hopefully coming soon.
Dota 2
A Warcraft 3 mod now turned fully fledged Valve directed strategy game, Defence of the Ancients 2 is bringing the unique gameplay of the original Warcraft mode kicking and screaming into 2012, with a huge array of graphical, gameplay and accessibility related upgrades. I’m sure there’ll be some pseudo-beatnik types out there who see Dota 2 as a “cash in” or “sell out” move, but most Valve games are pretty damn good, so don’t expect any less from this one.
Dead State
Zombie games may be a dime a dozen but, with ex employees from Troika and Obsidian, Dead State could be a winner
New franchises like Left 4 Dead and Dead Rising have made the zombie horror sub-genre more popular than ever. Rather than jumping on the bandwagon directly though, DoubleBear Productions are entering the fray with a different genre instead. As one of the few RPG strategy hybrids I’ve heard of to take on the zombie genre, Dead State could be an interesting one indeed. Keep an eye out for it in the coming months.
