Metro: Last Light
As far as story driven shooters go, Metro 2033 was about as good as it got in 2010. Everyone seemed a bit too busy with higher profile games to give it the time it really deserved though, and critics seemed to be too harsh on the game’s technical shortcomings rather than focusing on its rich narrative. If Last Light can rectify the mistakes of its predecessor while maintaining the intriguing folklore of the metro tunnels and strong story focus, expect this one to be an unsung hero of 2012.
Prey 2
The original Prey is arguably one of the most underrated shooters ever. With some intricate level design, cool weapons and a surprisingly sensitive representation of native American culture, Prey was an FPS for the thinking man. As if this didn’t pitch it to enough of a niche market, Prey’s protracted development cycle and poor marketing meant that it never quite garnered the hype it deserved. We can only hope this won’t happen to Prey 2, but history does have an unfortunate tendency to repeat itself.
Counter Strike: Global Offensive
I’m honestly surprised that the whole world isn’t unified in hyping up this one. I don’t care who you are and what your preference is, in terms of sheer influence, Counter strike is the best multiplayer shooter available. Though I’m sure more conservative members of the CS community dread it, the idea of a more modern Counter Strike experience is an exciting one. Considering it’s being released on XBLA and PSN as well, that means more people can experience the genius of CS.
Ni No Kuni
When you take one of the most awe inspiring and prolific animators in Japan and get them involved on their first (proper) game related project ever, people should start taking notice; lots of people. Studio Ghibli’s Ni No Kuni released on DS in Japan back in 2010 to great acclaim, and the recently released PS3 version has also done the rounds of Japan. We’re up at the bat sometime in the first quarter of 2012, and we better show the world that we are able to appreciate the majesty of Studio Ghibli. The idea of any future games they make not getting released outside of Japan due to poor sales is a horrible reality that could occur. Start spreading the word people!
