30 Most Anticipated Games of 2012

IGN’s picks of 2012’s major offerings.

Watch the incredible trailer of the hottest upcoming games in 2012 scroll on down and check out the 30 games IGN can’t wait for, listed according to likely release chronology.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 looks to take all the things we loved about the first game, and fix those parts gamers criticized. Arriving end of January for Xbox 360 and PS3, it features time travel, Lightning’s cute sister, and some bigger more epic battles. Hell yes.

Soul Calibur V – If you weren’t already excited for Soul Calibur, Namco recently announced that Assassin’s Creed’s Ezio Auditore will be a playable fighter.

The Darkness II The first Darkness game was heartbreaking and emotional and a lot of fun. The addition of co-op, and new characters has us intrigued.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning Amalur may not be on your radar yet, but it should be, and fast. We are consistently impressed with the game, and it’s looking like a great new RPG.

Resident Evil Revelations Everyone knows that some of the best (and by best we mean cheesy and fun), horror movies happen on cruise ships. So bring it on, Resident Evil!

SSX Awesome tricks, insane environments, online modes, sweet characters, and the return of our favorite Run DMC song? Sign us up.

Twisted Metal The more we see of Twisted Metal, the more excited we get. It’s like falling in love with an old flame… one that tries to blow you up and run you over.

Uncharted: Golden Abyss We’ve already played a good deal of the Japanese version of Golden Abyss, so we know it’s freaking awesome, just like you’d expect from an Uncharted game.

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier Future Soldier is a step back towards the Ghost Recon games we all loved last generation. Plus the game uses Kinect in a futuristic, Minority Report way, which is actually neat.

Mass Effect 3 The sequel to 2010’s Game of the Year is reason enough to get excited, but everything about Mass Effect 3 looks bigger, more intense, and even sexier.

Street Fighter x Tekken What happens when two of our favorite fighting games go head to head? Time to find out…

Max Payne 3 It’s been a long time since we got to enjoy a Max Payne game, and this grittier, deadlier version may make us forgive everyone for that Mark Wahlberg atrocity.

Silent Hill: Downpour We were worried about Silent Hill when it was slated for an October release, but thankfully the game was pushed back and we’re hopeful it’ll be as scary as gamers demand.

Kid Icarus Uprising This is not the same Pit you remember from the 80s (or more likely don’t remember at all), but Kid Icarus Uprising looks like a crazy, hectic exciting game.

Ninja Gaiden III What could be better than ultraviolent ninja action? How about ultraviolent ninja action with all your friends? Ninja Gaiden III adds multiplayer to the mix.

Guild Wars 2 Guild Wars 2 has us intrigued for a few reason: no subscription, an innovative new party system (or lack thereof), and a rather sweet aesthetic. Watch out, WoW.

Aliens: Colonial Marines The Aliens series has seen its high and low with video games, but Colonial Marines looks like it’s heading for the former end of the spectrum

Assassin’s Creed 2012 While this game hasn’t been officially announced as Assassin’s Creed 3, we all know better. After three straight games with Ezio, we’re more than ready to see the thrilling conclusion to Desmond’s memory saga.

BioShock Infinite If you’re not freaking psyched for BioShock Infinite, you may be missing some synapses in your mind grapes. Exploring the twisted, floating world of Columbia is something we can’t wait to do.

Halo 4 Oh, you thought Halo 3 was the last one? You thought wrong. Master Chief is back.

Tomb Raider There was a time when we forgot our love for Lara Croft. But Square Enix is rebooting the franchise in a visceral, violent way and this new Lara is so badass she makes Angelina Jolie look like a wimp.

Animal Crossing 3DS The last Animal Crossing outing on the Wii left us a little bored with the series, but the town full of talking animals is getting a much needed makeover. We’re ready to jump back into doing odd jobs for raccoons.

Borderlands 2 Are you ready to journey back to Pandora? Well get ready, son!Borderlands 2 promises to be even bigger than the last game, and we can’t wait to kill some aliens and mercenaries.

Diablo III IGN isn’t alone in our excitement for Diablo III. The sequel to one of the most popular video games of all time has been eagerly anticipated by gamers the world over.

Grand Theft Auto V We’re not sure if GTA V will actually make it in 2012, but we’re too excited to return to San Andreas to not put it on the list.

Hitman: Absolution Agent 47’s latest exploits have left many an IGN editor stunned. When he arrives to kill everyone that gets in his way, we’ll eagerly watch (yeah, we’re morbid like that).

The Last Guardian The Last Guardian’s release date is tentative at best, but the latest game from the minds behind Ico and Shadow of the Colossus has had us intrigued since its announcement.

The Last of Us Naughty Dog’s upcoming post-apocalyptic adventure came out of nowhere, but we’re already hooked. The exciting and frightening trailer certainly helped.

StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm New units, new missions, and the return of Kerrigan (as a playable character)? Hell yes, StarCraft. Bring it on.

XCOM Everyone who remembers the original XCOM knows why we’re excited. For everyone else, check out this trailer.
This isn’t even close to all the hot games coming out this year. We could seriously go on for a year about them all… which is exactly what we’re going to do. 2012 is going to be rad.

Which games are you looking forward to most?

Let us know in Comments.
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  3. Zorgverzekering June 11, 2012 at 1:00 am

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