Fall 2012 is jam packed with great games to be excited about. Though there is plenty that has been shifted into early 2013, here is what we are looking forward to fall of this year.
Alex O’Neill
Darksiders 2 ~ PS3 – 360 – PC, August 14th
Even though it is just barely cropping up on Fall 2012, Darksiders 2 is easily my most-looked forward to game of this year. The original was something out of nowhere. A game released in the first week of 2010 by a new developer that I had no idea even existed. Out of nowhere I fell in love with a world ravaged by demons and angels, where you took control of a horseman of the apocalypse.
A sequel chalk full of brand new elements such as loot, damage numbers, leveling and a much bigger world to explore. Death seems to be a great character to jump into and hasn’t been really tackled by a lot modern video games. Every trailer and every clip of gameplay just reminds me of all the fun I had playing as War, crawling into crazy Zelda-like dungeons, and fighting huge religious icons to undo the apocalypse.
I can’t wait to see what Darksiders 2 has in store.
Tony Horvath
Dark Souls: Prepare to Die ~ PC, August 24th, 2012
After playing the PS3 version of the game start to finish, I could only conclude that as a PC Gamer, the PC version was a must have. I look for constant challenge in my games and Dark Souls never fails. Not only that, but it satisfies the co-op and multiplayer versus categories in a passable sense with co-op areas, and the constant threat of being invaded while you have your humanity. To top it all off, there is a pair of new areas, one specifically engineered for player vs. player combat.
If you are looking for a constant threat of death from multiple angles, Dark Souls is definitely for you. There have been a few reports that the PC port wasn’t up to snuff control wise, so I’d recommend you steal your friend’s wired Xbox 360 controller, like I am going to. All in all, the game seems to emulate the console version of Dark Souls well and also offers a few new additions to an already fantastic game.
Alex Edwards
Bioshock Infinite ~ PS3 – 360 – PC, February 26th, 2013
Though not technically in 2012, it is the only game on my radar at the moment. As a relatively new member on the Bioshock bandwagon, I’m extremely lucky that I don’t have to wait long for the next installment. This series is so immediately addictive, even for those you like me, who aren’t as good at first-person games. The story is so immersive, the gameplay ever-exciting, and just enough tension to keep me on the edge of our seat and our adrenaline pumping, but not enough to give me an anxiety attack.
That’s why Bioshock Infinite is so exciting. Its all-new plot involving a city, Columbia, a Rapture in the sky, ravaged by a civil war, an agent named Booker (the player), a captive named Elizabeth, and Elizabeth’s ever-present ex-”guardian”, Songbird, a mechanical bird-like monstrosity which has kept her captive in Columbia for the last twelve years. There is no EVE, but rather vigors with limited uses and “stable” and “unstable” nostrums, which are permanent when used. Who knows what lies at the end of Bioshock Infinite? I don’t, but I’m definitely looking forward to finding out.
Billy Ramey
End of Nations – PC – TBD
Petroglyph Games is a studio that has made a name for themselves by making great RTS games. Universe at War is still considered by many to be one of the best RTS games made. Petroglyph is looking to take everything they know about RTS games and add in some MMO elements with End of Nations. I’ve been able to play in the closed alpha for almost a month now and have watched this game continue to get better. They are having their second closed beta weekend from 8/3/201 – 8/5/2012 and the excited for this game seems to be shared by the masses. End of Nations has stripped the normal RTS game down to what they think makes it the most fun, fighting. You don’t have to worry about base building or keeping a steady economy going to be competitive. EoN focuses on the units and match ups they create. You chose a load of units you want to battle with and hope they match up well. If not, swap your load out for another set of unit. This is a concept that has made the alpha and beta for this game a lot of fun. It’s also going to launch as free to play which has helped draw interest from a lot more people. Seeing the changes that Petroglyph has made between each patch, I have high expectation for the finished product.