14:27
The Geek Mill.
2011 is not just the year of the Rabbit, but it seems the year of the Gamer as well.
We have already had an impressive start to the year with games such as:
Little Big Planet 2
Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds
Bulletstorm
Killzone 3
Luckily, however, for me and you, figuring that out isn't part of our job.
All that we need to know is this year whether its the 'Year of Gaming' or not, this year is still going to be a very fun and eventful year.
Below are a list of games in order of release that I personally will be looking forward to.
As its 2011 - I will do a Top 11...just to be different.
**Some game titles are links to more in depth posts**
Top 11 of 2011
Homefront is set in a near future America in 2027 when a nuclear-armed Korean's People's Army invades the USA. The game is written by John Milius,who co-wrote Apocalypse Now and wrote Red Dawn. One of the major portions of the story arc is built around not only the growth of the North Korean forces over the years leading to the year 2027 (the year in which the game takes place), but also the economic downfall of the USA, and the unrest that seems to grip the nation before the invasion.
Shift 2: Unleashed - March 29, 2011
Shift 2: Unleashed expands on the gameplay and features introduced with the original. It has been announced that it will contain the FIA GT3 European Championship among lots of other racing content, as well as several new tracks, including legendary circuits such as Bathurst and Suzuka. Other new features include night racing and an in-helmet camera, as well as the Autolog feature that was originally seen in Criterion's Hot Pursuit The game will also feature a new physics engine, new elite handling model and more control over all the controller settings.
Operation Flashpoint: Red River - April 26, 2011
The game's plot will concern a fictional conflict in Tajikistan in 2013. When a civil war breaks out, the U.S Marine Corps moves in to deal with it. However, the Peoples Liberation Army of neighboring China becomes suspicious. When they order the Marines to leave, they refuse, and the world's next flashpoint erupts. The game will be a tactical first person shooter, similar to its predecessor. The player will have the option of playing the campaign co-operatively. However, the game will not feature competitive multiplayer. The player will be able to choose between four classes of Marines to play as, rifleman, grenadier, scout and automatic rifleman, each with their own weapons and abilities.
The Aliens have returned to Earth yet again, messing up Duke's sweet routine of dirty leisure habits. They start by stealing Earth women and by drinking Duke's beer. As Duke battles his way through waves of aliens, the once beautiful gambling haven of Las Vegas and the Duke Nukem franchise chains start crumbling before his very eyes. The debut trailer from Gearbox indicates that the long development hiatus may be canon to the story.
L.A. Noire is an upcoming video game developed by Team Bondi in conjuction with Rockstar games and published by Rockstar Games. Initially announced as only for the Playstation 3, the game was later reported to also be scheduled for release on the Xbox 360 (Thank God!) L.A. Noire is set in "a perfectly re-created Los Angeles" of 1947, with players being given an open-ended challenge to solve a series of murder mysteries.
Arkham City, like its predecessor, Batman Arkham Asylum, is an action video game that incorporates elements of stealth and predator tactics. All of the gadgets previously obtained in the first game will be present at the start of Arkham City, some possessing improved or new capabilities. At least two additional gadgets have been revealed: smoke bombs which Batman can use and sneak away in the confusion, and a broadcast tracer device to locate signals and track them to their sources.
Spec Ops: The Line - Summer 2011
The Line is primarily a third-person shooter with emphasis on squad based tactics. The player controls Captain Martin Walker who is accompanied by a Delta Force bravo team to rescue a U.S. Army Colonel who remained behind in Dubai. To accomplish this goal, players must traverse the city to neutralize enemy threats and natural disasters to find and recover the lost Colonel, named John Konrad. As the player progresses, better weapons and equipment will become available to accomplish goals more easily.
Gears of War 3 - September 20, 2011
Gears of War 3 will feature for the first time a four-player co-op mode and the introduction of three playable female characters: Samantha Byrne, Anya Stroud, and Bernadette Mataki (a character from the novels by Karen Traviss). Another new playable character is Jace Stratton, a battle-hardened soldier who appears in the comic series and is mentioned in the second game.
Battlefield 3 will feature the maximalist combined arms battles that made the series popular across single-player, co-operative and multiplayer modes. It will reintroduce several elements absent from the Bad Company games, including fighter jets, the prone position and 64-player battles on PC, while the consoles will support 24 players. A new animation system will allow players to "drag fallen comrades into safety and mount weapons on almost any part of the terrain."
Call of Duty - Autumn 2011
"More information to come on this title"
Mass Effect 3 - Christmas 2011
Earth is burning. Striking from beyond known space, a race of terrifying machines have begun their destruction of the human race. As Commander Shepard, an Alliance Marine, your only hope for saving mankind is to rally the civilizations of the galaxy and launch one final mission to take back the Earth.
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You can clearly see, whether your gaming taste buds are tingling or not, 2011 is going to be very special indeed.
I will do a more in depth blog / preview on certain games as the weeks progress...but for now, I hope that I have made you even 1/8th as excited as this little gamer will be this coming 2011.
