CRYSIS 2
Players tend to remember Crysis' system-crippling visuals, but forget about how most of the game was a sandbox shooter with the player controlling a supersoldier. So the idea of taking that same visual fidelity -- combined with ability to punch/run/throw/sneak/shoot past pretty much any skirmish as a nanotechnology-enhanced badass -- and apply that to New York City, sounds pretty damn nice. On top of that, the multiplayer comes from the same fellows behind the eminently playableTimeSplitters 2. Let's hope that the game stays focused on the sandbox combat and has less linear corridor runs like the tail end of the previous game.
It's odd to think that a team composed mostly of members of theRainbow Six Vegas development team will be making the next Deus Ex installment, but from what we've seen so far, they actually have a damn good handle on it. Wise decisions such as, "be inspired by the first game while largely ignoring the disappointing second game," and, "maintain the multiple play-style design approach," help a lot in that regard. Plus, it just plain looks great, and seeing every mission so far finished in a variety of ways gives us confidence. This is easily an action-RPG that we can't wait to sneak/shoot/talk through.
Diablo 3
While Blizzard didn't technically invent the genre (that goes to classics like Rogue and Nethack), the Diablo series simply perfected the loot-heavy action-RPG genre. It's hard to find a similar title that surpasses the ten-year-old Diablo 2 -- until Diablo 3 (which we're guessing is next year based on development time and how, hey, they got StarCraft 2 out last year). The revised visual palette, the new classes, and even the crafting system (where you still focus on being a badass hero, while other fools do the actual smithing and crafting of items for you) all contribute to us getting ready to click-click-click all over again next year.
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
It's hard to get excited about a game when all we really have to go on is a title and a brief trailer that shows cavern wall. But when the game has Elder Scrolls in its title, goose bumps start to form. While it's not clear if Skyrim will be powered by a new graphics engine or not, this is still one of the best fantasy franchises of all time -- every entry has been remarkable dating all the way back to Arena. With so many lessons learned fromFallout 3, Bethesda has a lot to live up to and we expect Skyrim to be one of our game-of-the-year contenders this time next year.
Guild Wars 2
The Old Republic isn't the only MMO to look forward to next year. NCsoft's Guild Wars gained some attention when it was first released back in 2005, featuring a large fantasy world, solid PvE and PvP action, great support from developer ArenaNet, and most importantly, no monthly fees. Guild Wars 2 may be their biggest push yet to capture a bigger slice of the MMO pie, with updated graphics, a large persistent world, more fast-paced combat, an intriguing take on quest structure (essentially, every quest is treated as a epic public quest event), and, yes, no extra fees.
Mass Effect 3
If you've played Mass Effect 2, then there's probably no need to explain why we think Mass Effect 3 is one of our most sought-after games of 2011. The universe that BioWare has created is just as detailed as any established science fiction property, and it's amazing they've been able to craft a story as compelling as it already is. We're looking forward to more hybrid shooter/RPG action (hopefully, with a bit more RPG added back in now that the shooting is damn good), and more importantly, another jaunt through the galaxy (and Earth!) with Commander Shepard and crew as they fight to save pretty much everyone from the invading Reapers.
