Similar to how last year had Heavy Rain, God of War 3, and Gran Turismo 5, this coming year heralds another extremely strong lineup of first party titles for the PS3. At one point, this list contained only PS3 exclusives or first-party titles. So consider it a testament when something like Batman: Arkham City or Portal 2 or another third-party title manages to knock something like Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One off the top ten. Whatever your beat, 2011 looks like a fantastic year for PS3 owners.
An even better version of the best Batmangame to date, but now taking place across a large chunk of Gotham City rather than just Arkham Asylum? Of course we're into that -- even if the new trailer that premiered at the Spike VGAs showed no gameplay. For fans not familiar with that trailer's villain Dr. Hugo Strange, here's a quick primer: Strange is a psychologist who becomes obsessed with Batman, deduces his true identity, and takes to dressing as the caped crusader. This follow-up seems huge if both Strange and Two-Face have major roles, in addition to other classic villains like Joker and Mr. Freeze.
It's odd to think that a team composed mostly of members of the Rainbow 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.
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 from Fallout 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.
One of the best superhero videogames ever is getting a sequel from most of the crew who created the original -- a rare treat these days when so many team members part for other lines of work. The team has stated that they've learned how to take more power from the PlayStation 3's cell microprocessors, which leads to things such as gorgeous environment destruction and a less-annoying-looking Cole. Seeing Cole conjure a lightning tornado to tear through a building has already scratched our "HD generation superhero slugfest" itch.
The people who made flow and Flower have decided to add feet this time around, but no talking. With Journey, they're taking their experimental games-as-emotional-journeys concept and putting it in a world filled with sand, a giant mountain off in the distance that players are attempting to reach, and even multiplayer, with the ability for two characters to interact with each other in a yet-to-be-exactly-defined way. If Flower is anything to go by, these guys know what they're doing, though Journey is certainly their most ambitious game to date.
The PS3 is getting a double-feature of its key shooter franchises, so no matter whether you're more of a Resistance player or a Killzone one, you're covered for 2011. The Killzone 3 beta looked pretty damn beautiful when we played it on Game Night and we're certain you're more than ready to destroy the Helghast. As for Resistance, the idea of exploring a Chimera-occupied/ravaged America sounds like a refreshing change of pace from the previous two titles, and we're looking forward to seeing what else Insomniac will be changing to make this third installment stand out. It's a celebration of shooter trinities for the PS3!
The team behind PS2 classics Ico and Shadow of the Colossus has been working on their first PS3 game for a long time, with a concept that looks to pull aspects from both of their previous games -- the sneaking gameplay of Ico, the giant creatures of SOTC -- and an art style that's far more detailed and beautiful than they've been able to do in the past. Much like the team's other games, The Last Guardian should be a mix of an emotional story and action/puzzle mechanics. And after about five years in development, Sony says it's actually shipping at the end of 2011. Fingers crossed.
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.
Valve's buddy cop platform puzzler, starring two speechless robo-protagonists, seems as though it could have come from the minds of Pixar --masters of making lifeless things full of emotion. With Portal 2's new co-op dynamic, the challenging platforming puzzles you loved in the first game will now require two portal guns to solve. And while you may feel the urge to murder your partner from time to time, each level will need both participants to successfully complete. And all this is on top of a longer single-player puzzle campaign featuring more GLaDOS. Finally, of course, one can only imagine what next big Internet meme will explode out of Portal 2.
Naughty Dog has always been a fine developer, but it's their crafting of Nathan Drake's adventures that pretty much make them the definitive PlayStation 3 developer. Recall that Uncharted 2, besides being a significant improvement over the first title gameplay-wise, is also pretty much the best looking game of the past few years. What Naughty Dog did with urban combat and snow, they are now turning towards sand and who knows what else. Another fantastic looking game with tons of tiny details (look at how the fire propagates throughout the room in recent videos), another sharp script that rivals movies in terms of delivery and content, and more gameplay enhancements already make this a must-have in 2011.
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