Top Upcoming Games of 2012

Mass Effect 3 is the last installment in the epic tale of Commander Shepard. This masterpiece RPG / 3rd person shooter hybrid from Bioware provides stunning cinematic experience, no matter which device you're playing on. The game is supposed to be somewhat harder than its predecessors, and also offer more ways to customize your character and your weapon arsenal.

It's rare for a PC-exclusive game to be a huge bestseller these days, but if any game can do it, it's Diablo 3. Fans have been waiting for a sequel to the dark RPG story, Diablo 2, for over 10 years now, and Blizzard seems intent on delivering the best experience possible. The game offers drastic improvements in graphics and physics, some changes in art style, and an entirely new array of classes and their abilities.

GTA is one of the biggest video game franchises in the world, notorious for giving the player almost unlimited freedom to unleash violence upon the game characters. Like it is customary in a Grand Theft Auto game, GTA V allows the player to steal, buy, or otherwise acquire and use various vehicles ranging from cars and motorcycles to helicopters and planes. There's also numerous weapons, and of course a story that you can complete at your leisure. (If you are anything like me, you'll spend more time running around town wreaking havoc).

Fans of the highly popular Halo franchise are awaiting the release of the sequel with some trepidation. Developed by an entirely new company (343 Industries), Halo 4 will have to live up to Bungie's legacy (the company which developed the original trilogy). Halo 4 is not only a direct sequel to Halo 3, but it is also the beginning of an entirely new "Reclaimer Trilogy" which will continue the story of the series' protagonist, Master Chief.

At the time I'm writing this article, KoA: Reckoning has been out for about 2 weeks. This action RPG with contributions from R.A. Salvatore and Todd McFarlane definitely deserves a place on any "top 2012 games" list. Kingdoms of Amalur has received glowing reviews from multiple gaming websites and currently holds an 85 score at Metacritic. The game features an interesting advancement system that lets you combine elements of stealth, warrior, and magic classes without restrictions.

Max Payne 3 is an unusual title - the game is no longer being developed by Remedy Entertainment like the first two games were, and it also features numerous changes in gameplay. On the other hand, Rockstar is a developer with lots of talent and great games under their belt, so I'm hoping they can continue the story of our favorite detective,  and capture the unique feeling and atmosphere that the first two Max Payne installments had. Max Payne 3, I might add, is a direct sequel, and takes place 8 years after the events of the previous game.

Bioshock Infinite might share the name and the gameplay elements with the previous installments, but the plot of the game is unrelated to that of the original Bioshock, and its sequel, Bioshock 2. Rather than taking place in the underwater city of Rapture, Bioshock Infinite will take you to the skies: the floating city Columbia, ravaged by civil war between two factions. Much like in the previous titles, you will be able to upgrade your abilities and powers using "vigors" and "nostrums" (think tonics and plasmids).

Borderlands 2 is the highly anticipated sequel to the sci-fi FPS game Borderlands, developed by Gearbox Software. The game has a new gun system which allows nearly unlimited customization, lots of loot, new characters and classes, and an improvement RPG system. The game still retains its unique visual style, and the co-op modes.

The new Hitman game once again puts you in the shoes of the silent assassin codenamed Agent 47. The game gets the customary upgrades in graphics and physics departments, and also features a darker story and some new gameplay mechanics. Worry not, however, Hitman Absolution is still very much a stealth game which allows the player to choose how they want to dispatch their target. Rumor has it, this sequel will plunge Agent 47 to the figurative bottom, and he'll have to work his way up, proving his worth as an assassin.

World of Wacraft has been the king of MMORPGs for years now. Many titles have attempted to usurp the throne, but not one managed to come even close to the level of popularity that WoW is currently enjoying. Rather than being copycats, ArenaNet came up with some interesting and fresh concepts, while at the same time preserving the best that the original Guild Wars has to offer (namely, competitive PvP and balanced classes). The game claims to eliminate the boring "grinding" for XP, competition for quest drops, and cliche class roles. Could it be that by doing their own thing, ArenaNet will manage to seize the throne with GW2?