2011's Finest: Part 1

With the New Year mere days away, we look to the releases in the twelve months ahead, specifically the titles you need to make room for in your collection. First, January to July:

{Little Big Planet 2}
PS3
Media Molecule / Sony
January 21

One of the first major titles to be released in 2011 is Media Molecule's {Little Big Planet 2}. All the downloadable content from the first game will be usable and most of the user created stuff from {Little Big Planet} will also be playable with {Little Big Planet 2}. But the little changes that allow you to create games or levels without Sackboys in different genres and with more advanced enemies (sackbots) are what will really evolve the experience for players. It's a game that will never get old, thanks to the wonderfully creative community already in place.

{Dead Space 2}
PS3 /Xbox 360
Visceral Games / EA
January 28

Issac Clarke is rapidly becoming a jinx. no matter where the engineer sets foot, he's quickly swamped by Necromorphs, the alien parasite that reanimates and mutates corpses for its own deadly end. Selfishly, we're glad he is though, because otherwise we wouldn't have {Dead Space 2} to look forward to. The game is as eye-gougingly beautiful and intense as the original, but breaks the linear constrictions of its predecessor by setting the game aboard the Sprawl, a massive labyrinth of a space station. While we've yet to be convinced by the multiplayer mode, the quality of the recent SP demo means we're eager to descend into sci-fi hell once more. We'll know for sure in only a few weeks.

{Test Drive Unlimited 2}
PC / PS3 / Xbox 360
Eden Games / Atari
11 February

Delayed from last year, TDU2 continues the racing series that offers its own unique spin over its competitors in the genre; a sandbox racer that lets you live the lifestyle that comes with earning and owning some of the most desirable cars on the planet. You've got the entire island of Ibiza to race around, joining car clubs, buying villas and challenging friends, who''ll dynamically appear in the game world as the offline and online modes merge seamlessly together, to races and bragging rights. Its a game for the true racing connoisseur.

{Marvel vs Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds}
PS3 / Xbox 360
Capcom / Capcom
February 18

Arguably the third iteration of Capcom's enjoyable 3 on 3 fight-fest has gestated on the strength of fan fervour alone, and Capcom is responding with the ultimate bout of fan service. A welcome announcement earlier this year, the 2D fighter mixes characters from both company stables into an O.T.T battle royal, with rosters apparently drafted from fan requests. True or not, the list is incredibly diverse and even now there's still rumours of new or hidden additions to the cast. A simplified button scheme and automatic modes will let newcomers and average players enjoy the title alongside the hardcore fraternity, and offers the perfect excuse to pick up a arcade fightstick.

{Bulletstorm}
PC / PS3 / Xbox 360
People Can Fly, Epic / EA
February 22

Whip it, kick it, shoot it in the head! {Bulletstorm} is an action romp that smells of old school arcade sensibilities. Set up spectacular kills for better scores and buy need weaponry and gear with your earnings. It's over-the-top, loud, beautiful and the perfect game for those of us who are tired of peaking out of cover and nail headshots all day long. The kick mechanic and the electric whip are two things that helps the player feel overpowered and ready to face any and all enemies that come running towards you.

{Killzone 3}
PS3
Guerilla Games / Sony
February 23

Stereoscopic 3D, co-op, Move-support. {Killzone 3} has it all, and is set to be one of Sony's most important titles for the Playstation 3 next year. Looking back at {Killzone 2}, they will have to mess up royally to not make {Killzone 3} an awesome game. If nothing else, we can't wait to stare into those yellow Helghast-eyes again...and then open fire straight in their faces. Also, {Killzone 3} is set to become the multiplayer game to keep your eyes on early 2011.

{Crysis 2}
PC / PS3 / Xbox 360
Crytek / EA
February 25

A brand new setting, the same awful alien menace. The player will be equipped with an upgraded nanosuit, a more streamlined version of the original suit that adds more power and some additional features as you try and survive an alien infested New York as well as your human pursuers. {Crysis} has always been about spectacular visuals and as this is Crytek's first array into console territory we're excited to see if they can push the consoles further than before.

{Dragon Age II}
PC / PS3 / Xbox 360
Bioware / EA
March 10

When making the sequel to their spectacular RPG epic {Dragon Age: Origins}, Bioware took a long look at other games in their stables and decided to tighten up the storytelling. More reminiscent of {Mass Effect 2} than the original, {Dragon Age II} puts us in the shoes of hero Hawke, as he (or she) do battle against an ancient evil. While it's always a bit scary when a developer strays from the formula that made an earlier game so great, when was the last time Bioware let us down? Oh, that's right - that never happened.

{Total War: Shogun 2}
PC
Creative Assembly / Sega
March 15

Its usually the latest must-have FPS that has you clamouring for the latest graphics card to max out your PC's performance, but come March there'll be gamers the world over doing the same for Creative's return to Japan in its Total War series. After a recent hands-on we can confirm the level details, from mountainside castles to individual troops, are stunning, and they're backed up with solid RTS gameplay and a mammoth multiplayer meta-game which boasts plenty of customisations and commands for budding Clan leaders.

{F.E.A.R. 3}
PC / PS3 / Xbox 360
Day 1 Studios / Warner
March 22

Alma is pregnant and about to give birth to something nasty. That thought alone is enough to scare us shitless, to be honest. {F.E.A.R. 3} carries on the series' legacy of in-your-face action, while also giving us a healthy dose of horror. Featuring campaign co-op, where one player gets to control a ghost able to possess enemies, we're at least glad that we got someone that we can curl up to if things get too scary. The previous games might not have been all successes, but we're hoping that {F.E.A.R. 3} will offer some new fresh experiences next year.

Nintendo 3DS
Nintendo
March

We arrived a bit late to Nintendo's press conference this summer. We knew what was being shown, we knew Reggie would use big words (epic, epic, epic), but nothing could prepare us for what it was like to actually hold a Nintendo 3DS in the palm of our hands and watch the 3D effect grow as we manipulated the 3D slider. While the pull of a fancy new piece of technology is quite enough to make us slobber all over our shirts, it's the games that will keep us glued to the device once March hits.

{Brink}
PC / PS3 / Xbox 360
Splash Damage / Bethesda
First Quarter

Movement is one of the most important aspect of Splash Damage's shooter {Brink}, set in the futuristic city of The Ark. As anarchists and the forces of the police clash in the streets, the developers try to mix the free flow of parkour with the wild action of the online shooter which - if it doesn't give us motion sickness - might make for some awesome multiplayer shoot outs when the game launches next year.

{Homefront}
PC / PS3 / Xbox 360
Kaos Studios / THQ
First Quarter

Welcome to occupied America. THQ's near-future FPS proposes a surprise attack by united Korean forces decimating America and turning the country into the biggest occupation in the world. Narrative-wise,, there's elements of {Half-Life 2} as you join a counter-offensive rebellion to escape the new brutal police state, while your arsenal flirts outrageously with both {Call of Duty} and Ghost Recon, rifles and remote controlled tanks at your disposal, though Kaos has pointed out that finding ammo will be a constant hazard. The Frontlines dev is flexing its multiplayer muscle by promising 32 player team matches upon launch.

{Portal 2}
PC / PS3 / Xbox 360
Valve / EA
21 April

Finally getting a concrete release date after numerous delays (which to be fair, Valve made as amusing as possible) sequel to the Little Game that Could has been fleshed out into a full retail title and added the already mind-numbing thought of two-player cooperative adventure, which will incorporate simple gestures to allow players working online together to suggest portal-firing, switch-hitting strategies. Sounds a nightmare, but Valve has generated a trust and faith in the industry few developers have matched - expect nothing less than one of the most uniquely enjoyable experiences of your life.

{The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings}
PC
CD Projekt / Namco Bandai
May 17

It's been a few years since we got to play as Geralt in the first {The Witcher}-game, but CD Projekt has been busy ever since. {The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings} uses the company's own game engine, instead of the Aurora-engine that was licensed for the first game, and it looks simply stunning. You might want to consider updating that PC of yours for this one. Also, CD Projekt has promised that the game will be incredibly open-ended, will more or less be completely without loading screens, and come with 16 different endings. We can't wait.

{Red Faction: Armageddon}
PC / PS3 / Xbox 360
Volition / THQ
May

Volition are building on the foundations of sci-fi sandbox shooter {Red Faction: Guerrilla} by flinging the series forward some thirty years and evolving some of the franchise's fancier mechanics. You're still on Mars, but now deep underground to escape a planetary storm on the surface, which is promising to lead to some fantastic level design as mankind has utilized walls and ceilings on which to hang its new home, connecting them via a series of immense catwalks. You play Darius Mason, fighting against an vicious alien race that's unearthed at the game's start. You're packing some fancy gadgets, such as the Neo-Forge, which lets you destroy and rebuild structures at will - something that will form the title's central gameplay mechanic.

{L.A. Noire}
PC / PS3 / Xbox 360
Team Bondi / Rockstar, Take Two
Spring

For a long time, we didn't hear anything about {L.A. Noire}. Not a word. Then all of the sudden, Rockstar film noire-inspired detective saga exploded onto the scene with a trailer that had us gasping for more. Featuring one of the coolest settings in ages, with some of the most advanced lipsynching in a game ever, we have no doubt that we'll be gnawing our fingers to the bone out of suspense when {L.A. Noire} is finally released during the spring of 2011.

{Shift 2: Unleashed}
PC / PS3 / Xbox 360
Slightly Mad Studios / EA
Spring

The sequel to {Need for Speed: Shift} drops the Need for Speed name but remains true to what Slightly Mad Studios' first effort was all about. Simulation based racing on famous tracks with exciting and fast cars. With a developer focused on ironing out any annoyances found in the predecessor and adding some of the wonderful autolog online functionality of {Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit} it looks like Gran Turismo and Forza are in for some stiff competition this spring.

{Deus Ex: Human Revolution}
PC / PS3 / Xbox 360
Eidos Montreal / Square Enix
Second Quarter

A playable Blade Runner. To some people, that's enough to sell Human Revolution. The futuristic cyberpunk adventure has you playing cybernetically-altered Adam Jensen, a walking weapon who's bringing back black trenchcoats and shades into fashion. he's scouring the dark underbelly of a sci-fi metropolis to uncover a conspiracy more tangled than a year's worth of espionage novels . Dense, detailed, and offering multiple ways to play each mission and the ability to customise your load-outs accordingly, {Deus Ex} has the chance to be one of next year's biggest titles. Just watch the trailer, and try not to piss your pants in excitement.

{Mortal Kombat}
PS3 / Xbox 360
NetherRealm Studios / Warner Bros
Second Quarter

The long-running fighting series finally gets its balls back by doing a Street Fighter. Back to a 2D fighting plain and polishing the roster of twenty-six iconic characters to make them truly indivisual, Ed Boon's return to the genre has managed to eradicate the joke the MK series was slowly becoming and made it a serious contender once more. The care and effort the developer is putting into the fighting and combo systems have managed to genuinely excite players again - 2011 could be the year of the Fatality for the fighting genre.

Child of Eden
PS3 / Xbox 360
Q Entertainment / Ubisoft
Early 2011

Tetsuya Mizuguchi's spiritual successor to Rez looks every bit as amazing as it sounds. If there ever was a game that was a journey it was Rez, a feast for all your senses and from what we've experienced of Child of Eden it lives up to its predecessor in every way. A lot of focus has been given to its support of Kinect, but keep in mind you will be able to sit down and play it with a controller as well.

Dirt 3
PC / PS3 / Xbox 360
Codemasters / Codemasters
Early 2011

Dirt 2 was one of the few racing games that even got our car-oblivious Petter Mårtensson to spend many hours behind the wheel. That says a lot about its qualities as a fun racer. In Dirt 3, Codemasters say that they will have a lot more variation, better car physics and a better online experience in general. Sounds good to us!

Click through to conclude our look at 2011's Finest, running down the list from August to December, along with those titles that still don't have release dates yet.