2011's Finest: Part 2

Rage
PC / PS3 / Xbox 360
id Software / Bethesda
September 15

Unless we count the iPhone game Rage: Mutant Smash TV, classic developer id Software really hasn't released an original game in many years. That's set to change with the Mad Max-smelling Rage, which true to company form looks spectacular. id Software continues to push the boundaries of what is graphically possible on the current generation of consoles. If the game will be as fun to play as it is pleasing to look at remains to be seen, but we're still counting down the days until September when it's finally supposed to hit the shelves.

Resistance 3
PS3
Insomniac Games / Sony
September

Resistance 3 was a bit of a shock announcement back at Gamescom with Insomniac CEO Ted Price taking to stage to show off a teaser trailer. We now know Resistance 3 takes place four years after the events of Resistance 2 in an occupied America. With all the experience Insomniac have gathered from developing a handful of games on Playstation 3 you can count on a memorable experience in September.

Forza Motorsport 4
Xbox 360
Turn 10 Studios / Microsoft
Q3 2011

The game was first shown at E3 last summer to show off its Kinect compatibility, but it wasn't formally announced until the Video Game Awards in December. While the Kinect demo at E3 left us underwhelmed and somewhat puzzled we were relieved to find out that it's a full on sequel that sports all the features we've come to love in the series.

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
PS3
Naughty Dog / Sony
November 1

The love of all rabid Playstation 3-fanboys everywhere, Nathan Drake is set to make a return in 2011. And to be honest, there's a reason why he - and the awesome games he stars in - creates fanboyism wherever he goes. Naughty Dog are masters at crafting cinematic games, and deliver them with a flair that most other developers can only dream of. Towards the end of next year, we look forward to join Nathan as he ends up in the desert in his constant search for hidden treasure.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
PC / PS3 / Xbox 360
Bethesda / Bethesda
November 11

Its existence has only just been revealed via the Spike TV VGAs a few weeks ago, but already excitement is building for the sequel to the critically acclaimed Oblivion. We know it's be released simultaneously across all three platforms, is being built on an entirely new engine developed in-house, and has been in development for two years. To be fair, Bethesda could have just flashed the name and release date on screen for a second and we'd already be saving our pennies for next November.

Gears of War 3
Xbox 360
Epic / Microsoft
Fourth Quarter

Another reason to cheer delays - they give the developer more time to improve the game in question. The shift to the year's end may be more a question of marketing that quality issues, but we know that Epic won't rest of its laurels with the extra time its been granted. Multiplayer's growing with the addition of the Locust-controlling Beast mode that sits as a nice alternative to Horde, while issues from the previous title have been taken onboard and according to the developer, have been erradicated and new kick-ass stuff bolted on. We're looking at an explosive end to a phenomenal trilogy.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning
PC / PS3 / Xbox 360
38 Studios / EA
Fourth Quarter

The title might be a bit cliche and groan-worthy, but there's nothing to shake your head at when it comes to the talent involved in bringing this RPG to life - both fantasy author R.A. Salvatore and comic artist Todd McFarlane is working at 38 Studios and bring their own visions to Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. The game is also supposed to set the tone for 38 Studios' upcoming MMO, so far only known as Copernicus, which will take place in the same world. If nothing else it will be very interesting to see what has been going on behind the scenes at the quite secretive developer.

Mass Effect 3
PC / PS3 / Xbox 360
Bioware / EA
Fourth Quarter

If you've experienced the end of Mass Effect 2 we're sure you're every bit as excited about Mass Effect 3 as we are. The reapers descend on our galaxy and the inhabitants of Earth are being slaughtered in the first teaser trailer released at the Video Game Awards in December. Commander Shepard is the one man who can save mankind from the greatest threat in the galaxy. The Mass Effect trilogy was first announced back in 2005 and it looks like Bioware will deliver on all of the promise as they bring it to a close in 2011.

Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One
PS3
Insomniac Games / Sony
Fourth Quarter

After finishing up the Future trilogy with Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time Insomniac Games have opted to take a different approach with All 4 One. This time the focus is on co-operative play as up to four players will take the roles of Ratchet, Clank, Doctor Nefarious and Qwark. They have all been caught by a mysterious machine known as the Creature Collector and in order to escape they need to help each other. Sounds like a solid foundation for a bit of humour right there and the Ratchet & Clank brand of humour is some of the best in gaming.

Batman: Arkham City
PC / PS3 / Xbox 360
Rocksteady / Warner Bros.
Winter

Two years ago Rocksteady did the impossible, crafting not only one of the finest superhero titles to hit console, but also one of the best games of the year. And from what we hear about its upcoming sequel, its ambition is growing. No safe re-tred here; Arkham City expands on Asylum by building on Batman's pre-existing move-set and outfits his gadgets with new tricks, introducing new villains while diversifying their gangs, and tantalising us with a potential two-player or alternate story mode with the appearance of Cat-woman. Only problem? we got to wait most of the year to play it.

The following games haven't been given a definite release date, neither day or even quarter.

DmC: Devil May Cry
PS3 / Xbox 360
Ninja Theory / Capcom
2011

It's the game with the most to prove in 2011, with high stakes for both companies involved. Capcom has had a patchy record farming established franchises to outside developers (Bionic Commando, Dead Rising 2) while Ninja Theory's decision to re-con the series and remake Dante has been highly controverisal. Whether the injection its delivering to the franchise is pure adrenaline or poison is a question on everybody's lips - there's no middle ground here. The mystery of what the Cambridge-based developer is doing is enough to spike our interest, but the combo of this year's decent Enslaved and that striking image of an emaciated and bruised Dante is enough to make us think something special is stirring.

Duke Nukem Forever
PC / PS3 / Xbox 360
Gearbox Software / 2K Games
2011

2011 is the year for Duke Nukem to show or shut up. After a Resurrection that verges on the miraculous, Duke is now walking around big as life, like a cigar-chomping, womanizing Schwarzenegger-Jesus thanks to Borderlands-creator Gearbox. The question is just how good will this slice of old-school FPS action be? Are we talking Predator-levels of testosterone fueling it, or will it be more creaky than The Expendables? Fluke, failure or fantastic, the simple fact that after a decade-long development cycle, the fact we're getting to play DNF is a fact worth celebrating.

Dungeon Siege III
PC / PS3 / Xbox 360
Obsidian Entertainment / Square Enix
2011

The dungeon crawl genre has been neglected for far too long, especially on consoles so it's nice to see the Dungeon Siege franchise coming to both Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 (as well as PC, obviously). It's not the first time Obsidian Entertainment picks off where another developer left a series, but judging from what we saw of the game at E3 it's a step in the right direction. Based on Obsidian's new propriety engine the game looks brilliant and we can't wait to join up with a gang of fellow crawlers to enjoy the co-operative experience sometime next year.

Infamous 2
PS3
Sucker Punch / Sony
2011

You might be a bit grumpy about the change in Cole's look for Infamous 2, but seriously - get over it. Infamous was a gem of a game, with an interesting story, fun powers to play around with and a cool city to explore - Infamous 2 is set to deliver even more of that, and then some. With a bigger open world to run around in, and even more awesome powers to let loose on that world, Infamous 2 could be the free-roaming game of 2011.

Prototype 2
PC / PS3 / Xbox 360
Radical Entertainment / Activision
2011

The first Prototype, good or crap? No matter what you thought of it, you must admit that tearing through a city in the way Alex Mercer did at least was entertaining. In Prototype 2, we go on the hunt for Mercer, armed with the same apocalyptic and gory powers as him. Gameplay details might be scarce right now, but we just want to tear tanks apart with gigantic claws. We're all about the crazy action here at Gamereactor.

Shadows of the Damned
PS3 / Xbox 360
Grasshopper Manufacture / EA
2011

The long rumoured Shinji Mikami and Suda51 collaboration was finally revealed on the eve of Tokyo Game Show by EA, and as a nice little twist it was revealed that longtime Silent Hill composer Akira Yamaoka would score the twisted and wonderful Resident Evil on strong hallucinogens that is Shadow of the... DAMNED!

Star Wars: The Old Republic
PC
Bioware / EA
2011

EA's biggest project ever, certainly Bioware's biggest title ever produced - Star Wars: The Old Republic is a massive undertaking for everyone involved. Taking the belowed Old Republic-franchise and placing it in a MMO is not a task approached lightly, and Bioware isn't pulling any stops - full voice-overs, epic storyline arches for every class, companions, spaceships, space battles, PvP battles, raids... If this fails, heads will roll. Good thing that so far it looks to be stellar. If there's one company that knows how to treat Star Wars with respect, it's Bioware.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Nintendo Wii
Nintendo / Nintendo
2011

The E3 showcase might have failed to impress due to connectivity issues, but that's little to reason to dismiss the new Zelda title. Its the first in Nintendo's long-running fantasy series to be built using the Wii hardware (Twilight Princess if you remember, was originally born on Gamecube) and lightly dabbles in the wider colour palette displayed in Wind Waker to great effect. Miyamoto recently stated the new game to be incredibly dense and therefore offering players the option of multiple playthroughs. A jam-packed Zelda loaded with secrets? Sounds good to us.

Tomb Raider
PS3 / Xbox 360
Crystal Dynamics / Square Enix
2011

With excitement still lingering after the excellent Guardian of Light, Crystal Dynamics continued to reveal what it could do with the Lara Croft licence if left to its own devices by finally showing mouth-watering snippets of its most-rumoured rebirth of Tomb Raider. The screens so far are promised as in-game, showing a youthful Lara exploring and surviving a island hellhole after a shipwreck that looks every bit as stunning as Uncharted. We can't wait to see this new title in action.

Xcom
PC / Xbox 360
2K Marin (Australia) / 2K Games
2011

Publishers 2K Games caught a bit of stick for reinventing X-Com as a first person shooter when 2K Marin's newest project was revealed from longtime fans of the strategy series. But after having witnessed the game first hand, I have to say I'm loving what I see. The wonderful 1950's atmosphere paired with aliens and cover-ups and a rather interesting hub like mission design has us excited about the next game from the Australian branch of 2K Marin.

Battlefield 3
PC / PS3 / Xbox 360
DICE / EA
Late 2011

The classic Battlefield-series will get its first "real" game since Battlefield 2 was released back in 2005. Even though we really liked both the Bad Company-games, the thought of getting a proper Battlefield-game does tickle our nostalgia-bone - despite the fact that we don't really know much about it yet. A beta is supposed to kick off at some point during 2011 and we hungrily await more details about it.

Diablo III
PC
Blizzard Entertainment / Activision Blizzard
Late 2011

Will Diablo III be released in 2011? Perhaps. Hopefully. You never know with Blizzard, who will happily postpone the game if it doesn't live up to their standard. Either way, the first two games defined the genre and a myriad of copycats have sprung up since Diablo II was released ten years ago - it's time for Blizzard to get back on the horse, release Diablo III and show everyone else how it's done.

Guild Wars 2
PC
ArenaNet / NCsoft
Late 2011

Taking more inspiration from other MMOs than the original Guild Wars, ArenaNet and NCsoft are doing what they can to rethink their approach to the genre. Guild Wars 2 will feature a new approach to quests with a more dynamic event system, will come with tons of lore, and frankly looks beautiful. Together with a certain Star Wars-themed MMO, it's one of the biggest MMOs to launch during 2011, and fans everywhere eagerly await its arrival. The pressure on ArenaNet to produce greatness is huge and as hype will pick up during the year, it doesn't look like it will get any easier.