Announcing!
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - The Later Years
developed by Peter Molyneux, yeah just him
Dun dun dun!!

Seriously though, Mass Effect 3.

Games I'm looking forward to that likely aren't going to be out this year:

Grand Theft Auto V
The Last Guardian
Guild Wars 2
Prototype 2
Trine 2
Of Orcs and Men
Dragon's Dogma

I'd have Mass Effect 3 on the list, but I'm only getting more and more tentative about that one by the minute.

As far as the rest of this year goes, I'm really looking forward to buying Skryim and Uncharted 3 next week. Other than that, I don't know. I haven't decided what I want for Christmas, but I must admit, I kind of want MW3 now :/

Then next year there's Sly 4, Bioshock Infinite, Dishonored, Prey 2, Metro: Last Light... Too [censored] many to list. I'm just hoping they're evenly spread out instead of coming out in the same month.

God when does that even come out? Seems like I remember hearing about it years and years ago, and then it dropped off the face of the earth. I mean, wasn't that supposed to be a PS3 launch title or something?

As I've understood it, the release will be simultaneous for all platforms. Same with developement -- the PB team is working on the PC version and core design, and the bunch who did the Xbox version for the first game (don't remember the companys name) does the consoles, but this time around they have a proper developement time and the game is designed for all platforms by default (unlike with Risen, which was to be a PC only title up until very late in the developement cycle). So most likely everything'll work out much better with the console versions than before.

It is an aRPG, like Bethesda games, but likely more reactive and challenging (multiple paths through the game are confirmed and there'll be consequences for your choices for example). Very Gothic esque (if you've played those games), as the first Risen, from what I've read.

Is this that other company's first time working on a PS3 game? It's simply not a platform historically PC or Xbox-centric developers will catch on to the first time around, I'd imagine, so I'm worried in that regard.

The most I've played (beyond trying to tackle the demo of the haphazardly named and non Piranha Bytes "Gothic IV" with my weak PC that didn't run it at a playable fps) of Gothic was the Gothic 3 demo, so I didn't really do much beyond admire the scenery and kill a few things. I also tried the Risen demo, but while Gothic 3 kind of pushed the limits of my laptop while maintaining an average of 30 fps at about medium (although had a lot of stuttering in between cells), Risen at low, while running, was too choppy for me to get any enjoyment. All I know is I like RPGs, I like somewhat open gameworlds, and I like pretty, tropical scenery and owning my own ship. Does Risen 2 fit that criteria? I'm not so sure about the ship thing.

Its interesting that nobody has mentioned Diablo 3. I dont think im going out on a limb here if i say that most people on the forum have probably played diablo 2 and enjoyed it, but much like myself diablo 3 really doesnt have anything that makes me feel like, oh i gotta get that game.

PB have given me no reason to believe that Risen 2 will be good on PS3. KoA looks like [censored]. So other then Skyrim DLC, i'll be looking forward to GTA V and The Last Guardian.

GTA V
Hitman: Absolution
Guild Wars 2
Soul Calibur V

That haven't been announced:
Fallout 5
Heart of Darkness HD reboot. I know it'll never happen, but I can dream.
Cooking Mama: Apocalypse Edition.

For me Diablo 3 is a big "wait and see" title. The current Blizzard is not the Blizzard that made Diablo 2 and Warcraft 3...so anything that comes out of it is automatically treated with caution.

Of course I'm also just waiting for them to announce that Diablo 3 will be episodic like StarCraft 2. Mark my words. It'll happen. You'll see. :ahhh:

http://industry.wizarbox.com/en if you wish to check out what they're about. I didn't browse so can't really give any highlights, but PB and Deep Silver said they did learn about the mistake with the crappy xbox version of Risen, so I don't think they'll mess this one up.

I think you could like both Risen and Risen 2. The demo of the first game was a choppy on my high-medium desktop too, but the full game ran much more smoothly. It wasn't a perfect game, but it did offer one of the best RPG experiences in years for me. Expecting no less from Risen 2.

Risen 2 does fill your criteria -- at least from what I've seen and read. You get your own ship and recruit your crew (this will apparently involve some choices and consequences too), but you cannot sail it manually (PB pointed out that they don't really know how to create sailing simulators), just travel with it between the islands. Tropical scenery is a given, and the gameworld is open -- the beginning will be a bit linear, but the game will open up further down the line after certain prerequisites with estimated gameplaytime of about 60 hours.

You'd probably like Ultima VII, except for the graphics it exceeds all of your criteria.

I'm actually getting kind of eager for Star Wars: The Old Republic.

I don't really hear too much about Risen. It's not very popular in the U.S., it would seem, so I never really have a whole lot of people recommending these games, but, subsequently, it has always left me wondering. Choices and consequences are always welcome, by me.


Yeah, I've heard of it, but there's just something about extremely old graphics that makes taking a game seriously more difficult. I'm sure I might enjoy it. I seem to have a well-placed interest in plenty of different games with the indecisive "RPG" label. I'll play everything from Kingdom Hearts, to TES, to Baldur's Gate, to Fallout, to KotOR, to Dragon Quest, to Pokemon, so I would imagine Ultima VII could be enjoyable... but the age of the game just... :meh:

Ace Combat on the 3DS, saw a video of it on my 3DS---looks great.

Phantasy Star Online 2. Gonna be a while though. First Alpha test was this summer, game was delayed, second Alpha in early 2012. They said it was delayed to make a better game, so I guess I'll be patient.

Oh, and sound is important, too. Older games from the DOS era use MIDI files and they sound terrible, in my opinion. In general, age is just an unfortunately unavoidable and common factor that begins to mar some older, but great, games... which reminds me, is the soundtrack and audio design of the first Risen game any good? How is that of the second, from what we know? I always appreciate nice music and audio details.

I understand your viewpoint, and it always amazes me how vastly different people's opinions can be.

I don't even remember most orchestrated music in modern games, it's all so forgettable to me, but I'll never forget http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-241S8g6P_U. It's not that older games are marred in any way, it's just that the standards have changed. But I guess that's way off topic. :tongue:

Dragon's Crown.

As I move along in my gaming career, I find that I'm starting to enjoy more casual games. Not "casual" as in Bejeweled, but games that don't set your teeth on edge and make you rage-quit.

That doesn't sound half-bad, but much of it is the style of the song, I would imagine. With all the time I spend playing some really fun games... it just gets unpleasant, in my opinion, to have trouble making out shapes in a game and to hear just MIDI sound (and I do also mean all sound... everything from birds chirping, to wolves snarling, and, of course, to music playing) or especially with modern standards. I mean yes, standards have changed and that plays a role in how I perceive certain games differently at different times of my life, but there is still an objective goal I'd love to see reached with pristine, crystal clear, intricate sound and gorgeous, advanced visuals with any form of media and more technically archaic is more technically archaic, if that makes any sense. One of my favorite movies of all time is Lawrence of Arabia (1962).

It's fantastic, but I feel the age of its technology is marring it when modern movies can play in HD resolutions with clear sound while, sometimes, it can be difficult to make out audio in some older films. If it could be done, I'd love to see Lawrence of Arabia somehow converted to modern HD video and audio formats while retaining every single little detail about them. I only wish my favorite older films could be up to the standards and, objectively, closer realization of my technical dream. I don't want a remake. A classic is a classic and nobody had dare make a remake of a film which has Lawrence of Arabia's cast, but the grainy video quality and antiquated sound make me try to essentially enjoy one of my favorite movies through a poor filter. Well, at least it's technicolor. Anyway, I feel the same about older games... but games can get up-to-date sequels and advance in technology even more rapidly than film... definitely more rapidly than film. If I could just get a Baldur's Gate III in the modern era...

Baldur's Gate II isn't too bad, though. The visuals are dated, although not nearly as dated as DOS-era games, but http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-CN552hecc is still as clear and beautiful as modern game soundtracks... Youtube quality aside.

Mass Effect 3, Halo 4, Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm, Assassin's Creed: Revelations, but the game I am without a doubt looking forward to the most is Grand Theft Auto V.

Diablo 3.

Diablo 3.

Diablo 3.

Saints Row 3 , just 4 days after Skyrim

Then WWE12 just a week after that

And then.... well... I guess GTA V like a YEAR after that o_o

MechWarrior: Online

Bioshock Infinite and GTA V