The Games of 2012

Games to Watch in 2012

2011 was a great year for the games industry, as a quick glance at our Game of the Year 2011 awards will prove. We saw independently developed titles such as Frozen Synapse go head-to-head with the biggest releases of the year, we saw classic PC franchises such as Deus Ex finally get the sequels they deserved and we also saw Bastion, which was sublime.

Now though, it's time to look forward, rather than back. Will 2012 prove to be an equally good vintage for the games industry, or is Harry right in his suspicion that we'll see too many sequels and not enough courage? Here we're looking at some of the biggest releases to come in the next 12 months, to help us decide.

Dishonored

Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Release Date: Mid-2012

Definitely one of the titles we're most looking forward to this year, Dishonored is being put together by a developmental dream team which consists of staff from games such as Deus Ex, Arx Fatalis and Dark Messiah of Might and Magic.

That not enough to excite you? How about if we told you it's an open-world assassination game set in a steampunk universe? Thought that would get your attention!

Cast as Corvo, a city guard framed for murdering the Empress of his realm, Dishonored tells a story of vengeance. A range of special abilities at his disposal, from possession to teleportation, Corvo won't stop until he's killed everyone in his way. We loved Dishonored when we saw it last year and nothing has dulled that feeling since.

Prey 2

Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Release Date: Mid-2012

Bethesda Softworks' other big release for 2012, Prey 2 is the sequel to Human Head's 2006 shooter, but seems to break many ties with the original by introducing a new character - a bounty hunter in an alien city.

Prey 2 will likely be one of the most empowering experiences of the year. Like Dishonored, Prey 2 drops you into a large world and gifts you with a spectacular range of abilities, this time spanning from jetpacks to special grenades. From there, it's up to you how you proceed - will you bring your quarries in dead or alive? We love games that give us this level of choice!

There's still a lot we don't know about Prey 2, such as how the gap between it and the original will be bridged, but our early impressions are solid - check our full preview for more details.