The top games of 2012

A totally subjective list that is, naturally, infinitely right...

Perhaps one of the most disheartening things about looking at my ‘The top 10 multiplatform games of 2011’ and ‘The top PC exclusive games of 2011’ articles from around about this time last year is that certain titles could have been repeated in this list. While only one has made the list for 2012 (and I’m sure most of you will understand why), it’s always disheartening to see games that are keenly anticipated in a 12-month period and don’t see the light of day during that year.

Looking back over my predictions, I back the vast majority of them, except for, most notably, the likes of Homefront (which had so much potential but failed to deliver) and Rage (which was a massive disappointment in my books).

This year, I’m not going to split the games into PC exclusives and multiplatform titles--even though there certainly is enough to split them again--instead, I’m going to throw them all together. Additionally, I’m not going to try as hard to tick all the right boxes of the various gaming genres out there across my top 10. Obviously, the only real disclaimer is that these have to be released on the PC (duh). Get it? Got it? Good. Let’s do this list.

Without further ado, here’s my pick of the 10 games I’m most excited for in the 2012, in no particular order.

Mass Effect 3
This one goes without saying, being the resolution to Commander Shepard’s story arc in the Mass Effect universe, and is the only returning title from my 2011 list. I’ve seen it a couple of times and it’s looking great, with many refinements across the board and a team of guys who are hungry to offer a satisfying curtain call for this part of the Mass Effect story.

Borderlands 2
The original cel-shaded Borderlands was a hoot with some key room for improvement, but the reality is that I’m just looking for a whole lot more time with this world. Dual-wielding any weapon, all-new characters and more Claptrap has me not-so-secretly psyched for this title.

BioShock Infinite
Although I didn’t loathe BioShock 2 as much as a fair chunk of the gaming community did, I definitely noticed the absence of creative director Ken Levine. I loved the narrative of the original BioShock and look forward to that component more than anything in BioShock Infinite. It also helps that the gameplay looks kinda cool, too.

Assassin’s Creed III
Okay, so this is somewhat of a controversial choice given my less-than-perfect thoughts on Assassin’s Creed Revelations (I gave it a 7.5), but I have faith that the return to the core Assassin’s Creed series will be a return to form. Hopefully, at the very least, Ubisoft has spent their dollars earned from a yearly release model on a new engine…

Darksiders II
The original Darksiders was a sleeper hit for me, considering I had basically no knowledge of it until its release. Part Zelda, part God of War, it kept my attention from start to finish and also held the exciting inherent prospect of three potential sequels following the exploits of the other three Horsemen of the Apocalypse: Death, Famine and Pestilence. We’ll get to play as Death in Darksiders II and, as far as I’m concerned, he’s the coolest out of War’s three brothers.

Dishonored
For anyone who read my glowing preview, you’ll understand exactly why this is one of my most anticipated titles of 2012. The early build I saw of it this year blew my socks off, and this genre-blurring action title is surely set to wow audiences later this year. It’s also the only new IP solid enough to knock out my keen anticipation for a collection of sequels and reboots.

Max Payne 3
My love of the original Max Payne games surpasses my fear that Rockstar will mistreat the third entry of the IP forged by Remedy Entertainment. Everything I’ve seen to date suggests that the action will be handled well and the setting is certainly interesting, but I’m hoping that Rockstar has cooked up a killer noir story to match the pitch-perfect storytelling of the first two games.

Prey 2
While the original Prey had some great ideas but ultimately didn’t grab me, the left-field direction of the sequel captured my interest well ahead of its projected 2012 release. Brink-style free-running combat coupled with a decidedly Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath feel all set in a Blade Runner-type future has my curiosity officially piqued.

Tomb Raider
Quick confession: I’ve never been a fan of the Tomb Raider series. But something about this gritty relaunch of Lady Croft has me very intrigued. Both the cinematic trailer from E3 and the later-released gameplay demo ensured that I’ll be adding this to my 2012 gaming calendar. Hopefully, it’s not all about the quick-time events.

Hitman: Absolution
I was a bit dubious when the first teaser trailer hit, but the 15-minute gameplay trailer sold me on the new direction for the Hitman series. IO Interactive is promising a “familiar and yet significantly different experience from other Hitman games.” I reckon they’ve got the dev chops to pull this off.

Agree? Disagree? Hit us up with your top 10 anticipated titles in the comments section below.