Daniel's to play video game list, Q2 2011

2011 is the year of "supposed" AAA sequel release. Early in the year, Gothic 4 and Two Worlds 2 were released, and it is fair to say that Gothic 4 was a disaster piece, while Two Worlds 2 was an average game at best. The release of Dragon Age 2 did not perform as well as it should have, with major flaws like repeated use of dungeon design which enraged many fans of the franchise. However, CDProjekt Red's Witcher 2 turn out to be a major success, and one of the best RPG to be released in recent years.

Last month we saw the release of Dungeon Siege 3 and Fable 3 on PC. It turns out that these titles are disappointments and do not live up to the standard. It seems as if most of these AAA titles are not living up to the hype, and a promising year for video gaming is not living up to its expectation, with only Witcher 2 to save the day. So is Q2 of 2011 going to be better? Well, personally I have my eyes on these four upcoming games. Actually I am sure they are going to be great so I have already pre-ordered them at EB:

1. Deus Ex 3: Human Revolution (release date: 25th August 2011)

The first Deus Ex was an unique blend of first person shooting, together with RPG element, in an open world enviornment. The intriquing story and the original gameplay made Deus Ex one of the best FPS/RPG ever made.

In 2011, Square Enix is going to release the 3rd installment of Deus Ex. This is a prequel to both Deus Ex 1 and 2. The game will retain the original style of Deus Ex, an FPS/RPG. However, the developer has implemented some changes such as cover system and special takedown/stealth combo movements, where the camera would be zoomed out to 3rd person.

From what we have seen in the gameplay, it looks like this game is going to be a contender for game of the year. So keep an eye out for this one.

2. Batman: Arkham City (release date: 15 October 2011)

Batman: Arkham Aslyum was great. It was voted as "the best superhero video game" ever made. Not only that, it was a strong contender for game of the year 2009. The game featured an open environment, great combat system and one of the most well designed graphics ever seen.

In 2011, the developer Rocksteady studio is going to release the sequel in October. Batman: Arkham city will feature new villains, and this time the scope of the game will cover the entire city, not just the Arkham asylum anymore. The combat system has been revised and new features added. We can't wait to get our hands on the latest installment of the mask crusader's new adventure. I mean, everybody loves Batman, who doesn't like a dark, intelligent hero with physiological issues.

3. The Elder Scroll 5: Skyrim (release date: 11 November 2011)

TES IV: Oblivion was good, it was epic, and it was great. No one would doubt that despite the stupid level scaling system and some strange animations. After Fallout 3, we know that Bethesda can make RPGs, great RPG.

So the developer Bethesda is going to release the latest installment of the TES game, Skyrim. This time around, Bethesda has even gone to the extent to invent a "new language (language of the dragons)" for this game (as can be seen from the song in the Skyrim teaser trailer). If they have invented a new language for this game, I guess they really are putting a lot of effort into this game and it is a good thing. Personally, I think Skyrim is going to be definite contender for game of the year 2011 for sure, alongside Deus Ex 3 and Witcher 2.

4. Assassin's creed: Revelations (release date: 15 November 2011)

I have play all 3 Assassin's creed games. The first one was original, but had many flaws. Assassin's Creed 2 fixed all the problems in the first game and was one of my favorite action game of all time, despite the anti-climatic ending. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood on the other hand, had a more compact and less epic story, together with multiplayer support. Despite the multiplayer support, Brotherhood felt more repetitive than Assassin's creed 2. It was still a great game, but it felt more like an expansion than a new Assassin's Creed game.

Neverthless, I like them all. Because I think the story is more interesting than Dan Brown's novels. The story writer for Assassin's Creed has researched history really well, and one of my favorite aspect is that the game developers managed to duplicate those real life cities into the game world.

Anyway, in November UbiSoft will release the fourth installment for the Assassin's Creed series. Assassin's Creed: Revelation. In this game, the player will for the last time, play as Ezio Auditore in his last adventure. Not only that, the story will take place in the Middle East this time. This means a complete new storyline and the game should not feel like an expansion of AC2. From the cover art, it seems that Ezio is now and old man. UbiSoft has revealed that in Revelation, the player will also take control of Altair in certain parts of the game. This is all very interesting. With a revised multiplayer gameplay, a whole new storyline and new gameplay features, AC: Revelation seem like a very promising game instead. I have to say out of the four games I listed here, AC: Revelations is probably my most anticipated game.

Happy gaming!