The year has only just begun and already the gaming industry is shaping up to have one its best years creatively. These are the big titles that promise a first-hand view of where the industry is going.
We'll save PlayStation 3 and PC for another list. Here’s the top five most anticipated Xbox 360 games of the year:
“Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist”: Said to be the toughest one in the entire “Splinter Cell” franchise, “Blacklist” will see Sam Fisher as the leader of the newly formed 4th Echelon unit – A unit that’s only answerable to the president.
As of now, the gameplay footage on the web looks amazing. Yes, many will complain about the aging game engine compared to titles like "Halo 4," but I feel this new “Splinter Cell” is where it should be. A good looking game does not always play well.
“Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist,” from Ubisoft, is set for an Aug. 20 release.
“Metro: Last Light”: In most of the gameplay footage it seems the developers want you to check out the entire wasteland space for a bit before you actually go on ahead with the shooting part of the game.
The "Metro" franchise tends to be on the slower side but that's because it wants you to explore the landscape.
There are a lot of post-apocalyptic titles out there, but none look this eerily real (apart from the genetically mutated creatures in the wasteland).
“Metro: Last Light” arrives on May 14.
“South Park: The Stick of Truth”: The latest "South Park" lets you become the newest kid in the neighborhood alongside Stan Marsh, Eric Cartman, Kyle Broflovski, and Kenny McCormick.
You become a part of a make-believe live-action-role-playing game, which, over time, becomes a battle between good and evil that threatens to devour the world.
I’m waiting to see how the developers play out Kenny’s character. I mean, Kenny keeps dyeing every episode and then he’s back in the next episode. I’m hoping Kenny is some kind of a special character. Someone who has a number of lives in the game, and the player can spawn him anytime he wants like a trump card.
We will have to wait a while to find that out because the game was scheduled to come out this March but got caught up in the THQ bankruptcy proceeedings. There is no release date as of yet.
“Battlefield 4”: Of course, how can you have a list of top 5 and not have “Battlefield” in it, right? But that’s not how it actually is, and the credits mostly go to the Frostbite 3 engine. The new 17 minute gameplay footage says the rest. It’s definitely the next generation of gaming.
Not much is known about the game but we do know it won’t have a Wii U version, the console versions of the game will support 24 players at a time, and the first piece of DLC is possibly called Drone Strike.
"Battlefield 4" will be released this Fall.
“Grand Theft Auto 5”: Titles come and titles go, but “GTA” just remains immortal. It never gets old.
Set in the city of Los Santos and its surrounding hills, countryside and beaches, “Grand Theft Auto 5” opens a new gateway into the open-world gameplay and the freedom that is expected from a normal “GTA” title.
Not much is known, but the game’s graphics looks quite amazing as do the three protagonists: Michael, a family man who lives in the post Vinewood hills; Franklin, a professional automotive repo man; and Trevor, who is basically a serious psychopath.
“GTA 5” is set for a September 2013 release.
