Our crystal-ball gazing into the year ahead continues, with a peek into the fresh new IPs we’ll be getting our hands on in 2011. It’s not all about blockbuster sequels you know - although we have to admit they’re looking rather tasty.
There’s plenty of room for new ideas, and this year will have them by the truckload. We’ve cherry-picked ten of the games that are worthy of keeping an eye on - who knows, maybe they too will become big-hitting franchises. Take a look at the titles below and see if you agree:
Bulletstorm (360, PS3, PC) - 22nd February
Trust Epic to be backing a first person shooter with a penchant for total chaos and extreme beatdowns. People Can Fly’s Bulletstorm aims to reinvent the genre by making each level an elaborate gladiatorial arena. Huge mutant monsters come flying at you against the brightly-coloured landscape, but you can fend these off using your hyper-macho space mercenary power. Juggling enemies using combination moves, environmental hazards and boots to the face is something that will get you laughing at first, and thinking of serious meat-wrenching strategies later on. It’s going to be good.
Homefront (360, PS3, PC, OnLive) - 11th March
With so much competition in the first person shooter market in 2011, Kaos Studios is taking a bet on Homefront by bringing guerilla warfare wrapped in a storyline fit for Hollywood - the plot is penned by Red Dawn and Apocalypse Now writer John Milius. It’s 2027, and the USA has been invaded by North Korea. You lead the life of an average-joe fighting the occupiers with a band of revolutionaries as you try to take your country back. Always exciting to get a bit of alternative history, and the action’s looking very solid to boot. Roll on March.
Hunted: The Demon’s Forge (360, PS3, PC) - May
First showcased last year (read our preview of it here), Hunted looks like it will be one of the big action-RPGs of 2011. Taking control of a tag-team of two different warriors - an elven female proficient in long-range bow attacks, and a heavy-duty sword-wielding dude who can knock Orcs clean off their feet - you explore the dilapidated town of Dyfed to do battle with the Wargars. The scenery of this fantasy world is stunning, and the Lord of the Rings-vibe will certainly resonate well with the more traditional role players out there.
Brink (360, PS3, PC) - Spring 2011
Splash Damage is promising a co-operative first person shooter that will be accessible, intelligent and incredibly persistent. How is it doing that? By throwing in context-sensitive controls to allow for parkour, tactical play and exploration without a complex control scheme, for one. It forces you to think and act as a team with the use of four very specific character classes for two, and your custom characters can level up in a story mode that’s playable online with up to eight players for three. It also looks gorgeous. Futuristic territorial pissings never seemed so fresh.
There’s plenty of room for new ideas, and this year will have them by the truckload. We’ve cherry-picked ten of the games that are worthy of keeping an eye on - who knows, maybe they too will become big-hitting franchises. Take a look at the titles below and see if you agree:
Trust Epic to be backing a first person shooter with a penchant for total chaos and extreme beatdowns. People Can Fly’s Bulletstorm aims to reinvent the genre by making each level an elaborate gladiatorial arena. Huge mutant monsters come flying at you against the brightly-coloured landscape, but you can fend these off using your hyper-macho space mercenary power. Juggling enemies using combination moves, environmental hazards and boots to the face is something that will get you laughing at first, and thinking of serious meat-wrenching strategies later on. It’s going to be good.
With so much competition in the first person shooter market in 2011, Kaos Studios is taking a bet on Homefront by bringing guerilla warfare wrapped in a storyline fit for Hollywood - the plot is penned by Red Dawn and Apocalypse Now writer John Milius. It’s 2027, and the USA has been invaded by North Korea. You lead the life of an average-joe fighting the occupiers with a band of revolutionaries as you try to take your country back. Always exciting to get a bit of alternative history, and the action’s looking very solid to boot. Roll on March.
First showcased last year (read our preview of it here), Hunted looks like it will be one of the big action-RPGs of 2011. Taking control of a tag-team of two different warriors - an elven female proficient in long-range bow attacks, and a heavy-duty sword-wielding dude who can knock Orcs clean off their feet - you explore the dilapidated town of Dyfed to do battle with the Wargars. The scenery of this fantasy world is stunning, and the Lord of the Rings-vibe will certainly resonate well with the more traditional role players out there.
Splash Damage is promising a co-operative first person shooter that will be accessible, intelligent and incredibly persistent. How is it doing that? By throwing in context-sensitive controls to allow for parkour, tactical play and exploration without a complex control scheme, for one. It forces you to think and act as a team with the use of four very specific character classes for two, and your custom characters can level up in a story mode that’s playable online with up to eight players for three. It also looks gorgeous. Futuristic territorial pissings never seemed so fresh.