Most Anticipated Games of 2011 – Part II

So here goes. I hope you guys enjoyed Part I of this supplement. In Part I, I ranked 12 to 6 the games I anticipate the most in 2011. Now comes the real deal. Rank 6 to Rank 1.

6. Dragon Age II

You’ve seen me talking a lot about Dragon Age: Origins on this blog. I’m currently still on Dragon Age: Origins (DAO) and, even after putting in some 40 hours of gameplay time, I think I’ve completed only 20% of the game.

To begin with, DAO is a great RPG game. and I mean great. The gameplay mechanics are one of the best I’ve seen. The characters really get you involved, and there comes a time when you start taking them personally. It’s a vast game with lots to explore, many items to gather, and many stories and character backgrounds to explore. And it’s all very rewarding. Everything you do in the game has a direct impact on your character and the characters (NPCs) you hang out with.

One thing I’ve noticed about DAO is that your crew reacts positively or negatively to the decisions you make. Morrigan, a mage, is what I would call, a dark character. If I’m on a quest with her to do something good, I lose my approval rating with her, and on the other hand, I gain approval ratings with other “good natured” characters. And this is just one example. Morrigan is a bad person who doesn’t like me doing good things, so in order to get a good approval rating with her, I need to take her along with me to places where I’m going to be doing something of the evil sort.

There’s still so much to do in DAO. There are numerous DLC (Downloadable Content) packs that I still have to play. And also, there’s the expansion pack, Dragon Age: Origins Awakening. I think I’m going to be done with this game by mid-2011.

Now, Dragon Age II is slated to launch in mid-March 2011. What makes the release date so perfect is that, by the time I get done with DAO, I can straight away start with DAII, without having to wait for the “buffer time.” Plus, I’ll be playing Dragon Age II after it’s already been 3–4 months since its release, which means, patches to stabilize the gameplay will already be out. Ever had that feeling where you’ve watched the season finale of a TV series and then you have to wait an year or so for the new season to come out? Well, I don’t have to go through that.

I’m still pretty excited about DAO itself. I find myself desperately waiting to get done with work some days so I can go home and play DAO. And also, I’m certain Dragon Age II won’t be a letdown. It’s Bioware, man! They say, DAO is based on a timeline spanning 2 years, but Dragon Age II, will be based on a timeline spanning 10 years, which makes it effin VAST! And again, one thing we RPG gamers admire is how vast and expansive a game is.

5. BATMAN : ARKHAM CITY

If you’ve played the prequel to Batman : Arkham City, you’ll know exactly why City deserves the No. 5 spot in my countdown. The prequel, called Batman : Arkham Asylum, is the single most complete action-thriller-puzzle game ever to be made. Arkham Asylum is also one of the best comic-adapted games I’ve ever played, with production values matching those of any Batman movie directed by Christopher Nolan.

The production is one thing, then comes the gameplay. The action is so fluid and responsive, plus it’s original, making the experience equally enticing and enthralling. Joker, a great character in Asylum, is said to return as the main villain in City. Joker’s presence in the game is as strong and solid as ever. You’ll be running through alleyways, and Joker’s creeky voice will be played in monologue form, adding to the vibe. In Asylum, the storytelling was so perfect it didn’t seem like it had been taken from a comic book or a movie, but the other way around, Asylum is “this” original. Rocksteady Studios did a great job porting the characters into animated form.

Also in-game, there are countless secrets and riddles to solve. And where this game series excels is in bringing in all the characters from the Batman/DC Comics series perfectly into their animated forms, which feature great characters and voice acting. Again, very truly original, a true protégé of the classic Batman comics.

Many characters can be seen in the game. Riddle. Harvey Dent. Quinn. Oracle. Commissioner Gordan, etc. I won’t say you should play this game if you’re into the whole Batman thing, but, even if you’re not into it, playing this game would put you right through it.

Arkham Asylum started with Joker shutting down all systems of the asylum or prison where he was kept. Joker traps Batman within the asylum’s boundaries. Batman manages to free himself through an amazing campaign that takes you through all of the Joker’s allies with great fight sequences, all unique in their own way. For an arcade game, Asylum showed no signs of repetition.

City is said to start where Asylum ended, making it a direct continuation of the prequel. The story for Arkham City takes place eighteen months after the events of Arkham Asylum. Catwoman is also being introduced in the city, making it really exciting, looking at the history she shares with Batman. Many changes are being made to the game, which I believe is done mainly to maintain the non-repetitive roots that Asylum was based upon. I finished Asylum pretty soon for a video game, mainly because everything in the game feels so fresh, and I was left begging for more. That’s the only negative I found out about asylum. I hope City has more hours of gameplay. They are saying that City has a larger playable world, but we’ll have to wait till the third quarter of 2011 to witness what the actual game is about.

4. HITMAN 5

Agent 47 is back after five years of dormancy! The Hitman series of games takes the stealth genre to another level. The freedom and possible number of ways to complete a mission that the Hitman series offers are unmatched. The Hitman series has a strong cult following, thanks to the subtle and really original personality of the genetically modified Agent 47.

For those who don’t know much about the Hitman series, you have to perform high-profile assassinations of people of power and high stature. The protagonist, named Agent 47, works for The Agency and performs kills on a contract basis. Agent 47 is a no-frills guy who gets strictly down to business—no mofos and here-theres. He’s been genetically modified and has an intellect and physique that are “way beyond the average human being.”

The missions are highly specific, and you have a number of options to go about your business. You can either do it guns blazing Rambo style, but that won’t really work, because the game is hard, and I mean HARD. You’ve gotta do it silently. And if you manage to complete a mission without killing anyone or raising an alarm, you get the “Silent Assassin” rating, which is what you gotta strive for.

Weapons in the Hitman series reach a new level of realism, being designed with characteristics similar to their real-life counterparts. My favorite of the Hitman series is the first game of the series, Hitman: Codename 47, which came out in 2000. I remember being stuck in the first level itself for a month or so. The next two games were good, but not as great as the debut. All the other games in the series were released two years after the prequel, which makes Hitman 5 the first game of the series to be released in five years. A final release date is not set, but rumours say it’s slated for Q4 of 2011.

I’m really into games that involve stealth, subtleness, and a bit of class, and Hitman perfectly qualifies in all these categories. The reason why I say “class” is that this game is no street-style arcade shooting game. You’re a high-profile assassin working for a high-profile agency and killing high-profile people (Presidents, monks, mafia leaders, politicians, etc.), and the best part is, there’s a story involved in all of these killings. Your character is always dressed up in a black suit and a red tie, and the game has a very sophisticated set and setting.

 

Still no screenshots on the game. And don’t expect any. Eidos are always hush-hush when it comes to Hitman. It’s a game for loyalists, and they do cater to a niche.

PS: I love that bar code tattoo that Agent 47 sports behind his neck, and to tell you the truth, I may consider getting myself one of those.

PS II: BTW, the Hitman movie SUCKED!

3. PORTAL 2

Well, well, well. What do we have here. Portal, goes down amongst my all-time top 10 games (I should have a post about them soon). It was also one of the biggest surprises, and Portal offers the most unique and original experience I could have ever got from any other game. Amongst the billions of games that I’ve played, I’ve never come across a game like Portal. Hell, I’m pretty negatively oriented towards its developers, Valve; their games are OK and they overuse concepts that are done to death by other developers, but with Portal, I am totally spellbound.

There are so many things that make this game THAT special. It’s like something I could have never imagined. It’s a game where YOU are the only human character. The other character is a supercomputer, called GLADOS (Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System), who is manipulative, sadist, and ruthless, something like HAL 9000 from Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. If you’ve seen that movie, remember how HAL made you feel? very depressed and negative and disturbed. Those are the exact same vibes the supercomputer GLADOS gives you. GLADOS will constantly make you feel like you’re the sort of human being whose own existence on planet Earth is a curse to everyone, including yourself. And note, in the game, your character Chell’s face is never to be seen, because you’re always in first-person view, and Chell has never even uttered a single word in the game. The only dialogues (dialogue is a huge part of the game) in the game are the ones by GLADOS. Only GLADOS does the talking. And it’s not like he/she is ordering you while you’re stuck in this chamber; you’re just bound to do what “it” says. And the worst is that GLADOS makes you feel like you’re doing it a favor by doing what it says. like it’s your master and you’re its slave.

Enough with the characters, there aren’t many anyway to discuss; let’s get to the game. Portal is the smartest game I’ve ever played. The level of subtle and sarcastic humor present in the game, mainly coming from GLADOS, is really, quality stuff. It’s the sort of humor I’ve never even seen in those critically acclaimed movies. See, this is why I consider this game among my immortals. It’s fully original and not influenced by anything.

Now, with the gameplay. Well, again, what do I have to say. It’s—I hate to repeat it—something I could have never imagined it to be. You have to solve puzzles about opening and closing portals using the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device (portal gun or ASHPD). You have to use momentum tactics and the physics of the game’s strong engine to work around the puzzles at every level in the Aperture Science Research Facility, guided/manipulated by GLADOS, who promises you cake after completion, which, unfortunately, when I finished the game, turned out to be a lie and just blatant manipulation by GLADOS.

Portal 2 is coming out in April 2011, which is not that far away. Expect the game to be welcomed by raving reviews and its induction into many “All Time Greatest” lists. I’m dead sure Portal 2 will perform well. and I can’t wait.

There are many new mechanics being introduced into the game. There’s also a co-op mode, which will feature a completely different storyline than the single-player mode, which is definitely good news, means more gameplay hours, considering how short Portal 1 was.

Here are some memorable quotes by GLADOS from Portal.

Remember, the Aperture Science “Bring Your Daughter to Work Day” is the perfect time to have her tested.

As part of a required test protocol, our previous statement suggesting that we would not monitor this chamber was an outright fabrication. As part of a required test protocol, we will stop enhancing the truth in three … two … [static]

Unbelievable. You, [subject name here], must be the pride of [subject hometown here]!

[In a room flooded with toxic acid] Please note that we have added a consequence for failure. Any contact with the chamber floor will result in an “unsatisfactory” mark on your official testing record, followed by death. Good luck!

The Enrichment Center promises to always provide a safe testing environment. In dangerous testing environments, the Enrichment Center promises to always provide useful advice. For instance, the floor here will kill you. Try to avoid it.

Did you know you can donate one or all of your vital organs to the Aperture Science Self-Esteem Fund for Girls? It’s true!

2. THE ELDER SCROLLS V: SKYRIM

 

One word for the current and latest instalment of The Elder Scrolls series, Oblivion, B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion was one of the most beautiful gaming experiences I’ve had. I played this game some three years ago when I was in university. Such a beautiful game. such a beautiful world to explore. Beautiful cities. Beautiful woods. Beautiful soundtrack. The entire experience is a very “Buddhist-like peaceful natural” experience. Oblivion gave me such good vibes, the months I spent playing Oblivion were some of the best of my life.

RPG games are hands-down my favorite genre. And in this genre, my favorite games are Final Fantasy VII, The Witcher, and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. The Elder Scrolls series is a sandbox-type, open-ended game. You’ve got a beautiful, vast world to explore at your own pace and convenience. There are countless side and main quests to complete. And if you’re on a mission, you can leave it in between, start another one, and come back to the previous one again. You can really absorb this game and play it at your own pace.

The storyline of Oblivion is so engrossing and deep, this is one game, apart from The Witcher, with which I became personally involved and grew with the characters. The game never ends. Even after you complete the main story line, there are still countless things to unlock, guilds to join, battles to be won, and the leveling up of your character is limitless.

The gameplay mechanics of Oblivion were again a major win. You can fast-travel to the city you want to go to from the world map itself, provided you’re not in battle, which saves lots of time and makes the entire experience as a package much better.

Its been a long time since I finished Oblivion, and everything is still fruit-fresh in my mind, which makes my anticipation for the next installment, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, only more desperate. It’s still a long way to go before it releases. November 11, 2011 is the date set for its launch (which makes it 11/11/11!).

Skyrim will retain the traditional open-world sandbox gameplay found in the Elder Scrolls series. The World of Skyrim will feature vast expanses of wilderness and mountain ranges. This time, the player has the freedom to complete activities such as cooking, farming, mining, and smithing. The inventory system will be fully revamped compared to the previous Elder Scrolls, this time featuring a fully 3D inventory system. Sweet!

Skyrim is not a direct sequel to Oblivion. The events are set to occur two hundred years after the events of Oblivion. It is not considered the same story line, but a new chapter of the Elder Scrolls series. One thing surprisingly common with Oblivion is that in Skyrim, you begin in a prison cell. Nostalgia! Head over to IGN or Gamespot for more information on the plot and gameplay mechanics, but I’ve mentioned the important ones here already.

1. THE WITCHER 2: ASSASSINS OF KINGS

 

Another RPG! The Witcher, I quote myself, is amongst my all-time favorite books. The Witcher, launched in 2007, had great graphics, the best battle system and character leveling, and the best story. Regarding the story, I don’t mean the content of the story, but, speaking on a moral basis, it offers great options. You can be the sadist killer with your sarcastic and pessimistic comments, or the unsung hero, always doing the right thing.

The combat system in The Witcher sets itself apart from other RPGs. There are

There are three fighting modes: a fast one, a slow one, and a group, which can be changed in real time at any point in the game, and most of the combat is combo-based. In RPG games, I never take potion making seriously. The Witcher, I admit, is the first game where I actually took experimenting with various ingredients seriously.

The game has a very negative vibe. Everyone is bullish and sarcastic, trying to hurt in some way or another. Its naughty. also rewarding. If you talk a girl into sex, they show you a nice raunchy cutscene and you “win” her card. The card is basically a picture of her in the nude, which is an “achievement” and gives your player experience points.

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings is said to feature its own game engine, unlike the modified Bioware Aurora engine used in the first game. The combat system is said to change, and I’m frankly neutral about this, but I hoped to see the same combat system being used in The Witcher 2. The game has sixteen different endings, based on the choices you make and the people you align yourself with. The game still retains its signature delayed-consequence system, which was well-received by the gaming community and critics alike. The release of the game is not far away, which is May-June 2011. And considering the release dates, there’s still a very scant amount of information released about The Witcher.

The Witcher and The Witcher 2 are titles exclusively for the PC. No XBOX 360 or PS3 over here. Its a good thing to keep PC gaming in the race to be the ultimate gaming console.