Happy New Years! People have announced their Game of the Year and are looking forward to what's next. 2011 was arguably THE Best Year in Gaming. Rather than compile a Top 10 List like in the past, I decided to just discuss the big games of 2012 from each genre. I can already see 2012 being another incredible year, possibly even better than last year. But only time will tell if it will be able to claim that title. Since these blogs can only hold so many words, I'll have to do the Most Anticipated of 2012 as a series. Before I start, I should mention that this is only for games with confirmed 2012 release windows and games with incredibly vague release schedules (Grand Theft Auto V, The Last Guardian, etc.) will not be mentioned or involved. Now with that out of the way, please enjoy.
Fighting Games
So far, there are quite a few high profile fighting games coming out in 2012. The first one to be released will be SoulCalibur V for XBox360 and PS3 owners on January 31. Although it probably refines the series more than it will innovate, it will still be a high-quality fighting game. While I will miss Taki, Project Soul has been keen on keeping fans of certain characters satisfied by keeping some of the original cast while introducing their children or proteges. What has me and my friend most excited about this installment is that Character Creation now offers near limitless possibilities with additions such as customizable and movable paints among other options (although I'm sure several people already have dirty ideas about customizing the chest sizes of their female creations).
Another high profile fighting game is scheduled to release on March 6, Street Fighter X Tekken. Considering that a large portion of the cast is still unannounced, I do hope that the leaked character roster is true (Many people are really clamoring for the likes of Juri and Sakura from Street Fighter and Jin and Ling Xiaoyu from Tekken). Even though the Pandora system seems a bit too risky to be something I would use, the trailers have clearly shown just how incredibly deep this fighting game is. Trailers have also revealed that this will be the most fully-featured fighting game ever with new online modes such as waiting for matches in Practice Mode, a 4-player Brawl mode al a Super Smash Bros. among a few others.
Yet another fighting game sequel is set for 2012. Although Tekken X Street Fighter probably won't launch until 2013, Tekken fans do get Tekken Tag Tournament 2. I never played the original Tekken Tag Tournament, but I always hear how it's the best game in the series. Sounds like it has a very high pedigree to live up to, but so far it seems to be a quality fighting game with great visuals and animations.
One other fighting game scheduled to release in 2012 is, oddly enough, a licensed title from Japan. However, Cyber Connect 2 have proved themselves time and again to be true Naruto fans and Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations appears to be their best and content-filled game yet. Taking both the original Naruto and Naruto Shippuden anime series and merging them together for one game is a Naruto fanboy's dream come true. As obvious the outcome as it seems, fans will finally see which version of the #1 hyperactive knuckle-head ninja comes out on top in a fight. With the Ultimate Mission Mode spanning both ends of Naruto's story with special hidden stories and a roster of over 60 characters, fans will have plenty to sink their teeth into.
If we're lucky enough, we might get the long-awaited Dead or Alive 5by the end of the year. Include this with other fighitng games such as the dowbloadable Skullgirls, the Vita remake BlazBlue: Continuum Shift II Plus and (hopefully) the localization of Persona 4: Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena, and we've got a great year for the fighting game genre.