Happy New Year! 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.

Platformers/Action Games

Numerous action games are scheduled to release in 2012, but none probably have people more excited than the Tomb Raider reboot. Earning my Best Action Game Award at E3 2011, this new Tomb Raider sees a younger Lara Croft on an expedition that precedes the others and transforms her into the treasure hunting archaeologistwe know today. This new Tomb Raider appears to be more engrossing, atmospheric and terrifying. I can't wait to see what happens next for Lara Croft.

Although other people aren't particular fond of where Ninja Gaiden is going with Ninja Gaiden III, I think it'll still be a great game. Sure, the difficulty is going to be easier than any of the prior games, but Sigma 2 proved that they could make Ninja Gaiden easier without taking away challenge. Sure, you're all mad because the high difficulty defined Ninja Gaiden, but for others it's the responsive and satisfying combat system. I fall into the latter, as it was the reason I liked the games. I've played Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Ninja Gaiden IIand Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2. In Sigma, I had quite a bit of difficulty with stronger enemies, but I was able to complete it on Ninja Dog mode. In Ninja Gaiden II, I had died so many times, I got an Achievement (and I was playing on Path of the Acolyte) and when I was fighting two exploding armadillos at once and th Archfiend in its first form, I respectively had an extremely frustrating time getting through and could not complete that fight (in other words, I never finished the XBox360 version). When Sigma 2 came out, I played on Path of the Acolyte, died only twice during the whole game and finished it. I just think the difficulty was too high (I had a much easier time in the likes of Demon's Souls and Dark Souls) until Sigma 2. While I don't think the competitive multiplayer will be all that (why would they not have customizable kunoichis/female ninjas when we've played as them in prior games), it will be a nice step forward for the series. I know I spent a lot of words for this one game, but I'm just trying to get a point across.

If there's one platformer this year I'm looking forward to more than any other, it's Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time, the long-awaited sequel in the Sly series. Fans have been waiting over 6 years for the series to return and thanks to Sanzaru Games who developed the Sly Collection for PS3, we can finally see our friends Sly, Bentley and Murray again. Sanzaru clearly has respect for the series, as they are trying to meld the best parts of the three games with beautiful new graphics and more cinematic cutscenes than the PS2 hits. And one of the best parts for fans is that they'll get to meet Sly's ancestors, who were only mentioned in the prior games. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that this is my most anticipated game of 2012, even though there are a couple of other games that hold that title.

Another action game I can't wait for is Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, which was originally called Metal Gear Solid: Rising, a stealth and action game. But after some revisions, the game became squarely focused on action. Thankfully, Konami and Kojima Productions chose the right developer for the job, none other than Platinum Games, the developers behind the great MadWorld and amazing Bayonetta and Vanquish. They are a developer that know action games and I have no doubt that the final product will be polished and fine-tuned. I wasn't as excited about this game until they revealed the changes to the project. While it's true that I would've prefered to know how Raiden became the samurai cyborg he was in Metal Gear Solid 4, I think I'll like the gameplay for the better. And with the level of scale, flair and polish that developer Platinum is known for, and I think we might have one of 2012's best action games, if it comes out this year.

And that's only scratching the surface, since there will be other sequels to big hits such as Darksiders 2, Uncharted: Golden Abyss as a launch title for the PlayStation Vita, Resident Evil: Revelations and Kid Icarus: Uprising for the 3DS, Max Payne 3 (which I'm not that excited about), as well as new games in the Assassin's Creed and Sonic the Hedgehog series. 2012 is sure to be another great year for action games and platformers.