Publisher: Hi-Rez Studios
Developer: Hi-Rez Studios
System requirements: Windows XP SP2/Vista/Win 7, 2.4 GHz Core2Duo/2.7 GHz Athlon X2 or better CPU, 2 GB RAM (XP)/3 GB RAM (Vista/Win 7), 512 MB graphics card with Shader Model 3.0 support, DirectX-compatible sound device, 10 GB hard-drive space
Genre: FPS
ESRB rating: Teen
Release date: 2012

My my, what an exciting time to be a gamer. The Internet has created a host of independently developed games, digital distribution and F2P are chipping away at the $60 price point, and Kickstarter is busting up the traditional publishing model. Now, developer Hi-Rez Studios has rescued the Tribes license. Tribes 2, featuring class-based team play and pinpoint-accurate weapons, was a game before its time. Even now, years after officially being shut down, you can still find players skiing around base defenses on community servers. As unique as it is, Tribes has never truly been emulated. Soon it will come to the masses in the form of a free-to-play online shooter. Thankfully, this release is looking to be more second coming than blasphemy.

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Publisher: Mumbo Jumbo
Developer: Mumbo Jumbo
System requirements: Windows XP/Vista/Win 7, 1 GHz CPU, 512 MB RAM, DirectX 9.0c-compatible graphics card with Shader Model 2.0 support, 150 MB hard-drive space
Genre: Puzzle
ESRB rating: Everyone
Release date: May 1, 2012

There are many genres of games that seem to be content to never change. Match-threes, hidden-objects and time-management games seem to cater to a market that likes their games predictable and easy. Luxor Evolved, however doesn’t want to fall into that pit. As its name suggests, it wants to take that same universal game and turn it into something even core gamers can appreciate. Hold onto your moonstones; Luxor’s evolving!

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Publisher: THQ
Developer: Illfonic
System requirements: Windows XP/Vista/Win 7, 2.0 GHz Core2Duo or better CPU, 2 GB RAM (3 GB for Vista), 512 MB GeForce 8800 GT/Radeon 3850 HD or better graphics card, DirectX-compatible sound device, DirectX 9.0c, 3 GB hard-drive space.
Genre: FPS
ESRB rating: Teen
Release date: May 10, 2012

The other day I was standing in the shower when suddenly I was stung with an awareness of my mortality. I wondered that, if I died today, would I have left anything of worth behind? My life’s achievements, the friends, the debt, that nice thing I did once, what did they mean? But one stood out: that one time I dominated so much at a UT2K4 LAN party that I wasn’t invited back. I smiled, basking in the glow of my former glory, until I realized that I was about to be late for my retail job. I might withhold these deep personal truths from my counselor, but that’s only because he doesn’t understand. Developer Illfonic, however, has an uncanny understanding of my pains and desires. Their latest game, the oddly-titled Nexuiz, seems tailor-made to let you relive your better times, assuming those times involve classic FPS action.

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Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Developer: Turbo Tape Games
System requirements: Windows Vista/Win 7, dual-core CPU, 2 GB RAM, 512 MB GeForce GT 240 or better graphics card, 4 GB hard-drive space, DirectX 9-compatible sound device, DirectX 9.0c
Genre: Simulation
ESRB rating: Not rated
Release date: April 10, 2012

Not since Jane’s Fleet Command more than a decade ago have we had a good naval warfare simulator. Turbo Tape games felt that it was high time that someone fix this, and Paradox agreed. Set in the frigid expanses of the North Atlantic, Naval War: Arctic Circle aims to bring all the complexity of modern aquatic killing to your desktop with an almost slavish attention to detail. Schedule those sonar buoy drops and warm up the Thales MMR 3D — it’s time to hunt down some red outlines!

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Publisher: Perfect World Entertainment
Developer: Zombie Studios
System requirements: Windows XP/Vista/Win 7, dual-core CPU, 256 MB DirectX 9-compatible graphics card, DirectX 9.0c-compatible sound device, 2 GB RAM, 8 GB hard-drive space, broadband Internet connection
Genre: FPS
ESRB rating: Not rated at press time
Release date: 2012

The future might be a hellish, war-torn landscape, but it can still be a fun, if violent, romp. Having corporate-sponsored high-tech toys can make even the bleakest outlooks feel like a McDonald’s birthday party if done right. That’s what Blacklight Retribution is all about. The sequel to Blacklight: Tango Down, Retribution is a free-to-play FPS that’s all about insane customization options and x-ray vision. That’s right; the main gimmick in Tango Down returns, and it’s just as awesome as before. For a short time, you can activate your super peepers and locate enemies through walls. It worked really well in the first Blacklight, and it works just as well here. It keeps the game flowing very fast and prevents any sort of camping and cheap kills. It’s a good mechanic around which to build a game, but there’s a lot more in Retribution.

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Publisher: To be announced
Developer: Kot-in-Action Creative Artel
System requirements: Windows XP/Vista/Win 7/Linux, 2.0 GHz dual-core CPU, 512 MB GeForce 8600/Radeon HD 2600 graphics card, 2 GB RAM
Genre: Action RPG
ESRB rating: Not rated at press time
Release date: To be announced

Tomes of Mephistopheles has the body of a first-person dungeon crawler and the blood of a rogue-like. To find the titular Tomes, players have to descend into the dark, atmospheric depths of randomly generated dungeons, finding magical artifacts, ancient weapons of lore, and true love along the way. OK, maybe not that last one. But it does feature a wicked melee system, which is as close to true love as you’re going to find in a dungeon with rotting corpse monsters.

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Publisher: Focus Home Interactive
Developer: Pendulo Studios
System requirements: TBA
Genre: Adventure
ESRB rating: Not rated at press time
Release date: Q2 2012

Developed by Runaway veterans Pendulo Studios, Yesterday is an adventure game that removes the studio’s previous humor and implants a dark murder mystery in its place. Homeless people are found burned alive with mysterious Y-shaped scars on their palms. While investigating, our heroes get caught up in a world-wide conspiracy and a tangle of mind-bending puzzles. As you can see by the large, bloody pentagram in the trailer, Yesterday doesn’t hold back on the disturbing.

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Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Developer: Ino-co Plus
System requirements: TBA
Genre: Strategy
ESRB rating: Everyone 10+
Release date: Q2 2012

In 1994, Simtex released a 4X game entitled Master of Magic. Like every similar RTS at the time, it initially looked like a Civilization clone. Despite initial bugs, it was far more then just Civ with spells, and it quickly became a strategy classic. A few games have tried to capture its spark since, most infamously 2010’s Elemental, but none of them have quite made it. Unwilling to let such a great spirit languor in DOS emulators, Paradox Interactive is giving MoM a modern body in the form of Warlock: Master of the Arcane. The details are so enticing it might cause your carpal tunnel to flair up in anticipation.

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Publisher: Valve
Developer: Hidden Path Entertainment
System requirements: Windows XP/Vista/Win 7, 3.0 GHz Pentium IV or better CPU, 128 MB graphics card with Pixel Shader 2.0 support, 1 GB RAM (2 GB for Vista/Win 7), DirectX 9.0c-compatible sound device, 3 GB hard-drive space
Genre: Shooter
ESRB rating: Not rated at press time
Release date: Q1 2012
Preview by: Ian Davis

Certain gaming communities are more resistant to change then others. Some, like certain players who seem to always answer certain calls of certain obligations, pile onto the latest annual release as if it were the last doughnut in the precinct. Counterstrike gamers are of a heartier breed. CS has seen two releases since its commercial debut in 2000, each with its own slow-and-steady patch schedule along the way. The changes have been minor, but not always accepted. For reference, CS has a player base so hardcore that they not only know what a tick-rate is, but they also have strong opinions about them. With Defense of the Ancients (DOTA) 2 on the way, Valve seems to be willing to tackle all the tricky classics. Thus, this one is being recast into Counterstrike: Global Offensive. So how can Valve update this FPS pillar without being an iconoclast?

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Publisher: ChangYou
Developer: Zeonix
Genre: CCG (collectible card game)
Requirements: Any Flash enabled web browser
Release Date: 2012 (projected mid first quarter)
Written by: Mindy Hartman

Korean game developer Zeonix will be releasing a new online collectible card game, Sword Girls, which will go into closed beta 2 on December 7, 2011 and be released sometime in 2012. This CCG is anime-based, featuring over 500 hundred cards (at release, with more to come) of original art, though it is not tied to any real card game or television show. Players will have the ability to earn/trade/create countless cards and build unique decks so they can battle dungeons or other players in pvp matches.

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Publisher: Nicolas Games
Developer: Intoxicate Studios
System requirements: Windows XP SP2/Vista/Win 7, 2 GHz Intel Core2Duo/AMD Athlon 64 X2 or better CPU, 256 MB graphics card with Shader 3.0 support, 2 GB RAM (Windows XP)/3 GB RAM (Vista/Win 7), DirectX 9.0c
Genre: Third-person shooter
ESRB rating: Not rated
Release date: November 2011

All psychiatrist Dr. Albert Tokaj wanted was an energy drink. He had just fallen asleep during his last session with a patient (his eighth of the day, thanks to the edict of the Shelter’s commanding officer), and he desperately needed a sugar injection. But he ended up in the bar instead when he found the nearest vending machine was empty. Soon after sitting down for a drink with a friend, Albert’s life took a distressing turn…and so begins Afterfall: InSanity, the debut shooter for indie developer Intoxicate Studios.

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Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Developer: Paradox Interactive
System Requirements: Windows XP/Vista/7, Intel® Pentium® IV 2.4 GHz or AMD 3500+, 2 GB RAM, 2 GB free hard drive space, NVIDIA® GeForce 8800 or ATI Radeon® X1900 video card, Direct X-compatible sound card, DirectX 9, 3-button mouse, keyboard, speakers, Internet connection for multiplayer
Genre: Strategy
ESRB rating: Pending
Release date: February 7, 2012

In the wake of Paradox Interactive’s release of Sengoku, it shouldn’t surprise anyone in the game industry that Paradox is looking to create a sequel to the game that started them down the path of dynastic struggles and medieval warfare: Crusader Kings. While Sengoku is a budget offering depicting the Warring States period in Japanese history, Crusader Kings II advertises itself as a full price title that offers players the chance to “Increase your lands and fill your coffers, appoint vassals, battle traitors, introduce laws while interacting with hundreds of nobles, and create the most powerful dynasty of medieval Europe.” Luckily, I was given the chance to preview it for the past few weeks. And I have to say that even in its unfinished, beta condition, it is an engrossing game filled with the kinds of difficult choices historical medieval rulers would have faced, albeit with a slicker interface.

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Publisher: Overhaul Games
Developer: Overhaul Games, Interplay
System requirements: Windows XP/Vista/Win 7, 3 GHz Pentium D CPU, GeForce GT 120/Radeon HD 2600 XT or better graphics card, 1 GB RAM, 1 GB hard-drive space, DirectX 9
Genre: FPS
ESRB rating: Not rated (original game rated Teen)
Release date: October 2011

Ever since widescreen flat-panel television prices finally came down from the stratosphere, “High Definition” has been one of our most cherished entertainment attributes. The phrase has joined “Director’s Cut” and “Remastered” as important buzzwords in TVs, DVDs and feature films. New developer Overhaul Games has used its inaugural release, MDK 2 HD, to add video gaming to the list of leisure activities sporting the magic high-def descriptor. They’ve taken an 11-year-old PC shooter and made it much more appealing to the eye, while retaining the original’s fast-paced gameplay.

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Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Ubisoft Reflections
Genre: Racing
Rating: Teen
Release Date: September 6, 2011

Video games, like movies, are a collaborative art form. Anyone who waits through the 5 minute scrawl of text that ends each game, waiting to see what bonus features all their hard work has unlocked, knows that the only real difference between a video game and a movie is the lack of a key grip. Other than that, these AAA titles are assembled by a cast of hundreds or thousands, and marketed by twice that. I usually pay particular attention to the Creative Director – the person who keeps the ship afloat as it makes that long journey from inception to “gone gold.” And it’s particularly interesting when a creator leaves his baby in well-meaning hands and heads off to explore new frontiers, only to return several years down the line. Within the next six months, gamers have the chance to enjoy a series of titles that are notable for having enticed their fathers back into the fold. Next year, Ken Levine brings us a brand new Bioshock after sitting the second one out. This Fall, Michel Ancel returns to his Rayman platforming roots. And in just a few weeks, Martin Edmonson takes the wheel in Driver: San Francisco – returning to the series once again after a lengthy absence.

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Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Developer: Paradox Interactive
System requirements: TBD
Genre: Strategy
ESRB rating: Not yet rated
Release date: September 13, 2011

Much like WWII, the Napoleonic Wars, and the Crusades, Japan’s Sengoku Period is an historic conflict that game designers can’t seem to leave alone. The intrigue and warfare of such a violent period has spawned a number of interesting titles over the years of such widely varying kinds as Takeda 3 and Total War: Shogun 2. Now Paradox Interactive has decided to add their grand strategy gaming touch to this period, bringing gamers Sengoku: Way of the Warrior. Rather than trying to out-do Creative Assembly or Magitech in terms of tactical battles, Paradox has taken a page from their own Crusader Kings and designed a title that is more focused on the interaction of characters than it is on the proper deployment of archers on a battlefield. In Sengoku, plotting and scheming has a central role to play in a game where your own vassals can be as much of a threat as an opposing clan.

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