gamrPreview: 20 Most Anticipated Xbox 360 Games of 2011 - News
by VGChartz Staff , posted on 06 January 2011 / 10,427 Views
Ah, memories. This time last year, the Xbox 360 was white and Kinect was just a rumor called Project Natal. Now Microsoft's HD gaming juggernaut is silky black and Kinect has sold 8 million units. So what's in store for the Xbox 360 this year? Some really big games is what. So here they are, our 20 most anticipated games for 2011...Xbox 360 style.
Fall
Batman: Arkham Asylum was the first Batman game - possibly ever - to emerge a critical and commercial success. The game was so successful that a teaser for Arkham City hit the internet only a couple of months after the first game's release. Now this year, we're getting the sequel to the smashing Dark Knight success that promises more great stealth sections and more of the incredible timing-based fighting mechanics. Don the cape and cowl this Fall.
February 22
Don't worry, new and original intellectual properties, I'm not forgetting about you. Epic Games and People Can Fly are getting ready to bring us Bulletstorm. Bulletstorm is a first person shooter that takes the genre and cranks it up to eleven...or twelve...or three-hundred fifty-eight.Bulletstorm is over-the-top, points-riddled FPS madness where the goal is to spend more time finding creative ways to take out your enemies than worrying about precision headshots. Rack 'em up and knock 'em down February 22.
TBA 2011
Child of Eden kicked off the Ubisoft press conference at E3 back in June and immediately grabbed our attention. There was Tetsuya Mizuguchi, creator of 2001's cult classic Rez, moving and gyrating in front of a Kinect to control what looked like a high-def re-imagining ofRez. That game is Child of Eden, a synesthesia action game which is the spiritual successor to Rez. While it will support Kinect, it will also support standard controllers. Get groovy sometime this year.
January 25
Dead Space proved developers can still make scary survival-horror games in the shooter genre. While other survival horror staples had long-since lost their scare factor, Dead Space put us aboard the spaceship Ishimura with a bunch of Necromorphs that had to be dismembered in order to be killed. Nothing like running backwards while you drain your last few rounds into the hips of a rushing enemy. Dead Space 2 brings us all this with more Necromorphs, more of Isaac Clark's mental instabilities, and multiplayer on January 25.
April 2011 or later
Despite the high-fantasy capability of video game technology, there is a surprising void where cyberpunk fiction should be. Deus Ex looks to fill that void a little with Human Revolution. It will be the third game in the franchise, though a prequel to the previous releases and the first in the HD generation of graphics. Deus Ex: Human Revolution has featured some of the prettiest trailers and promising gameplay, but has recently suffered a potentially large delay from Q1 2011 to "sometime April 2011 or later."
March 8 (NA), March 11 (EU)
BioWare has been on a tear in recent years. Dragon Age: Origins and the Mass Effect franchise have garnered them critical and commercial success as well as multiple Game of the Year awards. They're set to do it again with Dragon Age II. Unlike the previous Dragon Age, this version is being developed for PC and the HD consoles at the same time, promising a more natural gameplay experience for Xbox 360 players. In classic BioWare tradition, decisions made in the first Dragon Age as well as the Awakenings expansion can carry over into Dragon Age II. Get medieval in early March.
TBA 2011
Driver: San Francisco is a game looking both backward and forward at the same time. In one hand, the game is returning to San Francisco with all its crazy hills and winding roads, just like the original Driver. On the other hand, the game will take place in Tanner's comatose mind, introducing new gameplay mechanics. Most notable is "Shift," which allows the player to jump from car to car in the middle of a chase. This allows you to never get too far behind or use multiple vehicles strategically to take down your target. Get behind the wheel sometime this year.
June 7
No, this isn't a joke. No, you're not dreaming. Gearbox Software, the guys and gals responsible for Borderlands, are bringing Duke Nukemback after 14 years in development hell. Not much is known about the new Duke so far, but you can rest assured it will be a shooter, Duke Nukem will have a foul mouth and a black sense of humor, and if Borderlands is any indications, it will be brilliant. Get back in the saddle June 7.
November 11
The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion was a huge commercial and critical success for Bethesda Softworks, but they've been more focused on their Falloutproperties as of late. Now they're heading back into the realms of fantasy with The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The game is abandoning the aging Gamebryo engine for a new internally developed engine that is being built from the ground up. First-person fantasy roleplaying: welcome back November 11.
Fall 2011
Forza has etched out quite the niche for itself in the racing simulator market. It has taken Gran Turismo on head-to-head and held its own. Forza Motorsport 4 is looking to bring the competition even closer with Kinect support and content developed with the U.S. version of Top Gear. The few screens and trailers from the new game also show the team at Turn 10 Studios is definitely stepping up the level of pretty. Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines this Fall.
Q4 2011
Gears of War is one of the staple franchises for the Xbox 360, so of course the third entry into the story is highly anticipated. The new game will feature four player co-op, new female playable characters, a host of new weapons, new enemies, new executions, and so much more. Want early access? Pick up the limited edition version of Bulletstorm and you'll get exclusive access to the beta. Gear up late this year.
May 10
Hunted: The Demon's Forge is a new property coming out of inXile Entertainment and Bethesda Softworks. It's a dark fantasy RPG with a special emphasis on co-op gameplay. The designers are focusing on players working together to achieve goals as well as cooperative abilities and skills. Perhaps most interestingly, the co-op play will not be a split-screen setup. Grab a friend and get hunting on May 10.
Spring 2011
When I first played Grand Theft Auto, I kept thinking how awesome it would be to put that idea in the time period of gangsters and Tommy Guns. While not going back quite that far, L.A. Noire is taking Rockstar's incredible feel for adult sandbox titles and setting it in 1947 Los Angeles, playing up the feel of noir films and novels popular in that day. The game is also featuring some innovative lighting and facial motion-capture technology. Step back in time this Spring.
Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds
February 15 (NA), February 18 (EU)
Capcom has gotten quite good at the whole "vs." fighting game realm. They regularly pit their characters against all sorts of other intellectual properties and the Marvel Comics characters are the best known outside of Japan. Fate of Two Worlds promises a simplified control style along with an ever-expanding roster of both Marvel and Capcom characters. Team up and take 'em down in February.
Holiday 2011
The Mass Effect story is drawing to a close with the upcoming third chapter. Mass Effect 3 is being built with a brand new engine that promises better-than-ever graphics and will take into account hundreds of variables from the first two games, if you've played them. Mass Effect 2 was our overall Game of the Year for 2010, so we expect great and mighty things from its successor. Join up with the Commander Shepherd yet again this coming holiday season.
TBA 2011 (Unconfirmed)
Metal Gear Solid has been a franchise exclusive to the Playstation consoles for a long time, but all that is about to change. E3 showed us Solid Snake on the Nintendo 3DS, but it also showed us Metal Gear Solid: Rising for the PS3 AND Xbox 360. The game focuses on Raiden, who has been a cyborg ninja for a few games now. Trying to understand Metal Gear continuity usually requires a Ph.D. in theoretical physics, butRising seems to take place between Metal Gear Solid 2 and Metal Gear Solid 4. Rising will be much more action-oriented than previous MGS game and focus on sword-play, with controls allowing the player to cut in specific directions for precision dismemberment. Get your cybernetically-enhanced-ninja on sometime this year.
April 2011
After the big comeback Capcom made with Street Fighter IV, it only makes sense that NetherRealms Studios sees the potential in bringing another classic 2D fighter back in Mortal Kombat. This new Mortal Kombat looks even more brutal and violent than its predecessors, featuring more fatalities and humiliations, a zooming x-ray shot that shows bones breaking on particularly violent hits, and while it hasn't been announced yet, Xbox 360 will surely get an exclusive character like PS3 is getting with Kratos. I'm thinking Marcos Fenix. Finish him this April.
April 18 (NA), April 22 (EU)
Portal is one of Valve's marquee properties, released to little initial fanfare but gaining a huge fanbase since its launch in 2007, spinning out of a completely independent game called Narbacular Drop. Who would have thought combining first-person shooter mechanics in a puzzle game would be so fantastic, but when you throw in the companion cube and cake, it's a winning combination. Warp your brain with Portal 2 in April.
Winter 2011
A new SSX has been long-awaited by fans of the franchise after the less-than-exciting SSX On Tour which was only followed by a Wii release with SSX Blur. The HD generation has yet to see an SSX game, but we're finally getting one with SSX Deadly Descents, which was announced in a trailer at the Spike VGA's. The game looks significantly different than previous iterations, but the SSX faithful are still hopeful the gameplay will be all that they loved about the first few games. Hit the slopes this coming Winter.
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters
March 29
The newest Tiger Woods game set to drop this year doesn't feature Tiger on the cover, but that's due to the focus the game is taking on one of its newest features: the PGA Masters Tournament. For the first time, EA Sports' venerable franchise will feature the Augusta National and allow players to work their way through the Master Tournament in pursuit of the coveted green jacket. Tee off March 29.
There's the list. Nothing too ridiculous, I hope. Lots of big games coming our way in 2011, what's your most anticipated?
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There is a Kinect game...Or at least a game with full Kinect funtionality.
Child of Eden
And exclusivity is overrated.
If you love a game and wish the company behind it well, you should want as many people to play it as possible.
That being said, I do wonder what's going on with the Crytech project 'Kingdoms'.
Also people, don't get mad because games that you were interested in didn't make this list.
It says "OUR 20 most anticipated games for 2011" Not your most anticipated games. Also, please notice the lack of first person shooters.
Project Kingdoms, MechWarrior, Steel Batallion, Project Dragon, Dungeon Hero, Huxley and Prey 2 should be at least mentioned as exclusives, and I think Crysis 2 and Test Drive Unlimited are to be considered. My Top 10 in ranked order, but to be honest, after L.A. Noire, it's only games I'd consider used:
Mass Effect 3, Gears 3, Forza 4, MechWarrior, Project Kingdoms, L.A. Noire, Driver: San Franciso, Duke Nukem: Forever, Dead Space 2, Test Drive Unlimited 2
P.S. Comment to the haters: Not 1 Kinect title is announced, and MS always announces a big game late, Halo 1 remake is rumored. Unlike Sony MS keeps their fall line-up secret until the year of, not 5 years before. Of the 10 PS3 exclusives, how many of them were known in 2009 or prior? 4, less then half, and only Gears 3 and Huxley were known prior to 2010 for 360.
Really looking forward to Mass Efffect 3. I wonder how BioWare will implement all the choices I've made in the first two games.
Oh, and as I really couldn't care less whether a game is exclusive or not I think this list is great. Can't wait for Deus Ex and LA Noire.
Wow, what a sad list....only 2 exclusives? The ps3 is looking like it will clean house this year.
I wasnt expecting tiger woods 12 to be on the list, but im glad it is. The inclusion of The Masters could be a major selling point.
I am surprised that not one Kinect game is on the list. Probably due to the limited info available on the coming games? or was it a lack of interest by the writer? Either way, Kinect will be hard to ignore by the second half of 2011.
Why did you put so much shovelware on the list? Driver? Hunted? And I mean, no Crysis 2? Are you serious? Either this is a horribly put together list and the author forgot some games, or he's crazy.
Anyways, always interesting to look back on these lists and see what didn't come out. I'm guessing MGS:Rising wont make it for one.
Just 2 exclusives? Thats kind of weak. Some of those multiplat games make me drool though! :P~~
great lineup, couldn't care less about exclusives
Really glad I looked at this list, I don't own a 360 but for this list that doesn't seem to matter much, Hunted: The Demon's Forge and Driver: San Francisco are two multiplats that were way below my radar that I might enjoy, probably would of found out about them when the demo came though but maybe not, though with all the games that are coming out and all the games I haven't got yet not sure if I'll ever get them, either way I know about them now, they might surprise me, at anyrate those with 360 only hope you get some a few more good exclusives eventually, though it doesn't look like it I still have like 20 ps3 exclusives to get (if I can ever find them in the store) not to mention multiplats, so yeah bit of a backlog
Hurray for 2 exclusives, in top 20.
I think a lot of people misunderstood my comments, all I wanted to point out is that MS is lacking EXCLUSIVES in 2011, I am not complaining about the quality of 3rd party game, cause I will rocking Dead Space 2 as well as Batman: Arkham City.
Also comment stating that more 3rd party games will be sold on XBOX 360 only solidifies my previous statement that XBOX 360 does not have any exclusives so people will have to buy more 3rd party games.
I keep forgetting that so many people do not think before they write useless comments only to make a fool out of previous commenter. Also I am not sure if you checked US console sales recently but XBOX 360 is leading PS3 by significant margin here, which means that XBOX should always outsell PS3 in 3rd party category in US and if it does not then it should call for concern.
Bottom line I believe that PS3 will be pushing more consoles because there is more unique content that will be highly desirable.
Trolling got old few years ago and you think that is what I am doing then you must be a troll yourself. Be a man and admit it when you know that your selection of games will be worst than mine.
ooops of course i meant:
the Xbox 360 will stay in my cellar :)
ouch, it seems like in 2011 will stay in my cellar, the games that are interesting come out on PS3 (Last Guardian, ICO Collection, hopefully Project Dark) and I still dont get how many people get hyped for shooters on a console with a friggin joypad. Thats just pathetic.
Steel Battalion?
weak line up imo
The line up looks very good. The games on that list that appeals to me are Child of Eden, Dead Space 2, Dragon Age II, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Hunted: The Demon's Forge, L.A. Noire, Mass Effect 3, and Portal 2. But too bad there are not more potential quality exclusive titles on that list. Seriously.
OMG the trolls are out in force.
looking forward to Skyrim, Gears, Bulletstorm, and Mass Effect.
LMAO at all the sensitivity in these comments. All I know is this year I'm gonna be broke as hell locked in my gaming room for days at and end tryna keep up with all the great games thats coming out. Something everyone should be happy about on each consol. 2011 the year of the hermit!
No interesting exclusive game for me at all.
Only 2 games I'll buy there are multi : Dead Space 2 and Batman...
MAY have a look at Mass Effect 3 and Marvel vs Capcom 3 tough they are multi too.
just when i get out they pull me back in
until now worst exclusive lineup for 2011, there are many games above i'm going to buy (dead space 2 will be the first) but only 2 exclusives forza4 and gears3
this year gonna be a strong multi year !!
even if ms announces some new exclusives later this year I doubt that a lot of them will hit the shelfs in 2011
of course sony has to make more excklusives because 3rd party developers know the ps3 sucks ^^ punchesfanboysinthenuts
All the trolls on here thinkin exclusives matter hahahaha...3rd party games out sale the PS3 all the time anyway so it doesnt even matter...Besides these companies want more money of course its gonna be fewer exclusives on consoles
This is pathetic,i will be buying multiplats on PS3 and i don't care about Forza so that only leaves me with Gears of War 3 to look forward to this year on the 360.
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I LOVE the amount of fake trolls going all like "Aww, 360 has no exclusives, that's bad for gamers!". Third party is dominant on 360 as it is anyway, the only good I see coming form the exclusive camp is segregation of gamers. Besides, all of those 3rd party games are likely to have on par or even better performance on 360 and will likely reach higher sales than the competition.
Not a great year for software, but not a bad one at that either - I'd place it in the mediocre category.
Raum# Why not?With Kinect they gain much more money.Maybe not all focus but they will focus very much on Kinect.You see how much Wii gets so i think microsoft wants that too.
well the developers conference is on 28 february...just wait and you will see if ms has only 2 exclusives for 2011...some people must be very dumb to think that ms will focus only for kinect games from now on....
There is at lot of games missing from that list and not like 360 owners won't have anything to play next year unless your deluded like tooto123 and Areym that think exclusives only matter.
Also SSX: Deadly Descents won't show up on too many radars.
If I was an owner of XBOX 360 this list would be a bit disappointing to me.
I am actually surprised that few titles that are listed here did not even made it to PS3 top 20 list.
I think lack of content means that Microsofts main focus will be Kinect and next console.
I have to say if I were in a market to buy a console in 2011 PS3 would be my choice.
I think Masters game won't be that much of a hit with XBOX community and same goes for Mortal Kombat as well as Marvel vs Capcom.
Let's hope Microsoft is holding off on us and is keeping few surprises hidden away.
Tiger Woods PGA Tour but no Rage? Who the hell made this list??
- Mass Effect 3
- Deus Ex: Human Revolution
-
LA Noire
Amazing year!
Child of Eden is not exclusive to 360, though last I talk to Ubisoft, they had no plans for Move support on PS3.
Is Child of Eden exclusive to the 360? I always wondered.
I'm shocked Driver: SF was included on this list, but I like it! I hope its a good game, that whole "shift" thing has me nervous though, I'd rather just go back to what made Driver great which was good driving mechanics and fun police chases, etc.
actually i beleive that would be 3, child of eden from what i remember is exclusive to kinnect unless I'm wrong.
Awesome year
huh where are the x360 ex games besides forza4 and gears3? ow wait, there is none
there are some really good games for 360 but I think PS3 has the better collection. though I know Gears will eat up a lot of my time.
Gosh next year is going to be a great year for the 360. There are at least 10 of these games I'm getting. Not to mention the tons of fantastic Arcade games they always have.
only 2 exclusives
Not alot of exclusives, huh 360?
Catherine and Disgaea 4!
you know your console is short of exclusives when people stoop to annualised sports games to pad out the list...
also you missed a bunch of generally exiting games for next year...
