Print Article: Most Anticipated PC Games of 2011



		Most Anticipated PC Games of 2011 January 07, 2011 Jacob Vandy VanDerWerf

Summary: With blockbuster titles like Crysis 2, RAGE, Mass Effect 3, and Star Wars: The Old Republic, 2011 looks like it should be another exciting year for PC gamers. Join us at Vandy previews the top titles of 2011 in chronological order!

Introduction Page:: ( 1 / 5 )
There are so many cool games on the way, it’s hard not to be at least a little giddy with anticipation. From heavy hitters delayed in 2010 finally arriving in the coming months to long-awaited sequels in beloved franchises already claiming dates in the fall, 2011 is shaping up to be another exciting year. To help you mark your calendars and plan your vacation schedule, here’s a list of PC games coming out in the next twelve months that you should be keeping an eye out on. Keep in mind that most of these do not have specific release dates yet, and the ones that do may still be subject to change.

Be sure to share your thoughts on your most anticipated games of 2011 in the comments, even if they don’t appear here.

DC Universe Online

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Who’s making it? Sony Online Entertainment
What kind of game is it? MMORPG
When is it being released? January 11th
Why does it look interesting? Dozens of licensed heroes and villains to interact with, Hollywood cast of voice actors, become a superhero in a comic-book environment you know and love

Two Worlds II

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Who’s making it? Reality Pump
What kind of game is it? RPG
When is it being released? January 25th
Why does it look interesting? Highly complex and customizable magic system, visually stunning environments, cooperative multiplayer

Dead Space 2

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Who’s making it? Visceral Games
What kind of game is it? Third-person shooter, survival horror
When is it being released? January 25th
Why does it look interesting? Huge barren space city filled with monsters to blast, zero-gravity exploration, 4 vs. 4 multiplayer pitting humans against necromorphs

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Test Drive Unlimited 2

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Who’s making it? Eden Games
What kind of game is it? Racing, open world
When is it being released? February 8th
Why does it look interesting? Persistent online multiplayer mode, enhanced progression, vehicle damage, includes an updated version of the game world from the first TDU (Hawaii)

Bulletstorm

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Who’s making it? People Can Fly
What kind of game is it? FPS
When is it being released? February 22nd
Why does it look interesting? Bonus points for “killing with skill,” epic boss fights, beautiful scenery, cheesy one-liners

March 2011 and other Q1 releases Page:: ( 2 / 5 )

Dragon Age II

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Who’s making it? BioWare
What kind of game is it? RPG, action
When is it being released? March 8th
Why does it look interesting? Playable character has a specific identity and personality, combat is more flexible but retains tactical spin, new region of the Dragon Age world to explore, save data from Origins and/or Awakening can be imported

Homefront

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Who’s making it? Digital Extremes
What kind of game is it? FPS
When is it releasing? March 8th
Why does it look interesting? Korean occupation of the US in the near-future, guerrilla-style resistance groups fight back, multiplayer aiming to compete with Call of Duty

Total War: Shogun 2

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Who’s making it? The Creative Assembly
What kind of game is it? RTS, TBS
When is it being released? March 15th
Why does it look interesting? Improved AI, campaign map focusing on feudal Japan and faction wars, up to tens of thousands of troops in a single battle

Crysis 2

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Who’s making it? Crytek
What kind of game is it? FPS
When is it being released? March 22nd
Why does it look interesting? Aliens take the fight to New York, improved AI exploiting the vertical dimension, hybrid suit powers, CryEngine 3

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Darkspore

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Who’s making it? Maxis
What kind of game is it? Action RPG
When is it being released? March 29th
Why does it look interesting? Character creation based on creature editor seen in Spore, fast-paced sci-fi action, extensive cooperative elements

Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood

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Who’s making it? Ubisoft Montreal
What kind of game is it? Action/adventure
When is it being released? Q1 2011
Why does it look interesting? Ezio returns to Rome, lead your own sect of assassins, rebuild the city like the Estate in AC2, more gadgets

Fable III

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Who’s making it? Lionhead Studios
What kind of game is it? Action/adventure, RPG
When is it being released? Q1 2011
Why does it look interesting? Epic storyline about a revolution, become king and rule as you see fit, somewhat of a steampunk theme

Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War II - Retribution

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Who’s making it? Relic Entertainment
What kind of game is it? RTS, RPG
When is it being released? Q1 2011
Why does it look interesting? New playable race (Imperial Guard), separate campaign for each of the multiple races, base-building in multiplayer

April/May 2011 and other Q2 releases Page:: ( 3 / 5 )

Portal 2

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Who’s making it? Valve
What kind of game is it? Puzzle, platforming
When is it being released? April 18th
Why does it look interesting? Two-player cooperative campaign separate from single-player one, new twists on same style of gameplay, GlaDOS returns, it’s Valve!

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

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Who’s making it? CD Projekt RED
What kind of game is it? RPG
When is it being released? May 17th
Why does it look interesting? New engine with gorgeous visuals, multiple ways to complete tasks, overhauled combat system, DRM-free

Red Faction: Armageddon

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Who’s making it? Volition, Inc.
What kind of game is it? Third-person shooter
When is it being released? May 2011
Why does it look interesting? Fight against an alien infestation on Mars, new weapons and equipment that exploit the physics powering fully destructible buildings, co-op multiplayer mode involves infinite waves of attackers

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

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Who’s making it? Eidos Montreal
What kind of game is it? FPS, RPG
When is it being released? Q2 2011
Why does it look interesting? Prequel to original Deus Ex, extensive stealth capabilities, enemy AI that fights in squads and responds to player’s actions

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Brink

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Who’s making it? Splash Damage
What kind of game is it? FPS
When is it being released? Q2 2011
Why does it look interesting? Utopian floating city on the brink of civil war, free-running with context sensitive movement actions, persistent character progression whether you play the story mode alone or online with other people

Stronghold 3

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Who’s making it? Firefly Studios
What kind of game is it? RTS, simulation
When is it being released? Q2 2011
Why does it look interesting? Returning to classic Stronghold gameplay, build a castle and accompanying town then wage war on rivals, launch diseased cows from trebuchets

Hunted: The Demon’s Forge

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Who’s making it? inXile Entertainment
What kind of game is it? Action/adventure
When is it being released? Q2 2011
Why does it look interesting? Built around cooperative multiplayer, two players must use complementary abilities to be effective, fortune-seeking mercenaries “encounter vicious creatures, death, and sacrifice”

Star Wars: The Old Republic

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Who’s making it? BioWare
What kind of game is it? MMORPG
When is it being released? Q2 2011
Why does it look interesting? Described as a single-player RPG you play with other people, larger than all other BioWare games combined, with hundreds of hours of voice-overs, maybe the most expensive/ambitious game ever made

Duke Nukem Forever

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Who’s making it? Gearbox Software
What kind of game is it? FPS
When is it being released? Q2 2011
Why does it look interesting? It’s finally coming out…

September/November 2011, other Q3/Q4 releases Page:: ( 4 / 5 )

RAGE

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Who’s making it? id Software
What kind of game is it? FPS
When is it being released? September 13th
Why does it look interesting? Using new id Tech 5 engine, post-apocalyptic open world environment, several RPG elements, major driving component with upgradable vehicles

Batman: Arkham City

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Who’s making it? Rocksteady Studios
What kind of game is it? Action/adventure
When is it being released? Q3 2011
Why does it look interesting? Explore the slums of Gotham City, new villains and other characters from the Batman universe, Detective Mode reworked, new gadgets, improved combat

Warhammer 40k: Space Marine

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Who’s making it? Relic Entertainment
What kind of game is it? Third-person shooter
When is it being released? Q3 2011
Why does it look interesting? The first Warhammer 40k action game, control 4 different types of space marines, earn upgrades to customize your squad

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

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Who’s making it? Bethesda Softworks
What kind of game is it? RPG, open world
When is it being released? November 11th
Why does it look interesting? New region of Tamriel to explore, new engine, bigass dragon(s) to slay, it’s the Elder Scrolls!

Mass Effect 3

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Who’s making it? BioWare
What kind of game is it? Third-person shooter, RPG
When is it being released? Q4 2011
Why does it look interesting? Fight to save Earth from destruction, import save games to incorporate decisions from ME1 and ME2 into plot, final chapter of the trilogy

Diablo III

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Who’s making it? Blizzard Entertainment
What kind of game is it? Action RPG
When is it being released? Q4 2011
Why does it look interesting? Many new features and refinements while keeping most of the look and feel of the first games, 3D graphics, Battle.net 2.0 support, new character classes, it’s Diablo!

The rest of 2011 (no release information) Page:: ( 5 / 5 )

Torchlight II

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Who’s making it? Runic Games
What kind of game is it? Action RPG
When is it being released? TBA
Why does it look interesting? Customizable characters from four classes, more varied overworld locations to complement randomly-generated dungeons, co-op multiplayer

Dirt 3

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Who’s making it? Codemasters Southam
What kind of game is it? Racing
When is it being released? TBA
Why does it look interesting? New race type (gymkhana), new real world locations, varied weather and track surfaces

Operation Flashpoint: Red River

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Who’s making it? Codemasters
What kind of game is it? FPS
When is it being released? TBA
Why does it look interesting? Choice of soldier class, experience gained to unlock things like weapons and upgrades, four-player online co-op, “immerses players in the reality of war like never before”

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier

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Who’s making it? Ubisoft Paris
What kind of game is it? Third-person shooter
When is it being released? TBA
Why does it look interesting? Futuristic technology like optical camouflage, cover-based combat allows for first-person aiming, coordinate enemy take-downs with your squad

Driver: San Francisco

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Who’s making it? Ubisoft Reflections
What kind of game is it? Racing, open world
When is it being released? TBA
Why does it look interesting? “Shift” to different cars in an out-of-body experience, huge environment based on San Francisco with over 200 miles of road, 120+ licensed vehicles will full damage modeling

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Aliens: Colonial Marines

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Who’s making it? Gearbox Software
What kind of game is it? FPS
When is it being released? TBA
Why does it look interesting? Squad-based action with four Marines carrying different weapons, context-sensitive commands, no HUD, various alien types, online co-op multiplayer

Guild Wars 2

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Who’s making it? ArenaNet
What kind of game is it? MMORPG
When is it being released? TBA
Why does it look interesting? Custom character creation, focus on quality of skills instead of quantity, high-level cap but no pressure to grind, new epic PvP mode joins existing competitive ones, still no subscription fee

XCOM

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Who’s making it? 2K Marin
What kind of game is it? FPS
When is it being released? TBA
Why does it look interesting? War of the Worlds-style invasion in the 1950s, play as an FBI agent in the large-scale effort to identify and eliminate the alien threat, different types of missions to choose from

Dungeon Siege III

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Who’s making it? Obsidian Entertainment
What kind of game is it? Action RPG
When is it being released? TBA
Why does it look interesting? Chris Taylor is advising, extensive multiplayer component, continuation of the Kingdom of Ehb’s epic story

Lord of the Rings: War in the North

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Who’s making it? Snowblind Studios
What kind of game is it? Action RPG
When is it being released? TBA
Why does it look interesting? Darker and more violent than any LOTR game yet, canonically relevant to the saga, three very different characters work together whether AI- or player-controlled

The Agency: Covert Ops

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Who’s making it? Sony Online Entertainment Seattle
What kind of game is it? MMOFPS
When is it being released? TBA
Why does it look interesting? Skill-based shooting (headshots are deadly), RPG elements, changing character class with equipment, mission types ranging from espionage to all-out assaults

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