It’s the final week of 2010, and what would a videogame website be without some kind of anticipated games list for 2011, right?! The Destructoid staff has gone through the mighty list of games coming out next year, and we’re kicking off our week-long look at our most anticipated games by starting with our top picks for the Xbox 360.
Join me, along with the dreamy Nick Chester, as we gush about our favorite upcoming games for the Xbox 360. Check back all throughout this week for a look at our anticipated games for the PlayStation 3, Wii, PC, 3DS, DS and PSP as well.
Hamza Aziz
Asura’s Wrath (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)
Developer: CyberConnect2
Publisher: Capcom
To be released: 2011
Eat your heart out, Kratos! There’s a new former god seeking revenge against all those who betrayed him, and his name is Asura. Fingers crossed that there’s no daddy issues going on here.
We haven’t heard much else about this Unreal Engine 3-powered game since it was announced back in September, but I think the debut trailer alone still has me hyped. Not only does Asura get stabbed by a million spears, but he also takes on a god that has a hand the size of a continent.
If that’s not bad-ass, then I don’t know what is.
Homefront (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, OnLive)
Developer: Kaos Studios (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3) / Digital Extremes (PC)
Publisher: THQ
To be released: March 8, 2011 (NA) / March 10, 2011 (AUS) / March 11, 2011 (EU) / April 29, 2011 (JP)
Homefront takes takes place in a future where a merged Korea invades a number of countries, including the United States itself. America is in complete disarray, and it’s the player’s job to help liberate the U.S. of A.
Unlike previous attempts at a bleak future setting done in a videogame, Homefront’s single-player story actually holds promise, thanks in large part to the game’s lead writer, John Milius, better known as the guy who wrote Red Dawn and co-wrote Apocalypse Now.
Let’s not forget Homefront’s multiplayer, either, which promises to be the biggest multiplayer game of 2011. Up to 32-player combat, dedicated servers (even on the console side), and tons of vehicles plus drone combat all sound like an awesome experience.
Dead Space 2 (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC)
Developer: Visceral Games
Publisher: Electronic Arts
To be released: January 25, 2011
The original Dead Space was one of my favorite games of 2008, so of course the sequel is going to be in my top-five list for 2011. Dead Space 2 once again follows Isaac Clarke, who has somehow managed to survive the nightmare of the USG Ishimura, only to wake up on “The Sprawl,” where a new Necromorph infestation has just begun.
The sequel has improved a number of things from the original game, most notable being the smooth controls of the Zero-G segments. We’re also getting a multiplayer mode, which has a very Left 4 Dead vibe going for it. Not that that’s a bad thing!
Metal Gear Solid: Rising (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)
Developer: Kojima Productions
Publisher: Konami
To be released: 2011
While I love shooters, I will always hold up the sword as the mightier weapon. And thanks to Metal Gear Solid: Rising, I’ll finally have a game that actually has good sword controls. I seriously got goosebumps when I saw how precise the sword controls were at E3.
For fans of the series, Metal Gear Solid: Rising will bridge the gap between Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots by showing us how Raiden went from a complete wimp to a total-badass-ninja-killing-machine. Neat.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC)
Developer: Eidos Montreal
Publisher: Square Enix
To be released: April 2011
While I may be getting a little tired of serious stories in first-person shooters, I have to make an exception for Deus Ex: Human Revolution. The series has always had an outstanding storyline, and this one won’t be any different. Plus, the game has a very heavy Ghost in the Shell vibe to it — a good thing, in my book.
What really interests me the most about the game is the many ways in which a player can approach an obstacle. You can go in guns blazing, take the stealth approach or just be a sociable guy. Dale North previewed Human Revolution recently and details the many approaches you can take.
Also, it looks really pretty.
Nick Chester
Red Faction: Armageddon (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC)
Developer: Volition
Publisher: THQ
To be released: May 2011
With Red Faction: Guerrilla, Volition proved that its destruction technology alone was enough to clear an easy path to fun. But it wasn’t enough to carry an entire game, and Guerrilla‘s large but sparse open-world Mars may have been its Achilles’ heel.
With Armageddon, they look to address that with an experience that takes players underneath the surface of the Red Planet. The “destroy it if they’ve got it” mentality returns, but Volition is promising a tighter, more defined experience this time around.
Throw in a magnet gun — which can be used to send send the side of a building smashing into an unwitting enemy, for instance — and it sounds like the perfect way to blow off some steam when the game ships next summer.
Bulletstorm (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC)
Developer: Epic Games, People Can Fly
Publisher: Electronic Arts
To be released: February 22, 2011
There’s obviously nothing subtle about Bulletstorm, an over-the-top first-person shooter being developed by folks responsible for the ludicrous-but-fun Painkiller.
It’s a game that will feature a swear filter. You know, for the kids. It’s a game that will allow you to use an electric leash to pull an enemy toward you, all the while unloading a clip in his chest in preparation for a boot to the gut that will send him flying into a cactus. You know, for the skill points.
Bulletstorm‘s tongue-in-cheek, completely batshit action looks to be a refreshing reprieve in a sea of shooters that take themselves far too seriously.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC)
Developer: Bethesda Game Studios
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
To be released: November 11, 2011
Sure, we don’t know much about Skyrim outside of what we’ve seen in a cryptic trailer, and that the game is set to release sooner than anyone could have guessed.
But really, what else do you need to know? It’s the follow up to 2006’s Oblivion, a title which featured a game world so rich there’s probably someone still trying to finish exploring it as you read this.
With a new game engine promising to push the series to new heights, there’s little room for Bethesda to disappoint — Skyrim was a “Game of the Year” contender before it was even announced.
Gears of War 3 (Xbox 360)
Developer: Epic Games
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
To be released: Fall 2011
When putting together lists like these, you really do your best to choose “exclusives” when speaking in console-specific terms. It seems that Microsoft isn’t making things easy, only announcing a small handful of exclusives headed into 2011.
Fortunately, Epic’s Gears of Wars 3 didn’t need any help making this list. Combine mechs, new weapons, a more polished online experience, and a compelling new versus take on the “Horde” formula with “Beast” mode, and it’s pretty obvious we’ve got another winner on our hands.
Ms. Splosion Man (Xbox Live Arcade)
Developer: Twisted Pixel Games
To be released: Fall 2011
I don’t know much about Ms. Splosion Man, but I’ll say one thing — she sure is hot! *rim shot* Wow, did anyone stick around after that one?
It’s unlikely that Ms. Splosion Man will simply be ‘Splosion Man with more pink and a bow. But even if that were the case, it would still make my list. Twisted Pixel has consistently proven itself to be one of the most adventurous and creative small studios in the industry, time and time again producing original, fun downloadable titles for Xbox Live Arcade. Why expect anything less from Ms. Splosion Man in 2011?
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Additional staff picks for the Xbox 360:
Jonathan Holmes: Child of Eden, Shadow of the Damned, Retro City Rampage, Codename D, de Blob 2
Chad Concelmo: Bulletstorm, Metal Gear Solid Rising, Mass Effect 3, Gears of War 3, Batman: Arkham City, de Blob 2, Ms. ‘Splosion Man, Retro City Rampage, Bionic Commando Rearmed 2
Samit Sarkar: Fight Night Champion, Homefront, Rage, Bulletstorm, Batman: Arkham City, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Crysis 2, Brink, Spec Ops: The Line, Madden NFL 12
Hamza Aziz: Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, Duke Nukem Forever, Bulletstorm, Mortal Kombat, Retro City Rampage, Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor, Ms. Splosion Man, Shadow of the Damned
Jim Sterling: Gears of War 3, Shadows of the Damned, Bulletstorm, Rage
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This is just a selection of our most anticipated games for the Xbox 360. There are a ton of great games coming out next year, and we want to hear from you what YOUR most wanted Xbox 360 game of 2011 is (use this giant list to help you figure out what’s coming out). Leave a comment telling us the games you want the most, and we’ll tally up your votes to reveal on Monday what the most anticipated games of 2011 are from the Destructoid community.
