Batman: Arkham City (Xbox 360/PlayStation 3/PC)
After the success of Arkham Asylum, it really is tough not to be excited about the sequel, Arkham City. It may sound a bit odd that the title is Arkham City and not Gotham itself, but the devs aren't ready to unleash the full city upon us yet. Instead, Arkham City is a city-like prison built within the slums of Gotham. Here villains are free to roam around as long as they don't attempt to climb over the walls. Naturally Joker, plus many other infamous villains, have plans for this city prison. No rest for the bat, which is great news for us.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution (Xbox 360/PlayStation 3/PC)
After a great start to the life of the Deus Ex franchise it's gone a bit downhill over the years. Square Enix has decided that 2011 is the time to resurrect the franchise and aim to deliver game of the year material. It's looking promising to say the least. Set in an eye-candy futuristic world playing as a character with special abilities, Human Revolution is set to please fans of sci-fi, stealth and shooters. Game of the year potential if you love all three.
Gears of War 3 (Xbox 360)
Perhaps we know exactly what to expect from Gears of War 3, but that doesn't make it any less exciting. Marcus Fenix and pals are set on putting an end to the Locust wars. Expect it to be cinematic, with top cover and shoot action, some high five buddy moments, and a spot of tugging on the heart strings. Multiplayer is also set to be an improvement, and if the previous two are anything to go by, it'll all be kick ass.
L.A. Noire (Xbox 360/PlayStation)
Rockstar Games + 1940's Los Angeles Gangsters = going to be awesome. Some developers / publishers you just know are going to deliver the goods, and the ones who'd appear at the top of the trust list are Rockstar. An open-world, film noir-style detective story, L.A. Noire could be 2011's Red Dead Redemption: a surprise masterpiece of a video game. Think a Raymond Chandler novel in game form. That is what L.A. Noir promises to be.
Mass Effect 3 (Xbox 360/PlayStation 3/PC)
To many gamers Mass Effect 3 is the one to have in 2011. Only announced recently with a trailer to get us all excited, your Commander Shepard is fighting a war much closer to home, on Earth. The trailer shows London being attacked, while Shepard looks on from the safety of space. "But I don't want it to be set on Earth," says many disappointed fans. Those fans should know better. Expect to see a lot of space travel in an epic adventure, and not just another generic battle to save our little planet.
Portal 2 (Xbox 360/PlayStation 3/PC)
This is a triumph. A full feature length sequel to one of the biggest and best surprises of 2007. When all we wanted was Half Life 2 on the Xbox 360, with the anticipated Episode 2, we were also given Portal. A game that delighted us all with its mind boggling puzzles and unique voice over. Portal 2 aims to raise the standards set by the first, and there's cake in it for us too. Valve are still keeping quiet on Half Life (Episode) 3, but Portal makes up for the wait... Plus it's much more appealing than Left 4 Dead 3.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Xbox 360/PlayStation 3/PC)
Any Elder Scrolls or Fallout fan will tell you that pretty much everything on this list, with the exception of the current topic, is absolutely not worth talking about. A new Elder Scrolls game must already be the hands down game of the year. Early details show this should be far better than Oblivion, and Obvlivion was nothing short of brilliant (Morrowind fanatics your opinion is acknowledged). A new engine, improved mechanics, and dragons. What's not to get excited about? Skyrim is potentially Fallout with swords :-).
The Last Guardian (PlayStation 3)
My personal top pick of the year, and many will agree. Ico and Shadow of the Colossus are two of the most beautiful and visually stunning games ever created, and The Last Guardian is shaping up to be the perfect third chapter, seemingly integrating Ico's gameplay with help from a huge beast. Expect epic, and expect a tear jerker, all adding up to be an "experience" and not just another game on the hot list. Hell, even the Ico/SotC remastered versions deserves a spot on this list.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii)
Serious looking Link becomes cel-shaded in the Wii's first proper Zelda game. In being so, Skyward Sword works only with the Motion Plus peripheral. Early screenshots and videos all show plenty of Wiimote shaking action, which may or may not be a bad thing. Reservations aside, Zelda fans will love nothing more than another epic adventure in Hyrule and its many puzzle-filled dungeons. This is easily one of the Wii games to look out for in 2011.
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (PlayStation 3)
When the whole gaming world and their gaming dogs declared Uncharted 2 one of the finest action / platform games ever, the pressure was on for Naughty Dog to better the experience for the third outing. Announced only days ago as Drake's Deception, early footage shows a desert and a burning house. Uncharted 3 doesn't need to better part 2 though. If it comes close then it'll be essential gaming. It's certainly a good year for Sony with many top PS3 exclusives coming out. Even better for us gamers.
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