[Friday Five] Most Anticipated Games of E3 2012

With only days before the doors to E3 open, gamers everywhere are anxiously awaiting the new titles, details on announced titles, and the slew of gaming news that they will be assaulted with from their favorite RSS feeds. Aside from the “will they, won’t they” questions about console reveals from Sony and Microsoft, several key games stand out from the rest. Here are five titles that stand out from the rest and have me rolling around bed at night.

Resident Evil 6

When any series goes past its third or fourth title, every announcement begs the question of whether it will be the last or not. Resident Evil, perhaps Capcom’s most prolific game, has been around for quite a while already. With the latest announced installment, it seems like the series will finally reach its finale, with both Chris Redfield and Leon Kennedy making an appearance. There’s been little details on the gameplay itself, but hopefully E3 will bring with it some playable builds and more information on the possible series finale.

Super Smash Brothers 4 (tentative title)

Without a doubt, the Smash Bros. series has been able to garner a following across the board, whether it’s used as a party game between four casual gamers or serious competition between two players at a major tournament. There’s no doubt in my mind that the next iteration will be just as successful; however, that is not what draws my attention. It’s a travesty how long the series has gone without a portable title! I could care less about connectivity between the two versions – I just want to see a version of Smash Bros. I can play on the go.

Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale

Is this kind of a cop out? Anyone who hasn’t drawn a parallel between the two must either have never played the Smash Bros. series (unlikely) or a delusional, diehard Sony fanboy (more likely). However, by no means does this diminish my anticipation for the game. Competition is always a good thing and it will be interesting to see how Sony attempts to one-up Nintendo. And let’s face it: the likes of Kratos and Nathan Drake always made better fighters than Mario and Pikachu.

The Last of Us

A post-apocalyptic setting where players will have to fight their way out of a Pittsburgh, meanwhile infested humans are scattered throughout? Sounds a lot like The Walking Dead. With renown developer Naughty Dog of Uncharted fame working on this, players can expect a brilliant blend of cinema with action gaming. With little else known about the game so far, we can’t wait to see what Sony will have to show at E3.

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

I have to admit two things here: Hideo Kojima has been one of my favorite developers since Metal Gear Solid and I never disliked Raiden. For many, especially gamers who decried Metal Gear Solid 2 for its focus on Raiden, this may seem like a paradox because Snake defined the series, but that’s a whole other point for another day. With Metal Gear Solid 4, many of those same gamers changed their tone, seeing Raiden for the ass kicking, heel wearing ninja that only he can be. Despite being announced two years ago, this game has been awfully quiet, but the game should make some noise this year with a release coming in 2013.

Needless to say, there’s a hodgepodge of titles that will excite gamers other than these. However, with many of those being expected sequels that have a mountain of information revealed already, these five take the cake as the most anticipated games this year.

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