Could 2012 Be The Most Boring Year in Gaming History?

With next year’s release schedule dominated by familiar faces and severely lacking in exciting new IPs, Mark Butler asks whether the mainstream games industry has lost all sense of imagination.

[notimetobeidle]

Generally, publishers like to show off their upcoming sequels to generate hype early. I think we'll be able to expect more than a few surprises that haven't been announced yet.

[Shanks]

I think Sony got 2012 covered already.

PS3:
- Starhawk
- Twisted Metal
- The Last Guardian
- Sly cooper 4
- Jax & Daxter Collection

* I'm pretty sure this list will grow after the VGA :)

PS Vita:
- Uncharted: Golden Abyss
- WipEout 2048
- Reality Fighters
- Little Deviants
- ModNation Racers: Road Trip
- Everybody’s Golf
- Escape Plan
- Unit 13
- Hustle Kings
- MotorStorm RC
- Top Darts

* And that's just the first party launch titles!

[SpaceFox]

Dont forget Final Fantasy X HD :D

[Ddouble]

Also FFXIII-2, Ni No Kuni and FF Type-0 (on the Vita hopefully or at least on PSP).

[Raoh]

Dont forget

Cross Platform Play Between PC and PS3 with Move support for Counter Strike

and

Cross Platform Experience for DUST 514 (PS3) and EVE Online (PC)

[chazjamie]

haven't seen a ps exclusive list in a while. thought people stopped doing that

[zeal0us]

The person who wrote this article must been taking drugs,blind or just plain stupid........................ ............................... ............................... .........well i guess it is a opinion piece after all.

[da_2pacalypse]

HALO 4!!!!! HALO 4!!!! HALO 4!!!! DOINNNNN IT!!!!

[NewMonday]

as a JRPG fan early 2012 will be big for me

Last Story
Tales of Graces
NiNuKuni
Devil Survivor 2
FF13-2
FFT0

[guitar_nerd_23]

@new monday

:D yay, I can't wait for the Last Story!

[stormskiier]

Black Ops 2 and Battlefield 3 dlc got me covered

[TripleAAARating]

@chazjamie
nobody made PS3 exclusive lists anymore cause it's pretty obvious of the fucking ownage Sony dishes out each year. It's like beating a dead horse.

[frostyhat123]

Wow such a stellar list...

[dcortz2027]

LOL @ the 25 disagrees, umad Xbox and Nintendo fanboys? 2012 the most boring year in gaming history? Yeah, if your a Nintendo and/or Xbox gamer than yes I would have to agree. Sony fans are in for another great year of gaming, PS Vita baby!

[Legion]

And everyone here is basically making the relevant point with titles that bring "With next year’s release schedule dominated by familiar faces and severely lacking in exciting new IPs." a truer statement. Where are the exciting NEW IPs to look forward to? Stop throwing out games that have titles that we could have seen years ago. Halo, Jax & Daxter, Sly Cooper, FF(place a roman numeral here), Counter Strike,,, where do these fall into the NEW IPs needed???

[BattleAxe]

- Mass Effect 3
- Ghost Recon: Future Soldier
- The Darkness 2
- Far Cry 3
- Bioshock Infinity
- Starhawk
- Counter Strike: Global Offensive
- GTA5 (maybe 2012)
- AGENT (Maybe 2012)

2012 is looking better than 2011 IMO.

[TheLastGuardian]

Those PS3 exclusives you listed, GTA V, Bioshock Infinite, Sorcery and PS Vita are all day 1 must buys for me. Twisted Metal is my most anticipated game of all time. I'm confident 2012 will be the best year so far of my 15 year gaming career.

Btw Shanks, you forgot to put Sorcery on your list and isn't LBP a Vita launch title? I hope so because that's the game I'm most looking forward to on Vita.

[AsunaYuukiTheFlash]

@SpaceFox and Tales of Graces F xD

[RumbleFish]

I have BF 3 MP and I will have Diablo 3. Don't need any other game not to be bored.

[Getowned]

Twisted Metal and StarHawk is all I will need,GTA5 ? don't know when that's coming out but I want it.I'm sure there will be some good multieplat games and maybe more exclusives, Xbox has Halo which will be cool for them.AC3 ? there will be others i'm sure and as long as you have Steam you will be fine or any civilization game they are addicting as hell.easy to learn hard to master.

[Perjoss]

Blizzard fans have Diablo 3, a WoW expansion and a Starcraft 2 expansion.

[Yangus]

Starhawk?LOL!!!!!!!!
Reality Fighters
- Little Deviants-LOL!!!!!
Hustle Kings?LOL!!!!!!!
Top Darts?LOL!!!!!!!
This list CRAP!!!
Only on sony fanboy!

[Darkfocus]

honestly that list is pretty lame I only see 4 titles that appeal to me 6 if you include the vita(which I probably won't be getting)

[Kurt Russell]

I am confused by everyones lists... so What new IP's are coming out on home consoles?

- not Sequels, HD reboots and cash cows... new IP's?

[pain777pas]

New IPs... Vita should be your destination. Escape plan, Gravity Rush, Ruin.... You will get ports but the control schemes can create new experiences.

[Misterhbk]

All the games I currently have on preorder that release in 2012

Final Fantasy XIII-2
Tales of Graces F
Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch
Jak and Daxter HD Collection
Sly 4

Uncharted: Golden Abyss
Gravity Rush
ModNation Racers: Road Trip
Ruin
Little Big Planet Vita

All of that is on schedule to be released before June of 2012. I think 2012 is going to be a pretty good year for me. Add in Final Fantasy X HD and I'm really set for the entire year before it's even begun.

[mcstorm]

Is the mod nations game a psv game of ps3? But i think it will be another big year for all 3 nintrndo with wiiu amd 3ds sony with ps3 amd psv and ms with the 360 windows 8 and windows phone 8. Gameing is bigger than ever now and i dont see it ever stopping.

[ATi_Elite]

Hell Phuck NO!

1. STALKER 2
2. Planetside 2
3. Arma III
4. Guild Wars 2
5. Firefall
6. The Secret World
7. TERA
8. Starcraft Heart of the Swarm
9. Diablo III
10.The World of Darkness
11. Hawken
12. Blacklight Retribution

and this is just the first 5 months of 2012!
I'm so excited for 2012 i just can't contain myself!!!!

2012 = Me so BROKE!

[kramun]

'1. STALKER 2'

Indeed, I can't wait. One of the best series made in the last few years.

[DaReapa]

I don't normally do this but I have to inject this...

Wargame: European Escalation and whatever David Cage has in store.

[ainsz]

@DaReaper: David Cage is making a game for 2012!?

[cyguration]

Dude half of those games will either be delayed or won't be playable until several patches later.

Blacklight is F2P and looks kind of generic and PlanetSide 2 and World of Darkness don't have an official release date.

Also if Stalker 2 is supposed to be in 2012 how come they haven't said anything about it? We don't hear nothing about that game.

That's not to mention half the games on that list were also supposed to be released in 2011...so yeah, I'm not holding my breath for those.

[DaReapa]

@ ainsz
Not long ago, I can recall Cage mentioning about his next PS3 project in development, so admittedly, 2012's just a bit of wishful thinking on my part.

[ATi_Elite]

1. if you were a true PC gamer and not some troll you would know everything on my list is coming out in 2012 except maybe 1 title and the reason why.

2. some games were slated for 2011 but were pushed back to 2012 for proper BETA's. Those games were TERA and Firefall. all others were release when finished status and NEVER GIVEN A RELEASE DATE BY THE PUBS/DEVS but only RUMORED to be 2011 releases "Diablo III and Guild Wars 2" are those rumors.

3. the patch issue is a NON ISSUE and just TROLL fodder. Any REAL PC Gamer knows patches are common and a NON Issues. Someone bringing up "several patches later" is just TROLLING!! your playing MW3 or BF3 or Skyrim aren't you and they need patches right?
STOP TROLLING!

4. Blacklight Retribution is pretty dam fun and I'm enjoying the Beta. Not bad for F2P. I suggest you get a key and download the beta before commenting. again I'm in the BETA and the game is fun especially for FREE! And you didn't even know the Beta had started but you know it all right.....wrong!

5. Planetside 2 is 2012 but World of Darkness may be THE ONLY game on the list to get pushed back cause CCP is concentrating on Eve Online right now and rightfully so. Let me inform you some more. Eve is the foundation of CCP and Eve gamers are unhappy with Eve so CCP has slowed down on WOD to concentrate on Eve and Dust 514 (most likely Dust 514 PC) but yeah WOD may get pushed.

6. STALKER 2, if you were a true fan of the series you would be talking and asking direct questions to the Devs on their facebook page like all us other STALKER fans do. They update it constantly! Oh and they had a contest to design a mission in the game but i guess you missed that too. "Aug 16, 2010 – GSC Game World Announces S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2" theres your announcement!! Google it!!

7. IMO i think your trolling cause any real fan of these games knows exactly whats going on and that patch crap is just that CRAP!

[PSX99]

Looking forward to:

Diablo III
Bioshock:Infinite(PC)
Tomb Raider PC)
Counter Strike GO PC)

Also the SC II expansion.

[NeoTribe]

Diablo 3 baby!

[Yui_Suzumiya]

Hell yeah. Can't wait to get S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 for PS3. Diablo III as well once it hits PS3.

[dredgewalker]

Stalker 2 is coming out next year?!?! That game alone makes me excited for 2012!

[Raoh]

Thank you for mentioning ARMA III

I've been choosing the pc for a lot of my multiplatform games lately (thank you steam) and I am so Hyped for arma 3, there are so many good pc exclusives

I am trying to make a dent in my backlog so i can get into arma 2.

When I see games like arma, I can start to understand why pc gamers laugh at us console gamers sometimes, not that I agree, but I can start to understand

http://youtu.be/Th3fjxyedMY

[Rageanitus]

Pretty boring for Xbox only players..... You know where most of the money is going into now KINECT

[showtimefolks]

Well every year as gamers we ask whether this present year was the best ever and every year the next one tops it off in my opinion

Darksiders 2
Bioshock
Darkness 2
Max Payne 3
Halo 4
Alan wake 2
Witcher 2 xbox360 and hopefully later in 2012 for ps3
Mass effect 3
Jak Dexter hd collection
Starhawk
Twisted metal
Sly 4
Last guardian
FF X hd
FF 13-2
Dust 514-eve online
Guild wars 2
planetside w
Stalker 2
SSX
AC

And that's not counting 2 games

Borderlands 2 which is 2012-2013
And GTA 5 which I think will be fall 2012

Also few more games will be announced at VGA
Than GDC will see few more game announcements

E3 2012 will show a lot

What's scary is we don't know what MS and Sony has in store yet. So short answer no

If I get to play

Borderlands 2 and as addictive as the last one was this should be much better
Mass effect 3
Darkness 2
Last guardian
Jak Dexter hd collection sly 4

And to top it all off GTA 5 than for me it will be better than 2011.

Also don't forget EA wil release their next medal of honor and activision will release next COD

If gta 5 comes out imagine the ads compaign and the budgets for gta 5 and COD and EA's budget for medal of honor

So enjoy take the next few months to enjoy the games of 2011 only to get ready for awesome games in 2012

[Legion]

All games worth looking forward to... but again you see the theme of your list as being... already did that, played that same old rehash of the same franchises. Where are the new ips? Something to get us really excited. That is more of what is trying to be asked here. More of the same is just status quo and not the inventive new Ip that we are needing to allow our imagination to venture out into another direction.

We will be far from bored... but we do see that we are really settling down in our ways and expecting the same old characters to run across our screen each year.

[showtimefolks]

Legion:

New IP does not mean better ideas or inventions or even good game. Seriously man it's people like you who call all these games old and been the done that but when a new IP launches you go to the store and still buy what you know you will like for sure more than the new IP.

Haze
Alan wake
Too human
Lair

AC is a new IP yet when it succeeded UBI never made any changes and guess what people still buy it

If new IP is a good thing why didn't rage sell well?
Or brink since it was a ok game but it had fresh ideas?

Everyone always talks about new IP's thing is we still buy sequels because we know what we getting into since we already played the 1st.

And most important NEW IP costs a lot more to make than establishing that IP with advertisement and even that there is no guarantee it will bring back those funds.

People rather buy a sequel like COD than a game like Alan wake or even something else.

There is a reason HD remakes are the thing now because it's easy and sure money.

Epic is launching a new ip
Sony will be launching 3-4 new Ips within next 2-3 years. GG games after KZ3 sucker punch and this game at VGA

So make sure when those launch you buy otherwise we will only get sequels

There were so many 3s in games during fall 2011

[TotalHitman]

Everybody seems to have forgotten the most important. Final Fantasy Versus XIII

[DragonKnight]

No one forgot it, we just stopped anticipating the announcement of a release date. I doubt it will be out in 2012. Afterall, there's still FFXIII-3, 4, and 5 before Versus comes out.

[RedDevils]

it will be out in the year 3000

[DaveX360]

2012 probably will be worse than 2011, due to the new console hype and that.

[Majin-vegeta]

Hmm lets see TM,TLG,StarHawk,Sly cooper:Thieves in time,Bioshock umm no looks like im all set for next year.

[fluffydelusions]

Mass effect 3, GTA V, Halo 4, Last Guardian, Twisted Metal, SSX, Jax Daxter HD, PS VITA! etc etc also don't forget.

[JsonHenry]

^^ add the new Command and Conquer, Diablo 3, Guild Wars 2, and Torchlight 2 to that list. 2012 looks nice to me.

[FCOLitsjustagame]

Bioshock infinite?

Oh and Prototype 2. I really liked the first one.

[Pikajew]

WiiU, Darkness 2, Darksiders 2, luigis mansion 2 and Kid Icarus Uprising as well

[PhantomTommy]

If Half Life 3 gets confirmed for next year I will explode.

[Cosmit]

Don't forget about Black Ops 2 ;).

[MagicAccent]

Why not?

[Persistantthug]

Truth is truth, afterall.

[chaldo]

Don't forget teh Max Payne 3. Alan from hangover 2 is the main character :o

[majiebeast]

Hehe i didnt know they turned max payne into Alan.

[mistajeff]

hahahahahahaha bubbles for lulz

[Pintheshadows]

Ummm no. Also Kingdoms of Amalur.

[Enate]

Exactly this game and ME3 in the first 3 months along with some skyrim dlc and maybe soul calibur V the start is looking good. Then hopefully soon after that guild wars 2 an somewhere in there Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, max payne 3 and bioshock infinite with final fantasy type o.

[Marquis_de_Sade]

Could fmvmagazine be the most pointless and irrelevant website in gaming history?

[bobrea]

Could this article be in the top ten of stupid articles from 2011?

[SageHonor]

PAthetic article

[Game4life]

One word
NO

[Shanks]

What a joke.

[LoLZoRz]

i'll be happy with my SSX.

[Captain Qwark 9]

you and me both man....

SSX, ME3, and armored core. im all set

[thehitman]

Fanboy aside if you only own a 360 this article makes sense.

[PetitPiPi]

I thought you were putting your fanboy aside?

[Captain Qwark 9]

really lol? are 3rd party games unplayable to those who only own a 360? exclusives are great but i find myself playing way more 3rd party software than exclusives for either system....

i have both but my games im looking forward to i can get on either....

SSX
armored core
Mass effect 3
Bioshock inifnite
any Skyrim DLC

and as far as exclusives go, so far the only oones i even care about are maybe twisted metal and maybe halo 4

[Marquis_de_Sade]

Based on Mass Effect 3 alone, no.

[thehitman]

@ Captain obv 3rd party games are playable but based off this article they would be classified as boring. Whether your tastes are different is all opinion as is this article and most peoples' comment. The games you listed I could care less about some are fun but nothing I would buy for 60 dollars. As for myself I have 90% PS3 exclusives and 100% PC exclusives. I rarely bother myself with games that are not focused for 1 platform as they seem to be always watered down and not full potential of a game.

On 360 only game next year that sticks out is Halo nothing else. Ps3 Starhawk, twisted metal, TLG, Sly Cooper stick out. PC which i think has the strongest lineup of games next year with a lot of good MMOs releasing Diablo/tera/GW2 new SC expansion and tons of other nice games that people enjoy. GTA5 will be only multiplat ill buy next year but thats it. Anyways I wouldnt agree w/ 2012 being a boring year because I dont only own a PC or only own a PS3 but if I did only own 1 platform and it was a 360 id be dissapointed again with the games I could choose from.

My comment may seem like I am being harsh on the 360 but I have friends who are core 360 gamers even saying the same thing.

[andibandit]

I partly agree, except for
Sly Cooper (I dont do baby games)

as for TLG im still a bit skeptical...all i've seen so far are some nice cinematics with a little boy and a giant pudel with chicken legs. Im afraid it's gonna take more to convince me at this point.
Im looking forward to starhawk, i hope it's way better than warhawk

[MonopolyRSV]

Twisted Metal *i**h.

[Liquid_Ocelot]

******* ***** b*tc*.

[tigertron]

Next-gen announcements are coming I guess.

Anyways, I'm fine with 2012 because ME3, GTAV and Halo 4 will destroy my social life.

[gazgriff2k12]

not me ive got a massive back catalogue to get though

[Game4life]

me too and it will more than likely double. i have at least 20 or 30 titles i need to beat which i feel is ridiculous.

[gazgriff2k12]

yep simpley not enough time to play all the games i wanna play

[Game4life]

@gazg
Yeah I hate being a college student. it interrupts my gaming with classes.

[Jovahkiin]

2012 is gonna be one of the greatest years in gaming history.

[green]

Not in the year that my best new IP mass effect, best FPS halo and one of my best suspense thriller games Alan Wake all receive sequels.

[DasTier]

Mass effect is on its 3rd game, can it still be called a new ip?

[green]

Its my best new IP this gen.

[Studio-YaMi]

Next year will be even bigger,you just wait and see,all gamers will be happy about it for sure.

Not to mention we will see the birth of a new console (WiiU) and a new handheld (PSVita),maybe some news or reveals for next gen consoles (PS4&XBOX720) so all is good !

One more thing !
D FREAKING IABLO !!!!
Diablo 3 is going to kick so much a** that it's not even funny ! >:)

[fOrlOnhOpe57]

Just give me Borderlands 2!!

[MizTv]

every year is a good year for games!

[Acquiescence]

I've got Silent Hill: Downpour, The Last Guardian, Max Payne 3, Gravity Daze, Bioshock Infinite, Ni no Kuni: Wrath Of The White Witch, Mass Effect 3, Journey, DmC, Captain Morgane And The Golden Turtle, The Silent Hill HD Collection, Machinarium (PS3), Yakuza: Dead Souls, Sly Cooper 4: Theives In Time, SSX, Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Soul Calibur V, Tomb Raider, NeverDead, The Last Story, Amy, Twisted Metal, Wipeout 2048, Jak And Daxter HD Collection and Final Fantasy XIII-2 to look forward to.

[joab777]

Is he bored this year because this year is also dominated by sequels. Killzone, dead space, portal, infamous, deus ex, resistance, dragon age, gears of war, Batman, uncharted, battlefield, Zelda, cod, assassins creed and elder scrolls. And they were all top quality, a few ranking high on my favorite of all time. Rage was a new IP and didn't fare well.

We have dishonored and kingdoms of amalur next year. And anytime you throw me a new bioshock and mass effect, boring is the last word on my mind. The interesting, out of the box scenario for next year is going to be whether the fall and winter CNN keep pace with quarter 1. For the first time that i can remember, many of the goty contenders may come between January and April. It speaks volumes about how great 2011 really was as many of the 2012 goty contenders were orinially slated for this year. But bored? Wtf!

[DaveMan]

Agreed you can't be mad about the lack of new ips next year, when this year wasn't much different.

Even though, there are definitely a nice set of new ip's in 2012 (from the top of my head)

-Dishonored
-Kingdoms of Amular
-NeverDead
-Anarchy Reigns
-SouthPark (obsidians rpg)
-Bioshock Infinite(I personally consider it a new ip)
-The Last Guardian
-Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch
-Street Fighter X Tekken
-Adrift
-Over Strike (Insomniacs new multiplat game)
-Dragons Dogma
-Asura's Wrath
-The Secret World
-The Secret World
-Cliffy B's new ip (revealed at spike)
-PS3 Exclusive new ip (revealed at spike)
-Biowares new ip (revealed at spike)

2012 in terms of new ips doesn't look TO bad.

[tmoss726]

Don't you mean Epic's new IP? Cliffy B isn't the only person who makes the game.

[Der_Kommandant]

Twisted Metal destroys this article

[Focus]

With meh-ness

[Ulf]

Call of Duty has won at last. The gamer masses will now be forced to pay for their annual subscription of meh, as punishment for choosing CoD.... over and over and over.

[MorbidPorpoise]

To be honest looking at the games you peeps have listed, 2012 is looking to be awesome!

[Rampaged Death]

In one word ..... NO ! I think it could be better than this years stellar line up.

[Hassassin]

There just too many games coming next year.... I hope my wallet can recover from this year XD
(so this article is pointless)

[Kran]

HELL NO!

Too much coming out for me to explain!

[Kushan]

Mass Effect 3. That is all.

[tmoss726]

Yeah how can this be the worse year in gaming history when a Mass Effect game is coming out? And Assassin's Creed 3.

[N311V]

If new IPs are what you crave then he may have a point. Personally I have no problem with sequels, if I like something then naturally I'll want more of it. Publish are only releasing what we want because that's what we buy, easy money yes but also smart money.

[frostypants]

Well that's one way to spin stale franchises.

[DialgaMarine]

This article is thinking from the perspective of 360 only owners. They really have nothing next year besides multiplats, Kinect titles, and the 6th Halo installment on one console. I look at games like Starhawk, Twisted Metal, Dust 514, Sly, the Vita, and all the unnanounced Sony first party titles, and I see a really good year for PS3 owners in 2012, most likely even better than this year.

[coolvibu93]

I see you didn't take the time to read the article. The person is saying how of all the big games releasing in 2012, none of them are new IPs, all of them being reboot or sequels.
(that includes all the PS3 exclusives you listed)

[DialgaMarine]

Dust 514 and Starhawk are both new IPs.

[mistajeff]

eh dust 514 TECHNICALLY isn't a new IP since it's in the EVE universe, but i see what you mean in the context of the discussion, because it's certainly a new and awesome idea. also that vga sony exclusive being teased definitely sounds like a new IP. it'd be nice to see some new BIGGER IPs, it's a shame to see companies like ubisoft openly relegating new IP to the bite-sized-download spectrum.

[Trekster_Gamer]

We will need 2012 just so we time to finish what has been released this year!

[DNAbro]

Also considering the Vita AND the Wii U is coming out next year, the answer is NO WAY.

Every single system is going to have a good year next year. Heck even the Wii is going to have good games.

[Cablephish]

Who the hell are these people to make this claim?

[Urbz7870]

Ghost Recon Future Soldier, Metal Gear Solid Rising, Spec Ops The Line, Borderland 2.

[Mad_Mack]

Readers of N4G - Missing the Point since 1999

[fossa]

EHHHHHHHHH??+ seriously? Metal Gear Solid Rising,Assassin's Creed 3,Ghost Recon Future Soldier,Hideo Kojima announcment of a new game counts just as much as a game for me maybe even more.

[GodHandDee]

nope it's gonna be one of the best.

[aviator189]

Not for me. ME 3, Halo 4, and GTA 5 will be more than enough. And there's also Alan Wake 2, Bioshock Infinite, The Last Guardian, Starhawk.

Just getting two of those games is enough for me.

[Romudeth]

Mass effect 3.
Grand theft auto V.

'nuff said!

[shodan74]

For all of you who are listing sequels, reboots etc. the article is specifically concerned with the lack of new, original IPs.

[TopDudeMan]

I still have about 5 games from this year that I won't be able to play til next year.

[coolvibu93]

Did nobody take the time to actually read the article???
It's about 2012 not having any fresh new IPs, all publishers prefering doing more sequels and reboots than taking a risk with new ideas.

[KwietStorm_BLM]

So do sequels automatically make a catalog boring? Because that's what the title, and henceforth the article suggest. I feel like people clamor for new IPs too much sometimes. Sure new ideas are what keeps the industry 'fresh,' and I like new IPs myself, but not inherently. A good game is a good game. A new IP is just a new IP. It's not a good experience until it's been proven. This year was filled with sequels, but it was one of the best years in recent memory, from start to finish. To even suggest that 2012 could be the body boring year ever, not only when it's still 2011, but also looking at the games already known, is really just stupid.

[Cosmo811]

cease the hyperbole

[coojo]

twisted metal sucks

[Bob570]

ME3 and Halo 4 are all I need.

[KwietStorm_BLM]

Mass Effect 3, Twisted Metal, Bioshock Infinite, GTA V, Final Fantasy X HD, Starhawk, Last Guardian, PS Vita, possibly Final Fantasy XIII Versus, Stalker 2, Diablo 3..

Most boring year ever confirmed.
/dumbass

[BitbyDeath]

2012 is looking better than 2011 for me, and 2011 is the best year i've had for gaming. Very far from being a bad year.

[BrianC6234]

It won't be boring to me. I'll grab a bunch of the big games from this year for a lot cheaper. I'm not spending much on gaming right now. The games will still be good next year and should be much cheaper.

[Gigglefist]

Due to the large amount of big name titles this year, next year may seem more mild. There are still plenty of great games coming out. Mass Effect 3, for one!

[Ethereal]

I am sorry, I guess I have some incorrect information...Bioshock Infinite, FFXIII-2, Borderlands, StarHawk, MGS Rising, MASS EFFECT 3, GTA V and the PS Vita just to name a few?

[Gigglefist]

Something tells me Rising won't come out, but the rest of those... damn excited

[Yui_Suzumiya]

GTA V is 2013.. Apparently no one here got the memo when the game was announced and stated 2013 .. I even know that and I hate the series with a passion .. MGS: Rising on the other hand, is coming in 2012.. That was stated earlier this year by Kojima himself.. That will be a Day 1 indeed.. Wish GTA V would be scrapped so they could finish Agent..

[Robaperas]

1895 was by far, THE most boring year in gaming history.

[taijutsu363]

2010 was a very dry year like Sahara dry! It was really boring!

[ShaunCameron]

Now that Xenoblade got a NA release date, 2012 just mught have some promise.

[eaisnotactivision]

nah i don't think so this
my most anticipated games of 2012

1.torchlight 2
2.arma3
3.guild wars 2
4.battery online
5.Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning
6.The Last Crown: Haunting of Hallowed Isle
7.The Lost Chronicles of Zerzura
8.Jack Keane 2
9.far cry 3
10.xcom 2012

[Catoplepas]

Could 2012 be the advent of a whole new level of journalistic imbecility? I can't wait to find out!

[kevnb]

theres a bunch of games im sure will be good coming next year, and theres Diablo 3. Diablo 3 is enough for my entire year. Add DOTA 2 (beta is going great), mass effect 3, Guild Wars 2, and there are always surprises. New IPs dont usually get alot of hype until they are almost ready to be released. Just think about it, they can just say metal gear solid 5 is coming and we wil be excited, but a new IP they need to show something.

[byrnezy]

Metal Gear Rising!!

[Mutley416]

2012...i plan on getting a few crystals for my saber...brushing up on my sage abilities...maybe taking down a death star or a Sith Lord or 2....

no worries in 2012...so many great titles out and comin...

[Mindsucker]

Oh man don't worry We will still get 2 or more carnival shooters that should keep all the zombies happy

[Knushwood Butt]

Gravity Daze.

Bye.

[Orionsangel]

Pretty much. I mean there's some good games coming out like the new Bioshock, SSX, Tomb Raider etc, but this year was the last big hurrah year for this gen. Starting in 2012 it's in decline. The industry is prepping for the next gen.

I think this current gen with Xbox360, Wii and PS3 was one of the best on record imo. I made a lot friends and good memories. Here's to the next gen!

[PersonMan]

Max Payne 3
Prototype 2
Sly 4
GTA V
Jack and Daxter
Tomb Raider (fall 2012)
Silent Hill Downpour (hesitant because it's Unreal Engine 3... yuck)
I Am Alive

I'm beginning to think Agent doesn't really exist.

[SpartanZero]

I don't think so Mass Effect 3 Soul Calibur V Alan Wake 2 Black Ops 2 Halo 4 plus the VGA announcements sounds good to me.

[Brownghost]

I'm more anticipating 2012 since the games are better than this year

[les_snc91]

I hope that by some miracle Final Fantasy Versus XIII releases next year..

[Spenok]

Well now that development is in full swing lets hope.

[urwifeminder]

Yes looks boring stale as the industry.

[Yui_Suzumiya]

GTA V isn't coming until 2013. Doesn't matter because GTA is irrelevant garbage to me. Here's the PS3 games I will be buying in 2012!

Afterfall: Insanity
Aliens: Colonial Marines
Amy
Binary Domain
BioShock: Infinite
Borderlands 2
Brothers in Arms: Furious 4
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
The Darkness II
Darksiders II
Dishonored
DmC
Dust 514
Far Cry 3
Final Fantasy XIII-2
Hitman: Absolution
I Am Alive
Inversion
The Last Guardian
The Last of Us
Lollipop Chainsaw
Mass Effect 3
Medal of Honor 2
Metal Gear Solid: Rising
Metro: Last Light
Overstrike
Prey 2
Prototype 2
Resident Evil Chronicles HD
Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City
Ruin
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2
Silent Hill HD Collection
Silent Hill: Downpour
Spec Ops: The Line
Starhawk
Syndicate
Tomb Raider
XCOM
Yakuza: Dead Souls
Zone of the Enders HD Collection

[Gamerita]

how can it be when we have the Wii U & Vita coming out in 2012 ?

Mario in HD + Quad Core Handheld sounds so tasty to me ;)

[PS3Forevs]

PS3 has many exclusives coming.. along with SSX, MAX PAYNE 3, RE OPRC and SILENT HILL DP.. plus vita.. come on. its a boring year for xbox exclusive wise.. but for ps3 NOOOOOO Way.. sony will dominate 2012

[Zephol]

Curse not!!!

[Spenok]

How did he forget The Last Guardian?

I have a feeling this article was made off the top of his head with little to no research done. He left WAY to many games off that list.

XenoBlade
Ni-No_kuni
As stated above 'The Last Guardian'
Kingdoms of Amalur (This looks FANTASTIC)

Asuras Wrath (Also looks rather awesome... riduclous, but awesome)

Journey
Dragons Dogma
Binary Domain
Inversion
Devils Third
AMY
Dragons Crown
Game of Thrones

And MANY other... these are but a few of the ones that show quite a lot of promise, and creativity to boot.

[BuLLDoG909]

"Could 2012 Be The Most Boring Year in Gaming History?"

i have a better one, could that be the most stupidest headline youv read this year ?

dust 514
bioshock
syndicate
prey2
cs:go

theres 5 i can think of off the top my head,.. haha, most boring year in gaming ?

[bunfighterii]

Last Guardian, Twisted Metal, Metal Gear...

[bunfighterii]

Oh and Vita...

[bunfighterii]

Nah for me it was 44BC... no video games at all that year.

[bozebo]

Console gamers bored of their 5-6 games per year?

[palaeomerus]

So the article, which WAS admittedly laying it on a bit thick, says that next year will be boring because it's mostly remakes, sequels, and known brands. It complains that there is nothing new really going on in game development, that publishers are playing it safe and looking backwards, and 90% of the 'new' games are just permutations and updates of the same old familiar brands rehashed ad infinitum.

Okay. The logical thing to do would be to name some new IP's coming out next year.

So, what do the noisy chumps at N4G, who like to pompously bitch at articles they never actually read, come back with?

Why it's a list of sequels, remakes, and known brands. Jack and Daxter collection (Hi-res PS2 games!)! Twisted Metal! Final Fantasy XIII-2! Little Big Planet game on the Vita! Halo 4! Diablo III!

Sheesh. C'mon people. This makes you look dumb! Read the article before you bitch about it and then try to actually bitch about the topic of the article not just the title.

[Optical_Matrix]

No. Are you high?

Playstation Vita LAUNCH
Wii U LAUNCH
Final Fantasy XIII-2
Street Fighter x Tekken
Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm: Generations
Asura's Wrath
Ninja Gaiden III
Ni no Kuni
The Last Guardian
Twisted Metal
StarHawk
Tales of Graces F
Luigi's Mansion 2
Resident Evil Revelations
Animal Crossing 3DS
Bioshock Infinite
Dragons Dogma
Tomb Raider
Sly 4

And whatever else still needs to be announced. Those are all the games I'm looking forward to. There won't be a lack of them. Can't wait for 2012. Hell you can't say 2012 lacks creativity when 2011 was mostly sequels as well. Aside from what, LA Noire, I can't think of many other new, GOOD IP's if I'm dead honest.

[Kahvipannu]

"..in gaming history"...

Is the writer of this 3 years old? Next year looks great, and there have been way worse years in the past.

Just for the clicks I guess...

[FunkMcnasty]

Its pretty awesome that 90% of you didn't read the article, but rather read the headline and instantly made your list of upcoming games in 2012 that will not make it a "boring" year for gaming. Also awesome is the fact that most of your lists name off mostly prequels, sequels, threequels, and new iterations of existing franchises which was the whole entire point the author was making about 2012: That new IP's appear to be slim on the horizon. The author was using the the term 'boring year for games' not because he thinks games like Far Cry 3, FF, Bioshock Infinite, ME3, etc. will be boring, but rather to describe the slim forecast of newly developed IP's.

No one reads the goddam#ed articles. And that's where this website fails most of the time.

On Topic: Hopefully we'll see "Agent" sometime in 2012.. is that game even still in development or has it been canned? Haven't heard much about it in forever.

[zero_cool]

Will gaming journalism blow even harder in 2012?

P.S."Stay Tuned Folks"

Cheers Gamers & Happy Gaming!

[SITH]

This time before 2011, I thought this year was going to be boring. Summer was, fall was not that bad. Next year may.

[Yangus]

MGS Rising.
FFXIII-2.
Resident Evil 3DS.
MGS 3DS.
Monster Hunter 3DS.
Halo 4.
NG III.
SCV.
Wii U!!!!!!

[g5bay]

Yep same boring sequels we only trust Sony to give us new exciting ip's

[Biglet]

Can I have a year without any games please? I need to catch up.

[jimmins]

That would be nice.

[Jason143]

If you look at consoles alone. yeah line up is boring. if you look at vita and pc and even some 3ds possibility's, looks good to me.Plus onlive $159 for 1 yr of games including new releases and the console is kind of hard to pass up. So youd get all xbox 360 games minus exclusives (2) its a bargain.

[DaveMan]

-Dishonored
-Kingdoms of Amular
-NeverDead
-Anarchy Reigns
-SouthPark (obsidians rpg)
-Bioshock Infinite(I personally consider it a new ip)
-The Last Guardian
-Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch
-Street Fighter X Tekken
-Adrift
-Over Strike (Insomniacs new multiplat game)
-Dragons Dogma
-Asura's Wrath
-The Secret World
-Chainsaw Lolipop
-Inversion
-Binary Domain
-Cliffy B's new ip (revealed at spike)
-PS3 Exclusive new ip (revealed at spike)
-Biowares new ip (revealed at spike)