This is a weekly segment where we share what games we are currently playing for our readers to get to know us a bit better. Said games can range from retro to current and from casual to FPS games. If we’re playing it, we’ll share it. Please feel free to comment with what your playing or your opinions on the games that we’re involved with.
This week’s article also includes a look ahead at the games that we are looking forward to in 2012!
William: Mainly SWTOR, Secrets of Evermore, and League of Legends. Having a good time with all of them.
As for games I’m looking forward to in 2012 (nearly certain these are all coming out, I don’t have a list of release dates in front of me)
Resident Evil Raccoon City – The multiplayer was very entertaining last time we gave it a shot. I’ve been looking forward to more.
Dragon’s Dogma – Another one by Capcom (I believe.. so many “dragon” games…), the story looked like rubbish, but the NPC teamwork system intrigued me.
Dragon’s Crown (while we’re on the “dragon” games) – Loved Odin’s Sphere, hope this one is just as good.
Diablo 3 – Diablo 2 was one of my favorite games of all time. I just hope this one isn’t too “world of warcraft”-y and stays true to the first two installments of the series.
Heart of the Swarm – less so here, but I did have a bunch of fun with wings of liberty, and new units will probably bring me back to the multiplayer for a bit.
DOTA2? Blizzard DOTA? – Unsure of these release dates, but I look forward to both of them.
This also looks kinda neat:
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Jen: Another week and once again I’m deep into SWTOR. I have four characters as of right now. My Jedi Sentinel gets played along side my husband’s Jedi Sage, my Trooper hasn’t seen much action, my smuggler I’ll solo when I feel like and my Sith Warrior is still on Korriban. The trooper is very fun to play and to hear the voice of femShep (Mass Effect) makes the fun doubled. Even so, my other characters are getting more play. I love my smuggler’s attitude but trying to find the right cover can be a pain at times. This is why I love the trooper; I can just run straight in, guns blazing. Some of the planets are fun to explore while others seem more like a chore after a while (Taris, Tattoone).
I tried out a little of Dragon Age 2 on PC. After playing so much of it on 360, it feels a bit out of place playing it on PC. This is something I can get used to overtime.
I don’t think 2012 will be as crazy game-wise as 2011 was but there are a few games that I am already looking forward to:
Diablo 3 – Maybe this year? Please? It would be nice.
Final Fantasy X (HD) – I really think this one will drop this year, we just don’t know when yet. I love FFX and played it to the ground. Yes, the voice acting (especially Tidus) felt awkward at moments, but I really don’t care about FFX’s faults. The battles actually made sense, allowing all party members to take part and the ability to switch them out at will. The story, music, characters, FFX to me, is one of my favorite games and I hope they do not destroy those wonderful feelings with this makeover.
Mass Effect 3 – What’s there to say? I am worried about the multiplayer aspect of ME3 and I hope it doesn’t change what makes Mass Effect so great in the first place.
Zombies Ate My Neighbors – Okay, I can dream, right? I want this on XBLA/PsN so bad! It would be nice if they could implement players to create their own levels within the game. That might be asking too much, so can we please at least see a port of this game? Maybe with online co-op?
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Chris C.: Been working a lot so gaming has been sporadic at best. Played some more Batman: Arkham City, King of Fighters XIII, Madden 12 & NBA 2K12
2012 will be a great year in gaming.
As fan of fighting games
-I’m looking forward to see how Street Fighter X Tekken will turn out. While, I’m not thrilled about the gem system, the cast is rounding out nicely and the screens and videos look very sweet.
-Phantom Breaker, Skullgirls, Soul Calibur 5 and Persona 4: The Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena (set for Japan release this summer, not sure if we’ll see this in North America yet in 2012)
Sports games
-I get the yearly updates for Madden & NBA 2K so I’ll definitely keep my eyes on those.
Committed to the Nintendo 3DS, so I’m looking forward to Kid Icarus: Uprising, Metal Gear: Snake Eater and Tekken 3D: Prime Edition
Other Titles I’ll be keeping a watch out for will include Max Payne 3, Grand Theft Auto 5, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance.
Jasdeep: I’ve mostly been playing Steam games, which means plenty of Jedi Knight 2, Terraria and Left 4 Dead. I’m planning on finishing a few games within the next week so I can move onto Bastion- a title that I can see myself getting totally absorbed in. 
As for 2012, it looks like a fantastic year for vidya games, which makes it double-tough to narrow down a list. Mass Effect 3, Bioshock Infinite, GTA V, God of War 4 (potentially), Lollipop Chainsaw, Journey, Amy and Hitman Resolution are all on my ‘must play’ list, meaning plenty of late nights and sore thumbs throughout the year.
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Tom: I’ve been playing Deus Ex: HR. It’s a load of fun. I of course got it in the Steam sale. I’ve been dabbling in BioShock too, which is also pretty good so far!
The main game I’m looking forward to is GTA V. I personally hope it’s got the charm of Vice City, my favourite of all the GTA games. Hitman Resolution is looking good too. I loved Blood Money, so I expect there to be many more wonderfully inventive ways to get rid of the target in Resolution.
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Ben: I picked up Burnout Crash on sale and have thoroughly enjoyed it. It doesn’t make up for the lame crash mode in Burnout Paradise but it’s a fun diversion and explosions are always fun. Other than that, I finished up Sonic Generations which I didn’t think I’d enjoy as much as I did considering my nostalgia for the Genesis games. Oh, and I’m almost done with Skyrim.
As for 2012, I’m looking forward to Diablo 3, Mass Effect 3, I am Alive, MG: Revengence, Bioshock Infinite, and SSX. There are a ton of games coming out this year and I know I have forgotten many of them already.
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Catherine: I’ve been playing a mixed bag of things. This week has mostly been catch up for me. I missed out on Infamous when it came out a few years back, so I decided to pick that up. I’ve been having a pretty good time with it. The only issue I have with it so far is the really heavy-handed karma/morality system. It’s almost as bad as Mass Effect 2’s Paragon/Renegade moments. I’d really like to see videogames with much more “gray” area morality moments (as mentioned in Will’s GREAT editorial earlier this week!)
I also picked up Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath HD for PSN. The HD remaster is fantastic! I also have Stranger’s Wrath on PC and it’s breathtaking to see how much better it looks on the PSN. Since the graphics are stylized, the graphics don’t look outdated. The spaghetti western feel of Stranger’s Wrath is adorable. The gameplay is interesting, since it’s a mix of both first person shooter and third person hack ‘n slash. The fact that the two styles are so well integrated is pretty awesome. However, the game’s difficulty spikes are quite frustrating, since you’re able to breeze through most of the game until you encounter one of these. Then you’re stuck for the next hour or so trying to defeat one boss. Still, it’s a pretty solid game and definitely something to try out.
One game I’m really going to highlight is The Witness, which is Jonathan Blow’s next game. It’s meant to be a “revival” to the adventure genre, since there aren’t really any true pure adventure games out there like Myst. I haven’t seen enough to make a judgment call yet, but it’s definitely intrigued me as something quite unique.
Journey, by thatgamecompany, is another indie game to watch out for. It’s an interesting experience. From what I’ve seen, there’s absolutely no instructions in game. You’re simply a robed figure traveling the desert. You can run into other players, but since there’s no text or voice communication in game, you’ll have to interact with other players silently. It’s definitely a beautiful game, in both music and visuals. Keep an eye on it!
Oh yes! I almost forgot about Hitman: Absolution. That’s another game of 2012 that I’m excited for.
