Top 10 PC Games of 2012

The PC editors over at IGN have cranked out their usual list of the 10 most anticipated titles for the coming year, and a vast majority of them could be considered role-playing games in one way or another. Diablo III, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, Borderlands 2, Mass Effect 3, TERA, Firefall, Guild Wars 2, and BioShock Infinite are all present:

2012 started off strong with a surprise announcement of a new XCOM game from Firaxis. Titled Enemy Unknown, this version of XCOM is built in the style of the 1994 original. This isn’t so much a remake as it is a reworking of the original formula. Combat still takes place in a turn-based format, but the gameplay systems will be altered somewhat along with the interface to make the title playable on consoles as well as PCs. Between sessions of turn-based combat the gameplay shifts to real-time as you manage research, upgrade your soldiers and send out craft after invading UFOs. Firaxis is a great fit, and we’re all hoping for a glorious return to form for a franchise that has been out of the spotlight for far too long. Keep in mind there are actually two XCOM games in development at the moment, the other being the XCOM shooter 2K Marin is working on. Firaxis’ XCOM: Enemy Unknown is scheduled to be released this fall.

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This is it, the finale to BioWare’s stellar science-fiction role-playing series, which focuses on Commander Shepard’s defense of Earth in the fight against the Reapers. Expect a heavy emphasis on character interaction and storytelling the signature strengths of Mass Effect alongside a few things new. While Mass Effect 2 cut out some of the combat and character customization present in the first game, Mass Effect 3 is putting more back in, as well as a simple melee system for close encounters. In a controversial move, BioWare also decided to add a multiplayer element, an odd addition to a franchise that had previously been exclusively single-player. The multiplayer will be kept separate from the single-player, though playing with others can affect your single-player game. Thankfully you’re not forced to play online, so if you really dislike the idea of Mass Effect multiplayer, you can avoid it. Barring some kind of disaster, Mass Effect 3 is a likely candidate for role-playing game of the year at the end of 2012.