Outlook on Sega’s games of 2012 – Part 1

2012 is just around the corner and it seems to become a year full of impressive new videogames.In this 2-part feature, I’m going to take a look at all the announced upcoming games for 2012. There’s no information so far what Sega will produce for the iOS market, so I can’t include anything for that platform at the moment.

So, what exactly does Sega have in the works right now that is going to be released in 2012? Why should we be excited for it? Why am I excited for it? Hit the jump in order to get some answers…

The Doctor Who MMO (2012, Preview available)

This is probably the first game of 2012 from Sega that people will get to play. Well, the preview event is already running which means you can play it right now. I’ve spent some time with it and I like the ideas Three Rings has come up with for a Dr. Who MMO. Since the Doctor pretty much all about non-violent problem solving, all of the activities revolve around diverse types of puzzle solving, which certainly is somewhat new for the genre. The game kind of flew under my radar, which is odd considering I a Dr. Who fan, but it is definitely worth a look. It’s free to play anyway!

Crush3d (January)

Puzzle games have seen quite the renaissance in the past few years and Sega wants to be part of that trend. This game was originally planned to be released last year, but it has been delayed to 2012 since the 3DS wasn’t doing as well as expected. In two weeks we’ll be able to get our hands on the dimension shifting Puzzle-Platformer that has a fair doze of innovation and hopefully a good story to back it up.

Binary Domain (February)

Many Sega fans are sceptical when it comes to Binary Domain, and I can see why: It’s a third person shooter with a futuristic setting. We’ve seen many of those over the course of the last few years, partially published by Sega themselves. However, the first previews and hand-ons with the game have been quite positive and the fact that the Yakuza studio is working on this title sure makes me hopeful. Maybe this will be a surprise hit? Having Kazuma Kiryu form Yakuza as a playable multiplayer character helps too!

Virtua Tennis 4 (February)

Virtua Tennis is one of my favorite Sport series of all time. Since I don’t like sportgames, that’s saying a lot. Virtua Tennis always struck me as a game that would be awesome to play on the go and the PlayStation Vita finally makes it possible! The title shows off the awesome graphics the system is capable to do and that two-player mode on the same screen still intrigues me. It seems to be a great launch title and hopefully, Sega will continue to support that system.

Rhythm Thief (February)

Rhythm Thief was somewhat of a surprise to me. Sure, Sega had already done a rhythm based games before, but that’s what strikes me as odd: Why not go back to Space Channel 5? Anyway, this title sure has its own charm and speaks to the Professor Layton demographic in several ways. To be fair, the title looks good and it seems to be a lot of fun, so if you’re into music games, this is for you.

Yakuza: Dead Souls (March)

Probably one of the most anticipated Sega games of 2012, Yakuza: Dead Souls combines two amazing elements: Yakuza and zombies. It will be insane and probably a lot of fun too. My personal hope is that this title will introduce more people to the main series, which had its successes, but still hasn’t made it into mainstream popularity.

Anarchy Reigns (July)

The recently delayed Anarchy Reigns by Platinum Studios is pretty much an anomaly when it comes to modern gaming. It’s a brawler with multiplayer components and a spiritual successor to MadWorld, one of my favorite Wii games. So far, it looks quite amazing and with the added development time, Platinum Games can add some more polish.