Image via Complex Original
Intro
Cross-platform PC games usually inspire debates about superior versions, lead platforms for development and all the other topics that comprise the PC vs. console debate. Then there are games that only appear on the PC or which were clearly designed with the PC as the lead development platform, such that console versions just don’t measure up.
These are the games that inspire console players to purchase a PC gaming rig that provides visuals worth tears of joy and deeper, more complex game experiences than they’re used to.
Here are ten PC games scheduled for release this year to make console gamers consider expanding their horizons, or inspire current PC owners to consider whether it’s time to schedule their next round of hardware upgrades.
Mechwarrior Online
Mechwarrior Online
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The Battletech franchise began as a pen-and-paper tabletop wargame published by the legendary game company FASA in 1984. It didn’t take long for the Battletech universe, and its giant, bipedal war machines called BattleMechs, to be adapted into video games.
The original Mechwarrior published in 1989 was the granddaddy of all ‘Mech simulators. For almost twenty years Battletech-inspired video games were on the market, running the gamut from role-playing games and strategy games to action games and simulations. The franchise has lain dormant since 2006, and for the last five years Battletech fans have been wondering when and if the next game in the series would see the light of day.
Word broke through a Twitter campaign last October that the wait was over. You can keep track of the development of Mechwarrior Online here.
Firefall
Firefall
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Firefall is a free-to-play, open world MMO shooter from Red 5 Studios that made a big splash at both Penny Arcade Expos in 2011 and has generated some excellent buzz. It features a manga-inspired art aesthetic and a science-fiction world designed in part by famed sci-fi author Orson Scott Card.
Mark Kern, the founder of Red 5 studios, considers Firefall already launched with the opening of its invite-only, closed Beta phase. At some point in 2012 when Red 5 considers the game ready it will open to the general public.
If you’re keen on getting into the game earlier rather than later, you can sign up for the beta here.
Planetside
Planetside 2
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Before there was MAG on the PlayStation 3 there was Planetside on the PC. Released in 2003 by Sony Online Entertainment, Planetside was a pioneer in the development of massively multiplayer online first person shooters, or MMOFPS games. Hundreds of players fought in huge combined-arms battles to control facilities within the battle zone.
Planetside was a unique game, but never reached the prominence traditional, FPS multiplayer games achieved.
SOE is hoping that the sequel, Planetside 2, will make deeper inroads. They’ve developed a new MMO engine called Forgelight to handle the demanding technical requirements of providing smooth online play while balancing hundreds of online connections simultaneously. They’ve learned from franchises like Battlefield and included a squad spawn option and distinct class builds. They’ve built a resource-based metagame around territory control to create a greater sense of persistence, and developed new command systems to keep armies of players organized.
Planetside 2 will launch as a free-to-play game sometime this year.
End of Nations
End of Nations
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End of Nations takes hardcore, tactical real-time strategy mechanics and mixes them with a persistent meta-game that plays more like a massively multiplayer online title. It’s being developed by Petroglyph Studios, whose founding members helped pioneer the RTS genre with titles like Command and Conquer and Dune 2.
The End of Nations single-player campaign will tell the tale of a near-future when nations are collapsing due to worsening economic conditions. The multiplayer metagame will have players building bases, leveling up their Commanders, researching and improving military units and fighting for control of that near-future on a campaign map of the Earth. End of Nations will also utilize social networks to help the factions organize their war efforts.
The Secret World
The Secret World
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The Secret World is a massively multiplayer online game under development by Funcom, a Norwegian studio steeped in MMO experience (Anarchy Online, Age of Conan). Where those two games were fairly typical for the genre, however, The Secret World is aiming to stand out from the crowd.
There will be no levels or classes in the game, rather players will build characters by developing character skills. The game will also weave alternate reality and social networking elements into its mechanics, and promises to make storytelling an important part of the experience.
Beta testing began this August, and the game is scheduled for an early 2012 release. You can register for the beta here if you want to try and get an early look at The Secret World.
Defense of the Ancients 2
Defense of the Ancients 2
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Defense of the Ancients 2 is the sort of game that highlights the unique opportunities the PC brings to video gaming. The original Defense of the Ancients (DotA) was a fan-made mod for Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos. Where Warcraft III was a more traditional real-time strategy game in its day, DotA gave players control over a single Hero character, and mixed tower-defense and role-playing mechanics.
DotA was popular enough to spawn several, similar games like Heroes of Newerth and League of Legends, and Valve Software has been working with the longest-serving developer of the original game, known anonymously as IceFrog, to develop an “official” sequel. Folks, this is the sort of thing you’re just not going to see in console gaming, probably ever.
Defense of the Ancients 2 premiered at Gamescom 2011 via a tournament that awarded a million dollars to the winner, and is sure to be a popular release in 2012.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
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Long before there was Call of Duty there was Counter-Strike. It began in 1999 as a humble mod to the classic first person shooter Half-Life developed by Valve Software. Valve officially embraced the Counter-Strike franchise a year later, and in 2004 released the first, major update to the title with Counter-Strike: Source, which ran off the improved engine that powered Half-Life 2.
Global Offensive will introduce new weapons and equipment, new maps, and cross-platform support. Finally, an opportunity for PC first person shooter fans to show console FPS players who’s boss!
World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria
World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria
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As much as we may feel odd giving Blizzard Entertainment all three top spots on this list, there’s no denying that any new World of Warcraft expansion is going to draw huge numbers and attention. With WoW subscription rates beginning to slack a bit, pundits and industry analysts will be measuring the market performance of each new World of Warcraft expansion with rapt attention.
For the over 10 million WoW subscribers who continue to pour their time and devotion into the game, Mists of Pandaria will be opening up a new continent and introducing…kung-fu pandas. Reaction to this new WoW expansion at Blizzcon 2011 was mixed, but not a company that places unsafe bets.
Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm
Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm
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When Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty was released in the summer of 2010, many Starcraft fans grumbled at the lack of a campaign for the Zerg and Protoss factions. Only the Terrans had a storyline. Blizzard defended the decision by stating that focusing on one faction at a time was the only way to provide the depth and quality of experience they demanded from a Starcraft 2 campaign.
The Zerg portion of the story will premiere in this year’s Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm. If the Zerg campaign is as good as Terrans’ was in Wings of Liberty, we’re willing to bet there will be nary a peep of complaint from fans that have to wait just a little bit longer for the Protoss campaign. You know who good things come to, right?
Diablo III
Diablo III
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Diablo was the first of its kind, an isometric-perspective dungeon crawler that pioneered some of the mechanics we take for granted in modern day MMOs. It popularized the convention of color-coding gear by rarity and power, inspiring quests for greater loot that led to many a sleepless night for co-op groups of four playing locally or online. It was set in a dark fantasy world, weaving a tale of traveling through the dungeons underneath an ancient monastery to enter Hell and kill one of its Lords named Diablo. In the eyes of critics, Diablo is one of the best PC games ever released.
Diablo II blew it out of the water. Counting expansions it had seven character classes to Diablo’s four. Each of Diablo II’s four Acts was almost as large as the first game in its entirety, and it was built for co-op online gameplay from the ground up. Sometimes critics use the world “addictive” to describe a video game and it’s a misnomer, but not if they’re talking about Diablo II. The epic story included taking on three more Lords of Hell, and offered so much adventure it was like a Skyrim of its day.
Understand, then, that the fervor for Diablo III represents the devotion of the faithful, people who to this day continue playing the second game in the series, trading gear and altering their weapons and perfecting their party strategies. Throughout 2011, the slightest rumors that Diablo III was close to release rippled through the internet like a computer virus on ‘roids. When Best Buy recently put out signs announcing that February, 2012 was the release date, the news spread so fast that people on the moon heard about it a few minutes.
Not so, said Blizzard. False alarm. And everyone, fans and press alike, will simply bide their time and wait patiently. It’s Diablo III. Anything less than perfect may not do, but if there’s a developer that can deliver on this level of expectation, it’s Blizzard.
Dennis Scimeca is a freelance writer from Boston, MA, and a contributor to G4, Gamasutra, GamePro, and The Escapist. Reach him through his blog, Punching Snakes, or follow him on Twitter: @DennisScimeca.