Upcoming RPGs of 2012

We now come to the final genre in our Upcoming Games of 2012 series, the Role Playing Game genre (RPG). It may be a niche genre but last year’s Skyrim showed us that a well made, single player RPG is capable of completely devouring your social life. Here’s hoping these games have the same effect on us. 

Diablo III (PC)

Diablo III has been in the making for nearly a decade making every passing year an increasingly tougher exercise in patience for die-hard fans of the series. Like previous Diablo games, gameplay in Diablo III will largely remain unchanged so you’ll be playing it through an isometric perspective clicking on stuff till your fingers bleed. Looting and customization will be a huge part of the game as well and making the deal even sweeter will be the terrific presentation values synonymous with all Blizzard games.

Guild Wars 2 (PC)

Guild Wars 2 may be an MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games) but it makes this list because like its predecessor, it will not levy any monthly subscription. Of course you still have to be connected to the internet at all times or you won’t be able to play it. Still that’s a small price to play for what could very well turn out to be a WoW (World of Warcraft) killer.

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Dragon’s Dogma (Xbox360 PS3)

Fusing hack and slash combat from games like Devil may Cry 3 with the vastness of open world RPGs like Skyrim, Dragon’s Dogma is a highly ambitious action RPG from Capcom. While it aims at offering players a very deep RPG experience, it takes its action moniker very seriously and according to Capcom, boss fights will be reminiscent to those present in Shadow of the Colossus where players can actually latch onto gigantic bosses and then proceed to attack them.

Game of Thrones (PC)

Writer R.R. Martin’s books have achieved cult status thanks to HBO’s show, Game of Thrones and now gamers will get an even closer glimpse at the brutal realm of Westeros through developer Cyanide Studio’s action RPG set in that universe. Details are scarce but it seems combat in this game features something called the “active slowdown tactical combat engine,” that slows down combat so players can make quick, tactical decisions.

Risen 2: Dark Waters (Xbox360 PS3 PC)

Risen was an enjoyable European action RPG that fell a bit short when it came to polish and presentation. German developer Piranha Bytes have hopefully learnt from their mistakes as Risen 2 looks a lot tighter and more responsive than its older brother. As the name suggests, this iteration will let players live the life of a pirate and deal with all the excitement and danger that comes as a package deal, giant squids included.    

South Park: The Game (Xbox360 PS3 PC)

Go on down and meet some friends of mine

If you’re (still) a fan of South Park, you’ll be glad to know that it’s about to get the video game treatment from developer Obsidian Entertainment (Fallout: New Vegas). The game is poised to be an action RPG played from a 2D-esque perspective, keeping the show’s feel in mind. Combat is expected to be turn-based, bad news for RPG gamers who prefer their combat in real time.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning (Xbox360 PS3 PC)

Described by many as an awesome merger of God of War and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Kingdoms of Amalur is a brand new action RPG from developer Big Huge Games in conjunction with 38 Studios. While the game doesn’t look as open ended as a Skyrim, it looks like it’ll appeal to the action crowd with its hack and slash inspired real time combat.