Xbox 360 Gaming: 10 Most Anticipated Games of 2012 [VIDEOS]

Video games have a great potential in 2012 with some of the biggest names in game development set to release their most awaited titles. With 2011 dedicated mostly to the popularity of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Battlefield 3, 2012 could be called as the year of sequels with titles like Halo 4 and Mass Effect 3 waiting to arrive.

However, here are the top 10 anticipated games of 2012.

10. I Am Alive: I Am Alive takes place in the fictional American city of Haventon, one year after a worldwide cataclysmic event that wiped out most of the human civilization and left the world in ruins and barely inhabitable. The game focuses on countering the permanent insecurity of a now decaying and hazardous world, and humanity's fight to survive.

I Am Alive emphasizes on climbing and exploration and a lot depends on the character's stamina while performing such physical activities. The player can use various tactics to stay alive, including using bluff and intimidation by pointing an empty gun at hostile non-playable characters, playing it low profile to stun enemies with a machete quick kill, or performing stealth kills with a bow.

The game is expected to arrive in the first quarter of 2012.

9. Borderlands 2: Borderlands 2 is currently under development by Gearbox Software and takes place five years after the events of Borderlands when the four vault hunters exposed the secrets of the Eridian Vault. Returning gameplay features from the first game will include the unique, cartoon-esque cel-shading graphic style, 3-branch skill trees, class-mods, and four-player online cooperative modes.

There are four new playable characters to choose from in the game. The first new character is a large man named Salvador, nicknamed Gunzerker, who somewhat resembles Brick from the first game in abilities, but also can dual-wield any combination of guns. The second character is a siren named Maya, similar to Lilith from the first game, but with unknown abilities. However, the remaining two characters have yet to be revealed.

The game is set to arrive Sept. 1, 2012.

8. The Witcher 2 - Assassins of Kings: Witcher 2 contains many different paths and storylines, along with multiple endings. The player, similar to the first game, takes control of Geralt of Rivia, one of the few remaining witchers (humans that have been genetically enhanced and trained to fight monsters from a young age with different special Powers, including Alchemy, Magic, and Sword Handling.

Although the game has already released on PC, it is set to arrive on Xbox in the first quarter of 2012.

7. Asura's Wrath: The player in the game controls Asura, a once revered general of the gods who defeated an enemy known as the Gohma. However, later he was wrongfully accused of murdering the emperor and Ausra escaped the imperial forces. Every episode in the game is like playing out of an anime series. Asura's Wrath takes elements from Asian mythology and blends them with science fiction. Asura's fighting style will change according to the story and are predicated from the dramatic story or beats within the game. At certain points in the game, if Asura gets extremely angry, he may fight with six arms.

The game will arrive in North America Feb 21, 2012.

6. Max Payne 3: Max Payne 3 is the first game in the series not to be developed by Finnish game developer Remedy Entertainment and not being written by series creator Sam Lake. The game is said to feature over-the-shoulder zoom aiming and cover mechanics, and will see the return of bullet-time in action sequences.

The game's intention is to start a new chapter in Max's life who is a few years older and cynical than ever. He has left New York and is based in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where he is working in the private security sector for a wealthy local family, eight years after the occurrence of the second game.

Max Payne 3 is set to arrive in March.

5. Tomb Raider: Tomb Raider is the ninth installment of the Tomb Raider series and sees a fresh new start in Lara Croft's life. The game introduces a survival instinct that Lara can use to solve puzzles. It will highlight useful items for use if the player is stuck in solving a puzzle. The game begins with Lara on a desolate island after a ship wreck, devoid of any weapons, tools or essentials such as food and water, which the player must search for in order to survive.

Sections of the island are restricted to the player until Lara is able to perform specific physical abilities achieved via a skill system, or obtained the necessary equipment to advance.
It is set to arrive in the third quarter of 2012.

4. Far Cry 3: Far Cry 3 will put the player in the shoes of Jason Brody, a tourist who has been stranded on an island chain, somewhere at the intersection of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, in the grips of violent local conflict for years. Jason has been separated from his girlfriend and, in his search for her. Developers have stated that he will have to deal with a wide cast of mostly unstable characters who have been trapped on these islands for some time.

It was revealed at the E3 2011 that the player has the ability to shoot enemies behind objects in crouch mode without moving his head up but with free hands. The demo also revealed an overhauled stealth mechanic as well as a possible leveling system based on experience points.

The release date is still to be announced.

3. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon - Future Soldier: Future Soldier will take place in a near future in Norway, the Middle East, and Asia where Russia went into war. The Ghosts will be fighting an ultra-nationalist force that took control of Russia and are invading neighboring countries. The player will take control of a 4-man Ghost team consisting of a commando (Kozak), a sniper weapons expert (Pepper), a reconnaissance expert (30k), and an engineer (Bones).

During E3 2011, Ubisoft introduced the game's weapon customizer. The system works with the Xbox Kinect and allows an extraordinary level of customization, down to the gas management parts of every gun.

Future Soldier is set to arrive in May 22.

2. Mass Effect 3: Mass Effect 3 will complete the story of Commander Shepard and the game's gameplay will be influenced by decisions from Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 and have settings throughout the galaxy, including Earth and Mars.
The game will follow from the events of the Mass Effect 2 DLC expansion Arrival and follows Commander Shepard's mission to save the galaxy from the Reapers by rallying civilizations of the galaxy together, while also having to deal with Cerberus, who have decided to turn against him.

The game is arriving on March 6.

1. Halo 4: Halo 4 is intended to be the first of a new trilogy of Halo series games, named the Reclaimer Trilogy. The game is set in the aftermath of Halo 3 as Master Chief makes his return to confront his own destiny and face an ancient evil that threatens the fate of the entire universe. Halo 4 marks the start of a new trilogy that begins with its release in 2012.

The story of Halo 4 will be focused less on the Halo series' traditional straightforward first person shooter genre and rely more on mystery, exploration and discovery. Developers have also described the game as being grand in scope and scale.

Halo 4 is set to arrive in the holiday of 2012.