Reviewer Rodeo: 2011, Shmoothousand11… 2012 is where it’s at!

Donald Houf
2011 was a big year, but there is a lot to be excited about in 2012. Though lighter in releases (which, lets be honest, is probably a good thing), the first half of 2012 is looking to be pretty awesome. With games like The Darkness II, Final Fantasy XIII-2, Mass Effect 3 and Ghost Recon coming out, gamers will have plenty to distract them until E3. Yet, out of all the awesome releases, I am most looking forward to Twisted Metal.

Some of my best gaming memories were made playing Twisted Metal and Twisted Metal 2 on the original PlayStation. There was nothing better after a long, hard school week (middle school was rough back in those days) than going over to my friends house and staying up all night playing hours of multiplayer. Blasting your best friend with every weapon you could get your hands on never got old back then. Those memories get my nostalgia pumping for the next installment of this series.


From the sounds of it, Twisted Metal is going to be an awesome game. David Jaffe has expressed some big ideas for this game, and the fact that it was delayed only gives me more hope that this will be the most well developed and polished Twisted Metal that we have ever seen. If I can get the same level of enjoyment that I had back in middle school, I will consider this game to have been a success. Nostalgia may be the factor that will drive us all out to buy this game, but I expect it will be well founded.
I have no doubt that the first half of 2012 will deliver some incredible games, but Twisted Metal has my heart, which is a good and a bad thing. It is good because it releases on Valentines Day, bad because I am pretty sure on that day my wife will not want my heart going out to a murderous clown in an ice cream truck.

Jeff “Scorched Angel” Borsick
In terms of games for the first half of 2012, to me it seems like pickings are somewhat slim, but there are two titles that stand out as must-buys for me. The first is Syndicate, from the studio that brought you The Chronicles of Riddick, Starbreeze Studios. I am personally excited for this game just because it reminds me of one of my favorite games from last year, Deus Ex: Human Revolution. That futuristic, technology-fueled world always interests me. I also feel this will be a shooter with some style, given the videos that I have seen. Add with all of that 4-player co-op, and I have been so sold that I have already paid off a copy and salivating to get to the release date in February.

The second game that I am excited for is the most obvious, and that is Mass Effect 3. I have logged in dozens of hours, played all the DLC, and am completely enthralled in the world that Bioware has made with the Mass Effect series. Again, the co-op seems very appealing in this one, and I cannot wait to see how they finally rap up this amazing trilogy.


Ken “ZeroTolerance” McKown
It seems the popular answer here is Mass Effect 3, but while I am stoked to jump back into the shoes of my Shepard, my most anticipated game of 2012, right now, is likely Twisted Metal. I am such a huge fan of the series under David Jaffe. TM2 and Black are still some of the best gaming memories I have from the PlayStation brand. When you factor in the inclusion of Twisted Metal: Black with the new iteration, I am stoked. If I knew South Park or Darksiders II were for sure dropping in 2012 I might have picked either of those, but as it stands right now, TM has my vote, and I cannot wait for Valentine’s Day.

That’s all for this edition of the ZTGD Reviewer Rodeo. Join us next week as we grab onto another bucking bronco of controversy and beat it into submission.

Got questions or comments? Drop ’em in the comment section below or hit us up via email. Suggestions for Reviewer Rodeo topics that you want our opinions on? Hit Mike up at michaelfutter@ztgamedomain.com.

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