PixlBit

(Hey everyone. I'm going to try and start posting my blogs from elsewhere here as well when I can as I have come to enjoy this site quite a bit lately. So here is my most recent one.)

I don’t know exactly why, but I have decided to separate downloadable games from my main list of most anticipated games of 2012. Maybe because, not many of them would have ranked too high on that list. Maybe to give them a little extra attention. Regardless I am here today to talk about the games I am looking forward to the most in the downloadable space next year. Here it goes (I put them in alphabetical order because I didn’t feel like ranking them):

Alan Wake’s American Nightmare (XBLA)

I’m not sure I like the idea of a more action-oriented Alan Wake game which is what American Nightmare seems to be, but I do love seeing this series continue and I am hoping I will enjoy this new entry on XBLA. Alan Wake is one of the rare games where I get more excited to see what they do with the story than the gameplay. Hopefully Remedy has some good stuff in store in this game’s narrative.

BattleBlock Theater (XBLA, maybe others)

The Behemoth have not only made my favorite downloadable game to date in Castle Crashers, but also Alien Hominid which I enjoyed as well. So I am very much looking forward to their next game BattleBlock Theater. It seems to feature their trademark humor (check out the opening cutscene if you haven’t) as well as their wonderful, unique artstyle. This game seems to have a larger focus on platforming than their earlier games which should be cool and seems to have some very fun multiplayer modes. Been looking forward to this one for a while, so I hope we finally get to play it in 2012. This is probably the downloadable game I am most excited for.

Dust: An Elysian Tail (XBLA)

Dust: An Elysian Tail is another game I have been waiting on for some time. Dust is a 2D game that features both exploration and platforming, but its main focus is on a deep combat system. I’ve always wanted to see something like today’s modern combat action games in 2D and this game seems to fit the bill. Along with some promising gameplay, Dust features beautiful hand-drawn art that is quite stunning in motion. The developer says we should be seeing it in the first half of 2012. Let’s hope that is the case.

Shank 2 (PSN, XBLA, PC)

The first Shank was a solid title. Kind of like with Dust above, its appeal lied in its combat and unique art and graphics. It wasn’t the greatest game, but I did enjoy it and am looking forward to seeing Klei build on the original with this sequel. I am a bit disappointed there won’t be a co-op campaign this time around, but otherwise what I have seen looks pretty good.

Tony Hawk Pro Skater HD (PSN, XBLA)

The Tony Hawk Pro Skater games were some of my most played games back in high school. I put more time into the demo for the second game than some full games back then and THPS2 still stands as one of my favorite games on the original PlayStation. This series lost me around Underground 2, but this remake including various maps from the first two games should be nice. And it should be a great trip back in time for me and some of my buddies who used to always play the multiplayer together.

Honorable Mention: Journey (PSN): I am not the hugest fan of thatgamecompany’s first two games as I prefer my games a bit more… game-y. But Journey looks to be a bit better in that regard and their titles are definitely worth experiencing, so I look forward to playing this game when it comes out.

And that’s it. I have done this pretty much off the top of my head, so there is a good chance that either I have forgotten a great upcoming downloadable game or just don’t know about one. So let me know what downloadable games you are looking forward to next year and any promising ones I might have missed in the comments below. Next week I will have all the retail games I am most looking forward to. Thanks for reading!