As the 29th annual GamesMaster Golden Joystick Awards, the world’s longest running award ceremony approaches, GamesMaster has revealed the 30 most anticipated new games due for release in the UK in the run up to Christmas 2011 and beyond into 2012. With many of the list featuring in the shortlist for the ‘One To Watch’ award, it’s all to play for in the final week of voting. Voting closes on Monday 17th October and the winners will be revealed at the official ceremony on Friday 21st October at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, London.
The race for votes in the final week of the GamesMaster Golden Joystick Awards shortlist-voting period has reached fever pitch this week and to add fuel to the fire GamesMaster, the world’s most exciting multi-platform games brand, has revealed the 30 most anticipated game releases due in the next 12 months. Featuring some of the biggest game franchises in the world, the list of the hottest new games due in the UK virtually covers the full spectrum of consoles, publishers, developers and genres. The list includes a head-to-head battle between the two most hyped military first-person shooters of the coming months – EA’s Battlefield 3 and Activision’s Modern Warfare 3, the third game in the multi-million selling series.
With the games industry on the whole - publishers, developers and critics alike - turning their attention to the ultimate
winners of the 29th annual Golden Joystick Awards, the list of the 30 most anticipated games is sure to spark debate:
1. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – release 11th November 2011 (Bethesda Softworks)
2. Assassin's Creed: Revelations – released 15th November 2011 (Ubisoft)
3. Saints Row: The Third – released 18th November 2011 (THQ)
4. Battlefield 3 – released 25th October 2011 (EA)
5. Modern Warfare 3 – released 8th November 2011 (Activision)
6. Bioshock Infinite – released 2012 (2K Games)
7. Far Cry 3 – released 2012 (2K Games)
8. Mass Effect 3 – released 6th March 2012 (EA)
9. Aliens: Colonial Marines – released Spring 2012 (SEGA)
10. Ghost Recon: Future Soldier – released 9th March 2012 (Ubisoft)
11. Hitman: Absolution – released 2012 (Square Enix)
12. Halo 4 – released 2012 (Microsoft Studios)
13. Tomb Raider – released 2012 (Square Enix)
14. Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii) – released 18th November 2011 (Nintendo)
15. Super Mario (3DS) – released November 2011 (Nintendo)
16. Metal Gear Solid: Rising – released 2012 (Konami)
17. Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm – released 2012 (Blizzard Entertainment)
18. Guild Wars 2 – released 2011
19. Agent – released 2012 (Rockstar Games)
20. Uncharted: Golden Abyss for PS Vita – released 2012 (Sony Computer Entertainment)
21. DOTA 2 (Defence of the Ancients 2) – released 2012 (Valve Corporation)
22. Syndicate – released 24th February 2012 (EA)
23. Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception – released 2nd November 2011 (Sony Computer Entertainment)
24. Max Payne 3 – released March 2012 (Rockstar Games)
25. Spec Ops: The Line – released 2012 (2K Games)
26. Street Fighter X Tekken – released 2nd March 2012 (Capcom)
27. SSX – released 15th October 2011 (EA Sports)
28. The Last Guardian – released 2012 (Sony Computer Entertainment)
29. Fable: The Journey – released 2012 (Microsoft Studios)
30. Prototype 2 – released 24th April 2012 (Activision)
“Not only is this list representative of the next wave of killer games, it also has depth and variety. It’s great to see much-anticipated sequels and threequels like Mass Effect 3 and Prototype 2 sitting alongside brand new IP like Sony’s Last Guardian and Nintendo’s Skyward Sword. The next 12 months are looking great for gamers,” says George Walter, Editorial Co-Ordinator.
Voting is now live at www.goldenjoystick.com and will take place until 17th October 2011. The GamesMaster Golden Joysticks Awards will also be offering voters who participate in all 14 public categories with a chance of winning the GamesMaster Ultimate Gaming Prize, which includes Alienware consoles and many of the awardnominated games.
The 2011 shortlists, which boast the likes of Call of Duty: Black Ops, LA Noire and Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, have been selected by a handpicked panel of Future Publishing’s gaming experts, chaired by GamesMaster Editorin-Chief Robin Alway.
Winners are announced at the awards ceremony, taking place at London’s Park Plaza Westminster Bridge hotel on Friday 21st October. Among the surprises on the night will be a number of exclusives and reveals from all across the games industry.
