2011: The Best Year For Games? Part Two

But there's more! Whereas the list might have stopped there regarding 2010's line-up, 2011 seems to boast more great hits for gamers to purchase...

NINTENDO 3DS- Need I say more? If you haven't already heard, this new handheld console will boast actual, Avatar-scale 3D capabilities for gaming franchises everywhere, and could very well revolutionise the way we play. The launch titles include Nintendogs; Mario Kart; Professor Layton Vs Phoenix Wright; Metal Gear Solid and Kingdom Hearts, but it remains to see whether the console can justify its £200 price tag!

THE MOTION CONTROLLERS- This is where the big gamble is at: both Microsoft and Sony will have their respective motion controllers, Kinect and Move, out by this Christmas, but with little to no hardcore games coming out for either (the launch line-up targets the casual audience) in 2010, next year will be the true test for both peripherals. For Xbox, Fable 3 (Autumn 2010) will integrate Kinect and Child Of Eden (Spring 2011) will be the first gamer-orientated Kinect-only title, while on PS3 the main focus will go to Little Big Planet 2 (Spring 2011) for its level-building concept. Keep checking On-Screen for the latest reviews of motion video gaming!

SUPERHERO MANIA- If, however, you prefer to play with a controller, then 2011 just might be the year for you to give the superhero genre a go. First up is Thor (Spring), the hammer wielding Norse God (of sorts) who crashes to modern-day Earth and must defend the planet from ancient foes, clearly a great premise for a video game and movie (hence why there is one of each). Next is Captain America: Super Soldier (Summer), starring Chris Evans in the lead role and based around the flick of the same name, tasking players with testing out a suit of immense power. If you want a title that is guaranteed to be great, though, look for Batman: Arkham City (Autumn). Arkham Asylum was a superbly crafted single-player experience and perhaps the game of 2009, so this dark sequel could prove to be quite the hit next year.

SHOOTER SHOOTOUT- And, as 2011 nears its end, we get the traditional flurry of shooters. Call Of Duty will supposedly get two entries next year, one by newcomer Sledgehammer Games and the other Infinity Ward, though the latter is yet to be confirmed. Meanwhile Battlefield 3 could easily storm the online charts upon release, and given Medal of Honour's moderate success another trip to Afghan could be in store. Expect sales of these shooters to, as ever, be insanely high for no reason.