E3 2012: Top 10 Most Anticipated Games

The biggest titles we'll see at the most anticipated event for this industry of 2012!
When the Electronic Entertainment Expo kicks off in four days' time, the wealth of video gaming news that'll flood onto the interweb (and of course this blog) will be almost impossible to stay on top of. As such, I thought that it would be a good idea to let you know what the ten games you should be keeping an eye on in particular over the course of the next week are, with support for each and when you can expect to see each of them presented on the show. I've stuck with games that are definitely going to release in 2012, as the 2013 releases will be covered in more detail at a later date in their promotional campaigns. So, without further ado...
10. CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS II: Whatever you do, don't discount Activision's latest entry in the Call Of Duty franchise from the race. Despite being the follow-up to one of the lesser regarded instalments, Black Ops II's new setting, warfare options and branching storyline might well make it the modern warfare first-person shooter to watch at the show. (Monday, June 4th- Microsoft Conference)
9.  PLAYSTAION ALL-STARS BATTLE ROYALE: Sony's attempt to cash in on the Smash Bros. formula has been met with mixed reception so far. Expect the games publisher to unveil countless tempting characters and arenas for players to indulge themselves in as a celebration of all the success that the PlayStation 3 and its new IPs have met in this generation. (Tuesday, June 5th- Sony Conference)
8. HITMAN: ABSOLUTION: Square Enix are bringing back the Original Assassin this November, and now is as good as time as any for the team to unveil Absolution in full. After worries were rising that the game was getting too action-orientated, I wouldn't be completely surprised if the devs showed off a stealth sequence to quell any fears in advance of their promo campaign reaching its peak this Autumn. (Monday, June 4th- Microsoft Conference)
7. NEW SUPER MARIO BROS WIIU: If there's one thing you can count on for the WiiU, it's that New Super Mario Bros Mii (or whatever the HD sequel comes to be called) will be amongst its launch line-up. That means Nintendo will be dead keen on giving a full gameplay preview on the showfloor to finally win their naysayers over on the new next-gen console, (Tuesday, June 5th- Nintendo Conference)
6. MARVEL'S AVENGERS: BATTLE FOR EARTH: Perhaps I'm just putting this one on the list as a major fan of Avengers Assemble. Then again, perhaps not...Either way, this Kinect/WiiU belated movie tie-in may well turn heads on the showfloor if Ubisoft manage to convince us that it's worth a purchase for some seriously entertaining superhero action. (Monday, June 4th- Microsoft Conference; Ubisoft Conference; Tuesday, June 5th- Nintendo Conference)
5. DISHONORED: Bethesda need to ensure that they once again stamp their mark on the RPG video games industry in the remainder of 2012. Steampunk action thriller Dishonored looks to be the way they plan on doing that, and thus we can probably expect loads of new footage and a gameplay demo to savour very soon! (Thursday, May 31st- Spike TV Pre-E3 Show; Watch For Previews On Online Sites Next Week)
4. THE LAST OF US: Ever since its Spike VGAs unveiling last Winter, The Last Of Us has stood out as a stunning new reason to purchase a PS3 in its final days. It's now time for Naughty Dog to prove that their new project warrants such prestigious early acclaim, and given the pure spectacle of their previous Uncharted showings I expect nothing less than an astounding demo here. (Tuesday, June 5th- Sony Conference)
3. RAYMAN LEGENDS: Thanks to a rather troublesome leaked trailer being revealed earlier this year, Ubisoft's Rayman Legends let the cat out of the bag a little quickly through some of its action figure-compatible WiiU functionality. All the same, it promises to be a fantastic sequel to one of 2011's greatest games, and you can probably expect a stunning level walkthrough from Ubisoft to premiere the new entry in the Rayman franchise. (Monday, June 4th- Ubisoft Conference; Tuesday, June 5th- Nintendo Conference)
2. HALO 4: If ever there was a time for Microsoft to prove that Halo 4 deserves to be virtually the sole centrepiece of their exclusive offerings for Xbox 360 this year, it's right now at E3. I have no doubt whatsoever that what we see of 343 Industries' first take on the franchise will be nothing less than shocking and utterly stunning, and as such I can't wait for its conference debut to roll around! (Monday, June 4th- Microsoft Conference)
1. ASSASSIN'S CREED III: It's hard to tell whether Ubisoft will debut Assassin's Creed III on Sony's stage as well as their own, given them having handed the gaming behemoth an exclusive freebie in the form of the original game with Revelations. No matter what happens, though, the wait is terribly agonising for ACIII simply because we've seen so little of it, and in the case of a developer with such strong a reputation as Ubisoft Montreal, that can only mean very exciting things are coming next week...(Monday, June 4th- Ubisoft Conference)
AND...It's important, of course, not to forget that these ten games are by no means the only titles you'll find on offer at E3, quite the opposite. Not to daunt (or thrill) you further, but all of these games will be on show at the Expo too and thus the vast majority of them will get some kind of coverage here at the blog...breath in for a second! Ready? Okay: Borderlands 2; XCOM; XCOM- Enemy Unknown; 007 Legends; Skylanders Giants; The Amazing Spider-Man; Transformers: Fall Of Cybertron; Prey 2; The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim- Dawnguard; Elder Scrolls Online; Devil May Cry; Lost Planet 3; Resident Evil 6; Crysis 3; FIFA 13; Medal Of Honor: Warfighter; Need For Speed: Most Wanted; SimCity; Rock Band Blitz; Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance; Fable: The Journey; Forza Horizon; Star Trek: The Game; Animal Crossing; Luigi's Mansion 2; New Super Mario Bros 2; Paper Mario; Pikmin 3; Aliens: Colonial Marines; Sonic All-Stars Racing Transformed; God Of War: Ascenscion; Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault; Sly Cooper: Thieves In Time; Sleeping Dogs; Kingdom Hearts HD Remix; Tomb Raider; Dead Or Alive 5; Darksiders II; Homefront 2; inSANE; Metro: Last Light; South Park: The Stick Of Truth; LEGO City Stories; LEGO Lord Of The Rings; Far Cry 3 and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Patriots! And if you think it'll be hard trying to keep on top of all the coverage, try writing about it...!