2012 will see plenty of new video games, from sequels to popular franchises, to brand new IPs. On top of that, 2012 will also see the introduction of a brand new gaming console, the Nintendo Wii U.

Here’s a full list of major video game titles that are scheduled for release in 2012. We’ll be continuously updating this list as new information is released. If you have any suggestions to video games we might have missed, let us know in the comments section.

January

• Silent Hill HD Collection (PS3, Xbox 360)
• Final Fantasy XIII-2 (PS3, Xbox 360)
• Soul Calibur V (PS3, Xbox 360)
• NeverDead (PS3, Xbox 360)

February

• The Darkness II (PS3, Xbox 360)
• Grand Slam Tennis 2 (PS3, Xbox 360)
• Inversion (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
• Twisted Metal (PS3)
• Test Drive: Ferrari Legends (PS3, Xbox 360)
• SSX (PS3, Xbox 360)
• Syndicate (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

March

• Mass Effect 3 (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
• Ninja Gaiden 3 (PS3, Xbox 360)
• Ghost Recon: Future Soldier (PS3, Xbox 360)
• Mario Party 9 (Wii)
• Ridge Racer Unbounded (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
• Street Fighter X Tekken (PC, PS3, Xbox360)
• Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City (PS3, Xbox 360)
• The Sims 3: Showtime (PC)
• Dragon’s Dogma (PS3, Xbox 360)
• Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2 (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

April

• Prototype 2 (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
• Armored Core V (PS3, Xbox 360)
• Xenoblade Chronicles (Wii)
• Risen 2: Dark Waters (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
• Alan Wake (PC)
• Aliens: Colonial Marines (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

May

• Brothers In Arms: Furious 4 (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
• Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (PC, Mac OS X, PS3, Xbox 360)
• Spec Ops: The Line (PS, PS3, Xbox 360)
• Silent Hill: Downpour (PS3, Xbox 360)
• Max Payne 3 (PS3, Xbox 360)

June

• DarkSiders 2 (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
• LEGO Batman 2* (PS3, Xbox 360, Mobile)
• Scrolls* (PC, Mac OS X, Linux))

July

• Diablo 3 (PC, Mac OS X)
• Hitman Absolution (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
• Prey 2 (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
• Starhawk (PS3)

August

• Metro: Last Light (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
• Overstrike (PS3, Xbox 360)
• StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm* (PC, Mac OS X)
• DOTA 2* (PC, Mac OS X)

September

• BioShock Infinite* (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
• FIFA 13 (PC, PS3, Xbox360, Mobile)
• Halo 4 (Xbox 360)

October

• Grand Theft Auto V* (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
• Tomb Raider (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
• The Last Guardian* (PS3)

November

• Assassins’ Creed 3* (PS3, Xbox 360)
• Call of Duty 9* (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
• Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance* (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

December

• DarkSiders 2 (Wii U)
• Metro: Last Light (Wii U)
• Guild Wars 2* (PC)
• Stalker 2** (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
• The Last of Us* (PS3)

* indicates unconfirmed date

** possibly canceled/pushed to 2013

BioWare has been a big name in the video game industry with several different titles that have turned heads. However, time and time again towards the helm of BioWare’s portfolio is none other than the Mass Effect franchise. This franchise currently includes two different titles appropriately dubbed Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2. However, it’s been known for quite some time that BioWare would get around to releasing the third iteration but when exactly we haven’t known.

Luckily during this year’s E3, which is still ongoing, BioWare has come forth to announce that Mass Effect 3 will in fact be dropping for the PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 on March 6th, 2012. During the conference there were some murmurs that the game may be making its way to the newly announced Wii U but we’ve yet to hear anything official in terms of this. We’ll keep you posted.

All three major consoles currently on the market feature some sort of motion controller. The Nintendo Wii is pretty self explanatory while the Xbox 360 has the Kinect and the PlayStation 3 has the PlayStation Move. While this is all fine and dandy for console gamers it generally leaves PC gamers in the dust when it comes to motion controllers – that is, if it wasn’t for Razer.

The reason I say this is because Razer has just announced today that their Hydra motion controller for the PC will be made available this June for $139.99 bundled with the critically acclaimed Portal 2. If you’re looking tog et down on the device early be on the look out in May as pre-orders are set to open sometime next month.

And, for those of you wondering if the Hydra will work with your favorite games your in luck as Razer has posted all 125 of of Hydra compatible games for your viewing pleasure here.

Rockstar has seen a ton of success on the game market with much of it being attributed to the critically acclaimed Grand Theft Auto. If you’re not familiar with this franchise you’ve literally been living under a rock as its open ended sandbox gameplay has been giving gamers joy ever since the release of GTA 3 back in the PS2 days. However, the most recent release of GTA is none other than GTA 4 which was made availbale for the Xbox 360 and PS3 on April 29th, 2008. Well, now that it’s been nearly three years since the release of GTA 4 many are wondering when Rockstar will get around to releasing the next highly anticipated addition.

While Rockstar has yet to say anything regarding the release of the game or what the game itself will entail everyone’s favorite video game retailer (or least favorite, depending on who you ask) Gamestop has just posted the game with a release date of January 15, 2012. Of course, we’ve seen stuff like this before only to have Gamestop pull the listing later but it’s definitely something to make note of. If, however, this release date is even remotely correct we’ll probably see an official announcement during this year’s E3 in June. Stay tuned.

If you’re a football fan you’ll know that there has been a ton of talk circulating recently regarding a possible lock out. This would essentially see no NFL season beginning in 2012 – something would surely anger a ton of fans. However, it seems that regardless if there is a lock out or not, Madden NFL 12 will be forging ahead. News comes to us straight from EA Sports head honcho Peter Moore to let us know that Madden will be shipping on August 30th, 2011 of this year no matter what happens to the NFL.

Of course, this doesn’t really come as a surprise considering football fans everywhere are going to be looking for a game to play if/when the lockout goes into effect.

Snowboarding is a great sport and as with any other great sport there are a ton of video games based on said sport. Of these video games SSX is without a doubt one of the most loved. Unfortunately, we haven’t seen a good SSX title for several years but that’s looking to change with the latest installment dubbed simply SSX. This new title will feature over the stop stunts which we’ve come to know in love in the previous titles but will add in all new gameplay such as allowing gamers to utilize a wing suit. Well, while we’ve known quite a bit about the game for some time we haven’t known when it will be hitting store shelves. Luckily, it was just announced that EA will officially be releasing SSX for the PS3 and Xbox 360 in January of 2012. Yes, it’s quite some time to wait but with the amount of content they’re looking to pack into this game it shouldn’t be a surprise.

Minecraft has largely become one of the most well known indie games of all time. Not only has it managed to generate millions of dollars worth of revenue but it also introduced us to new and innovative gameplay that at first blush seems quite simple but is good for hours upon hours of fun. Well, if you’re a diehard fan of the title you’ll be happy to know that Mojang Specifications has just come forth to give the game an official release date. But wait, you may ask yourself, isn’t Minecraft already out? Yes, but it’s currently only in a beta which just adds to the amazement of all the money it’s raked in thus far.

However, the release date focuses on the final build of the game which will hopefully have all of the kinks worked out. Anyways, the magical release date it November 11th, 2011 or 11/11/11. Unfortunately there was no word of what new features the final build will have but we’ll keep you posted as more information is made available.

Of all the different game companies on the market, Bethesda is arguably one of the most creative. Not only has their entire line up of The Elder Scrolls pushed the boundaries of open world games, but their Fallout series has largely done the same. But, Bethesda isn’t all about open ended RPGs as they will also be bringing the first person shooter Prey 2 to market sometime in 2012 – which they have just announced today.

Being developed by Human Head Studios, Prey 2 is set to drop for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. Unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be many more details regarding the game other than the fact that Prey 2 will allow gamers to experience an open ended alien world like never before.

Sounds pretty awesome - we’ll keep you posted with further details

There are many different video games available on the market as you’re sure to know but not many feature the ability to play between different platforms such as PS3 – PC and the like. Of course, there are some games that do this such as DC Universe which is available for both the PS3 and PC. Sony is looking to continue this trend recently announcing that they will be bringing their MMORPG Free Realms to the PS3 on March 29th.

Instead of focusing on combat alone, Free Realms allows players to gain experience and the like by exploring, building, raising pets, playing mini-games and, of course, social networking. For the die hard MMORPG fan who plays games like World of Warcraft this may not be the most appealing tile on the market but if you’re looking to get into MMOs this seems to be a perfect starter title. That, and you can play on the PC with your buddy on the PS3 – as mentioned above.

Just earlier today we told you that that Gears of War 3 beta would be kicking off on April 18th for Bulletstorm Epic Edition owners but if you’re a PS3 owner, that probably doesn’t mean much to you. Luckily, the PS3 has their own respective line up of exclusive shooters as well – one of them being Zipper Interactive’s highly popular SOCOM franchise.

The SOCOM franchise has seen numerous releases over just about every one of Sony’s consoles both portable and not. However, as of now, Zipper Interactive has not released a game SOCOM game for the PlayStation 3 with the console’s only SOCOM title, SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation, being developed by Slant Six Games. This just won’t do considering Zipper created the franchise and the PS3 is one of the most technologically advanced consoles on the market. Luckily, Zipper will be going on to produce a SOCOM game for the PS3 simply dubbed SOCOM 4.

We’ve seen several tech demos of this game in the past with the developers making an emphasis on the Move support but until we actually get our hands on the game we won’t know for sure how it will fare. While the game itself won’t hit store shelves until April 19th, Zipper has just let us know some details regarding the game’s beta.

First of all, a private beta will be launching in March 15th with Zipper simply stating that they’ll be “contacting elegible players soon.” Following that is a more widespread release with PlayStation Plus subscribers getting the beat on March 22nd, Killzone 3 owners getting it on March 29th and finally all PS3 owners with PSN access getting it on April 5th.

In terms of gameplay, the beta will include two different maps dubbed Assault & Battery and Port Authority and 4 different game modes including Uplink, Bomb Squad, Last Defense and Suppression.

That being said, as an extra tidbit we’ve included a video of SOCOM 4 being played with the PlayStation Move after the break. Be sure to check it out and let us know what you think.
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