Upcoming Action Games of 2011

2010 was a stellar year for action games and 2011 looks no different. Even though there’s a dearth of original IPs (intellectual properties), one can’t help but be excited at the sequels releasing this year that has something for everyone from solving crimes in a noire thriller to stepping back into the boots of the world’s greatest detective or even treasure hunting across the Arabian desert. We’ve combed through 2011’s release calendar and zeroed in on 9 games that are worth keeping an eye out for.

Batman: Arkham City (Xbox360, PS3, PC)

Face, meet fist

Developer Rocksteady have the distinction of giving the Dark Knight his first kick ass game adaptation in the form of Arkham Asylum. And now that they’re done with the loony bin, the action has shifted to Arkham City where Batman faces a new threat in the form of Dr. Hugo Strange. Although the game has a very strong open world vibe, it sadly won’t be one. However, like the Asylum, Batman will be able to explore the crap (or another word if you can think of it) out of certain areas to look for clues and other collectibles. The robust free-flow combat system has also received a major upgrade so Batman will now have quite a repertoire of moves under his belt. New to the series is the inclusion of multiplayer, the details of which are not known till date.

 L.A. Noire (PS3, Xbox360)

Smile for the birdie

Even though Rockstar is pitching in as far as development is concerned, L.A. Noire is nothing like their GTA games where players explore an urban city, hijacking vehicles and killing people. L.A. Noire’s USP lies in its revolutionary motion capture technology that also ties into gameplay. You see in L.A noire, your character is a detective who will have to question perps and determine their honesty (or dishonesty) solely by looking at their facial expressions. 

True Crime: Hong Kong (Xbox360, PS3, PC)

Everybody wants Kung Fu fighting

True Crime is a lot like GTA – only you’re playing on the other side of the law dishing out street justice when all else fails. The first two True Crime games didn’t quite set the cash registers ringing and so developer Luxoflux had to shut down shop in early 2010. Now the reigns of development have been handed over to the makers of Modnation Racers, who’ve taken the action overseas to Hong Kong. As an undercover cop, players will have to infiltrate a triad organization to take them down from the inside.

UPDATE: True Crime: Hong Kong has been cancelled by Activision.

Spec Ops: The Line (Xbox360, PS3, PC)

Where all the malls at?

Spec Ops takes place in the fictitious future where harsh sandstorms have ravaged tourist destination, Dubai, converting it into a gigantic sandpit. Living in such conditions is a total bummer and so its residents moved onto greener, or sand less pastures. However an Army Colonel decided to stay behind, for reasons unknown. Unfortunately for you and your team, he’s a real important guy and so you must brave the erratic weather conditions as well as the hostile locales to rescue him.