There are numerous high-profile new titles headed to retail in 2012, but which are the most hotly anticipated for each console? According to a new study from audience measurement firm Nielsen, across all consoles, Halo 4 and Assassin's Creed III are the most eagerly awaited. Xbox 360 owners are hot for Halo.

Nielsen's "Game Rank" is the result of the firm combining eight "key consumer metrics" like awareness and purchase interest into a total rank, and then comparing it to scores for previously released games on the same platform. This is represented in a percentile ranking, denoted in parentheses below.

According to Nielsen's findings, top Xbox 360 titles for 2012 are Halo 4 (98 percent), Assassin's Creed III (94 percent), and Max Payne 3 (91 percent). PlayStation 3 gamers are most interested in Assassin's Creed III (98 percent), Max Payne 3 (96 percent), and Madden NFL 13 (96 percent).

The top three most anticipated 2012 Wii titles, based on Nielsen's findings, are Madden NFL 13 (96 percent), Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two (94 percent), and Battleship (84 percent).

Titles included in Nielsen's analysis were those announced before March 23, 2012, and expected to ship between April and December. Below are Nielsen's most-anticipated 2012 titles, denoted by platform. Italicized titles are platform-exclusives.

Most-anticipated 2012 Xbox 360 titles:

Halo 4 - 98 percent

Assassin's Creed III - 94 percent

Max Payne 3 - 91 percent

Madden NFL 13 - 90 percent

Resident Evil 6 - 89 percent

Ghost Recon: Future Soldier - 85 percent

Fable: The Journey - 85 percent

Kinect Star Wars - 85 percent

NCAA Football 13 - 82 percent

BioShock: Infinite - 77 percent

Tomb Raider - 77 percent



Most-anticipated 2012 PlayStation 3 titles:

Assassin's Creed III - 98 percent

Max Payne 3 - 96 percent

Madden NFL 13 - 96 percent

Resident Evil 6 - 94 percent

Medal of Honor: Warfighter - 87 percent

NCAA Football 13 - 85 percent

Prototype 2 - 85 percent

Ghost Recon: Future Soldier - 80 percent

BioShock: Infinite - 79 percent

Tomb Raider - 79 percent

NBA Live 13 - 79 percent



Most-anticipated 2012 Wii titles:

Madden NFL 13 - 96 percent

Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two - 94 percent

Battleship - 86 percent

Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes - 82 percent

The Amazing Spider-Man - 82 percent

Men in Black - 81 percent

The Last Story - 64 percent

Xenoblade Chronicles - 50 percent

