If you had a bit of time on your hands over the festive break, you may have already cast your eyes over half a dozen "most anticipated games of 2012" lists. You'll have noted repeated mentions of Guild Wars 2, Borderlands 2 and Darksiders II, not to mention Diablo III, Mass Effect 3, Max Payne 3 and Far Cry 3. You'll have felt a lot of love for Bioshock: Infinite and Metal Gear Solid Rising, and led by a deep sense of nostalgia, you may have already prepared a space on your shelves for re-boots like Tomb Raider, Syndicate, Xcom and SSX.

But what of the new games – the originals, the titles that don't belong to a rolling franchise? Are there any of those to look forward to this year? Yes, of course there are – and we've tracked down 25 of them for your anticipatory pleasure.

Yes, many of the following titles do look rather familiar, but there is some genuine innovation in here and – I'll stupidly venture – one or two potential game of the year contenders.

If you're determined to limit your intake of heavily processed, endlessly re-packaged entertainment brands this year, this is a good place to start.

Look out for Part Two on Thursday.



Journey (Sony/thatgamecompany, PS3)

Developer thatgamecompany has purposefully kept the narrative details of its intriguing adventure title secret, but the gist is, you're in a desert kingdom trying to reach a distant mountain, and you can team up with another player to get there. Everything else is a delicious mystery. We wrote a lot about this fascinating and highly experimental project last year and we're desperate to see how the unique anonymous co-op mode works. For now, check out our interview with producer Robin Hunicke, which provides a glimpse into the ideas behind the game.

The Last Guardian (Sony/Team Ico, PS3)

There were fears at the close of last year that we'd never see this third endeavour from celebrated Sony development studio, Team Ico – but despite the departure of the director Fumito Ueda (who retains control in a freelance capacity), it seems the title will arrive in 2012. Although details are sketchy, we can expect another mournful third-person adventure in the style of predecessor Shadows of the Colossus, but this time revolving around a boy trying to rescue a giant feathered creature named Trico from a looming citadel. Heartache, wonder and beauty are sure to follow.

Lollipop Chainsaw (Warner Bros/Grasshopper, PS3, Xbox 360)

Ah yes, it's the latest Grand Guignol slaughter-fest from the wonky mind of creative director Suda 51, previously responsible for the likes of Killer 7, No more Heroes and Shadows of the Damned. Set in a US high school that's suddenly overrun with zombies and featuring a sexy cheerleader as its lead character, we're expecting a cross between Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Dawn of the Dead, as re-imagined by Troma Entertainment. Boasting oodles of gore, politically incorrect sex appeal and hallucinogenic visuals – it could either turn out to be the exploitation hit of the year or a leering, misogynistic fantasy with lots of swearing. Either way, we're keen to see it.

Overstrike (EA/Insomniac, PS3, Xbox 360

Having spent the last decade as a PlayStation-only developer cranking out hit franchises Ratchet and Clank and Resistance, Insomniac is going multi-platform in 2012. Overstrike is a four-player co-op shooter, where a ragtag group of mercenaries, thieves and scientists must prevent a global terrorist group from destroying mankind. Boasting slightly cartoon-ish visuals, ridiculous gadgets and over-sized weaponry, Overstrike's metaphorical tongue is placed firmly in its cheek here – and while the set-up hardly screams innovation, we're hoping the co-operative dynamics lead to lots of fun sci-fi blasting.

Devil's Third (THQ/Valhalla Game Sudios, PS3, Xbox 360)

The latest title from every feminist's favourite game designer Tomonobu Itagaki (the creator of bosom-fest Dead or Alive), Devil's Third looks to be a thematic continuation of his work on the Ninja Gaiden series – with a slight deviation: it's still about bloody third-person hyper-violence, but now it's a shooter rather than a sword-slasher. Other than that, little is known about the game at the moment, but the trailers look … intense.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning (EA/38 Studios, PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

With the RPG landscape currently dominated by monsters like Dragon Age, Elder Scrolls, Fable and Final Fantasy is there rooms for another epic universe to sidle in and wave its morning star about? Well, yeah, if the RPG in question is designed by Elder Scrolls veteran Ken Rolston, with a story by fantasy novelist RA Salvatore and art styling from Todd McFarlane. The promise is smooth combat, constant character customisation and an engrossing narrative – it'll need all of them to prise fans away from last year's behemoths Skyrim and Dark Souls.

The Secret World (Funcom/EA, PC)

If you're looking for a whole new massively multiplayer online experience to dominate your life this year, the latest ambitious creation from Age of Conan creator Funcom could be just the thing. The Secret World is a conspiracy-fuelled adventure in which players join one of three arcane societies – the Illuminati, the Dragon or the Templars – and then battle their enemies across a modern day setting splattered with mythological and religious elements. Apparently, there will be no levelling up and no classes – players will customise their characters via a freeform, skill-based system, ridding the game of the grinding process that puts many off the whole MMORPG concept. Previews have been positive and a beta is due to start soon.

Escape Plan (Sony/Fun Bits, PlayStation Vita)

Although Uncharted: Golden Abyss is attracting much of the attention, the most interesting PlayStation Vita launch title is actually an idiosyncratic monochrome puzzler from Seattle-based developer Fun Bits. Your aim is to help two weird characters named Lil and Laarg escape from a labyrinth filled with fiendish traps. Naturally, this involves using the console's array of touchscreen and analogue inputs to prod, squeeze and shove the duo through a deadly mass of spikes, chasms and hammers. As Fun Bits are the chaps behind acclaimed multiplayer strategy game, Fat Princess, we're expecting bags of offbeat fun and charm.

I am alive (Ubisoft, PS3, Xbox 360)

Ubisoft's survival horror adventure has been "downsized" to a digital release since its original announcement three years ago, but this still looks to be an ambitious and intriguing title. Your job is to help an everyman survivor track down his family in a post-apocalyptic America, in the immediate aftermath of some kind of massive global disaster. Exploration is the key activity, but players will also have to find, use and/or barter goods like food, climbing equipment and cigarettes with other survivors. Think The Day After Tomorrow crossed with Irem's Disaster Report series.

Fez (polytron, Xbox 360)

Pitched on some uncanny plane of the imagination between Super Paper Mario and Echochrome, Fez is a gorgeous 2D/3D platformer, which uses Escher-esque optical illusions and perspective shifts to create new pathways for the player. The retro-tinged visuals, chiptune soundtrack and brilliantly lateral puzzles have made it a favourite on the indie scene, but we expect creator Phil Fish – who has laboured over this gem for three years – may well have a crossover hit on his hands.

Asura's Wrath (Capcom/CyberConnect2, PS3, Xbox 360)

Oh okay, another third-person hack-'em-up. But it's okay, because this one intriguingly mixes mythological and sci-fi themes and locations, and is by CyberConnect2, the studio responsible for the cult .hack series of action RPGs. Asura it turns out is an ancient warrior, re-animated after 12,000 years and out for revenge on those who betrayed him. Retribution will involve highly charged melee combat, interactive cinematic sequences and an episodic TV series-style structure.

Botanicula (Amanita design, PC, Mac)

A real crowd-pleaser at 2011's GameCity festival, Botanicula is the latest eerily atmospheric point-and-click puzzle adventure from Czech studio, Amanita design. Players control a group of surreal woodland creatures as they attempt to save their enormous tree habitat from a dark force. Each screen is filled with beautiful animations and mini-games the likes of which you'll find absolutely nowhere else. We can't wait to gaze at it in quiet awe.

Sound Shapes (Sony/Queasy Games, PS Vita)

Is it a 2D scrolling platformer? Is it a music creation app? Why, this highly stylised Vita title from Toronto-based Queasy Games is both! As players explore the vibrant environment, they lay down new musical notes, creating a sort of emergent ambient soundtrack – which can then be uploaded and shared with other players. Set to feature tracks by dance music superstar Deadmau5 this one could be muscling in on Wipeout 2048's role as the hippest title on Vita.

BattleBlock Theater (The Behemoth, Xbox 360)

When renowned adventurer Hatty Hattington washes up on a tropical island, the last thing he expects to find is a gladitorial threatre run by a demonic civilisation of intelligent cats. Yet that is exactly where he and his faithful servant end up in this crazed comic book-style platformer from indie legend Behemoth, famous for catapulting Alien Hominid and Castle Crashers onto an unsuspecting public. What follows is a series of fiendish puzzle platform levels in which players can take part together, switching between co-op and competitive tactics as they help each other through the traps, while also trying to pick up the most gems. We played this XBLA treat at the Tokyo Game Show, and it is ludicrously entertaining. Likely to be one of the downloadable highlights of the year.

Beat Sneak Bandit (Simogo, iOS)

Billed as a rhythmic puzzle adventure, the latest visual treat from Swedish duo Simogo has you stealing clocks from evil genius Baron Von Clockface on a series of platform levels. Every move in the game, from opening doors to evading guards, has to be matched to the soundtrack, so learning the rhythms and stepping accordingly is the key. Like its predecessor, Bumpy Road, Beat Sneak Bandit has a lovely, whimsical look reminiscent of old Friz Freleng cartoons. It's just about as far from Devil's Third as you could hope to get.