*First off this is not my work this is just a repost of this fantastic Article taken from: http://www.techspot.com/guides/463-hot-pc-games-holidays/
Twenty-ought eleven is coming to a rapid conclusion and game makers are preparing to cash in on the holiday season by unleashing some of the year's finest titles. Although some of our most anticipated games wound up being duds on some level (Brink, Crysis 2, Duke Nukem Forever, Homefront, to name a few), there's still hope for the tailgunners of 2011.
In keeping with tradition, we've assembled a list of 16 PC games that should be on your radar for the frigid months ahead. Titles are ordered by their North American PC release date -- no earlier than September 15 and no later than December 31. Again, realize this is covering PC entries only, so don't be surprised by the lack of major console exclusives such as Gears of War 3 or Uncharted 3.
F1 2011
The latest version of Codemasters' venerable racing simulator maintains the harshly realistic gameplay that Formula One purists demand, but introduces several new elements. Folks can join other racing buffs with the split-screen multiplayer and co-op championship modes, not to mention support for up to 24-driver races (16 people and 8 AI). You'll also find two new tracks, revamped weather effects as well as a complete day and night cycle on Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
FIFA 12
It can be difficult justifying the purchase of every rehashed annual release, but this is definitely a must-buy year for FIFA 12 (or PES 12 if you follow that franchise instead). The update brings a radically overhauled presentation system, new arenas, a polished user interface as well as an improved impact engine and dribbling mechanics. Additionally, a new tactical defending system offers refined gameplay by placing equal importance on positioning, intercepting passes and tackling, while smarter AI will better adapt to their team's advantages and disadvantages.
Rage
Although Rage frustrated early adopters with buggy gameplay, most of its kinks have been ironed out. Glitches aside, some reviewers criticized the game's lack of story, dry characters, repetitive quests and annoying save system. However, most tend to agree that underneath the quasi-RPG elements, there's a respectable shooter waiting to be experienced. Between its lackluster launch reception and the inevitable holiday games discounts, you're bound to find Rage for at least 25% off sometime in the near future.
NBA 2K12
Bummed about the recent NBA lockout? Lace up and hit the courts with Visual Concepts' latest entry in the NBA 2K series, which is said to deliver TV-quality presentation, lifelike animations and a slew of game modes. You can assemble dream teams of iconic names such as Michael Jordon and Larry Bird along with present-day players, control any player's career, create your own all-star with the revamped My Player mode, and team up with 29 of your friends to face off against others with the online career mode.
Battlefield 3
Hailed as the direct successor to 2005's critically acclaimed Battlefield 2, Battlefield 3 vowed to deliver the finest military combat experience to date. While opinions vary, the general consensus seems to be that DICE kept its word. Besides folks who are still (understandably) disgruntled about the PC's browser-based platform, BF3's multiplayer component lives up to expectations with awesome graphics, unmatched war sounds, polished vehicular combat, a broad selection of weapons and diverse map environments.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Activision's Call of Duty franchise has captured much of the military shooter market with its refined competitive multiplayer and consistent yearly releases. The third iteration of Modern Warfare is being crafted by the usual suspects at Infinity Ward, Sledgehammer Games and Raven Software. Along with updating the killstreak reward system and receiving a survival mode, Modern Warfare 3 will address some of community's largest demands, including the return of dedicated servers (but nothing on the graphics front).
L.A. Noire: The Complete Edition
L.A Noire kicked off on consoles earlier this year but has since been ported to PC as part of "The Complete Edition," which includes all of the DLC released by Rockstar. Praised for its methodical storytelling, diverse conversation system and impeccable facial animations, the post-war thriller brings plenty to the table. It's set in 1947 Los Angeles and tasks players with investigating crimes as Cole Phelps, a former Marine turned LAPD beat cop who's determined to climb the department's ranks and clean his city up in the process.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Set 200 years after the events of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (though not a direct sequel), Skyrim represents the culmination of Bethesda's decades-long efforts and is easily the most anticipated RPG of 2011. Crafted by a team of roughly 100 developers, the latest chapter puts players in control of an unknown prisoner who fulfills the prophetic role of the last "Dovahkiin," a dragon hunter tasked with defeating the god of destruction, Alduin. It features sprawling mountainscapes, 150 dungeons, 70 voice actors and tons more.
Batman: Arkham City
Gotham's revered vigilante continues dishing out unmitigated justice in this sequel to 2009's Batman: Arkham Asylum. Set a year after the previous title, Arkham City follows the happenings in a segregated part of Gotham that's dedicated to housing criminals. It focuses on the same stealth action elements and features an even better hand-to-hand combat system as well as new and upgraded weapons. It also introduces several classic villains not encountered before, including Mr. Freeze, Catwoman and Penguin.
Need for Speed: The Run
Need for Speed: The Run has been completely off our radar this year, and with 18 titles in the franchise now, it's easy to see how one would lose track. Nonetheless, there are certainly some elements to be excited about, including the use of DICE's Frostbite 2 engine -- the same framework behind Battlefield 3. Players will partake in illicit underground races on over 300km of track (triple that of Hot Pursuit) stretching from San Francisco to New York as they attempt to outrun a "mysterious criminal organization" and law enforcement.
Saints Row: The Third
Can't wait until Grand Theft Auto: V hits the streets? Saints Row: The Third should satiate your appetite for urban anarchy as you control the leader of the Third Street Saints, an infamous criminal organization that is vying for control of a fictional city dubbed Steelport. Like previous entries, much of the game focuses on gang warfare, but there's plenty new to see including the introduction of a leveling system ("respect" now earns experience points), new weapons such as airstrikes and even a giant phallus bludgeon.
Assassin's Creed: Revelations
Although it doesn't spell an end to the franchise, Assassin's Creed: Revelations will be the final installment set in the Renaissance era and the last to feature protagonists Altaïr Ibn La'Ahad and Ezio Auditore da Firenze. You can expect the same parkour-like traversal and stealthy combat, but there'll be various improvements too. Ezio now wields a handy hookblade, there's a new crafting system, Eagle Vision (now "Eagle Sense") lets you focus on specific characters, and side missions have been scrapped for random events.
Rocksmith
Music games may have lost some of their allure with Guitar Hero, RockBand and related titles bleeding the genre dry, but Ubisoft has entered the market with a slightly different perspective. Instead of jamming on plastic toys, Rocksmith is compatible with real electric guitars and serves as an educational aide for novice guitarists. The game has been out for about a month on consoles and although critic reviews have been mixed, it has received high praise by users on Metacritic and Amazon who used the game as a learning tool.
Star Wars: The Old Republic
Set 300 years after the events of the first two Knights of the Old Republic games and over 3,500 years before the Star Wars movies, SWTOR is BioWare's first MMORPG and centers on the struggle between the reemerging Sith Empire and the Galactic Republic. You'll be able to choose one of classic Star Wars classes (Jedi, Sith and others) in addition to sculpting the morality of your character (light, dark or somewhere in-between). Your ethics will affect the way you experience the world by opening or closing story elements and more.
Trine 2
We haven't heard much about the sequel to Frozenbyte's whimsical side-scrolling platformer, but after watching the trailer, we can say that the indie developer's second effort looks promising. You can expect superior graphics, environments and physics-based puzzles, more character abilities (the thief can slow down time and the Wizard can manipulate foes), and new enemies. Trine 2 also lets you save anytime you want instead of having preset save points and it receives online co-op for up to three players (the original Trine only had local co-op).
Torchlight II
Currently stamped with a generic "2011" release date, Runic Games has some major improvements in store for everyone's favorite indie dungeon crawler. The developer will address what was likely Torchlight's greatest point of criticism by adding online multiplayer with support for at least four players and possibly up to eight players. You can also look forward to a revamped user interface, new customizable characters, more modding options in TorchEd, a new automap system, and randomly generated dungeons with more paths.
As mentioned in the intro, we only included PC games released between September 15 and December 31, but there are a handful of noteworthy titles that barely missed the cutoff. Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Dead Island launched late this summer, while early 2012 is expected to bring Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City and Diablo III -- or so we hope Diablo III finally arrives in early 2012, anyway. As always, you're welcome to share any titles we missed. Keep an eye out for our most anticipated games of 2012, which should be published in January or February. **
