PC Shooters of Q1 Preview: BioShock Infinite, Crysis 3, Tomb Raider & More!

Once, the months following the holiday season were a wasteland devoid of major game releases. Much like the mighty squirrel, gamers had to survive on their caches of nourishing games stored up during the plentiful months. But kids today, you have it easy -- January, March, and April are so full of massive games, we've had to write a whole article just to contain all the huge shooters coming our way. And they're not just any shooters, but some of the biggest, most anticipated shooters of the past five years! BioShock Infinite, Aliens: Colonial Marines, Crysis 3, and more -- check'em out, mark their release dates on your calendar, and let us know which ones you're looking forward to the most.

Dead Space 3 - Feb. 5th

Isaac Clarke returns for more punishment in the third installation of EA's flagship action-horror series. We're told that there's more Dead Space coming down the pipe (assuming DS3 is successful) but here's hoping that Clarke manages to find some kind of peaceful conclusion to his travels. Preferably after demolishing a whole lot of Necromorphs. There's definitely going to be more of the same action that's drawn in fans, with plenty of alien-zombie-dismembering weaponry to go around.

The biggest change to the formula here is the inclusion of co-op in the campaign, which will see your partner take on the role of Sergeant John Carver. Visceral Games has said that this won't distract anyone who's playing by themselves, as Carver will simply act as another NPC if you're playing by yourself (and not an AI-controlled follower), but we're still a little skeptical. Isaac's learned a few new moves to liven up the fights, including a combat roll to get out of trouble and the ability to shift into cover to hide from incoming fire.

Special Forces: Team X - Feb. 6th

Special Forces: Team X looks to combine the aesthetics of Borderlands (with its cel-shading and crazy execution kills) and the speedy gameplay of something like Team Fortress 2. This team-based multiplayer shooter aims to innovate with its mapping system, in which players shift tiles around on the map before a round begins and then vote on the ensuing layout before the gunfire starts up, ensuring that there's at least a bit of variety in your surroundings each time you play. There's also a cover system, and, intriguingly, options for asymmetric warfare, where three or four teams take to the field at the same time.

You might expect a new game from Zombie Studios, the makers of Blacklight, to launch as free-to-play, but Special Forces: Team X (which is being published by Microprose, of all companies) will arrive with a really cheap price tag. 15 bucks is all it'll take to nab SP:TX when it launches, so it'll wind up being one of the least expensive games to launch in the next few months, if you happen to be gaming on a budget. We'll know shortly whether it can live up to the expectations of Blacklight fans.

Aliens: Colonial Marines - Feb. 12th

It's been over six years since Colonial Marines was first announced, which is normally not the best sign. Rumors swirled in 2008 that it'd been effectively shelved by Gearbox, but it the project was eventually resumed, and now we're finally going to see the results.

Taking place just a few months after the events of James Cameron's Aliens, this squad-based first-person shooter sees a group of titular warriors sent back to planet LV-426 to investigate the disappearance of the USS Sulaco. That story hook allowed Gearbox to bring back some of the actors from the original film, such as Michael Biehn and Lance Henriksen, to serve as voice talent, but we're still curious how they're going to justify going planetside. (Didn't the whole colony get nuked?)

Visually, Colonial Marines doesn't exactly look like it's going to rival Crysis 3 as something you'll want to show off as an example of your gaming rig's power. Regardless, Gearbox is a talented company that delivered one of last year's best shooters in Borderlands 2, so here's hoping that they keep their hot streak live with Aliens. This franchise needs a great game, especially after the mediocre Aliens vs Predator in 2010.

Crysis 3 - Feb. 19th

After the "this game will make your video card spontaneously combust" insanity that was the original Crysis, Crysis 2 disappointed plenty of PC gaming grognards with its anemic suite of graphical options at launch. (DX11 support and other advanced settings were eventually patched in.) Crysis 3 aims to win back the faithful with a more fully fleshed-out PC version (a DX11-compatible videocard is now required, for instance), and from what we've seen, there should be plenty of ways to tweak and massage your settings to get the best performance out of your PC.

In gameplay terms, the biggest change is likely to be the widening of the levels and the inclusion of the bow. The high-tech low-tech projectile weapon allows Prophet to pick off enemy targets at range while remaining cloaked, so you'll have some fun options if you're a fan of stealth gameplay. The Crysis storyline got somewhat convoluted in Crysis 2, so we'll be curious to see if the 24-year gap between C2 and C3 will help Crytek smooth over the weak spots in the storytelling.

If you're intrigued by Crysis 3, or are curious as to how it'll run on your PC, a multiplayer beta is currently available on Origin. Otherwise, check back for our review on release day.

Tomb Raider - March 5th

Tomb Raider is one of the longest-running franchises in gaming, with 10 PC games (counting Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light) since 1997. If you're worried about mounds of backstory that you might feel obligated to peruse before picking up the latest installment, though, worry not: this is a "reimagining" of the series, focusing on Lara Croft as a young woman forced to fight for her life after being stranded on a remote island.

And apparently that fight is an impressive one, as Tomb Raider won IGN's award for Game of Show at E3 last year (though it didn't make our list). Rather than focusing on level-based platforming gameplay like many of the previous games, this Tomb Raider is an open-world adventure that focuses on exploration and combat; the island that Lara finds herself on is populated with both dangerous animals and a band of bloodthirsty mercenaries. An experience system is also included, allowing Lara to upgrade her skills after winning fights and finding hidden areas of the island.

If that list of features reminds you of Far Cry 3, you're not alone -- we've got to wonder if this game will be unique enough to really stand out. Will this reboot restore Lara to the top of her game? We're only a month away from finding out!

BioShock Infinite - March 26th

If it feels like we've been hearing about BioShock Infinite for years and years, well... that's because we have. Its existence was first confirmed in 2008, and it was picking up Game Of Show awards at game festivals as early as 2010, but at long last its release is upon us. Infinite sees the BioShock mantle returning to Irrational Games (after BioShock 2's development by 2K Marin), and Creative Director Ken Levine and company have shifted their focus from the underwater city of Rapture to that of Columbia, a heavily-armed city suspended from flying blimps. 

There's a lot of reasons to be excited for BioShock Infinite, besides the simple fact that a new game from Irrational is always an event. The open atmosphere of an airborne city should present new tactical challenges, and although AI-controlled teammates are often more frustrating than fun to work with in games, in our hands-on time we found that working with Booker's companion Elizabeth and her ability to manipulate the fabric of spacetime actually led to some interesting combat twists rather than chores. Fighting Columbia's inhabitants might not be drastically different from Rapture's Splicers, but the menacing Songbird that pursues Booker and Elizabeth adds something very new. Irrational has also promised that our decisions will have a more permanent impact on the events in the story than they did in OG BioShock, though it hasn't really specified in what way just yet.

Most intriguing, though, is Infinite's attempt to examine the concept of American Exceptionalism by portraying a civil war between ultranationalists and the extremist rebels who oppose them. Science fiction has always been a genre unafraid to engage with contemporary issues, and if BioShock Infinite is as deft at alluding to the Tea Party and Occupy Wall St. as BioShock is in putting a microscope on Ayn Rand's concepts of rational self-interest, then the result should be a game that will lend itself just as much to critical interpretation as it will to funny YouTube videos. And we can all agree that gaming needs more experiences like that, right?

Battlefield 3: End Game March 2013

Still in the mood for more Battlefield 3? Then you might want to set aside some cash for End Game, as it's likely the last DLC you're going to see until the next full Battlefield game comes down the pipe in 2014. 

The usual suite of new maps is included with End Game, but the real selling points are the new vehicles, including a high-speed dirt bike that one player can steer while a partner fires weapons from the back seat. You're completely exposed, of course, but the enemy can't kill what they can't hit! If you're looking for something more beefy, the new dropship can be used to deliver vehicles to soldiers in the field.

Another surprise from End Game is the return of Capture The Flag as a game mode. CTF has always been an acquired taste in games with vehicles and large maps like those in the Battlefield series, and it wasn't a real surprise to see it passed over in Battlefield 2142 and the Bad Company games in favor of other game types. Still, people who like it really like it, and if you count yourself among that number, End Game should be a fitting finale to your Battlefield 3 experiences.

Call of Juarez: Gunslinger TBA Q1 2013

To say that Techland's Call of Juarez: The Cartel was poorly-received would be an understatement, with most critics concluding that it was a major step backwards for the franchise. Part of that may have been due to replacing the customary Old West setting with a convoluted look at the modern-day drug wars in Mexico, so it's a relief that, as the title would imply, Gunslinger is a shift back to Call of Juarez's roots.

Gunslinger might be your best bet for some six-shooter action on PC this year. It sees you taking on the role of a bounty hunter, tasked with taking down a murderer's row of Old West bandits: think Billy the Kid and Pat Garrett and the like. Each level will see you taking on a different villain, and you'll earn leaderboard points for stylish shooting as you play. Still, Techland has an uphill battle to reestablish the Call of Juarez brand after The Cartel -- let's hope it's up to the challenge.

Red Orchestra 2: Rising Storm TBA Q1 2013

Given that the original Red Orchestra game is a total conversion mod for Unreal Tournament 2003, it's no surprise the sequel, Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad, would be mod-friendly. What is surprising is that developer TripWire has such a good relationship with their mod community that they're publishing an entire stand-alone expansion, Rising Storm, that was built from the ground up by modders. The modding team was gathered from the best modders to work on the original Red Orchestra, and were given advance access to the Red Orchestra SDK, so here's hoping that the lengthy mod development cycle results in plenty of content for fans of Red Orchestra.

Rising Storm is already well past its original Summer 2012 release date, and it'll be curious to see if a team of unpaid volunteers manage to turn out a product on the same level of quality as Heroes of Stalingrad. Tripwire has said that there'll be revenue-sharing on the profits with the developers if the game is successful, so here's hoping that the intrepid developers can land themselves a hit.