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Suffering from sequelitis? You’ve come to the right place. In our third annual New Horizons special, we preview the original properties set to take flight in 2012.

Mozart succumbed to rheumatic fever just before he was able to combine his most famous symphonies with fast paced 2D platforming. Thanks to SOUND SHAPES, you needn’t suffer the same fate. The new Vita title from the creator of Everyday Shooter encourages you to create and share your own music and gameplay challenges. Sound Shapes is set to arrive during the handheld’s (somewhat nebulous) ‘launch window’.

With its dual analogue controls, accessible multiplayer and travel friendly mission structure, Zipper Interactive’s first Vita game should be able to find an audience. Unfortunately, it appears that someone within the company doesn’t want to see it succeed. How else can you explain UNIT 13 being saddled with the most generic sounding moniker since The Outfit? If you can still remember the title of the game by February, this one may be worth a look.

When a game is about to send you behind enemy lines, it usually puts a rifle (rocket launcher, tactical nuke, etc) in your hands. In WARCO, you’ll have to make do with a video camera. As foreign correspondent Jesse DeMarco, you’ll capture the horrors of war first hand. You’ll then edit the footage and release it to an audience hungry for cute cat videos… and the truth! Defiant Development is yet to pin down a release date for Warco.

A hybrid of action, stealth and strategy, WARP is the first in-house production from Canadian developer Trapdoor. In it, you’ll take on the role of Zero, a multitalented extra terrestrial held captive in a nefarious research facility. If any of the scientists on staff had bothered to play ‘Splosion Man, they would have realised that this was a very bad idea. Warp will land on XBLA, PSN and PC in early 2012.

The phenomenal success of 2D brainteaser Braid ensured that all eyes will be on Jonathan Blow’s next project. With its complex 3D environments, THE WITNESS looks to be much more ambitious than its predecessor, if only from a technical perspective. As a puzzle game set on a seemingly deserted island, it will undoubtedly invite comparisons to Myst when it arrives on PC and iOS.

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That’s New Horizons done and dusted for another year. Let us know what you think of 2012’s batch of original games.

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Suffering from sequelitis? You’ve come to the right place. In our third annual New Horizons special, we preview the original properties set to take flight in 2012.

With version 1.0 of itsuser generated content phenomenon Minecraft finally out in the wild, Mojang is free to concentrate on its next project. A fantasy themed strategy title for unspecified platforms, SCROLLS appears to combine elements of Magic: The Gathering and Pokémon. The real question is: can Mojang finish work on Scrolls before someone else recreates it in Minecraft?

If the conclusion of the Harry Potter saga left a wizard shaped hole in your life, you may want to pick up a copy of SORCERY. This Move enabled adventure sees you wielding a magic wand in defence of a Faerie Kingdom inspired by Irish Folklore. Expect a lively blend of combat, crafting and puzzle solving. The debut title from indie developer The Workshop, Sorcery is scheduled to arrive on PS3 in autumn.

Like most unreleased MMO titles, Funcom’s THE SECRET WORLD has been in development since the late 1960s. When it finally arrives on PC in April, you’ll be able to explore a universe in which every campfire tale and urban myth is the God’s honest truth. As a member of a clandestine society, you’ll battle vampires and demons (but hopefully not server queues) as ordinary folk go about their business in blissful ignorance.

It’s not often you see an indie team elbow its way into the hardcore fighting scene, but that’s exactly what Reverge Labs is set to do. Due for release on XBLA and PSN in early 2012, SKULLGIRLS is intended for tournament level play. Unfortunately, the 2D combatants look a bit like inflatable sex dolls that have been left sweltering in the back of a hot car. They were designed by a woman though, so you’re not allowed to object (apparently).

A new shoot ‘em up is on the way courtesy of Grasshopper Manufacture and Digital Reality. SINE MORA will feature vibrant 3D models and good old fashioned 2D gameplay, along with a huge variety of pilots, planes and upgrades. It may sound like a fairly straightforward arcade shooter, but its developers insist that Sine Mora will be a “complex tale of honour, bonds and morality”. This XBLA exclusive is due for release in summer.

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Suffering from sequelitis? You’ve come to the right place. In our third annual New Horizons special, we preview the original properties set to take flight in 2012.

Portal co-creator Kim Swift is teaming with Airtight Games to deliver a new first person puzzle platformer. QUANTUM CONUNDRUM will challenge you to rescue your uncle from his own madcap inventions. You’ll achieve this by sidestepping into a series of parallel dimensions in which the laws of physics are dramatically different. Quantum Conundrum is set to arrive on XBLA, PSN and Steam in early 2012.

It may look like a claymation Christmas special and sound like a line of collectable toy ponies but RAINBOW MOON is aimed squarely at the dedicated RPG fan. This isometric fantasy adventure will offer dozens of hours of exploration, turn based combat and puzzle solving. Hong Kong’s SideQuest Studios, best known for its work on the Söldner-X series, is targeting a Q1 release for this PSN exclusive.

Initially thought to be a passionate treatise on the evils of music piracy, RHYTHM THIEF & THE EMPEROR’S TREASURE is actually the latest 3DS game from SEGA. You’ll step into the shoes of master thief Raphael and take to the streets of Paris in search of your father. As is standard in missing person cases, you’ll achieve this by tapping and tilting in time with the beat. Look for Rhythm Thief in early 2012.

The new action RPG from Sony and Idol Minds appears to be a fairly typical example of the genre. RUIN will still be worth a look, though, if only because it will allow you to start your campaign on either PS3 or Vita and then transfer your save back and forth between the two. While interactivity between home and handheld consoles is nothing new, this sword and sorcery release looks like it could provide the most seamless experience to date.

Thanks to German developer Crytek, you’re about to embark on a Roman Holiday. Be sure to pack your breastplate, though, as the locals have a nasty habit of plunging their rusty swords into the soft sweet flesh of unsuspecting tourists. RYSE is the first person historical action game formerly known as Project Kingdoms. If you enjoyed Rise of Nightmares, you’ll want to keep an eye out for this equally bloodthirsty Kinect exclusive

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Suffering from sequelitis? You’ve come to the right place. In our third annual New Horizons special, we preview the original properties set to take flight in 2012.

As anyone who has been decapitated can tell you, paper cuts are not, contrary to popular opinion, the worst kind of cuts. When you play as NEVERDEAD badass Bryce Boltzmann, you’ll be deprived of your arms, legs and even your head on a daily basis. According to developer Rebellion, rolling around as a severed head will actually have its advantages. Konami will publish this third person action game on 360 and PS3 in February.

Publisher Namco Bandai is preparing to bring Level-5’s one time Japanese exclusive role playing game NI NO KUNI: WRATH OF THE WHITE WITCH to the west. This lavish PS3 fantasy casts you in the role of a young boy determined to resurrect his recently departed mother. The gorgeous art designs are courtesy of Studio Ghibli, the legendary anime house responsible for Princess Mononoke. This one is due in early 2012.

It must be getting harder and harder to think of new titles for games. If you require proof of this, look no further than the latest offering from Insomniac Games. A four player cooperative shooter, OVERSTRIKE will feature a playful art style and an offbeat array of weapons and gadgets. After a decade of Sony exclusivity, the creators of Ratchet & Clank and Resistance are about to go multiplatform. Overstrike is coming to 360 and PS3.

The free-to-play revolution is showing no signs of slowing down, as evidenced by the imminent arrival of PATH OF EXILE. A randomly generated action RPG in the tradition of Diablo, this will be the debut release from Kiwi developer Grinding Gear Games. While this fantasy themed title will allow you to purchase cosmetic upgrades, you won’t be asked to shell out for items that influence gameplay. Path of Exile is poised to go into open beta.

Four years after Lair swooped down and incinerated anyone unlucky enough to purchase it, a new dragon riding adventure is getting ready to take off. Grounding Inc’s PROJECT DRACO may be the work of just 15 people, but at least one of those developers (Panzer Dragoon director Yukio Fatatsugi) has plenty of lizard wrangling experience. Project Draco is a Kinect powered XBLA exclusive.

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