Editor’s Note: Moving on to part 3 of our twenty-five most anticipated games of 2012. After culminating a comprehensive list of the confirmed games for next year, the MediaKick team voted on the games they are most looking forward to for next year, and after processing the results through a methodical algorithm we’re here to bring you the results. Taking a closer look at both what we know so far and why the team are excited for each game, we’ll have an article at midday everyday until Christmas – when we’ll reveal our most anticipated game of 2012. Be sure to check out the previous games so far if you haven’t already – #25, #24.

The prospect of waving your arms around in the air and watching your chosen weapon dismantle and spin around on-screen is probably what sold Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, not the fact that the game’s online component looks set to give shooter fans a definitive distraction from warfare of the modern variety. An impressive showing at the Eurogamer Expo had me convinced that this wasn’t a game to be quashed so quick and passed off as second tier; Ghost Recon is certainly not a second tier franchise in the gaming market, but with so much choice available Ubisoft need to give gamers something to justify the purchase.

Ghost Recon: Future Solder has perhaps inadvertently raised some heads to its existence early, with the decision to avoid the potential internet buccaneers from making off with large quantities of the PC version cost-free by simply not releasing the game on the PC. There will be a free-to-play replacement offering in the form of Ghost Recon Online however, though the notoriety of this story has without a doubt helped boost awareness for the game early (controversy is a pretty sure-fire way to get attention).

Still, Xbox 360 owners at least will be able to utilise their dusty Kinect systems;  PlayStation 3 owners won’t have the same arm-waving luxury but I’m sure the smooth and entertaining team-based multiplayer will suffice. Fellow writer Dave certainly is looking to the multiplayer component to give him his money’s worth:

“This was all about the multiplayer for me. I always prefer team based multiplayer experiences where every action you do has a consequence on the battlefield, rather than the gung-ho shotgun kill focused multiplayer of the Modern Warfare series. The ideas put forth here are certainly more appealing because I’m the type of player who always goes for objective based modes on multiplayer games as opposed to who gets the most kills and teamwork on a particularly difficult game always feels more satisfying than getting the most kills.”

The Ghost Recon series is a tactical shooter first and foremost: my Call of Duty instincts kicked in when I picked up a pad to play the beta and it became apparent very quickly that a run-and-gun style of play won’t get you far in a game like this, especially when you’ve got a team around you all relying on each other to help complete the objectives efficiently. Working together will be a big part of this game without question, and as Rob notes the online component and team communication will be what makes the game rewarding:

“Tactical shooters are always a bit scarce, but considering the evolution of online gaming and the ability to converse with your cohorts, Future Soldier promises to be a thrill ride till the end. It may not look overly spectacular, but what it lacks in visuals it makes up for in style, add to this the fantastic looking Kinect integration with Gunsmith (I’m a Kinect advocate), I’m totally on-board.”

Like Rob, our Editor, Davs, is looking forward to the Kinect side of things but also has a soft spot for tactical shooters:

“I’m not entirely sure why I’m looking forward to it. I am a sucker for tactical shooters, primarily as I’m better at them than run-and-gun shooters. It certainly looks impressive and I’d just love to try that Kinect gun thing – Gunsmith.”

It almost goes with saying that comparisons will be made between Future Soldier and the plethora of first-person and third-person shooters flooding the market. Each game has their own individual style but it’s instinctive to want to set the benchmark even before playing, though I’m interested to see how fans of the series like Ryan will compare Future Soldier to the Ghost Recon predecessors:

“I used to play a lot of Ghost Recon on the Xbox and PS2 when I was younger and I remember loving the use of squad members to help you out in a firefight. It was also one of the first FPS’ I owned which helped cement it as one of the best I played but when GRAW came along, I fell out of love with the series. I couldn’t pinpoint why but it just didn’t feel right. However, Future Soldier looks like a return to form and, as shown in the gameplay trailers we’ve seen, bring some great looking co-op play.”

There’s a place for squad-based tactical shooters at the moment, and Future Soldier looks more than set to ease itself into that slot. I personally have a greater love for the Rainbow Six series but after having played the early build of Future Soldier and watching the multiplayer sneak peek I can’t help but be excited for this. We’ve heard little about the proposed beta since Ubisoft announced in June that the beta will be available sometime in January next year but I for one will certainly be using that to reaffirm my interest in this. For now, we’ll just wait until March 9 next year when we can all get our hands on Ghost Recon: Future Soldier.