Originals

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3) Secret Racing Game Sequels

Need for Speed: Most Wanted and Forza Horizon both looked great at E3, but also seemed to be hiding something. If you're in the market for some spiritual sequels, you need look no further.

First of all, Need for Speed: Most Wanted had "A Criterion Game" emblazoned below the logo on its box art for a good reason. The open world driving game bears quite a similar style to Criterion's much-loved Burnout Paradise. While it maintains Need for Speed's cops and robbers themes, it goes back to the intense crashes and absurdly zippy driving of the Burnout series. Watch any video of the game and you'll see the resemblance is uncanny.

Then there's Forza Horizon. The spiritual sequelization may not be so apparent here, but I think there's a strong argument to be made that Horizon is the closest thing we're likely to get to a Project Gotham 5. For one, the game rewards drifting in much the same way PGR did with its Kudos system. Even better, the team behind it contains former members of Bizarre Creations, the team behind Project Gotham 1-4 and Blur.

These secret sequels have me thinking 2012 might be the secret best year for racing games.

Tags: E3 2012, Star Wars 1313, Tomb Raider, Forza Horizon, Wii U, NintendoLand, The Last of Us