Halo 4, ACIII top 2012 Nielsen anticipation list

There are numerous high-profile new titles headed to retail in 2012, but which are the most hotly anticipated for each console? According to a new study from audience measurement firm Nielsen, across all consoles, Halo 4 and Assassin's Creed III are the most eagerly awaited.

Nielsen's "Game Rank" is the result of the firm combining eight "key consumer metrics" like awareness and purchase interest into a total rank, and then comparing it to scores for previously released games on the same platform. This is represented in a percentile ranking, denoted in parentheses below.

According to Nielsen's findings, top Xbox 360 titles for 2012 are Halo 4 (98 percent), Assassin's Creed III (94 percent), and Max Payne 3 (91 percent). PlayStation 3 gamers are most interested in Assassin's Creed III (98 percent), Max Payne 3 (96 percent), and Madden NFL 13 (96 percent).

The top three most anticipated 2012 Wii titles, based on Nielsen's findings, are Madden NFL 13 (96 percent), Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two (94 percent), and Battleship (84 percent).

Titles included in Nielsen's analysis were those announced before March 23, 2012, and expected to ship between April and December. Below are Nielsen's most-anticipated 2012 titles, denoted by platform. Italicized titles are platform-exclusives.

Most-anticipated 2012 Xbox 360 titles:
Halo 4 - 98 percent
Assassin's Creed III - 94 percent
Max Payne 3 - 91 percent
Madden NFL 13 - 90 percent
Resident Evil 6 - 89 percent
Ghost Recon: Future Soldier - 85 percent
Fable: The Journey - 85 percent
Kinect Star Wars - 85 percent
NCAA Football 13 - 82 percent
BioShock: Infinite - 77 percent
Tomb Raider - 77 percent

Most-anticipated 2012 PlayStation 3 titles:
Assassin's Creed III - 98 percent
Max Payne 3 - 96 percent
Madden NFL 13 - 96 percent
Resident Evil 6 - 94 percent
Medal of Honor: Warfighter - 87 percent
NCAA Football 13 - 85 percent
Prototype 2 - 85 percent
Ghost Recon: Future Soldier - 80 percent
BioShock: Infinite - 79 percent
Tomb Raider - 79 percent
NBA Live 13 - 79 percent

Most-anticipated 2012 Wii titles:
Madden NFL 13 - 96 percent
Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two - 94 percent
Battleship - 86 percent
Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes - 82 percent
The Amazing Spider-Man - 82 percent
Men in Black - 81 percent
The Last Story - 64 percent
Xenoblade Chronicles - 50 percent