Strategy Informer  

The Nielsen Report has released its "Top 20 Games to Watch" list, which analyzes what games are the most highly anticipated for the holiday season, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 tops the charts.

The online survey was conducted from August 21 through September 17, with supplemental data supplied by NM Incite which scans over 417 million online conversations to determine word-of-mouth hype. Nielsen's online survey of what it calls "active gamers," was conducted from August 21 to September 17 of this year. Supplemental information was provided by Nielsen company NM Incite, which mined more than 417 million online conversations about the top 20 games to determine the top factors for hype.

According to NM Incite, gamers talked about Modern Warfare 3's "darker mood," and also discussed having launch parties for the game. For #4 title on the list, Assassin's Creed: Revelations, gamers are surprisingly most excited about the multiplayer component. Unsurprisingly, the biggest buzz about #5 Batman: Arkham City is the roster of villains, and speculation of what other enemies await in the game.

One more unsurprising stat: Dead Island is the only new IP on the list.

Nielsen's Top 20 Games to Watch for Holiday 2011
(Title--Percent of players listing it among their top five)

1. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3--27 percent
2. Gears of War 3--19 percent
3. Madden NFL 12--19 percent
4. Assassin's Creed: Revelations--17 percent
5. Batman: Arkham City--15 percent
6. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword--14 percent
7. Battlefield 3--12 percent
8. Just Dance 3--12 percent
9. NBA 2K12--9 percent
10. Need for Speed: The Run--9 percent
11. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception--9 percent
12. Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games--8 percent
13. Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7--8 percent
14. FIFA Soccer 12--8 percent
15. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim--8 percent
16. Dead Island--7 percent
17. Kinect Sports: Season 2--6 percent
18. Resistance 3--4 percent
19. Dance Central 2--4 percent
20. Deus Ex: Human Revolution--3 percent

Source: GameSpot

Related games: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (PC), Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (Wii), Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (PS3), Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (Xbox360), Gears of War 3 (Xbox360), Madden NFL 12 (PS3), Madden NFL 12 (Xbox360), Assassin's Creed: Revelations (PC), Assassin's Creed: Revelations (PS3), Assassin's Creed: Revelations (Xbox360), Batman: Arkham City (PC), Batman: Arkham City (PS3), Batman: Arkham City (Xbox360), Battlefield 3 (PC), Battlefield 3 (PS3), Battlefield 3 (Xbox360), Just Dance 3 (PS3), Just Dance 3 (Xbox360), NBA 2K12 (PC), NBA 2K12 (PS3), NBA 2K12 (Xbox360), Need for Speed: The Run (PC), Need for Speed: The Run (PS3), Need for Speed: The Run (Xbox360), Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (PS3), LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 (PC), LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 (PS3), LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 (Xbox360), FIFA 12 (PC), FIFA 12 (PS3), FIFA 12 (Xbox360), The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (PC), The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (PS3), The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Xbox360), Dead Island (PC), Dead Island (PS3), Dead Island (Xbox360), Kinect Sports: Season Two (Xbox360), Resistance 3 (PS3), Dance Central 2 (Xbox360), Deus Ex: Human Revolution (PC), Deus Ex: Human Revolution (PS3), Deus Ex: Human Revolution (Xbox360)