Nice list

Western titles are typically hyped to the roof well enough ;)

Also Dragon Commander looks very promising (but I'm not sure if it releases in 2012)

Naz explained it far better than I ever could: http://gamrreview.vgchartz.com/preview/45780/journey/86770/

Teaser trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XI6lhwFRG4U&feature=related
Latest gameplay video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDygOZx0i48

Journey, Gravity Rush, Soundshapes and Persona 4 are the only titles I'm excited for on that list, and Journey is the only one of them I know I must have.

The beta was fantastic, the coop is amazing and I love the way you explore the world and the story unfolds.

FIrst of all, thank you for writing this. those games are never mentionned on French sites. We are really lucky to have you around to bring Japanese gaming from dark to light.

It's a nice and somewhat exhaustive list. I just would have added Shining Blade (PSP) but it's true it has zero chance to ever come to the west.

However, it kind of hurts when I see them considered as "smaller games". There're probably smaller in terms of sales volumes, but why would Tales of Graces f (I take that example because I've actually played it) be "smaller" than GTA V or Mass Effect 3 in terms of quality? They're totally different games and ToGf is as big among JRPGs as ME3 is among WRPGs. As Halazar said I will have bought 10 of those before considering getting Mass Effect 3 or Bioshock Infinite. In 2011 I acquired only 3 western games (being MW3, Battlefield 3 and Deux Ex) and those were the smaller games to me (except for Battlefield 3, this one was awesome). It's a problem of point of view, but in the end demographics matter I guess... 

Sorry I started complaining again -_- Every day I tell myself to complain less and play more but... Thank you again for having made this list possible.

I tried to do only games that would release in the West in some fashion in 2012, so that game wouldn't qualify.  

I don't think smaller really has anything to do with quality.  Just means that they aren't as well known.  I can talk to just about anyone in the US and they'll probably have heard of Grand Theft Auto, and most gamers have heard of Mass Effect, but Tales is relatively small and I don't think most gamers in the US know about it like they do something like Final Fantasy.  

I personally had more fun with Atelier Totori than something like Homefront but I still would consider Totori the "smaller" game.  It has everything to do with general gamer knowledge about the titles and sales, not quality.  

Nearly all are Japanese games? Torillian perhaps you should have co-written that article with Zarx to include all the obscure Western PC games that could surprise in 2012.

I suppose there are a few more I can think of like 

Path of Exile

A Diablo inspired free to play hack and slash game developed in my country New Zealand (tho at the other end and a seperate island but it still counts), they still haven't let me into the beta but it's going open Beta soon with release some time after that hopefully this year so I will get to play soon.

Retro City Rampage

Basically an 8-bit era version of Saints Row filled with popculture clasic videogame/movie references and jokes, it's also coming to Wii ware and XBLA as well as Steam. With 50 story missions, over 40 vehicles, biting plumbers, and the ability to play as someone who looks nothing like Batman or the Destructiod editors it should be hours of retro fun.

 Xenonauts

An X-Com inspired game set in an alternate history cold war ers where aliens have invaded. Developed as a counter point to the FPS XCOM reboot it's probably going to be overshadowed by the Firaxis developed X-Com remake but they should hopefully be diferent enough to both find a place in X-Com fans hearts, Xenonauts will likely be the more hardcore of the two.

Fray

Offering simultaneous turn-based strategy gameplay much like last years Frozen Synapse it is another of a growing list of games that is bringing turnbassed stratergy games back in the limelight. It also features a cyber-punk distopia and we all know they are the "it" setting these days, forget those dusty wastelands and say hello to glowing neon.

Pid

A title that not so humbly promises to turn everything you know about 2D platformers upside down. Stranded on a planet filled with malicious robots you must find a way home by unraveling a grand conspiracy.

Avernum: Escape from the Pit

This remake of the first game in Spiderweb software's clasic RPG series is due to release on Windows and iPad (it's already available on Mac) this year. Offering tens of hours of oldschool RPG goodness with an interesting setting filled with a diverse cast of NPCs.

Natural Selection 2

The sequel to the RTS/FPS hybred Half-Life mod, this game will land on PC in 2012 with a possible 360 release to follow. It's almost unique blend of genres should offer great multiplayer fun.

Overgrowth

Set to be the best game ever, about anthropomorphic rabbits beating up anthropomorphic animals.

Mechwarrior Online

It's a new proper battletech game powered by Cryengine 3, even if it doesn't feature the epic singleplayer campaign that Microsoft helped kill there is still plenty to be exited about. Including a persistant universe where your actions can help decide the fate of worlds, with a territory system that allows the many factions in the game to wage war and claim territory, welth and fame. It even features a timeline synced with the battle tech universe from 2012/3049 the ingame timeline will advance = to real time, so for example in 2014 it will be 3051 ingame and the developers will add any mechs or technology that was introduced at that time in the fiction to the game.

Lucius

This may be the oddest game of the bunch a puzzle adventure PC game where you must orchestrate  “accidents” without anyone noticing Hitman style, exept with supernatural powers and you know as a 6 year old son of the devil...

Oil Rush 

This small scale RTS game for PC and PS3 is also the show peice for Unigine Corp's Unigine engine which was first shown in the early DX11 tech demo "Heaven".

there now it's like I wrote my own article, I could probably add more to the list, there are so many interesting looking indie projects these days it's hard to keep track.

Oh and 

Path of Exile, Lucios and Avernum look interenesting.

I hope you have included all these in your tread "PC games to look out for in 2012", Zarx.