'Halo 4', 'Black Ops II', 'Assassins Creed III' and 'Just Dance 4' most anticipated

'Halo 4', 'Black Ops II', 'Assassins Creed III' and 'Just Dance 4' most anticipated

Consumers polled between September 9 and October 6 for Nielsen's "Holiday 2012's Most Anticipated Console Games" elected Halo 4 as their most anticipated game on Xbox 360, followed by Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Assassin's Creed III, Resident Evil 6 and NBA 2K13.

Drop the Xbox-exclusive Halo game and the PlayStation 3's top spots were identical, while LittleBigPlanet Karting represented the PS3 system's own coup.

Rough n' tumble racer Need for Speed: Most Wanted, military shooter Medal of Honor: Warfighter, and stealth action title Hitman: Absolution also appeared on both lists.

On Wii, Just Dance 4 retains its status as most anticipated, having been identified as number one Wii game in Nielsen's July update.

The Wii's list of ten most anticipated titles also displayed the greatest diversity in comparison with the other two console lists, sharing only sports games NBA 2K13 and WWE 13 in common.

A new game in the popular Zumba keep-fit line, Zumba Fitness Core, was the Wii's second most anticipated, with a brand name recognition double-header in LEGO Lord of the Rings coming third.

Disney-themed games occupied fourth and fifth spots, by way of Just Dance: Disney Party and Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two.

Enthusiasm for Resident Evil 6 may have been dampened by mixed reviews for the October 2 release and a mixed reception for its downloadable demo, while open world driving game Forza Horizon (Xbox 360) and enthralling action title Dishonored (360 PC PS3) were noticeably absent -- again, that may have changed given the pair's stellar critical reception.