Gaming
Games
The amazing games you must play this December
Snow sports and sneaky Nintendo releases dominate in December – get hyped right here.
Ubisoft’s action-sports game drops this month
© Ubisoft
It’s the Christmas season, which mean can only one thing: any games released in the advent period have been delayed, sometimes repeatedly, and the publishers are desperately trying to get them out the door before the sales rush ends on Christmas Eve.
Of course, delays are not a bad thing – we’ll take a polished game later over a buggy game earlier any month of the calendar. And in the case of this particular batch of latecomers, we reckon they’ll prove worth the wait. Let’s just hope that Fumito Ueda and The Last Guardian team don’t make a habit of this…
Steep
1 min
Trailer UBI Steep
Trailer UBI Steep
Ubisoft have blessed us with us sprawling open-world assassination, hacking and mammoth-hunting simulators in recent years, so it was only logical that snowsports would be next on the list. Yes. Regardless, Steep is the dream digital playground for adrenaline junkies, a virtual Alpine mountain range for you to descend by snowboard or skis, or even by paraglidng or wingsuiting in the air – with more sporting disciplines incoming in DLC. This isn’t SSX or Snowboard Kids so don’t expect to be throwing triple corks on rails or dropping frying pans on your rivals within moments, but do expect a thriving community dedicated to hunting out the best lines for months to come.
Release: PS4, Xbox One and PC, December 2
Animal Crossing: New Leaf Welcome Amiibo
Curiously enough, not the most confusingly named Nintendo game released this year – that prestigious title goes to Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE, formerly known as Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem. This re-release of 2012’s New Leaf comes with support for all Animal Crossing amiibo figurines as well as some other non-AC characters. Tapping the Ganondorf amiibo, for instance, or any of the Splatoon stars will net you exclusive items in the game as well. As good an excuse as any to check out this adorably quaint “life simulation game”, if you ask us.
Release: Nintendo 3DS, December 2
Super Mario Maker 3DS
The Nintendo 3DS library is one of the greatest on any console in history, but it’s curiously lacking in a solid 2D Mario platformer – New Super Mario Bros. 2 is just about the blandest game the portly plumber has ever had his name tacked onto.
Now you can change that by making your own levels instead, using your stylus and the comprehensive level editor in Super Mario Maker. This handheld port isn’t expected to offer quite as many options as the Wii U original – it’s missing a few items and a few of the pre-made courses – but the game’s charm is in what the community does with it. Expect everything from Mario Bros 3 throwback levels to torturously difficult reflex platformers that only a self-flagellant could find entertaining within days of launch.
Release: Nintendo 3DS, December 2
The Last Guardian
After Final Fantasy XV, this will be the second of two games that have taken more than a decade to make to finally drop in the space of a fortnight. Anticipation for this follow-up from the creators of Shadow of the Colossus could not be higher, and the concept, a puzzle game about a child and some sort of monstrous dog chimera thing that’s somehow adorable, seems as charming as SotC was epic in scope. But after so long in gestation – it was originally planned as a flagship PS3 release – can The Last Guardian still keep our attention in a new era of persistent multiplayer and 4K visuals? Fingers crossed.
Release: PS4, December 2
Dead Rising 4
Dead Rising 4
© Capcom/Microsoft Studios
Photo-journalist Frank West is back, getting up close and personal with his subjects once again, chiefly by foregoing a camera in favour of beating them immobile with whatever detritus he happens to find on the ground. But it’s okay! These subjects are zombies, see, and there’s really quite a lot of them.
This time round it’s Christmas in Colorado, so we imagine this Xbox One exclusive will play out a bit like the first Gremlins movie. Frantic melee combat and multiplayer action are promised once more; at this point, Capcom Vancouver would have to deviate far from the established Dead Rising playbook for this not to turn out a winner.
Release: Xbox One, December 6
Zen Pinball 2: Bethesda Pinball
“I used to be an adventurer like you, then I took a ball bearing to the knee.” The latest DLC for Pinball FX’s hit game features three tables based on some of Bethesda’s best-loved properties.
There’s a gory DOOM board and a Fallout table that sees you raiding vaults and collecting Bobbleheads, but the star of the show is unquestionably The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim board, complete with dragons, sidequests and even the ability to craft weapons and cast magic, all represented by you flailing two sets of paddles wildly until gravity eventually decides to stop toying with you.
Release: PS4, Xbox One, PC, Mac 6 December, iOS and Android 8 December
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