Festive Games of 2013

The holiday season is upon us! As human, this means a few things: spending time with, and getting smothered by, friends and family, giving and receiving gifts, and partaking in delicious foods. As gamers, this means a few, let’s say, different things: avoiding friends and family to game, giving and receiving steam gifts because it’s easier than shopping around, and partaking in takeout that was ordered in between online matches. No matter what holiday you’re celebrating this year, whether it be Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Yule, etc., if you’re reading this blog, then the likelihood of video games being involved is very high. While there are a plethora of games that came out this year that ought to be played, this blog will inform you of several that I found to be the most festive and fitting for the holiday season. Enjoy, and happy holidays!

-Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag- (Playstation 4)
The first game on my “Holiday Games List” (working title) is, Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. Now, I know what you’re thinking, “Imtheman2013, this game isn’t festive! It hasn’t even got snow!” And, yes, it hasn’t got snow. But hear me out, there are reasons why this game is on my list. During the holiday season, most people are left with a lot of time off of their usual work and school routines. This excess amount of time can lead to Cabin Fever, or a claustrophobic reaction that takes place when a person or group is isolated and/or shut in a small space, with nothing to do for an extended period (as described by wikipedia). Luckily for us gamers, we have video games to distract us! This brings me back to Assassin’s Creed. Black Flag features a huge, open world rendition of the Caribbean Islands of the 18th Century. Countless hours can be lost to sailing the sea and listening to pirate shanties, or hunting wales, or looting shipwrecks, or causing shipwrecks, or completing assassination contracts, or treasure hunting, or (and I know this last one sounds crazy) actually completing the exceptional main storyline. This game is a beast when it comes to content, and it’s actually an extremely polished game when compared to its’ predecessor, Assassin’s Creed III.

-Little Inferno- (iOS)
The next game on my list may come as a shock to some, as it’s definitely not one of the bigger releases to happen this year. Little Inferno is a great little game developed by Tomorrow Corporation, and it being their debut game, I’d say it’s a pretty stellar success. The objective in Little Inferno is to burn anything and everything in your Little Inferno Fireplace to stay warm during the harsh winter -- yes, this game has snow! The objects that are available to burn are often silly, and the game even has a peculiar tale to tell. Little Inferno is surprisingly addictive… or maybe I’m just a pyromaniac. Either way, since this game has recently gone portable, there’s even more reason to pick it up. I mean, you could be cozy by a fire while being cozy by a fire. *insert fire-ception joke here*

-Ni no Kuni: Wrath of The White Witch- (Playstation 3)
Ni no Kuni: Wrath of The White Witch is the third game on my “Holiday-ish Games Because Being Festive Is Fun List” (working(working title)). Ni no Kuni was released quite early this year, but even so, it has secured its place among the few games that I consider Game of The Year worthy. Ni no Kuni tells the tale of Oliver, a young boy who goes through a traumatic event and is swept into an unexpected adventure. While on this adventure, he encounters one of the best supporting characters of this generation, Mr. Drippy. Experiencing Oliver and Mr. Drippy’s story is something that anyone looking for a fun and heartwarming JRPG should pick up. Level-5 did a phenomenal job on this game. Oh, and did I mention that there’s a snow region? Well, there’s a snow region… with abominable snowmen! Fuzzy, delightful abominable snowmen.

-Batman: Arkham Origins- (PC)
The final game on my “Festive Games of 2013 List” is Batman: Arkham Origins. As I’m sure the entire gaming community knows, Arkham Origins is the prequel to the very popular Arkham series that Rocksteady developed. Origins is developed by Warner Bros. Games, but it sticks with the core mechanics that made Rocksteady’s games so fantastic. Unfortunately, Arkham Origins isn’t the masterpiece that Arkham City was, but that isn’t to say that it’s a terrible game, because it is far from that. This games biggest fault is its mediocre main storyline. However, in Origins, you’ll find the free-flowing action and stealth we’ve come to love, a ton of side-missions to discover, loads of collectible goodness, and a moderately sized map to explore. So, all-in-all, Arkham Origins is definitely worth looking into if you’re a fan of the series. I almost forgot to mention that the game takes place on… Christmas Eve! So, while roaming the streets and skies of Gotham, expect to see tinsel, red and green party lights, and Santa hats galore. If Christmas isn’t your holiday of choice, there’s still a lot of snow to be found in Gotham, which is festive by its’ very nature.

There you have it! Those are my recommended festive games to try out this holiday season. A little side note: the platform name next to the titles of the games are just the platform that I played these games on, not the only platform that they appear on.

Thanks for reading!

[Walker]

Where is the last of us bro ? :/

[imtheman2013]

While considering games for this list of mine, I went with games that met at least one of a few criteria. While The Last of Us is a phenomenal game, -- it's one of the few, along with Ni no Kuni, that I consider Game of The Year worthy -- to me, it didn't really feel like a game that needed to be on this list. It's more of a game that resides in the category of "games that ought to be played," rather than a festive game.