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!
"Digital board games can be tons of fun, especially when they're cooperative. That's what's in store for Beacon Patrol from Assemble Entertainment. Based on the real-life board game by Torben Ratzlaff, Beacon Patrol has players work together to explore a map and create a network of coastal paths, all by placing tiles. It's a lot like Carcassonne and Kingdomino, but set on the high seas. The upcoming Steam version will support 4-player local co-op, and there's a single-player demo right now," says Co-Optimus.
Mario Kart World is some of the most fun you’ll have this year that offers a deep experience with the Switch 2’s launch.
Few games among the Nintendo Switch 2 launch line-up can match Cyberpunk 2077 in putting the system through its paces. It's a staple of our PC benchmarking suite for good reason: the open world design is a solid stressor for any CPU, while its effects-heavy battles challenge GPU resources as well. This Switch 2 release has clearly been a big undertaking for developer CD Projekt Red too, who produced the port in-house with unique optimisations for Switch 2's ARM-based architecture. It's also remarkably the Ultimate Edition of the game, with both the core adventure and the more taxing Phantom Liberty expansion bundled in - an extra portion that proved too demanding to justify a last-gen console release, and was instead restricted to PS5 and Series X/S, and yet here it is running on Switch 2.
To cut to the chase, Switch 2 offers a truly viable way to enjoy Cyberpunk, either in a portable format or docked under a TV. However, CDPR has shot for the stars in its ambition to include Phantom Liberty as well, and it's here that Switch 2 hits some technical limits - with frame-rates struggling as we explore its newer Dog Town region. Still, that aside, there's a lot to admire in the game's engineering for Nintendo's new console overall, and how competitive it is in comparison with other consoles.
I am happy for CDPR. Their hard work paid off because the Switch 2 version are always in the top 5 Switch 2 launch game sales.
This may be one of the weakest launch lineups Nintendo has ever had, with Mario Kart being the only first party game, but Cyberpunk 2077 will definitely give you tremendous value for your money.
One tip I can give people who have never played the game is to first read books from the cyberpunk subgenre. This will allow you to appreciate the story much better. If you find yourself asking which life path is the best to take at the start of the game, in this case it is Corpo, Streetkid, and Nomad. You likely don't know enough about the genre, and certain things will fly right over your head. While it is not mandatory, the game will be 10 times better if you read or listen to some books first.
Some books I have enjoyed in that genre are:
Cyber Dreams by Plum Parrot,
Stray Cat Strut by RavensDagger
Tower of Somnus by Cale Plamann
Mist Runner by Nicholas Searcy
If you can only read or listen to 1 book, then I recommend Cyber Dreams by Plum Parrot. It is the closest thing to Cyberpunk 2077.
DF are Nintendo's occasional bootlickers after that blatant Zelda games ad scandal.
Games like CP2077 are meant to be played on big console or powerful PC on a big screen.
Got to love how they're simp for full price purchase of 5-year-old game and still getting the worst version to play on.
Where is the last of us bro ? :/