New Releases:
With the peak release mania now over, it’s time to wrap up the year with a slow trickle of titles designed to keep you gaming.
First up on Friday December 2 is Steep(PS4, XBO, PC) [above] – Ubisoft’s open-world snow-based sports title. Whether you choose to ski, snowboard or paraglide, you can do it all in an attempt to master the virtual recreations of popular mountains.
The next day, on Saturday December 3, things get a lot more portable with not one but two games for 3DS owners. First is Super Mario Maker 3DS – the small-screen adaptation of its Wii U big brother, where you’ll be able to craft dastardly designs aplenty. Alternatively, if your brain needs a workout, why not check out Picross 3D Round 2? The sequel will allow blocks to be painted with two colours and include more than 300 puzzles.
Meanwhile, Tuesday December 6 is the day you’ll be able to reacquaint yourself with the walking dead via Dead Rising 4. 16 years after the events of the original game, photojournalist Frank West is back in the lead amid the holiday season in Colorado after a mysterious outbreak takes over. The game will be available for both Xbox One and PC.
Wrapping things up just in time for Christmas is the long-awaited The Last Guardian for PS4. Over a decade in the making, hopefully the adventure is able to live up to the hype. It’s out Wednesday December 7.
Review:
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition (PS4, XBO, PC)
When it was first released in 2011, Skyrim was kind of a big deal. The open-world wonder went on to wow gamers and take home countless awards for its efforts. This special edition is no different – a welcome remaster that includes all of the original game’s downloadable content.
At the end of the day, though, those who have already sunk in a lifetime of game time are unlikely to do so again. Thanks to improved visuals, this is definitely the best way to experience Skyrim on a console – especially for newcomers. For everyone else, it’ll feel like a severe case of déjà vu.
★★★★
Review:
Call Of Duty: Infinite Warfare (PS4, XBO, PC)
Call Of Duty is facing a lot more competition nowadays – especially as Titanfall tries to own the futuristic shooter, while Battlefield has gone back to its historic roots. That leaves Infinite Warfare to take a stab at the final frontier: space.
Thankfully, it’s not just a gimmick, with each single-player mission feeling decidedly different from the last. Whether you’re causing chaos on the ground or taking flight in your Jackal space fighter, it’s easy to tell that a lot of care has been placed into this campaign, helping make it one of the series’ best in years. If there’s one sour note throughout the experience, it’s sadly Game Of Thrones’ own Kit Harington, who unfortunately isn’t always capable of convincingly embracing his villainous role.
Outside of the campaign, both the zombies and multiplayer modes help bolster this year’s rather strong offering. Though neither reinvent the wheel, each feels more refined. Zombies, for example, is even more ridiculous than the last offering – teleporting you an ’80s theme park, Spaceland, which has of course become overrun with the dead. Gameplay is laughable as always, but there’s something strangely satisfying about forcing a zombie horde into a dance routine before finally introducing them to their maker.
Meanwhile, the level of customisation in multiplayer continues to impress, as does the sheer amount of modes tailored to everybody’s needs. Those looking for a change of pace needn’t look further than Defender – a sports-inspired mode where a spherical drone/ball must be kept away from the opposing team – while anybody worried about sporadic spawning can try Frontline, which has fixed spawn locations.
It’s an offering that is representative of Infinite Warfare as a whole: experimental yet enjoyable.
★★★★
