This holiday season has an absurd amount of monumental releases all dropping within a month of each other. This surge in holiday hype isn’t an entirely new concept, but it’s been years since so many “must-have” games have dropped so closely together. Months ago I would have told you I was getting Halo 5, Fallout 4, Rise of the Tomb Raider, and Star Wars: Battlefront, but as these games get closer to launch, I realize I don’t have the time (or the money, honestly) to get more than one or two. Let’s talk about some holiday budgeting. What games will you be selling your kidneys to buy?
Halo 5
[youtube https://youtu.be/Rh_NXwqFvHc]
The latest entry in the Halo saga dropped recently and it’s absolutely phenomenal. Multiplayer in Halo has never been better. Warzone and the newly introduced REQ pack system are insanely addicting and you can’t help but give 343 Industries props for carefully crafting a unique experience that genuinely rewards players for investing time in the multiplayer. With an 8 to 10 hour campaign and endless customization in multiplayer, there is enough Halo action to keep you busy for months to come.
Fallout 4
[youtube https://youtu.be/k3IlHBBGCIw]
We can’t even pretend like Fallout 4 isn’t one of the most anticipated games of all time. Anyone on social media has seen the sea of hype memes and fan posts. One week from launch, hype levels are reaching critical mass. The latest from Bethesda promises to offer a depth of gameplay that completely trumps Fallout 3, which might be one of my favorite games of all time. Imagining myself exploring the expanses of this massive wasteland has me insanely excited, even though I realistically know it’ll take me probably a full year to complete the game. Plus mods on consoles!? There are endless possibilities here.
Rise of the Tomb Raider
[youtube https://youtu.be/Nd6evo2X5fw]
I don’t think any of us expected the Tomb Raider reboot to be as good as it was. I remember loving the original Tomb Raider games on PSOne, but it had been a long time since I really cared about the franchise. Tomb Raider came out of nowhere and not only renewed my faith in the series, but gave me a newfound respect for the action/adventure genre. Rise of the Tomb Raider plans on expanding upon it’s predecessor in every way. It promises an enormous experience with more of an emphasis on tombs, which was everyone’s complaint about the last game. It looks downright amazing and it’s something I could actually see myself completing in a timely fashion.
Star Wars: Battlefront
[youtube https://youtu.be/7waDN0ukFxw]
Star Wars: Battlefront 2 is one of the greatest games ever made and you could never convince me otherwise. It’s fresh take on large-scale multiplayer was a breath of fresh air on the original Xbox and PS2. There are few games I sank more time in to, outside of a few classic JRPGs. When EA officially announced Star Wars: Battlefront I might have literally jumped for joy. My mind ran wild with possibilities of a modern Star Wars game and with their history of perfecting giant battles with Battlefield everything about this game felt right. Even the incredibly limited beta that released last month felt massive. The beautifully crafted new maps are HUGE and everything truly feels like it belongs in the Star Wars universe. If it wasn’t for the disgustingly priced $50 season pass, this would have been a guaranteed day-one purchase for me.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 3
[youtube https://youtu.be/vIg5dAeudvQ]
My Call of Duty ship has long sailed, but I can still respect the series and the hype surrounding it. I really enjoyed Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and the original Black Ops, but for me the series has always felt way too “samey” from year to year. Advanced Warfare brought some fresh ideas to the table and while many core fans had a laundry list of complaints, I really felt like it was a huge step in the right direction in terms of revitalizing and aging series. All this being said, the campaign and “Zombies” mode for the upcoming Black Ops both look insanely fun and in terms of classic multiplayer, you really can’t go wrong with Call of Duty.
All of these massive games are launching within a month of each other and it’s just downright insane to expect us to buy them all. On top of all of these retail releases, a couple stellar free-to-play exclusives will be launching on Xbox One with Fable Legends and Gigantic, both of which I’m very excited for. Choosing just a few to buy is going to be brutal. I want them all…
I’m limiting myself to only two of the above games. I’ve already snagged up Halo because it’s Halo, but my second pick is becoming increasingly difficult. Right now I’m leaning more towards Star Wars: Battlefront, but it’s really going to determined by which of my friends also commit to the purchase. Most of my gaming these days is done with friends, so I lean heavily towards stuff with great multiplayer. I will absolutely be buying Fallout 4 at some point, but I’m just not 100% committed to the day-one purchase. Decisions, decisions…
What are your must-have games this holiday season? Are you limited yourself to a few choice selections or are you splurging on them all!? Let us know in the comment section below!
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Dragon Quest Heroes is a lot meatier than I thought it would be, so it’ll tide me over until 2016 I think. Also picked up Onechanbara Z2 Chaos and Toukiden: Kiwami used for a good price, so that’s the backup plan. Hoping Santa brings me Xenoblade Chronicles X, Fatal Frame, AC Syndicate and Halo for Christmas though.
Dragon Quest Heroes does look like a ton of fun. I could totally see myself sinking some time in to that beast. Still have jumped on the PS4 plane, but probably some time next year.
If you like the Dragon Quest series it’s really good, even if you’re not overly fond of the Dynasty Warriors formula. It’s more an RPG than a giant map covering simulator.
With Tales of Zestiria out of the way, I think I’m going to be really tempted to get Fallout the day it comes out… I think it’ll be a case of resisting for as long as I can with some unfinished steam games in case I find some kind of discount on it =P I think Yo-kai watch might be delegated to a Christmas wishlist because it seems fun but not urgent.
Please tell me Zesteria was awesome? It was awesome, right? I hope it’s awesome. The open world stuff sounds interesting for a notoriously linear series and I’ve been in a big JRPG mood lately. Dragon Quest Heroes is sating that just fine for now, but I’ve been eyeing up Zesteria.
Yo-kai Watch looks awesome. My girlfriend is picking it up today, as she’s been obsessing over the idea for weeks. I won’t be seeing her for a while lol.
It was awesome… most of the time. The exploration of the world was nice, and there was plenty of customization, but we had some two-player camera issues (it just decided to ignore the second player sometimes). I think Xillia’s story was more consistently good, but there were some good bits in Zestiria. I’ll probably do a new-game+ at some point, so that means it was good enough for me to want to play it again =P
Really intrigued by the more open-world. Tales games never struck me as having excellent stories. Good ones, sure, but I’ve always come back for the combat and humor. Glad you enjoyed it!
Fallout 4 looks like so much game. You’ll absolutely get your $60 worth with that purchase. Yo-Kai Watch looks like a great filler until Pokemon Go drops. I’m honestly a sucker for any game with cute creatures to collect and battle, though.
Yes, that’s probably true. I’ve not spent as long with the fallout games compared to the elder scrolls, but that’s probably because I borrowed them, so I didn’t quite get into them as much. (That, or medicine+hacking+small guns just wasn’t cutting it =P)