Nathan Blades looks at the polarising RPG for PS3 & 360.
Jason Rose brings us a buyers' guide to smartphones available this Christmas.
Nathan Blades covers some console and industry-defining titles for the Sony PlayStation
Nathan Blades burns rubber in Mario kart 7.
10: Dragon Age: Origins
For the solitary gamer this Christmas, Bioware’s latest RPG offering should devour anywhere between 30 and 80 hours on a single play through. Set in a Middle Earth style fantasy world of dragons and sorcery, Dragon Age: Origins should easily see you through to the new year with six different origin stories, and multiple endings, giving this game plenty of reply value.
9: New Super Mario Bros. Wii
If you are looking for a more family friendly multiplayer game to occupy you time in between Christmas television specials, then this new offering from Mario and co. will do the trick. The four players are encouraged to work together to reach the end of each level, but a competitive element is also thrown in since all the players are also individually scored. Hopefully this game won’t cause too many family arguments then.
8: Avatar
Film tie-ins are usually best avoided, a waste of money rushed out to feed on the hype of the latest blockbuster. This may turn out to be no different, but there are a couple of things to bear in mind before dismissing it completely. First, developer Ubisoft was given the rare freedom to develop the game independently of the film, so while we will be running around Pandora fighting for the humans or the natives, it is not tied to the same storyline and can focus on a real gaming experience. Second, the game is following its big-screen counterpart in the 3D revolution, although you do need a pretty amazing TV to benefit from this.
7: Saboteur
This last game completed by Pandemic Studios before its closure is an interesting one. Set in an open-world 1940s Paris, it puts the player in the shoes of Sean Devlin, an Irish racer. After his friends are killed off by the Nazis, Sean decides to take revenge and gets involved with the French Resistance and British Intelligence. Here’s the interesting part – the various regions of Paris all start off in black and white (with the exception of bright red Nazi flags), to reflect the mood of the occupied Parisians. Colour gradually returns as Sean’s actions increase the locals’ will to fight.
6: DJ Hero
If ever there was a genre of games designed for Christmas, it would be music games. With their hefty price tags and lumbering peripherals they prey on the unsuspecting parents looking to buy their kids a ‘big’ present for the festive season. But with so many different, yet all too familiar, music games to buy, what makes DJ Hero special? I’m glad you asked. The brand new take on the genre, the funky new turntable controller, and the 100 or so brand spanking new mixes created especially for the game make it worth the £90 price tag.
5: Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition
For those of you who don’t have the original game, this package is a bargain. It contains the original game and all 5 of the DLC expansions. A post-apocalyptic mix of RPG and FPS, Fallout 3 takes you across the nuclear wastelands of the USA and beyond. As well as throwing choices at you which shape the world around you, this game provides laughs and suspense alike. Perfect for a quick escape from the cold winter this Christmas!
4: GTA IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony
As if the 100 hours worth of storyline and side-missions in GTA IV, along with the Lost and the Damned DLC weren’t enough, the second Xbox 360 exclusive DLC is now with us. The deeper story of Niko Bellic was a welcome change, but many will be pleased to know that the Ballad of Gay Tony returns to the crazy, fun roots of the series. The missions and mini-games include base-jumping, cage matches and visits to some of Liberty City’s grandest locations. There are also new vehicles, new weapons and a few additions to the multiplayer section of the game. Anyone needing a fix of good old-fashioned GTA is in for a treat.
3: Left 4 Dead 2
If you have three willing friends, or a trio of family members you can tie up, then the frantic zombie slaying multiplayer action of Left 4 Dead 2 might be the thing for you this winter. Despite being pretty much the same as the first game, who doesn’t like killing relentless hordes of the undead, and this time you can use melee weapons such as guitars and frying pans!
2: Assassin’s Creed II
Another game perfect for Christmas time – a protagonist in red and white dishing out presents to the people of Italy, except that the red is blood and the presents are sly daggers to the throat. Marking a vast improvement over the original, Assassin’s Creed II is the perfect present for anyone who spends the holiday season creeping up on their family and hiding behind the Christmas tree.
1: Modern Warfare 2
It may have been out for a month already, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still play this game over Christmas, or for many months after that. There’s plenty to keep us entertained, from the short but fantastic single player campaign, to the 23 punishing Special Ops missions, and not forgetting the hundreds of hours we can sink into multiplayer. Even after reaching level 70 for the first time you can do it up to 10 times in Prestige mode. Then of course there are over 40 weapons, around 10 pieces of equipment and 14 weapon attachments, plus perks to unlock. If, like me, university life has prevented you from exploring all of these possibilities, the holidays are the perfect opportunity to catch up!
You must log in to submit a comment.
