12 Hottest Video Games For 4Q 2015
The most wonderful time of the year for video game fans is from now until December. Check out our list of the best games slated for release this fall and winter (plus a bonus title to look forward to in early 2016).
Merry Christmas! Am I a little early?
Not if you are a gamer. September to December is the most wonderful time of the year for us. This is when we're given the gift of dozens of the biggest games being released in time for the holiday season.
We know you'll want to get your holiday wishlists in place soon, so we're making things a little easier on you by highlighting the hottest games of the season. You'll find every game on the list is a sequel, a reboot, or relies on intellectual property (read: Star Wars) that is a sure-fire hit.
[ We're not wasting time if we're having fun. Read 10 Mobile Games To Ease Your Commute. ]
Whether you are an action gamer, a fan of shooters, a strategy gamer, or even a player of rhythm games, there's something on this list for you. So copy the list, send it off to Santa, and you'll be happy in December.
Once you've reviewed all the options, tell me which video games you think will shoot straight to the top of your wishlist. I'll see you in the comments section below.
Release Date: Nov. 10, 2015
Systems: PC, Xbox One, PS4
Perhaps the most anticipated (or at least best marketed) game in recent memory. Fallout 4 continues the post-apocalyptic story of the series, this time set in the ruins of Boston. The game promises an open world (what game doesn't, these days?) and nonlinear gameplay. As with every Bethesda Game Studios title, what will likely separate Fallout 4 from the rest of the pack is its attention to detail and dark sense of humor. If the game captures the essence of the series, it is an automatic must-play.
Release Date: Nov. 17, 2015 (open beta coming soon)
Systems: PC, Xbox One, PS4
If Fallout 4 isn't the most anticipated game in recent memory, then Star Wars Battlefront is. Step into the Star Wars Universe and fly iconic ships, like the X-Wing Fighter or the Millenium Falcon, in 40 player battles. Play as major characters, including Luke Skywalker or Darth Vader. This multiplayer combat game might not have a deep storyline, but it promises a great way to get back into Star Wars before The Force Awakens comes out. For added cool factor, consider buying the version that comes with the minifridge shaped like Han Solo frozen in carbonite.
Release Date: Oct. 27, 2015
Systems: Xbox One exclusive
There probably isn't a game more important to Microsoft, so you know the company won't let it out the door this time with the problems the last one had. Heck, the company even named its digital assistant, Cortana, after the Master Chief's digital assistant in Halo.
Halo 5 promises to bring the "most dramatic campaign yet" (has a game studio ever promised a less good version?) but also a new massive combat engine for big multiplayer games.
Multiplayer has always been Halo's bread-and-butter, and if it wasn't for Star Wars Battlefront, this would seem like bigger news. As it is, expect plenty of hardcore Halo fans to hold off on Star Wars while they finish the Halo 5 campaign, because Halo comes out a few weeks sooner than Star Wars.
Release Date: December 1, 2015
Systems: PC, Xbox One, PS4
The Just Cause series purposely emphasizes chaos and asks people to play an agent on an island run by a dictator. To make sure you get added chaos in this one, your character now has unlimited explosives and a re-designed wing suit and grappling hook. Unlike most shooters and open-world games, everything in Just Cause 3 can actually be blown up. Just Cause 3 isn't necessarily a thinking person's game (it doesn't involve the stealth of Assassin's Creed or Hitman), but it does promise a lot of fun.
Release Date: Nov. 6, 2015
Systems: PC, PS 3, PS 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Personally, I'm over the Call of Duty series. It feels played out, and I think Activision is worried we feel the same way Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 is introducing zombies to the game.
Why a game based on covert military skills is bringing zombies in, other than to get cross-genre attention, I do not know. Despite my skepticism, this is one of the biggest franchises out there, and the title is a major series in e-sports. So to ignore it is folly. The most interesting addition to the game might be a new multiplayer format that allows for character specialization and XP-based skills progression. Many games have shied away from such touches in the past, preferring to put players' real-life skills on display. We'll see how this is received.
Release Date: Nov. 10, 2015
Systems: Xbox One and Xbox360 (with 2016 releases for PC and PS4)
Lara Croft is back in Rise of the Tomb Raider. Legendary developer Square Enix is playing rather close to the vest about new features in this title. It promises more stealth, more improvisation, and more of the puzzles we have come to expect in a Lara Croft game. The graphics look suitably awe-inspiring, and if you are a fan of the puzzle game, this should be right up your alley.
Release Date: Sept. 29, 2015
Systems: XboxOne, PS4
This is a pure nostalgia pick. I don't even know many young people who skate, much less ones who are likely to play Pro Skater 5. But back in the good old days, when I wore flannel and had long hair, Tony Hawk's games were required play. Unfortunately, neither the graphics nor the game play seem to have advanced much in the 13 years since Pro Skater 4 came out. The only major difference seems to be a multiplayer mode.
Release Date: Nov. 10, 2015
Systems: PC
This closes the Starcraft II trilogy, if you like to keep track of such things. The real-time strategy (RTS) game is seeing a comeback in mobile gaming in titles such as Clash of Clans. But for immersive RTS with campaigns and plots, Starcraft is the only game in town these days. After RTS launched, gaming worlds such as World of Warcraft have evolved over time with the changing state of gaming. Yet Starcraft has held true to its original form.
Release Date: Oct. 20, 2015
Systems: Wii U, PS 3 and 4, Xbox 306, Xbox One, iOS
One is tempted to ask if we really needed a new Guitar Hero game. The answer is a resounding yes! If it is possible to be nostalgic for something that was hot only five to 10 years ago, this is what will do it. The Guitar Hero series is simply the iconic title for rhythm games. And frankly, with pop dominating the airwaves, it is the only way fans of guitar-based rock can still pretend rock matters. It makes me want to throw up some devil horns and stick my tongue out. The newly re-imagined game features a new, flexible controller that should allow for improved realism without making it too hard on newbies. Rock on.
Release Date: Oct. 27, 2015
Systems: PC
Star Wars Old Republic is the Star Wars Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) for the Star Wars universe. The interesting thing about Knights Of The Fallen Empire is that it is a single-player story in the middle of an MMORPG. The game is turning increasingly toward an online role-playing game rather than a massive multiplayer game. We'll have to see if this trend continues. The game has been available to subscribers since the summer and will be released for all soon.
Release Date: Feb. 5, 2016
Systems: PC
As always, we like to leave you with one bonus game to look forward to. The quarter after Christmas is usually slow for video games. But this year, a big game is coming out. Xcom2 is a turn-based strategy alien hunting game. This time, the aliens have taken over Earth, and a small team must take back the planet from a covert mobile base. The fun part is it basically reverses the traditional XCOM game, in which aliens attack and humans defend. When you think you've finally caught up on your 2015 Christmas video games, XCOM will keep you warm through the cold winter.
The crazy thing is that I haven't even scratched the surface of amazing games coming out this winter. We have new games from the Hitman series, the Divinity series, Assassin's Creed, and a new massive online game set in the Fable universe.
My personal favorite game every November is the Football Manager series. And there's a chance the new Roller Coaster Tycoon game will come out, though it has been plagued with delays. Basically, you're not going to need to leave the house this winter. Stock up on toilet paper and Doritos and these games, and you are all set.
The crazy thing is that I haven't even scratched the surface of amazing games coming out this winter. We have new games from the Hitman series, the Divinity series, Assassin's Creed, and a new massive online game set in the Fable universe.
My personal favorite game every November is the Football Manager series. And there's a chance the new Roller Coaster Tycoon game will come out, though it has been plagued with delays. Basically, you're not going to need to leave the house this winter. Stock up on toilet paper and Doritos and these games, and you are all set.
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