The rest of the year in gaming: December
The gaming world slows down a bit in December, but there's still some exciting titles to look out for before the year's end! Here's our pick.
Game of Thrones – Episode 1: Iron From Ice
December 2
PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC, Mac and iOS
Iron from Ice is the first episode in Telltale Game's videogame adaption of the Game of Thrones series. As with Telltale's other critically acclaimed titles, such as The Walking Dead, Iron from Ice is an old-school point-and-click adventure focused on story. Iron from Ice is set parallel to the TV show, and focuses on House Forrester. While they have not yet been introduced in the TV show, they appear within the books starting with A Dance with Dragons. Ty Corey Franck, George R.R. Martin's personal assistant worked with Telltale as a story consultant for the game.
Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix
December 2
PlayStation 3
Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix is pretty self-explanatory: it's a high definition remaster of the PlayStation 2 classic, Kingdom Hearts II. The biggest change to the game are the widescreen aspect ratio, revamped textures and a remixed score. In addition, Kingdom Hearts 2.5 also includes a reworked version of Birth By Sleep, a Kingdom Hearts instalment originally exclusive to the PlayStation Portable.
The Crew
December 2
PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC
The Crew kind of feels like an alternate universe Grand Theft Auto where you character is afraid to leave their car. I've never heard anyone say "man, I wish Grand Theft Auto had more driving missions" or "I wish my racing game had a dark and gritty story line". Nonetheless, I applaud Ubisoft for trying something new; The Crew certainly provides a contrast to the happy go-lucky feel of Forza Horizon 2, Microsoft's Xbox One exclusive open world racer. Beta impressions suggest that The Crew falls into some of the trappings of Ubisoft's other open world games, such as finding points to reveal quests on the map, but could nonetheless provide an interesting twist on the genre.
Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris
December 9
PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Temple of Osiris is a sequel to the critically acclaimed Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, a top-down, isometric take on the series. Temple of Osiris expands on this style of gameplay, and has the exciting addition of four-player co-op.