Stocking up for Christmas?
WE ROUND UP SOME TERRIFIC TITLES THAT ARE OUT JUST IN TIME FOR THE FESTIVE PERIOD
THE first doors on the Advent calendar have been cracked open, and the chocolates behind devoured. As Santa prepares his pre-flight checks for what is going to be a very different Christmas this year, we take a look at the handful of games that get a festive release.
There’s family fun with a definitive edition of Overcooked, the beautiful Ori arrives on the Switch and Cyberpunk 2077 is finally released.
PINSTRIPE (PEGI 12)
Switch
Release: December 4
AFTER a few delays, Pinstripe will finally be available on the Switch this month. This beautiful game was a real labour of love, created entirely by a one-man team, Thomas Brush, over the course of five years.
Pinstripe is an emotionally charged adventure through Hell, in which you play as Teddy, an estranged ex-minister forced to venture through the frozen afterlife in search of his three-year-old daughter Bo, who has been kidnapped. You’ll discover the dark secrets of Teddy’s past, and confront his nemesis, Mr. Pinstripe.
Stunning art and breathtaking score, combine with a chilling story that has clearly drawn influences from The Nightmare Before Christmas, Coraline, and Alice in Wonderland.
ORI AND THE BLIND FOREST: DEFINITIVE EDITION / ORI AND THE WILL OF THE WISPS
(PEGI 7) (PEGI 7)
Switch
Release: December 8
ORI’S adventures have finally arrived in the Switch, with Blind Forest, and Will of the Wisps being released on the same day.
This gorgeous sidescrolling ‘Metroidvania’ is proof, if it were needed’ that a game can have a deep storyline and strong gameplay too.
Tragically separated from his adopted mother early on, Ori – a guardian spirit – takes to the beautifully dark, but dangerous forest in search of the tree from which he was ripped. But the forest has no mercy, as you will discover as you are bashed, speared and shot at by monsters and the forest itself on your journey.
The Blind Forest physical edition comes with collectible art cards, and a code to download the soundtrack.
Will of the Wisps builds on the solid foundations set down by
Blind Forest.
The attention to detail is breathtaking, painting a picture of a living, breathing world you just can’t wait to explore.
Don’t let the gorgeous graphics fool you, this game is very challenging ... but your hard work and success is rewarded beautifully.
OVERCOOKED: ALL YOU CAN EAT
(PEGI 3)
Xbox X, PS5
Release: December 8
BUNDLING together both games, plus all additional DLC this is the Holy Grail of Overcooked games.
It’s the series that debunked the old adage that too many cooks spoil the broth – as the more chefs you have running around here, the more fun you have.
You control chefs in various kitchens which are stuffed to the brim with obstacles and hazards.
You have to navigate the barriers to fulfill orders for hungry customers before the timer runs out.
It’s a simple premise that proves to be oodles of fun.
The thing I really like about these games is that you are working together with the other players, rather than trying to beat them – making this the perfect game for family fun this Christmas.
CYBERPUNK 2077 (PEGI 18)
Xbox One, PS4
Release: December 10
IT’S one of the most hotly anticipated games in living memory, and next week it finally arrives.
Cyberpunk 2077 is an open-world, actionadventure story set in Night City, a megalopolis obsessed with power, glamour and body modification.
Playing as V, a mercenary outlaw, you’re hunting for a one-of-akind implant that is the key to immortality.
Boasting one of the deepest customisation systems ever seen in a game, it even goes as far as letting you construct the components of your gender.
Plus, Keanu Reeves puts in a star turn as Johnny Silverhand – a US military veteran, and former lead singer of the band Samurai.
The size and scope of Cyberpunk is hugely impressive, and it looks an absolute thing of beauty.
WARHAMMER: CHAOSBANE SLAYER EDITION
(PEGI 16)
Xbox X, PS5
Release: December 31
WHAT a way to kiss goodbye to
2020, than with this hack-and-slash action RPG.
Enjoying a release on the new generation consoles, this Slayer Edition is the definitive way to purge cultists and heretics.
Chaosbane delighted Warhammer fans when it landed last year, making inroads into a genre dominated by the likes of Diablo and Torchlight.
Now it stakes its claim as the first dungeon crawler on the PS5 and Xbox Series X, with graphics that have been revamped to make the absolute most of the new gaming hardware.