LIGHT UP THE EYES OF GAMERS ON YOUR LIST
It doesn’t matter how young or old you are, video games continue to be a dominant pastime. Here are this year’s top picks for consoles and games, if you’re looking to surprise a gamer.
‘Tis the season to be jolly, and what better way to keep the kids — and kids at heart — happy than with a brand new video game.
If it’s console and computer gamers you’re shopping for, the following are some thumb-numbing suggestions.
Kids Most games let you play content created by other people, but Nintendo’s Super Mario Maker (for Nintendo Wii U) also lets you design, create and share your very own Super Mario adventures. Along with the 60odd playable Nintendo-made levels, the game includes tools to make twodimensional platforming levels based on previous Super Mario games. After you’ve designed a world, play it through, hand the controller to a sibling or friend, or upload to the online community. You can download other creations, too.
One of the world’s hottest kids’ franchises is getting a reboot. Activision’s Skylanders SuperChargers (for multiple platforms) fuses action figures with a video game — the toys come alive on the television screen when placed on the Portal of Power, which is connected to the console — and now there’s collectible vehicles added to the mix.
The game also introduces 20 new Skylanders characters, but parents will be relieved to learn it also supports all existing Skylanders characters.
Other kids’ games that won’t disappoint: Nintendo’s Yoshi’s Woolly
World, Disney’s Disney Infinity 3.0, WB Games’ LEGO: Dimensions and Sony’s Tearaway Unfolded.
Teens Launching just ahead of the movie, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Star Wars Battlefront from DICE and Electronic Arts (PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows PC) drops players into intense intergalactic battles based in iconic Star Wars locations pitting Rebel forces against the Empire. Along with playing as characters based on the original movie trilogy, you’ll pilot beloved vehicles. The game includes online multiplayer modes and mission types for dozens of simultaneous players.
Guitar Hero is back after a five-year hiatus and it’s nothing short of ambitious. Along with single-player and local multiplayer options, Activision’s Guitar Hero Live (for multiple platforms) introduces a mode called GHTV, an always-on 24-hour music video network that lets you log on, strap in and strum to a continually updated collection of music videos and concert footage. The soundtrack includes music from the likes of Fall Out Boy, the Rolling Stones, the Black Keys, Skrillex, Ed Sheeran and more. Other recommended games for teens: Sony’s Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection, EA Sports’ NHL 16 and Activision’s Destiny: The Taken King.
Adults One of the most buzzed about games of the year, Bethesda Softworks’ Fallout 4 (Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Windows PC) is the long-awaited return to the beloved single-player, openworld, role-playing game series. It lets you choose to play as a male or female and select a specific set of skills, and then venture out of a vault 200 years after an apocalyptic event.
The next instalment of the legendary sci-fi shooter franchise, Halo 5:
Guardians, is the built to showcase the power of Xbox One. Complementing its intense storyline — which can be run with three in a co-operative mode — this new game focuses heavily on competitive multiplayer. One mode called Warzone challenges up to 24 players to battle on the biggest maps in Halo to date.
Other worthy games for adults: Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate, CD Projekt Red’s The Witcher 3: Witch Hunt, Activision’s Call of Duty:
Black Ops III, Microsoft Studios/ Crystal Dynamics’ Rise of the Tomb Raider and Konami’s Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.