November was a huge month in gaming: God of War Ragnarok was all the rage, Sonic the Hedgehog raced in with Sonic Frontiers, and Pokemon Scarlet & Violet caught a lot of attention.
From superheroes to super cars, December’s releases have some dark tales on offer and revisit some gems from the past.
Marvel's Midnight Suns
The quickest way to describe this is Marvel x XCOM, the critically acclaimed battle tactics game. Playing as a member of the supernatural superhero group, the Midnight Suns fight turn-based battles and move around the battlefield like a game of chess. Building on the XCOM formula, a card-based combat system is introduced to randomly restrict or impact fighting conditions.
That’s only one half of the game – the other being a social simulator. The Abbey acts as a hub area, where players seek to build up relationships with other members of the team. Do it well enough and Wolverine, Iron Man, Blade, or whoever you successfully spend time with will have access to upgraded skills and abilities.
Midnight Suns takes the Marvel superhero formula and has a unique approach through both storytelling and gameplay.
Marvel's Midnight Suns releases December 2nd on PlayStation, Xbox, PC, and Switch.
The Callisto Protocol
The highly anticipated third person survival horror game is set 300 years in the future, with the player taking on the role of Jacob Lee – a victim of fate trapped in Black Iron Prison, a maximum-security penitentiary on Jupiter’s dead moon, Callisto. When inmates mysteriously transform into monstrous creatures, the prison is thrown into chaos. If he hopes to survive, Jacob must fight his way through the prison to escape, whilst uncovering the dark and disturbing secrets lurking beneath the surface of Callisto.
Players are challenged with mastering a thrilling blend of hand-to-hand and ranged combat, including a unique gravity weapon once used by Black Iron guards to put prisoners in their place – making monsters into shields. Similarly to Dead Space, players are forced to get up close and personal with the grotesque terrors, hacking off limbs, blasting off legs, and getting creative with whatever is at their disposal to survive each life-or-death encounter.
The Callisto Protocol releases December 2nd on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC.
Need for Speed Unbound
The Need for Speed franchise returns and Unbound changes the tone and feel of the series with a more animated and stylised aesthetic. Unbound is Need for Speed at its core – racing by day and night with cops itching to take out the player. Over 140 cars are available to choose from, including the likes of vehicles from Aston Martin, Ford, McClaren and Porsche. Customisation is a huge aspect of the game, with access to tuning and body kits for all vehicles – enabling thousands of potential set-ups and combinations.
Need for Speed Unbound releases December 2nd on PS5, Xbox Series, and PC.
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion is the HD remaster of the PSP game Crisis Core that branched out the Final Fantasy VII story. Acting as a prequel set seven years prior to Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core revolves around Zack – a pivotal character from the Final Fantasy VII story with a past shrouded in mystery. The tale of Zack’s dreams and honour – the legacy that connects him to Cloud – is revealed in full in this grand saga that Final Fantasy fans will not want to miss.
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion releases December 13th on PlayStation, Xbox, PC, and Switch.
Hello Neighbor 2
Play as an investigative journalist that comes to town to solve the mystery of a missing child in the sandbox world of Raven Brooks in Hello Neighbor 2. The core gameplay revolves around stealth horror techniques. The player must break into houses around the neighbourhood whilst their owners pursue them. The homeowners adapt to player actions: if break-ins continually occur at night, they will sleep during the day to be awake during the night. Additionally, players that use the same hiding places will risk being easier to find. As you adapt, they adapt – keeping the gameplay dynamic.
As dark secrets surrounding the neighbours are uncovered, players will solve the case of Mr. Peterson: the infamous antagonist of the first game Hello Neighbor.
Hello Neighbor 2 releases December 6th on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC.
Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The Witcher 3 is one of the highest rated action RPGs ever made – now it’s back. Owners of the Witcher 3 are in for a treat – a free upgrade to the newly released next-gen version. The update includes improved graphics, lighting and sound, mods, and new DLC tied to The Witcher Netflix series.
The free Witcher 3: Wild Hunt next-gen update releases December 14th on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X & S.
Free to Play
On Xbox, Gold or Game Pass Ultimate members will be able to download and keep two games this month: Colt Canyon and Bladed Fury. Colt Canyon will be up for grabs for the entire month, while Bladed Fury is free to download starting December 16th.
Over on PlayStation, three titles are available to download and keep this month with any tier of PlayStation Plus. From December 6th, both Biomutant and Divine Knockout: Founder’s Edition will be available on both PS4 and PS5, whilst Mass Effect Legendary Edition will be available on PS4.
Prime Gaming subscribers will have eight games available to download and keep for free this month. From December 1st the following will be available to claim:
· Quake
· Rose Riddle 2: Werewolf Shadow
· The Amazing American Circus
· Banners of Ruin
· Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
· Spinch
· Desert Child
· Doors: Paradox
Full details on how to claim these games, along with drops for FIFA 23, Grand Theft Auto Online, Apex Legends and more, can be found on the Prime Gaming website.
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