Octogeek – Christmas Games Lowdown – Part 2

We continue with part 2 featuring more games worthy of your list to Santa. It’s a pity Octogeek can only play 8 at once. No one ever said life was fair though.

Halo 5: Guardians
XBOX One
£37.99

The Next Evolution of Halo Combat. Peace is shattered when colony worlds are unexpectedly attacked. But when humanity’s greatest hero goes missing, a new Spartan is tasked with hunting the Master Chief and solving a mystery that threatens the entire galaxy. This thrilling new Halo adventure is only available on Xbox One. Enjoy a brand new multiplayer that looks back to Halo’s illustrious past while updating it with the power of next gen.

Microsoft’s flagship game series has always been strong but this time around they aren’t just going to churn out the same old thing. With a crack team of Spartans accompanying you through the game (responding to various commands or just having your back) you are no longer the lone wolf. The story mode has been criticized for been a bit disjointed but the storyline of Halo never made much sense to me anyway. The appeal for Halo fans has always teetered towards multiplayer though and this time 343 studios has added a new Warzone mode. This all-new, massive-scale multiplayer mode features 24-player battles (12-vs-12) with both friendly and enemy AI dropping in to pump up the mayhem. First to score 1000 points wins. With 15 multiplayer maps coming through Jun next year, free of charge, you’re not likely to get bored with Halo 5 anytime soon.

 

Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 XBOX One/ PS4
£44.00/ £40.49

Treyarch, developer of the two most-played games in Call of Duty history, returns with Call of Duty: Black Ops III. For the first time with three years of development, the revered, award-winning studio has created its first title for next-gen hardware in the critically acclaimed Black Ops series.

Welcome to Call of Duty: Black Ops III, a dark, twisted future where a new breed of Black Ops soldier emerges and the lines are blurred between our own humanity and the technology we created to stay ahead, in a world where cutting-edge military robotics define warfare.

For fans of the Call of Duty series wondering why Black Ops 3 isn’t higher up the list, perhaps you can take comfort in the knowledge that there isn’t exactly a consensus on this one. Half the Amazon scores gave it 5/5 the other half gave it 1/5. Maybe different folk were looking for different things.  Gamespot gave it a 7/10, criticizing it for not taking the series any further forward yet IGN gave it 9.2/10 exclaiming that it was the biggest COD yet! Treyarch have added a new more fluid movement system as well as making each player customizable with weapons, loadouts, abilities and outfits. The campaign mode allows 4 players to play with each other online which makes for a nice change from the usual multiplayer trope of just dividing into teams to kill each other. Completing the story with a couple of friends is a fun idea. The also featured is the much loved Zombies mode which sees you battle an endless horde of Zombies.

FIFA 16
XBOX One/ PS4
£31.99

FIFA 16 innovates across the entire pitch to deliver a balanced, authentic, and exciting football experience that lets you play your way, and compete at a higher level. You’ll have Confidence in Defending, take Control in Midfield, and you’ll produce more Moments of Magic than ever before. FIFA 16 – Play Beautiful. With innovative gameplay features, FIFA 16 brings Confidence in Defending, Control in Midfield, and gives you the tools to create more Moments of Magic than ever before. Fans new to the franchise, or skilled players looking to improve their game will have a chance to Compete at a Higher Level using the all new FIFA Trainer. Innovation across the Entire Pitch.

This one has again split the vote. Nearly half the scores gave it 5/5 and near half gave it 1/5 giving it an average of 3. Gamespot gave it 9/10 and IGN gave it 7.8/10 which leads me to believe that if you like the series so far then FIFA 16 is a safe bet. It’s the first to add female players to the game with 12 women’s national teams as well as containing 78 stadiums and 50 real world venues.

A new Training Mode was also added to Career Mode allowing the player to develop footballers in the team of which they are managing (in the form of skill games) without actually playing them. Other features include two-year loans, many realistic transfer budget enhancements and improved player value.

Star Wars Battlefront
XBOX One/ PS4
£41.99/ £39.99

Star Wars Battlefront is the ultimate Star Wars battle experience, brought to life by DICE – creators of the award-winning Battlefield series. Fight in epic Star Wars battles on iconic planets and rise through the ranks playing as the heroic Rebellion or the evil galactic Empire. Whether fighting through blaster-wielding troops, or piloting your favorite Star Wars combat vehicles like Snowspeeders, Speeder Bikes, and AT–ST”s – Star Wars Battlefront puts you at the center of the galactic conflict.

One of the most anticipated games this year is the first Star Wars game in what seems like forever. The new film is on the horizon and every one is at the peak of Star Wars fever. Why isn’t it higher up the list? Lack of content seems to be the problem here. The look and sound of the game has been highly praised for being as close to the films as you could wish to get but DICE have decided to put all their energy into making a multiplayer Star Wars game. No campaign or story mode here. That’s not to say that what’s included isn’t great though, Play as either rebel soldier or empire stormtrooper, pilot AT-ATs on Hoth or Speeders on Endor. Even control Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader in battle. The game’s online multiplayer mode supports up to 40 players in one match and consists of 15 multiplayer maps. These maps feature five locations from the Star Wars universe: Hoth, Tatooine, Endor, Sullust, and Jakku. Despite the lack of a campaign, if you like Star Wars you’re likely to have Battlefront high on your list.

 

Guitar Hero Live with Guitar Controller
XBOX One/ PS4/ Wii U
£54.99/ £77.90/£69.79

Guitar Hero Live is here. FreeStyleGames have reinvented the legendary Guitar Hero franchise, with two innovative new gameplay modes and an all-new guitar controller. GH Live mode puts you onstage, looking out: you get a heart-stopping first-person perspective as a real crowd reacts to the notes you play. Or switch over to GHTV, a playable music video network, where you can play along in real time, discover new music, and challenge friends around the world.

A Guitar Hero reboot, Guitar Hero Live was released to generally positive reception. This time with a more realistic guitar design that makes playing the game closer to actually playing a guitar. This time around the game focuses on you as lead guitarist playing sets of 3-5 songs with a live band and live crowd that reacts to how you play. While the live footage has been criticized as being ‘self-aware, exaggerated, and “campy”’ it’s certainly an interesting addition that gives a fresh spin on the game. As well as the GH Live portion of the game the new GHTV mode is a sort of playable music video network which relies on microtransactions to allow you to play a wide range of music.

Well that’s it. Game over. That’s the lowdown. Sorry if you feel I missed anything but I tried to pick the most popular and newest titles to run through. I hope you enjoyed readying it and hope I’ve helped you finalize that list to Santa.