With Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales finally over, now’s the perfect time for a head start on some of the awesome games you haven’t had time to crack open just yet.
Welcome to the holiday drought, that period of time after most, if not all, of the newest game releases have already hit shelves and we’re spiraling toward the holiday season. You know all the time you’ve been wishing for since the beginning of the year, where you could simply sit and tackle one game at a time? Take it now while the family’s discussing their holiday wishlists and you’ve got a precious few moments to game. Here are five suggestions for going back and completing if you haven’t tackled them already. You’ve earned it.
Fallout 4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GE2BkLqMef4
Even if you’ve traversed every iteration of the wasteland from the original Fallout all the way through Fallout: New Vegas, there’s still plenty for you to do in this sprawling post-apocalyptic role-playing game. Stay the course and see what happens after the nuclear blast rips apart your little slice of Americana, or just waste 20 hours on constructing enormous signs with dicks on them. Befriend the adorable Dogmeat and absolutely waste raiders and radroaches with a host of weapons you basically threw together using scraps. Get lost in one of the year’s biggest and most rewarding titles, but make sure to come back to the real world every now and then.
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain may be the last proper Metal Gear game, but it’s one of the first games this year to feel as epic as the advertisements let on. Not only does it satisfy fans’ curiosity and serve up some of the most cinematic action on any console at the moment, but it’s a testament to Hideo Kojima’s stylistic game design and masterful narrative work. A thrill ride from start to finish, it both astounded us and broke our hearts the very same way Metal Gear Solid IV: Guns of the Patriots did so many years ago. It’s a fitting send-off for Kojima, and quite possibly one of the last great games we’ll see out of Konami as we know it.
Until Dawn
Hayden Panettiere being chased around by a killer? Sign us up! Until Dawncontinues the revitalization of the adventure genre with a plot that blows away the majority of AAA movies we’ve seen this year. Not only does it succeed perfectly in bringing a diverse and believable cast of characters together for a slasher flick that could have worked just as well as a real film, but it also strings together some of the most grisly kills we’ve seen this side of Tomb Raider.
Final Fantasy Type-0 HD
While the Japanese got a chance to play Final Fantasy Type-0 in its original form in 2011 on the PSP, the wait was worth it for Western audiences. From the first cutscene, it’s apparent that this Final Fantasy installment has a much more mature theme, and the plot ranks up there with Xenogears and Final Fantasy Tactics in its portrayal of war and loss. It’s also one of the most action-packed Final Fantasy entries out there. No, seriously.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
If Dragon Age: Inquisition was the action-RPG to play in 2014, then The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt takes the throne for this year. Building on the lore and legend of Geralt of Rivia presented in The Witcher and its sequel, Wild Hunt propels the series to new heights with one of the most memorable casts we’ve seen in a video game to date. CD Projekt RED crafted a mature and compelling adventure that truly shows that video games are starting to grow up along with the gamers that play them. For those wanting to visit a massive fantasy world that rivals Game of Thrones with its intrigue and mystery, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will bring tens of hours of joy to you.