Get those credit and debit cards ready as you check out the best gamer-worthy titles that will be on sale this holiday season.
Assassin's Creed III
$59.99
$49.49 at SearsAssassin's Creed III stands as the best of the series, edging out even the excellent Assassin's Creed II: Brotherhood in size, scope, and story. The stealth and combat elements are polished and it's packed full of content that will keep you playing for hours on end.
Borderlands 2
$59.99
$34.99 at Best BuyGearbox Entertainment and 2K Games take you back to Pandora with Borderlands 2, the sequel to the hit apocalyptic RPG-shooter. It's five years later, Pandora has changed, and there are more Vaults to hunt. Borderlands 2, which is available for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC, is bigger and better than the first game, and it fixes a handful of small issues the original had. It's a fun adventure that will keep you entertained for hours.
Call of Duty: Black Ops II
$59.99
$59.99 at Dell HomeCall of Duty: Black Ops II is one of the most anticipated titles of the year. The game features some excitement and a few minor innovations, but that's not enough to prevent most of it from feeling like a retread in need of a reboot.
Civilization V: Gods & Kings
$29.99
$29.99 at Best Buy®Expansion packs have been available for PC games for more than 20 years now, but it's difficult to think of another that has effected a more elemental transformation on its base title than the first for Sid Meier's Civilization V. The addition of Gods & Kings helps it not only live up to its name, but also lets the 2010 original realize more of the promise that has until now eluded it. If Gods & Kings is too limited in scope to utterly revolutionize this chapter of the storied conquer-the-world saga, it's nonetheless good enough to make Civilization V the game it always should have been.
Darksiders II
$59.99
$29.99 at Best BuyDarksiders II puts you in the role of Death, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, who sets out the clear the besmirched name of his brother War. The game has its flaws, namely glitchy AI and a weak narrative, but if you check your brain at the door, you'll have plenty of hack and slash fun. It's available on PS3, PC, Xbox 360, and Wii U.
Dead Island
$49.99
When Techland's Dead Island trailer hit the Web earlier this year, it featured one of the most moving video game sequences ever produced: a small child and her family being slaughtered by zombies against the backdrop of a soft, haunting Giles Lamb musical score. Dead Island's now available for PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360, and, although it doesn't match the heights of the trailer, the open-world action-RPG offers a very solid single-player zombie-slaying good time.
Dead or Alive 5
$59.99
$59.96 at Walmart.comThe fighting game renaissance that began with Capcom's Street Fighter IV sees its latest high-profile entry: Tecmo Koei's Dead or Alive 5. The polygonal fighter, available on both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, brings the series trademark rock-paper-scissors style combat to a home console for the first time since 2005's Dead or Alive 4 (it's also the first DOA to appear on the PS3). Featuring intricate mechanics, several beautiful interactive environments, and characters from Sega's Virtua Fighter series, Dead or Alive is a fun fighter, but it lacks the extra depths found in the likes of Namco Bandai's Tekken Tag Tournament 2.
Diablo III
$59.99
$34.99 at Best Buy®Blizzard didn't change much of the Diablo II formula with Diablo III, and the result is a great PC dungeon crawler with modern graphics and addictive, simple gameplay. The requirement to be always online is irritating, but it makes the multiplayer experience more streamlined and prevents cheaters. If you loved Diablo II, you'll love Diablo III, even though it doesn't do much to advance the concept.
Dishonored
$59.99
$24.99 at Best Buy®Dishonored, available for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360, is a fantastic game that puts you in a playground of murder and stealth while still keeping focused on an interesting story in a rich and enthralling world. It's not quite as large, as open, or as well-written as Deus Ex, but it stands as a solid spiritual successor to one of the best PC games of all time. It's Bioshock to Deus Ex's System Shock 2, and it's worth a look no matter your favorite genre.
Fable: The Journey
$49.99
$24.99 at Best BuyInstead of getting you up and active for a casual gaming session like most Kinect-enabled titles, Fable: The Journey sits you down for a long ride through the world of Albion. It's a nice showcase of the potential for storytelling and immersive gameplay on the Xbox 360, but it falls a bit flat with repetitive actions, strict linear story progression, and far too much hand holding. The beautifully rendered scenes and quirky characters add charm, but serious action-RPG fans should probably look elsewhere.
FIFA Soccer 13
$59.99
$59.99 at P.C. Richard & SonWith every new soccer season, comes a new FIFA title. The inevitable question for sports gamers is this: If you currently own the last FIFA title, is the latest version a worthwhile upgrade? While the changes in FIFA 13 are a bit more subtle than some of the new features introduced in FIFA 12, the latest edition represents welcome tweaks to an already strong foundation. The result is a convincing and very enjoyable sports simulation that you can find on nearly every platform.
God of War Saga
$39.99
Kratos, the mad mortal whose quest for vengeance against the Greek gods has enthralled gamers since 2005, comes to home consoles once again in the God of War Saga. This PS3 exclusive collection features five games—four of which are remastered—that tells Kratos's tale, and serve as a warm-up for the upcoming God of War Ascension (due March 2013).
NBA 2K13
$59.99
$29.99 at Microsoft StoreIt's easy to say that the multi-platform NBA 2K13 is the best pro hoops on the market because there's no other competition, but 2K Sports' latest basketball title does the NBA right while keeping flaws to the minimum. Some will naturally decry it as nothing more than promotion for Jay-Z, the Brooklyn Nets, and Barclays Center, but if you can overlook that you'll find one best basketball video games ever made.
New Super Mario Bros. 2
$39.99
It seems strange to keep calling a game "New" when it's the third "New" game in a row with the fourth on the way, but New Super Mario Bros. 2 does just that. It's a "New" sequel to a "New" game that's a successor to the side-scrolling Mario games that helped define gaming for decades. And, sadly, this Nintendo 3DS game isn't particularly "new" in any way besides its name. It lives up to the high standards set by the rest of the Mario series, but it doesn't actually offer anything new that isn't a gimmick with little significance in the game.
Paper Mario: Sticker Star
$39.99
$39.99 at OfficeMaxThe Nintendo 3DS' Paper Mario: Sticker Star is one of the more clever chapters in the Paper Mario series, and its sticker-based design rewards exploration and smart thinking. It isn't as RPG-like as the previous Paper Mario games, and it isn't as rewarding of reflex skills as Super Paper Mario, but it offers a unique adventure and plenty to find.
Pokemon Black and White Version 2
$34.99
The Nintendo DS' Pokemon Black and White Version 2 are more of the same as Pokemon games, but they offer enough twists and changes to feel like a genuine sequel of Pokemon Black and White and not just an upgraded remake like the other Pokemon half-sequels. Even if you played through the last Pokemon game, Pokemon Black and White Version 2 can feel fresh and offer plenty of content.
Ridge Racer Unbounded
$49.99
The Ridge Racer series may not carry Gran Turismo or Forza Motorsport's swagger, but the long-running franchise has a dedicated fan base that loves the drift-centric racing action. The latest series (available for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360) entry attempts to bring a new chaotic element to the familiar gameplay by adding environmental and vehicular destruction as players race for street cred in the fictional Shatter Bay. The story is something you can flat out ignore—it's a racing game, after all—but the driving action is interesting and varied.
Sleeping Dogs
$59.99
$24.99 at Best BuyPart of the fun of Sleeping Dogs—Square Enix's PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 crime caper—is its wild machismo. "Bro gamers" the world over, as well as armchair martial artists, will love the martial arts action and gunplay. The dialogue is painful at times to sit through and as mentioned, the fighting is bit repetitive.
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed
$39.99
$29.95 at Microsoft StoreSega's latest racing game culls characters from the company's rich video game history into a fun mascot kart racer. The major gripe? The air and aquatic racing segments aren't quite as fast and furious as they should be.
Street Fighter X Tekken
$39.99
$37.99 at SearsStreet Fighter X Tekken joins BlazBlue Continuum Shift Extend and Mortal Kombat as the fighting games of note on the Sony PlayStation Vita. Capcom's tag-based 2D fighter, which pits many of the company's most popular fighting game characters in a knock-down, drag-out brawl with Namco Bandai's Tekken pugilists, is an incredible portable fighting game package. Capcom packs in online multiplayer, cross-platform play with PS3 owners, augmented reality, extra characters not found in the console version, a controversial Gem System, and much, much more. The result is an engaging, deep fighting game that's only hampered by a few game-design issues.
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz
$29.99
Sega's long running Super Monkey Ball series has seen many ups and downs in the 11 years since its debut. The original's simple charm—rolling a captured simian encased in a transparent ball down elevated platforms—got lost in the shuffle as suspect level design and noob-friendly additions killed the need for truly skill-based play. Sega, thankfully, goes back to basics with Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz , a game that utilizes classic design and the PlayStation Vita's hardware to produce a series entry that's one of the best in quite a while.
Tekken Tag Tournament 2
$59.99
$59.95 at Microsoft StoreTekken Tag Tournament 2 is a beast of a fighting game crafted with hardcore gamers in mind—there's no watered down control scheme to appease more casual players like you'll find in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Best of all, the game is just plain fun whether alone or with three others on the PS3, Xbox 360, or Wii U.
The Walking Dead
$24.99
$496.01 at RefurbExpertsTelltale Games' The Walking Dead game is exciting point-and-click adventure game sometimes drags in places where characters get a little talky—think of Lori's scenes in the show—but gamers who are The Walking Dead fans won't be disappointed. Typically, movie or TV show game adoptions suck, but not in this case. Full of emotion, blood and guts, and plenty of characters dropping the F-bomb, it's not a game for the kiddies.
Transformers: Fall of Cybertron
$59.99
Transformers: Fall of Cybertron (PC, PS3, Xbox 360), the sequel to 2010's hit Transformers: War for Cybertron, sees the peaceful Autobots continuing its war against the savage Decepticons, but the outlook is bleak. The title provides plenty of third-person shooting action, a thrilling multiplayer mode that lets you take user-created robots into battle, and plenty of fan service. Fall of Cybertron isn't without faults; it features uneven combat, some weak mission objectives, and ho-hum voice acting, but Trans-fans will eat it up.
WWE 13
$59.99
$59.99 at MicrosoftWWE 13 (PS2, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360) excellently captures the WWE's highest and lowest moments with its Attitude Era Mode, which harkens back to a time when professional wrestling was forever changed. It also includes an in-depth character creation mode and numerous match types including the infamous Hell in the Cell. It has a few bugs—THQ and Yukes have recently released a patch to fix some of the issues—but the game is worthy pick up for WWE fans.
XCOM: Enemy Unknown
$59.99
$60.99 at TheNerds.netXCOM: Enemy Unknown (PC, PS3, Xbox 360) is the return of a beloved and forgotten sci-fi franchise that will entertain tactics fans and satisfy classic gaming fans. More randomized maps and more online options would have been great, but as it stands XCOM: Enemy Unknown is already an excellent strategy game, despite the features it lacks.
Sources: http://www.pcmag.com
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