Well, December is proving to be a busier month than any of us could have expected. With releases like Destiny’s first DLC expansion, the latest Lara Croft adventure, a highly requested game in Suikoden II, and multiple other indie games as well as other lower-tier titles, the week of December 8 offers solid alternative game experiences that aren’t as big as the AAA releases from the previous couple of months. Here is the full list.
Note: All of the dates and prices listed below are for North American territories. Also, keep in mind that this list is subject to change with new games potentially announced or launching this week without notice.
Tuesday December 9, 2014:
- Destiny – The Dark Below DLC
Price: $19.99
Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 – (Digital Only on All Platforms)
The first expansion for Bungie’s FPS/MMO experience, titled The Dark Below, increases the player Light Level cap to 32 with new gear to obtain, a brand new Raid that has you facing Crota in the dark below, that brings in a new Strike mission set in the Jovian Complex, introduces three new competitive Crucible arenas and, of course, adds multiple new Story missions and quests. If you have been seeking more out of the entire Destiny experience, The Dark Below DLC will definitely satisfy your needs until the House of Wolves DLC is released next year. Also, take note that PlayStation users will receive exclusive add-ons with this expansion pack.
- Flyhunter Origins
Platform: PlayStation Vita (Digital Only)
Price: $6.99
As Zak, a bumbling alien spaceship janitor, you must fill your Flyhunter ambitions by saving the day after the ship’s precious cargo jettisons into space. The developers, composed of five animators who have worked on multiple Disney Pixar movies, are the main reason why the game looks like an animated short with its top class cutscene animations.
- Game of Thrones – Episode 1: Iron From Ice
Platform: PlayStation 3 (Digital Only)
Price: $4.99 for the Episode, $24.99 for the Season Pass
PlayStation 3 users can finally experience the first episode of Telltale Games’ Game of Thrones episodic series. It is centered on members of House Forester, banner-men of House Stark, as they follow the events of the HBO television series’ third season. We praised it for its authenticity and perfect representation of the GoT universe. You can read our review right here.
- Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams – Director’s Cut
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One (Xbox One Version Releases on December 12) – (Digital Only on Both Platforms)
Price: $TBD
Black Forest Games is bringing the 2012 platformer to the current gen systems as the Director’s Cut with 1080p support and a smoother frame rate. The story follows a woman named Giana who must save her sister Maria from the hands of a dragon located in the Dream World. Take note Xbox One users, Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams launches on December 12 instead of the 9th.
- Juju
Platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC – (Digital Only on All Platforms)
Price: $TBD
As a brave panda named Juju, you must save your father, who was captured by an evil force, with the help of his best friend Peyo. This means that you’ll have to take part in Juju’s rescue mission by exploring the vibrant world around him and fight intense bosses to gather the mystic keys and magic embers required to save the day. Juju also supports two-player co-op Multiplayer as well.
- Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris
Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC – (Digital Only on All Platforms)
Prices: $19.99 for the Standard Version (+10% Discount on PC and PlayStation 4 if Pre-Ordered), $28.99 for the Season Pass Bundle (+10% on PC and PlayStation 4 if Pre-Ordered)
In the sequel to the critically acclaimed top-down Tomb Raider spin-off experience, you take on yet another visually stunning experience that has a strong emphasis on guns-blazing combat, devious puzzle solving and treasure hunting. However, this time, it is set within an Egyptian underworld, the Temple of Osiris, and requires you to work with three other characters to recover the Osiris fragments that will stop mankind’s enslavement. Speaking of which, for the first time ever, a Lara Croft title is playable with up to four players in cooperative play, online or offline. Gamer Headlines will have a review up for Temple of Osiris, so be on the lookout for it in the next couple of days.
- Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy
Platform: 3DS (Digital Only)
Price: $29.99
Phoenix Wright fans, rejoice! All three Nintendo DS adventures (Ace Attorney, Justice For All & Trials and Tribulations) are hitting the 3DS as one $30 digital download with some small visual upgrades to suit Nintendo’s current handheld. If you aren’t familiar with the franchise, it’s a murder-solving story presented as a graphic novel that puts you in the shoes of a lawyer named Phoenix Wright as you follow him through his investigations.
- Rock Boshers DX: Director’s Cut
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, PC – (Digital Only on All Platforms)
Price: $TBD (PlayStation Versions are Cross-Buy)
In this 2D pixel retro arcade shooter adventure, you must solve top-down and side-on directional puzzles as you explore the recently colonised planet of Mars. It’s a nostalgia trip with its authentic 8-Bit style and sounds that is also Cross-Buy compatible on PlayStation devices.
- Scourge Outbreak
Platform: PlayStation 3 (Digital Only)
Price: $TBD
Scourge Outbreak is a Third-Person Shooter that takes place in the near future. It features a 4-player co-op campaign lasting over six hours as well as a competitive Multiplayer component containing eight game modes.
- Star Wars: The Old Republic – Shadow of Revan DLC
Platform: PC (Digital Only)
Price: $19.99
Another MMO experience is receiving a DLC expansions this week: Star Wars: The Old Republic, the Massively Multiplayer Online experience from BioWare set in George Lucas’ fictional galactic universe, is getting its first piece of downloadable content with Shadow of Revan, which increases the level cap to 60, adds new story missions involving the hero of the Jedi Civil War and allows you to explore the worlds of Yavin 4 and Rishi. Though it was already available through Early Access, it officially launches this week along with the new Discipline System that is sure to customize your combat experience.
- Suikoden & Suikoden II
Platforms: PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita – (Digital Only on Both Platforms)
Price: $TBD
Fan-requested Konami RPGs Suikoden I & II are hitting the PlayStation ecosystem as PSOne Classics this week. The big thing out of those releases is that Suikoden II will make its console debut in North America for the first time in 15 years, which is why so many gamers have been requesting it in the first place. Not only is the Suikoden franchise considered one of the best RPG series ever, but it also contains over 40 hours of RPG glory with both of its installments.
- Tennis in the Face
Platform: PlayStation 4 (Digital Only)
Price: $6.99
Tennis in the Face is an Angry Birds-like type of experience. As a tennis players, you shoot tennis balls at various targets and your goal is to hit all of them to earn the three end-level stars in each level. It was previously released in Europe, but it is finally hitting the North American PSN Store this week. You can read Gamer Headlines’ review right here.
Thursday December 11, 2014:
- BlazBlue: Continuum Shift Extend
Platform: PC (Digital Only)
Price: $TBD
The third entry in the BlazBlue franchise, previously released on PlayStation Vita, adds in new game modes, story scenarios, new moves and an all-new playable character. Additionally, it supports local and online Multiplayer, so you can fight with your buddies or compete with strangers around the world.
- Final Fantasy XIII-2
Platform: PC (Digital Only)
Price: $19.99 (+10% Discount if Pre-Ordered)
Now enhanced for the PC system, the second part of Final Fantasy XIII arrives with every single piece of DLC released for the game previously. If you haven’t checked out this RPG released in 2012, there isn’t a better time to do so.
- The Talos Principle
Platform: PC (Digital Only)
Price: $39.99 (+10% Discount if Pre-Ordered)
The Talos Principle is an immersive First-Person Puzzle game coming from the creator of Serious Sam. It features over 120 puzzles set in a philosophical world that explores the themes of technology, humanity and civilization. It’s a non-linear adventure, so you decide how you want to experience it.
- Xeodrifter
Platform: 3DS (Digital Only)
Price: $9.99
Xeodrifter is an interstellar Metroidvania-type of experience brought to us by the same developers that worked on Mutant Mudds, Renegade Kid. It features classic 2D platforming as well as power-ups required to be obtained in order to proceed to the next areas. Fans of Nintendo’s classic Action-Adventure titles will certainly enjoy this game.
Friday December 12, 2014:
- The King of Fighters ’98 Ultimate Match Final Edition
Platform: PC (Digital Only)
Price: $14.99 (+20% Discount if Pre-Ordered)
Over 15 years after the original game’s release, and seven after its 10 year anniversary re-release, King of Fighters ’98 hits the PC platform with the Ultimate Final Match Edition. It received multiple balance tweaks as well as a new system called Ultimate Mode, new online features, a 64-fighter character roster, the original NEOGEO version of KOF ’98 and various other game modes.
Are you planning on getting some games from this list this week? If so, let us know which ones in the comments below and, as always, stay tuned to Gamer Headlines for all things gaming.
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