10 new video game releases to watch for in December 2016
Don't dive into your 2016 backlog just yet, video game fans. December means to keep you busy.
Yes, the big blockbusters have all already had their moment (for the most part). For video games, the holiday rush of releases tends to span August through November. But every year, there are December upstarts vying for attention when all you want to do is catch up on what you missed.
This year is no different -- especially with virtual reality in the mix and the looming Dec. 6 launch of Oculus Touch controllers. Lots of games that are worth getting excited about will be launching in the next 31 days.
You May Also Like
Here are 10 of our top picks, listed in order of release...
Steep (Dec. 2)
Ubisoft's newest open world series takes on extreme winter sports. Steep lets players test their skills in any of four disciplines: skiing, wingsuit flying, snowboarding, and paragliding. Better, all of this plays out against the backdrop of a massive, freely explorable mountainscape shared by the game's community of online players.
Available for: PC, PS4, Xbox One
Super Mario Maker (Dec. 2)
Nintendo's excellent Super Mario Maker game for Wii U brings its 2D level-crafting to 3DS. Along with an assortment of pre-made levels and game challenges, Mario Maker for 3DS also features tools that give players an enormous amount of flexibility as they create and share levels of their own design.
Available for: 3DS
The Last Guardian (Dec. 6)
How is this even real? The Sony Japan Studio game from Ico and Shadow of the Colossus creator Fumito Ueda has existed in some form since 2005. It was never formally canceled, but development challenges kept it out of the public eye for much of the past 10 years. Now it's finished, it's in reviewers' hands, and it's out on Dec. 6. The puzzle game starring a young boy and his cat-bird-dog-dragon friend is finally here.
Available for: PS4
Dead Rising 4 (Dec. 6)
Capcom's irreverent, zombie-stomping series returns with its second straight Xbox One exclusive. Dead Rising 4 brings back photojournalist Frank West, star of the first game. Frank's journey through an American zombieland takes him back to the fictional Willamette, Colo. mall where his adventure first started. Expect more hordes of zombies, more bizarre combinations of weapons and more gore-soaked comedy.
Available for: PC, Xbox One
Arizona Sunshine (Dec. 6)
Arizona Sunshine is like The Walking Dead, except it's set in the sunny desert and there's no melodrama. Just pure, zombie brain-splattering action. You wield a variety of weapons -- alone or with a friend -- in VR as zombie hordes march ever-forward. We've seen games like this before, but the VR element promises to add plenty of thrills to the experience.
Available for: HTC Vive, Oculus Rift
The Unspoken (Dec. 6)
Harry Potter wizard duels meets the urban magic of Doctor Strange. That's The Unspoken summed up. It's a multiplayer game in which you face off against another player in a real world setting, hurling spells back and forth until one person falls. And thanks to the magic of VR, you get to summon up your magical energies right in the palms of your hands.
Available for: Oculus Rift
Werewolves Within (Dec. 6)
Werewolves Within is a different kind of VR game. Similar to the IRL party games like Mafia or Werewolf, players sit in a circle and lie through their teeth. Everyone has a different job as a member of a small, rural community, but at least one of them hides a terrible secret: he or she is a werewolf. Players argue back and forth as the group tries to deduce which one of their number is full of crap and actually out to eat everyone. Best when played with friends.
Available for: HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, PlayStation VR
Space Hulk: Deathwing (Dec. 9)
You might have missed this one if you're not a fan of the Warhammer 40K universe, but don't let a lack of fandom deter you. Space Hulk: Deathwing is a sharp-looking cooperative shooter that tasks players with exploring a vast network of derelict spaceships as they fend off swarms of deadly aliens. Even without the Warhammer draw, there's a lot to like about that.
Available for: PC
Super Mario Run (Dec. 15)
Don't be fooled by Miitomo; Super Mario Run is the first, true Nintendo mobile game. Of course it's a Mario game. Borrowing from the ever-popular "endless runner" genre of mobile titles, Super Mario Run (which themselves owe no small debt to Nintendo) tasks players with tapping and swiping to help their ever-moving Mario survive and collect coins. With three different modes of play and Nintendo's trademark charm, expect the fans to flock for this one.
Available for: iOS (Android coming later)
The Walking Dead: Season 3 -- A New Frontier (Dec. 20)
What's next for our old friend Clementine? Telltale Games' take on The Walking Dead series returns with its Season 3 premiere on Dec. 20.
Years have passed since the end of the previous season; Clementine is older, more sure of herself, and connected with a whole new group of survivors. Featuring two playable characters -- newcomer Javier, along with Clem -- and a story that brings the series closer to the comic book timeline, expect plenty of gore, heartbreak, and surprises.
Available for: Android, iOS, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Topics Gaming
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
