December 6 - 12

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IMAGE(https://www.gamerswithjobs.com/files/pictures/pictures/picture-13445.jpg)   Felix “Halo to the Chief” Threepaper

Welcome folks, and happy “58th Anniversary of the first Beatles Christmas Record” week! In 1963, the Fab Four made a little 5-minute record and sent it out to all the members of their US and UK fanclubs. Featuring a few versions of Good King Wenceslas and a chorus of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Ringo,” it started a tradition of The Beatles doing a Chiristmas record for their fanclub every year, though by 1968 they were recording their bits separately. You may all celebrate by playing a game with split-screen multiplayer.

Many folks’ early (or very, very late) Christmas present lands this week: Halo Infinite is finally here after over a year of delays. Last month’s multiplayer trials generated a lot of positive buzz, and this week, folks can get stuck into the campaign. Infinite takes Halo into a semi-open world, but it will be more curated than an Ubisoft game. There’ll be a series of maps, locked between story missions, with side missions and collectibles. Story missions will need to be done in a certain order, while the side missions will offer more than “clear a base” but not “go tell X that dinner is ready.” Grinding side missions and collectibles is mostly optional. Master Chief can power through the story or jump in a Warthog with some Marines and cruise for trouble. All the visual and mechanical stuff is of shiny, AAA, Halo standard.

The other super-big release this week is Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker, the fourth and final expansion for Final Fantasy’s MMO version. The hype is big for this—during the recent Early Access period, servers crashed after hitting their login caps and folks were complaining of 5-hour queues. This doesn’t bode well for a smooth launch this week, but good luck getting in.

Now let’s move from AAA to AA games. Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun - Aiko's Choice keeps this plucky, isometric, Edo-era stealth game going with a standalone expansion. The focus is on one of the main characters: Aiko, the master of camouflage and disguise. There’s also a bunch of other characters to play as, with different skills from the main-game characters.

If you just wanted to play a weird, maybe sweet, Napoleon Dynamite kinda game, there’s Retired Men's Nude Beach Volleyball League. You play as, well, a retired man, who, um, is in a nude beach volleyball league. Despite this premise, no genitals are shown. This is more of a low-fi volleyball game with some tender story moments between matches.

There’s also a remastered Sam & Max game, some DLC for Terminator: Resistance, and a souped-up version of Monopoly that’s trying to make it fun and not a demonstration of the crushing heartlessness of capitalism. The Switch also catches up to the other consoles with a bunch of releases from the last few months.

Weeks like this, I get major Xbox FOMO. I won’t be playing Halo Infinite anytime soon, but it has to get the GOTW. Everyone loves getting a big new game in one of their favourite series after 6 years *glances over at Elder Scrolls*. Halo Infinite looks solid. Get your Chief on.

Here's the list, now in release-date AND alphabetical order!

PC

  • 12-06

  • Auro The Bunny
  • beVaiR
  • CaptMeow
  • Castle of Shikigami 2
  • Crimzon Clover - World EXplosion
  • Defenders Glory
  • Dungeon Death
  • Experiment Of Being
  • Fast Fruit
  • Hellcoming
  • Hover The Edge
  • Mage Tower: Call of Zadeus
  • Memory Puzzle - Mystery Mermaids
  • Mondrian Squares
  • Narco Lolita
  • NoRoY
  • Oppcium
  • Panty&Demons
  • Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun - Aiko's Choice
  • SpellForce III Reforced
  • Stellar Monarch 2
  • Super Yodelland: Legend of the Katzenbar
  • The Savior From Above
  • The Undisputables : Online Multiplayer
  • This Is the President
  • X Virus
  • 12-07

  • A-Train: All Aboard! Tourism
  • Among the zombies
  • Asterix & Obelix: Slap Them All!
  • BLOCK HEIST
  • Death Code
  • EXIT 2
  • Fairy 2
  • Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker
  • Find The Sunbed
  • Gear.Club Unlimited 2: Ultimate Edition
  • HOGuru Presents: The House With Too Many Zombies In It
  • JAM GODS
  • Jumpy Haha
  • Monsters per second
  • Moto Roller
  • Polygon Hunter
  • PsiloSybil
  • Repit
  • Rescue Helicopter
  • Rune Factory 4 Special
  • SGS Day of Infamy
  • Space Warlord Organ Trading Simulator
  • Splash Fly Fire
  • Throne And Crown
  • TimeLock VR 2
  • Toad On Fire
  • Unstrong: Space Calamity
  • VR Pictures
  • VR Sky Walk
  • White Shadows
  • Wolfstride
  • 12-08

  • Banzai Bat
  • Battle Of The Robots
  • Color Flash
  • Connectify
  • Deflector. Specimen Zero
  • Draken
  • Fat Baby
  • FILTHY US
  • Fire & Steel
  • HackingBall3D
  • Halo Infinite
  • Imoto No Yume
  • Kubinashi Recollection
  • LawnMower City
  • Lost Alone
  • MeecheenMe
  • Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX
  • Mugen Abisu
  • Palphone-sama : Curse call
  • Pranksterz: Off Your Boss
  • Puputan Legend VR
  • QuizPoker: Quiz and Poker Mix
  • Reta Tus Habilidades
  • Sam & Max: Beyond Time and Space Remastered
  • Sword Maker
  • The City Must Grow
  • They Came From Below
  • Transient: Extended Edition
  • Unidentified
  • Winds & Leaves
  • 12-09

  • After the Fall
  • BallRoll
  • Breakwaters
  • Bric A Brac
  • Farlife
  • Hidden Magic Town
  • KEO
  • Midnight Stories 4
  • Monopoly Madness
  • Murder by Moonlight 2 - Crimson Night
  • Pet idle
  • Roman Wars: Deck Building Game
  • Roof Genocide
  • Sharknado VR (Arcade Edition)
  • Sophistry - Live2D Romance Visual Novel
  • StarFlint the BlackHole Prophecy
  • STUFFED
  • Sunny Cafe
  • Super Clown: Lost Diamonds
  • Teamchef - Fussball Manager Fun
  • The Knight of Turn
  • The Wishing Stone
  • Witchcraft U
  • World of Barn
  • Wytchwood
  • 12-10

  • Alpha Shark
  • Arcante: Definitive Edition
  • Ashi
  • Beard of Stone
  • Boys Tale
  • Cat Box Paradox
  • Charades Movie One
  • Christmas Sort Puzzle
  • Color Slots
  • Delicious Fruitworld
  • Egg King
  • Escape from Covid
  • Farathan
  • Fight Ascending
  • HUNDRED FIRES: The rising of red star - EPISODE 1
  • Intergalactic Pawn Shop
  • JIJImago(old & young)RPGmini
  • Lemon vs. Teddy
  • LunaQuest
  • Magna Graecia
  • Maken-shi Sara
  • Monkey Doomsday
  • MOTHERED - A ROLE-PLAYING HORROR GAME
  • Mr.Bottle and his dream
  • Packing House
  • painting Thief
  • Perfect Heist 2
  • Retired Men's Nude Beach Volleyball League
  • Ripshot
  • Santa Slays Nazis
  • Search of Galaxy
  • Shootvaders: The Beginning
  • Sludge Fighters
  • Solo Reflection!
  • Space Balls
  • Syberia: The World Before
  • Terminator: Resistance - Annihilation Line
  • The Humbling of a Holy Maiden
  • The story of Bill Bear
  • The Thorn of Warldia
  • Ultimate Old Maid Majan ~ 3Days ~
  • Viy: Retold Story
  • Void Grimm
  • Wrought Flesh
  • Zephyrus Prelude
  • Zombie Crush VR
  • 12-11

  • A Distant Stabbing
  • A Step Forward
  • Margo: The Bean Adventure
  • Slit Mouthed
  • 12-12

  • Cleo - a pirate's tale
  • Lemon Run
  • Roadworks 2
  • The Search for MR Fimple

Xbox Series X

  • 12-07

  • Ever Forward
  • 12-08

  • Halo Infinite
  • 12-09

  • Monopoly Madness
  • Wytchwood

Xbox One

  • 12-07

  • Ever Forward
  • Rune Factory 4 Special
  • Space Warlord Organ Trading Simulator
  • 12-08

  • Halo Infinite
  • Sam & Max: Beyond Time and Space Remastered
  • Transient: Extended Edition
  • 12-09

  • Monopoly Madness
  • Monopoly Plus / Monopoly Madness
  • Wytchwood
  • 12-10

  • Alexio
  • Antarctica 88
  • Collapsed
  • Mini Madness
  • Vaporum: Lockdown

PlayStation 5

  • 12-07

  • Ever Forward
  • Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker
  • Heavenly Bodies
  • Twelve Minutes
  • 12-09

  • Monopoly Madness
  • Wytchwood
  • 12-10

  • Terminator: Resistance - Annihilation Line

PlayStation 4

  • 12-06

  • After the Fall
  • 12-07

  • Ever Forward
  • Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker
  • Grand Theft Auto III - The Definitive Edition
  • Heavenly Bodies
  • Rune Factory 4 Special
  • Twelve Minutes
  • 12-08

  • Transient: Extended Edition
  • 12-09

  • Arcade Archives: Dragon Buster
  • Monopoly Madness
  • Monopoly Plus / Monopoly Madness
  • RICO London
  • Wytchwood
  • 12-10

  • Vaporum: Lockdown

Switch

  • 12-07

  • 9-Ball Pocket
  • Beyond A Steel Sky
  • Ever Forward
  • Life is Strange: True Colors
  • LOVE 3
  • Twelve Minutes
  • Yu-Gi-Oh! Rush Duel: Saikyou Battle Royale!!
  • 12-08

  • Ball laB
  • Sam & Max: Beyond Time and Space Remastered
  • Transient: Extended Edition
  • 12-09

  • Arcade Archives: Dragon Buster
  • Kubinashi Recollection
  • Loop Hero
  • Monopoly / Monopoly Madness
  • Monopoly Madness
  • Monster Rancher
  • Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX
  • Monster Rancher 2
  • RICO London
  • Super Impossible Road
  • Wytchwood
  • 12-10

  • A YEAR OF SPRINGS
  • Memories of East Coast

Comments

Unfortunately, Halo Infinite's positive buzz also led to negative with the whole Battle Pass shenanigans. Evidently the Halo sub-reddit had to lock down comments temporarily due to toxicity, which is odd because even with the Battle Pass being underwhelming and reward unlocks coming in slow, I'm not sure what there is to be toxic about.

Really, there's a lot of pressure on this game to live up to the gameplay of the original series. 4 is largely seen as a step down for a lot of fans, but 5 was just an outright disaster and it seems to be universally recognized. The story is pretty much bound to disappoint for me regardless of what happens (it looks like the worst parts of Destiny (which, these days, is all the parts of Destiny's writing)), but the last time I enjoyed a Halo story was Halo 2. So long as the gameplay can feel like Halo, then I'll at least be glad to have spent my time with it and that month's Game Pass subscription payment playing it.

Looking forward to Wytchwood on the 9th and Thunder Tier One , an isometric tactics game, tomorrow!

This is more of a low-fi volleyball game with some tender story moments between matches.

ccesarano wrote:

Evidently the Halo sub-reddit had to lock down comments temporarily due to toxicity, which is odd because even with the Battle Pass being underwhelming and reward unlocks coming in slow, I'm not sure what there is to be toxic about.

Who cares? Campaign is this week and the MP will get fixed to keep the old fans happy. It's truly an old vs new generation of players and the latter will likely win out in the end. Microsoft will find some way to make them both happy. Fans Female Doggoing about stuff is so typical (see: Pokemon fans).

343 has yet to live up to the standards set before them, but Infinite seems like a decent marriage of open world and Halo gameplay so it's something I may even play. I say out loud that because I haven't played a Halo since 3.

garion333 wrote:

I say out loud that because I haven't played a Halo since 3.

Spoken like a true man of wisdom.

Twelve Minutes for PS5? Man, they snuck that in there. I know it got savaged by folks, but I am really curious to play it.

Retired Men's Nude Beach Volleyball League

This reminds me, they should bring back Outlaw Volleyball.

garion333 wrote:

343 has yet to live up to the standards set before them, but Infinite seems like a decent marriage of open world and Halo gameplay so it's something I may even play. I say out loud that because I haven't played a Halo since 3.

I've been playing a bit of Infinite online. I think it's the first Halo MP actually worth playing since 3.

Looking forward to CLEO, since I backed it on KickStarter. Would have been a day-one purchase, otherwise.

The one thing that sticks out to me in Halo Infinite so far is grabbing ledges and pulling myself up, and I wish they could retrofit that into the other Halo games.