Video game makers are rolling out their new titles — with a wide range of creativity and style — just in time for the holiday shopping season. Jamin Warren, founder of Kill Screen magazine, shares his list of video games you should keep your eye on:
Nintendoland: The marquee release for Nintendo's Wii U console, this title shows what Nintendo does well: Pure family fun. I tried several of the mini-games within Nintendolandand was dazzled by their simplicity. In one, I simply had to play tag with four others and found myself laughing the entire time. The Wii U is also a referendum on Nintendo's future — despite the dominance of the Wii, the emergence of iOS and Facebook games have chipped at Nintendo's core audience. If the Wii U sells poorly, the 100-year-old gamemaker may be on the ropes.
Machinarium: A "point and click" adventure game set in hand-drawn apocalypse about a little robot looking for his place in a lost world. Notes of Tim Burton's animated feature 9.
The Unfinished Swan: The game opens with an amazing sequence: an entirely white space in which the player, a boy named Monroe, is chasing after a swan that has escaped a painting. You are equipped with a paint gun using the first-person perspective so the world can be painted black and thus show you where you need to go.
Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask: I loved these Japanese adventure games for their novel take on puzzles and adventure. Consider this Encyclopedia Brown for the modern age. Brain-twisting puzzles are merged with a carnavalesque city setting as you hunt to unravel the secrets of the town.
Call of Duty: Black Ops II: This will be one of the biggest games of the year as the past Black Ops generated over a $1 billion in sales. These games are the closest to the big-budget sheen of films like The Avengers and in this sequel to the long-running franchise, you are various secret agents working behind the scenes form the Cold War to the near future. Also, you can ride a horse.
Assassin's Creed III: The previous versions ofAC have paid close attention to historical detail in Crusades-era Jerusalem and then Renaissance Italy. ACIIItakes place during the American Revolution as you play a half-English and half-Native American, Connor Kenway drawn into the conflict. The game also features several notable characters from the time period including Benjamin Franklin, King George III and Samuel Adams.
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