December has arrived, one of the most notoriously quietest month of the year when it comes to game releases. The number of games I’ve seen come out in December that’s even remotely worth giving a damn about can be counted on one hand. By the end of this week, that number will… still be countable on one hand.

Remember. Release dates are quite literally made at the whims of the publisher. The following are subject to change without any warning.

 

Releases To Watch For This Week

Far Cry 3 (Xbox 360, PS3)

Tuesday December 4, 2012

Ever wish you could vacation on some tropical island? May I suggest not playing a game about a bunch of vacationing twenty-somethings on a tropical island running afoul with the local drug warlord.

Far Cry 3 continues the series’ obsession with setting an open world, first person shooter on a tropical island. Rook Island plays host to Jason Brody, just a regular dude trying to have some fun on a tropical island with his friends, who sort of got entangled with the local island’s piracy problem. Now Jason has to learn the art of murder if he wants to get his friends out of their predicament.

Ubisoft seems to be putting some special emphasis on that last line there. They’re aiming to infuse some character into the role normally played by “white guy who knows how to shoot a gun” type. Jason doesn’t start out as a cold-blooded murder machine. He has to learn how to do it. As the game progresses, Jason becomes more and more comfortable with the weapon in his hands along with seeing people get shredded by the bullets he send their way.

This learning process is represented as well by a skill tree. Depending on what you pick for him, Jason gets cool abilities like stealth kills, double-kills from above, or… dragging away bodies. These skills should help you play regardless of what style you’ll be playing. You could have Jason go the stealth route to take down enemies before they can raise the alarm, or just have him shoot and burn his way through anything that stands in his way.

Don’t screw up! Don’t screw up!

Because it’s a first person shooter, Far Cry 3 has a multiplayer mode. It has progressions system. It has attachments to unlock. It has different modes. It has co-op modes. I’m sorry did the last four sentences sounded like it was written by a seven year old? Sorry, happens when the stuff I’m writing about lacks anything interesting to point out.

The Black Friday rush maybe over, but that doesn’t mean good games only come out on that narrow ass window in November. Great things don’t happen on a calendar schedule. They just sort of happen. As evident by all the reviews that came out weeks prior to its release, Far Cry 3 has reviewed very favorably. Whether or not gamers are still too entranced by Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 to notice Far Cry 3 remains to be seen though.

 

Coming This Week

Tuesday December 4, 2012

Power Rangers Super Samurai (Xbox 360 Kinect)

Now that I think about it, I might actually play Dynasty Warriors again if it had the Power Rangers skin instead of Chinese warriors, Japanese Samurais, Gundams, or whatever the hell else Koei has Dynasty Warrior-ified. Unfortunately for me, and really all of us, this Dynasty Warrior sort-of clone utilizes ONLY motion controls a-la Star Wars Kinect, and we all know how well that went over.

Guardians of Middle-earth (PS3)

I’m fairly certain somewhere out there a Lord of the Rings mod for DOTA exists. That makes one wonder why we need a DOTA clone for Lord of the Rings.

Family Party: 30 Great Games Obstacle Arcade (Wii U)

Huh? 30 Great Games Obstacle Arcade? Is this a Japanese game? Players visit “Family Party Land” where they pick which mini-games to torture their friends and family with. Because the developers just couldn’t decide which of Nintendo’s dominant mini-game collection to rip-off, Family Party Land is an island divided by themes to match the 30 or so mini-games.

 

Late to the Party

• Mass Effect Trilogy (PS3) 12/4/2012
• Resistance Collection (PS3) 12/4/2012
• Marvel Avengers Battle for Earth (Wii U) 12/4/2012
• Cabela’s Dangerous Hunts 2013 (Wii U) 12/4/2012
• Rapala Pro Bass Fishing (Wii U) 12/4/2012
• Rise of the Guardians: The Video Game (Wii U) 12/4/2012