Since Fallout 4 was released, it has been my go-to game to play. You all know that already, after my review and my previous column. And even now, nearly 90 hours into the game, it has taken up most of my time. However, there are many other games that have been released this holiday season that I have on my must play list, some of which I did get some time involved with, as well as some games that I have played and wish that I never got into them to begin with. Allow me to give my take on each.
MUST PLAY: Rise of the Tomb Raider
I loved the Tomb Raider reboot, and when I heard the sequel would be a timed exclusive on the Xbox One, I had to make sure to get my hands on it. Granted I’ve only played a couple hours of the game due to Fallout 4, but the experience is everything I enjoyed in a Tomb Raider game, but feels a lot more open. Whether it’s the additional tombs to uncover of expanding Lara’s impressive arsenal, there is plenty for me to experience and enjoy.
And no, I did not have to resort to microtransactions to advance further.
AVOID: Call of Duty: Black Ops 3
Yes I’ve played Call of Duty games since CoD 2 was an Xbox 360 launch title, but starting with Ghosts, the game finally started to get stale for me. Yes, I enjoyed the single player campaign of Advanced Warfare, but I couldn’t even get more than two missions into Black Ops 3 without being bored. Even worse, good luck trying to get into multiplayer games without being camped non-stop. This was the first CoD game I had to send back to Gamefly the same day I picked it up.
MUST PLAY: Halo 5 Guardians
Call me a hypocrite but unlike Black Ops 3, I am actually enjoying the single player campaign of Halo 5. When I get asked about what I like most about Halo 5, it’s how much “faster” the game feels compared to previous Halo titles. Granted I’m only about 4 chapters into the game (again because of Fallout 4,) but I have to say those who complained about Spartan Locke are taking their complaints out of proportion. The addition of special powers help add to the game. Admittedly I didn’t get started with the multiplayer, but despite my past experiences with campers online I’ll still give it a try.
AVOID (Especially if you hate multiplayer) Star Wars: Battlefront
My disdain for the Battlefield series is well known. I still to this day call the series “Camperfield” because of how you can’t even last five seconds without a high level player camping you. Balltefront is the same type of game, only with a Star Wars facelift. But where the Battlefield series at least has a single player campaign, Battlefront does not. There are training and missions available for single player, but the rest of the game is all multiplayer. And as for the multiplayer side of the game some of the modes available, such as Fighter Squadron, are fun in short bursts, but like any typical Battlefield game, good luck trying to last while playing Supremacy mode, a camper’s haven if I ever saw one.
And don’t get me started on the expensive Season Pass, meaning it will cost you $110 to own everything in the game.
PLAY IF YOU HAVE TONS OF BACKWARDS MATERIAL (And can get the Legacy Adapter) Rock Band 4
I will admit, the initial launch of Rock Band 4 was a huge disappointment, especially if you are an Xbox owner moving ahead from Rock Band 3. Seeing as the Legacy Controller Adapter version was near impossible to find unless you spend hundreds of dollars on eBay, those who wanted to play guitar or drums were forced to buy one of the bundles. Then there was the time consuming process of transferring all of your legacy tracks, one song at a time, with some of the songs still listed as needing to be re-bought (I’m still waiting for the whole Doors album to be listed as “Purchased.” But things are slowly improving. Recently those who transferred songs for Green Day Rock Band can be played natively, and soon songs for Rock Band 3 will be transferrable (at a $15 fee.) Hopefully soon songs from RB 1 and 2, as well as the AC/DC Track Pack will be transferred as well. Even further, the Legacy Adapter are now accessible on Amazon and the Mad Catz store, and the first major update to the series will take place on December 8th. With all of these fixes made the game is getting better, but I’m still longing for the return of pro instruments.
AVOID (Unless you like playing to “rent” songs: ) Guitar Hero Live
Want to keep the songs you enjoy playing? Good luck doing that with Guitar Hero Live, a game that completely neglects downloadable content in favor for a pay-per-view streaming service. When I heard that Live would use GHTV instead of song purchases, it left a sour taste in my mouth and made me feel like it would eventually follow the “pay to play” model, even after spending nearly $100 for the game itself! Even more, what happens once Activision kills off the Guitar Hero TV service, and we know that is inevitable? That will render the game virtually unplayable. At least with RB4’s DLC model you know you will own the songs in your library.
Many of you can consider this the start of a “best and worst” of the year’s list, and that might end up being true. But the final list will come in a few weeks, as well as my annual awards. But for those who want to know what else needs to be played along with the excellent Fallout 4, I hope this helps you all out.
Currently Playing: Fallout 4 (come on, did you think these distractions would actually work for long?) Halo 5, Rise of the Tomb Raider
Waiting For: Rainbow Six Siege (please let there at least be some decent single player content, especially in comparison to Star Wars Battlefront.)