【2011 Archives】

Don't dive into your 2016 backlog just yet011 Archives 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.

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 Makerfor 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 Icoand 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 4brings 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 Sunshineis 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 Potterwizard duels meets the urban magic of Doctor Strange. That's The Unspokensummed 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 Withinis a different kind of VR game. Similar to the IRL party games like Mafiaor 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 40Kuniverse, but don't let a lack of fandom deter you. Space Hulk: Deathwingis 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 Warhammerdraw, there's a lot to like about that.

Available for: PC

Super Mario Run (Dec. 15)

Don't be fooled by Miitomo; Super Mario Runis 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 Deadseries 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