December 4 (continued)
Uncharted: Fight for Fortune
Platform: PlayStation Vita (PSN)
EU: December 4
Delivering a new spin on the action-adventure franchise, Uncharted: Fight for Fortune serves up a card-based experience that both supplements this year's Uncharted: Golden Abyss on PlayStation Vita and works independently. Playable in both single-player and online multiplayer modes, Fight for Fortune builds a card game around the characters and items of the Vita launch title, with premium expansion packs based on the console iterations. And if you have Golden Abyss, you can import cards into that game and use their perks during the adventure. At just $5, it's an affordable--and hopefully enjoyable--tweak on the series.
007 Legends
Platform: Wii U
EU: TBD
We didn't have the most enthusiastic response to 007 Legends when it hit other platforms in October, and seeing how developer Eurocom was recently gutted, we're not expecting anything significantly different from this late Wii U iteration. "While it has a smattering of good ideas, they’re buried beneath concepts so tired, you’ll have a hard time caring," explained our review. One of the major issues was that the final chapter of the game--based on current Bond flick, Skyfall--was lobbed off and saved for a later DLC release, leaving the game without an ending. With luck, it'll be ready and waiting for Wii U players, whether on the disc or as a day one download.
Rise of the Guardians: The Video Game
Platform: Wii U
EU: Out
Based on the Dreamworks Animation CG flick, which itself adapts William Joyce's series of The Guardians of Childhood children's books, Rise of the Guardians: The Video Game serves up a four-player action experience with drop-in multiplayer, wherein you'll play as the likes of Jack Frost and heroes based on Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy. Team attacks and upgradeable abilities are a core part of this licensed battler, which was released on other platforms just days ago. It's unclear whether the Wii U release will deliver much added functionality or simply retain the framework of the previous releases.
Rapala Pro Fishing 2012
Platform: Wii U
EU: TBD
Much like the Wii U version of Cabela's Dangeous Hunts 2013, we haven't actually seen this Activision sporting affair in action, though we do have a list of facts. Rapala Pro Fishing 2012 promises motion controls, which has us suspecting a stronger emphasis on the Wii Remote than the GamePad, plus the game includes plenty of officially licensed Rapala gear and more than 25 species of fish to catch. It also offers "simultaneous multiplayer," though it's unclear if that's split between the TV and GamePad or if it's just split-screen TV play. Whatever the case, it's the only fishing game for Wii U on the horizon.
December 5
The Book of Unwritten Tales: The Critter Chronicles
Platform: PC
EU: January 22, 2013
While it flew under the radar of many players, last year's English release of The Book of Unwritten Tales was a hit with point-and-click adventure fans, delivering an amusing take (the title should give that away) on the genre. German developer King Art is back with The Critter Chronicles, a prequel tale that builds upon the point-and-click formula while exploring earlier story threads in the series. The Critter Chronicles flips back to when hero Nate Bonnett and fuzzy sidekick Critter first crossed paths, letting you play as both in the process, and features a colorful aesthetic and what looks to be a still-stellar sense of humor.
Resistance Collection
Platform: PlayStation 3
EU: TBD
Continuing Sony's recent trend of bundling up complete series of PlayStation 3 favorites, the Resistance Collection includes all three Insomniac-developed console entries in the shooter franchise. Resistance: Fall of Man is the original PS3 launch affair, with its strikingly intense campaign, while sequel Resistance 2 added eight-player online co-op. Last year's excellent Resistance 3 scales back the feature set a bit to deliver a fantastic and more emotional adventure, which seemed to cap off Insomniac's efforts with the franchise. Pack in some DLC for R2 and R3 and at $40, it's a heck of a deal for PS3 shooter fans who skipped out on the series in the past.
