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The Best Games of 2014: December Releases

After a crowded month of releases, December promises to keep everything light and straightforward. Game of Thrones, The Crew and Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker are just a few of the titles that will keep this month both diverse and interesting. Below is a quick list of 8 games that will keep everyone busy this holiday season.

Full Title: Game of Thrones – Episode 1: Iron From Ice
Developer: Telltale Games
Publisher: Telltale Games
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, iOS, Android, OS X, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
Release Date: December 2nd on PS4, PC and Mac, December 3rd on Xbox One and Xbox 360, December 4th on iOS, and December 9th on PS3

Game of Thrones – Episode 1: Iron From Ice is the highly anticipated debut episode from Telltale’s adaptation of the iconic series. With George R. R. Martin’s guidance and a storyline centered around the House Forrester family, fans are expected to get the absolute best that all parties have to offer. If you’re a fan of both the books and TV show, then picking this up on day one should be a no-brainer.

Full Title: Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix
Developer: Square Enix 1st Production Department
Publisher: Square Enix
Platforms: PlayStation 3
Release Date: December 2nd (North America) December 5th (Europe)

Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix is the latest remastered collection of Kingdom Hearts games including Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix and Kingdom Hearts Re:coded. If you enjoyed what Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix had to offer, then you’ll absolutely love this timeless collection too.

Full Title: The Crew
Developer: Ivory Tower and Ubisoft Reflections
Publisher: Ubisoft
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC and Xbox 360
Release Date: December 2nd (North America and Europe)

The Crew is an ambitious open world racing game developed by Ivory Tower and Ubisoft Reflections. This brand new IP is expected to feature a healthy dose of both single and multiplayer missions to keep racing game fans busy all month long. If you’re looking for a new racing game to sink your teeth into, then The Crew should definitely be on your radar.

Full Title: Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
Developer: Nintendo EAD Tokyo
Publisher: Nintendo
Platforms: Wii U
Release Date: December 5th (North America) January 2nd (Europe)

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is a unique puzzle platformer and a spinoff of a mini-game that originally appeared in Super Mario 3D World. This was one game that surprised Nintendo fans during E3 2014 and has just enough charm and creativity to interest everyone. If you own a Wii U and want to try something different, then this may be worth taking a deeper look at.

Full Title: Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris
Developer: Crystal Dynamics
Publisher: Square Enix
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC
Release Date: December 9th (North America and Europe)

Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris is the sequel to Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light. This downloadable title offers cooperative gameplay experiences for up to four people. If you enjoyed playing Guardian of Light with friends, then chances are you’ll get the same amount of enjoyment out of this title too.

Full Title: Final Fantasy XIII-2
Developer: Square Enix
Publisher: Square Enix
Platforms: PC
Release Date: December 11th (North America and Europe)

Final Fantasy XIII-2 finally arrives on PC later this month. Fans can expect plenty of new features including enhanced graphics and larger interactive environments to explore. If you held off on buying the original game when it launched back in 2012, then now is the perfect time to pick it up.

Full Title: Elite: Dangerous
Developer: Frontier Developments
Publisher: Frontier Developments
Platforms: PC
Release Date: December 16th (North America and Europe)

Elite: Dangerous is an upcoming space adventure, trading and combat simulator developed by the talented team over at Frontier Developments. This game is also the fourth installment in the Elite series of video games. If you’re into space combat simulators, then this game may be worth your time and money.

Full Title: Guilty Gear Xrd – SIGN-
Developer: Arc System Works Team Red
Publisher: Aksys Games
Platforms: PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3
Release Date: December 16th (North America and Europe)

Guilty Gear Xrd – SIGN- is the fifth installment out of the popular 2D fighting game series. This brawler was released in arcades earlier this year and is now coming to both the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 later this month. If you’ve grown tired of other fighting games that are currently on the market, then you owe it to yourself to check this game out.

Honorable Mentions:

December 2nd:

Fantasy Hero Unsigned Legacy (PlayStation Vita)

December 3rd:

Chivalry: Medieval Warfare (PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360)

December 4th:

Dead State (PC)

December 5th:

NES Remix Pack (Wii U)

Ultimate NES Remix (Nintendo 3DS)

December 9th:

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy (Nintendo 3DS)

December 11th:

BlazBlue: Continuum Shift Extend (PC)

The Talos Principle (PC and PlayStation 4)

December 12th:

Halo: Spartan Strike (PC and Windows Phone)

The King of Fighters ’98 Ultimate Match Final Edition (PC)

December 16th:

Raven’s Cry (PC, Mac and Linux)

November 18th:

Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes (PC)

TBA:

Brandish: The Dark Revenant (PSP and PlayStation Vita)

Class of Heroes 2G (PlayStation 3)

Exogenesis: Perils of Rebirth (PC, Mac and Linux)

The Elder Scrolls Online (PlayStation 4 and Xbox One)

This concludes my list of the best games worth picking up this month. Please note that some of these release dates are subject to change at any given time. Do any of you plan on buying any of the titles listed above? Please feel free to let us know in the comments section below.