Christmas Games to Look Forward To - Part One

What will fill your tray this Summer?

Our picks of the top multi-platform games of the Summer concludes, with the last big multi-platform games of the year.

Stay tuned later in the week for part two, in which we list our picks of the best of the platform-exclusive games planned for the end of the year.

Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two
(360, PS3, PC, Wii - November 18th)

The original Epic Mickey was a very well regarded game in which Mickey was sucked into a world for forgotten Disney characters, and had to embark on a quest to save it. Part two continues along similar lines, but introduces a killer new feature: co-op. By painting or remote controlling things, players must embark on a family-friendly journey to save the world once more. Based purely on the awesomeness of the first one, we're picking this to be something special for fans of the genre.

Hitman: Absolution (360, PS3, PC - November 20th)

The fifth iteration in the series, and the first since Blood Money in 2006 (!), Absolution continues the narrative of a killer in search of his past. A stealth / action title, this big-budget production not only looks good but, with voiceover actors like Powers Boothe and Vivicia Fox, is sure to sound good too.

PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale
(PS3, Vita - November 22nd)

If you like Super Smash Bros., chances are you'll like this - or at least, that's what Sony appear to be thinking. The game isn't a direct copy of Nintendo's franchise, however, with some key mechanics being markedly different across both of the character-based brawlers. Looks like fun, regardless of where you sit on the "original ideas" bandwagon.

Far Cry 3 (360, PS3, PC - November 29th)

It's been four years since the last Far Cry game, and it looks like this new one is gonna be crazy. Literally. If you're not convinced by the trailer, be sure to check out Jess's preview; it's a wonderful retelling of her experiences at E3 and helps to underline just how bonkers playing the game can be.


That's not all, of course, with new iterations of FIFA, NBA 2K, and WWE also dropping in the same timeframe. If you like the LEGO games, you'll be excited for the Lord of the Rings version, and if Activision's recent Bond games float your boat, you'll be looking forward to 007: Legends too. We're still waiting on the official release date of Rugby League Live 2, but we expect that to also appear sometime in this hectic pre-Christmas period.

And that's not even mentioning the bevy of interesting, download-only games from Indie developers as well as efforts by experimental teams from within larger companies, each of which will be releasing across all manner of download-capable consoles and computers.

Decisions, decisions; what are your picks? What would you like to get, but won't make the cut come day one? What did we miss, that's a major highlight for you?

Let us know in the comments what game you're most looking forward to and why, and you could win it, just for taking part in the discussion.

Be sure to look out for part two of our Christmas preview, in which we take a look at the platform-exclusive games worth looking forward to this year.