Cora-Laine Moynihan
It’s that time of year again where we spend our days fumbling around, searching for the perfect gift, and finding something to fill our days off with. In light of the festive season, Cora delves into her Xbox game recommendations.
It’s that lust amongst the pine needles, the dusting of sugar atop treats, and the tearing of paper as presents are unveiled that leaves us craving, yearning for that one special gift. A desire so deeply buried that it becomes a part of your being. And it’s that tingling moment when you get to your last gift, your whole body electrified, that you get want you wanted. The ribbon is removed. The paper is torn. And there, lying in the recycling mess is pure treasure. The one game you’ve wanted all year for your Xbox.
But what happens when you don’t know what game you want? The answer: I won’t let you get to that point.
I have spent 364 days researching, examining, and reviewing the greatest Xbox games of this year… of all time. I’ve eaten like Santa, slept like Santa, and lived like Santa as he does all year round, waiting for this moment to share my findings with you. As Christmas Eve is to Santa, this article is to me.
Now, let us delve into the greatest of the great.
The Elder Scrolls: Any of the games
“Stop! You’ve violated the law. Pay the court a fine or serve your sentence.”
Dare I say more? This behemoth of RPGs has stolen the hearts of many gamers so much so that I couldn’t select just one of the games in The Elder Scrolls franchise.
This series has survived the test of time, with numerous mods and memes bringing it back to the public eye. From its character personalisation, a massive open-world to explore that never gets boring, to the immense lore developed behind its narrative. You can never get bored of The Elder Scrolls.
Forza Horizon 5
Swerving from the medieval period of The Elder Scrolls, we now return to the modern-day, where dust clouds gather behind you as you speed across the desert.
Driving games are not as popular as they were in the late 1990s or 2000s, but Forza Horizon is a franchise that is a gift that keeps on giving. With the latest instalment, car fanatics can go wild at the insane detail put into the designs of the cars, beautiful graphics of every terrain Mexico has to offer, and new tools to create custom events that are indistinguishable from ones designed by the actual developers. Across the board, Forza Horizon 5 is an amazing addition to the franchise and holds all of the positives of racing games.
Halo Infinite
Does extra-terrestrial life exist? Can we shoot them? The answers in Halo are yes and yes. And Halo Infinite does not disappoint.
Halo Infinite is set in 2560, several years after Halo 5, and takes place on Zeto Halo, another planet waiting for you to explore in this open-world first-person shooter.
The single-player campaign returns to its roots, maintaining a level of freedom and combat missing from its predecessors. Though, moving away from the original story of the Halo franchise, it is a welcome breath of fresh air to such a long-standing franchise.
It Takes Two
Want to know a secret? This co-op game is has won the title of Game of the Year at the annual Game Awards, speaking volumes as to why it’s a great pick to play this winter.
Now, this platformer game is a tad different from the others, in that you can’t play it alone. But, that doesn’t mean it is worth any less of your time. It Takes Two is a wonderful look into married life as you play as a husband and wife duo, shifting endlessly from one bonkers gameplay to another. From solving puzzles to defeating giant squirrels, there’s never a dull moment in this game.
So this Christmas, as you receive your gift and carefully unwrap it, which game do you want?
Cora-Laine Moynihan
Featured image courtesy of Mika Baumeister via Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
In-article videos courtesy of Bethesda Softworks , Xbox , IGN and Electronic Arts via youtube.com. No changes made to these videos.
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