Struggling to think of what to grab that special someone and get an early head start on Christmas shopping? Let us take the hard part out of holiday shopping for you with our holiday gift guide!
JOLLY HARDWARE
Afterglow Wave Wired Controller for PC and Xbox – $45
PDP has been a pretty reliable mainstay with their various lines of gaming hardware, and this time I got to try out their Afterglow Wave wired controller. First thing you’ll notice is that it’s definitely a looker with the wavy glowing RGB lighting on the controller; I think excessive lights on a thing look silly in a fun way and the Afterglow Wave definitely fits that criteria; the lights are also customizable via a PDP app you can install on your PC. On top of that, the Afterglow Wave also sports two programmable backpedal buttons that you can customize on that same app as well along with a variety of other controller options you can tweak like dead zones. It’s wired, with an eight foot cable, so wireless enthusiasts might want to try checking out another of PDP’s controllers. As for how it feels in the hands, pretty solid honestly. I’m a bit preferable to the grippiness of the new Starfield Xbox controller, but I know there’s an audience who prefer smoother controllers and the Afterglow Wave will definitely satisfy those players. All in all, I had a pretty good time with the Afterglow Wave and it’s definitely keeping a spot on the shelf with my other controllers for co-op nights.
FROSTY GAMES
Octopath Traveler 2 – $60
Octopath Traveler really failed to capture me in any meaningful way. I love characters and as a narrative guy, I was really hopeful about how they were going to accomplish their goal of having eight people travel with disconnected stories. The way the characters’ stories were so isolated didn’t work for me, it was sloppy, and it really turned me off from seeing the game through to the end. In the short time I’ve spent with Octopath Traveler 2 I was able to see a big improvement in the way the characters are built, interact, and maneuver their stories. I’ve especially loved the stories built around Hikari, Partitio, and Osvald. Likewise, I’m just enjoying the new characters more than the original. Even the battle system feels tuned up, although that was hardly a complaint from the first game. Paired with an incredible soundtrack and some of the best pixel art you’ve seen in a video game, Octopath Traveler 2 is a huge step up from its predecessor. If you missed out on launch, maybe consider OT2 for a little holiday treat.
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name – $50
You can’t keep a guy like Kiryu out of the game for long. After the events of Yakuza 6, Kiryu faked his death and does odd jobs for the Daidoji faction under the brilliantly chosen name “Joryu”. As you can expect, Kiryu is a pretty noticeable guy and people see through his guise of… a pair of sunglasses practically immediately despite his insistence that he’s never heard of a “Kiryu” before in his life. Things escalate and to protect the orphanage Kiryu has to get down and dirty. Like a Dragon Gaiden is a bit different from past Yakuza games in that it’s a pretty short bite of a game, clocking in at around ten to fifteen hours and functions as an “in-between” to explain Kiryu’s whereabouts between Yakuza 7 and 8. Most notable is Kiryu’s fancy new “agent” fighting style that sees him using wires to whip goons around Spider-Man style, or some literal rock boots that allows you to comically knock foes over. It’s an incredibly refreshing fighting style compared to Kiryu’s usual “yakuza” style which is still in the game. All the trademark side attractions of the series are here as well like karaoke or arcades filled with classic Sega titles, and the notable new inclusion is the battle arena that can be found in a literal castle that’s plopped on a tanker ship out in the ocean. Whether you’re new to the series, or just looking for a quick fix before Yakuza 8 drops next year, you can’t go wrong with picking up Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name.
Starfield – $70
If you’re a fan of Bethesda Game Studios’ Fallout and The Elder Scrolls series, you’ll feel right at home with Starfield, their latest game. The game’s main focus is on space exploration, with an overarching main story to guide you. The game is designed to be dense and doesn’t provide a lot of explanation of what it does, allowing players to figure things out as they go. Completing everything in this game could take well over 100 hours. The gameplay can range from space combat to exploring a planet with low gravity, customizing your home, and setting up trade routes. If you’re looking for a game that you can enjoy for a long time, Starfield is a perfect choice. You can read our review of the game for more information.
Street Fighter 6 – $60
I’m a fan of Street Fighter V, but it definitely failed to capture the spirit of the fighting community in the same way SF4 did. Cue Street Fighter 6 that’s added a much appreciated shot of adrenaline in the community. The World Tour mode is an insanely refreshing shakeup that Street Fighter, and fighting games in general, have been desperately needing for a while now. Running around Metro City in my monstrosity of a custom character as I square up on any old man who looks my way is stupidly fun. Jumping from there to the Battle Hub where you can meet up with other players, again showcasing my horrid custom character creation, I probably had the most fun in a fighting game’s hub space where you can play normal matches or even play older Capcom titles like Super Street Fighter II Turbo, Captain Commando and more. As someone who’s always on and off with fighting games, it’s great to have one come up and fire up that old motivation to learn the ins and outs of each character and Street Fighter 6’s robust training mode is great at facilitating that. It’s got a pretty impressive suite of tutorials to make sure you really understand the mechanics of the game and how each character works within it. If you’re a longtime fighting game fan, or looking to finally dip your toes into the genre, Street Fighter 6 is an easy recommendation.
