We’ve entered Mariah’s month, and while we’re helpless against her catchy tunes, we still have some video games to suggest for this coming holiday season.
Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O World Stage
Platforms: PC, PlayStation & Xbox | Price: $20
The Untitled Virtua Fighter game, likely to be called “Virtua Fighter 6,” won’t be shipping out of Santa’s factory anytime soon, so what do you get the fighting game enjoyer in an age of excellent fighters like Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8, Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection, and Guilty Gear Strive? Why not one of Japan’s original esports games, Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage!
Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage is the latest update to the legendary Virtua Fighter 5, adding a first for the series – the eponymous single player mode, World Stage. This new campaign mode has players face off against CPU opponents whose gameplay is modeled on real-life pros. Dural joins the fray as additional DLC (though she is not tournament legal), and the roster can earn their “E” costumes in World Tour. Most importantly, Sega has seen fit to give Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage crossplay and rollback netcode, which are sure to keep this game in rotation until the next one comes out. (Branford)
Digimon Story: Time Stranger
Platforms: PC, PlayStation & Xbox | Price: $70
Digimon Story: Time Stranger is a turn-based game firing on all cylinders. It has a fast and intriguing opening, and a cast of characters worth caring about. The combat is where it really shines, though, with a weakness and strength system that offers a ton of strategy when it comes to creating your team. The Digimon themselves all look fantastic, and the evolution system provides so many options that I had a ton of influence over how my Digimon evolves. If you like turn-based RPGs or have any love for Digimon, Digimon Story: Time Stranger is the real deal. (James)
I’ve been having a lot of fun with Digimon Story: Time Stranger, the follow-up to the Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth games. Taking the role of an agent of ADAMAS, a secret organization, the player gets to explore the human world and the digital world, both full of Digimon. When tracking a fairly large anomaly in 2028, the agent is sent back in time to earlier in the decade. Still in contact with an ADAMAS agent from the future, the player must solve mysteries, participate in card battles, convert and digivolve, and track anomalies to save Tokyo and get back to their own timeline. Turn-based battles are swift and fun with the addition of agent skills and cross arts, and with over 450 Digimon to collect, it’s got a lot of game for the price. Digimon can also have their stats maxed out again, something sorely missing from Hacker’s Memory. Digimon Story: Time Stranger would make a great gift to any RPG or Digimon fan this holiday season. (Nick)
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii
Platforms: PC, PlayStation & Xbox | Price: $29.99 until 12/11 (MSRP: $60)
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is shockingly good. My expectations were muted after The Man Who Erased His Name, a game with a fascinating story and some fun mini-games, but it felt like a sidestep rather than a step forward in the Like a Dragon franchise. Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, on the other hand, feels like a few steps forward. I’ve been having a blast sailing the seas around Hawaii as a pirate, finding treasure, bolstering my crew, customizing my ship, and competing in pirate battles at the coliseum.
While not the first time fan-favorite Goro Majima has taken a protagonist role, this is his first solo mission in the series. Washing up on the shores of a small island outside of Hawaii, the Mad Dog of Shimano wakes up to discover he has no memory of how he got there. Joined by a spunky kid, his pet tiger, the kid’s father, and a former pirate captain’s personal chef, Majima goes on a quest of self-discovery. Of course, that all gets sidetracked once he discovers the pirate den of Madlantis and its pirate coliseum. The action combat is great, the mini-games are some of my favorites in the series, and there’s so much to do in Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, a great game for fans of action RPGs and Japanese culture. (Nick)
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
Platforms: PC, PlayStation & Xbox | Price: $70
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 brings the series back to its gritty, covert-ops roots, with a campaign full of shadowy government programs and the kind of twisty storytelling Black Ops fans expect. Multiplayer feels fast and punchy again, with classic three-lane maps and movement changes that actually help the flow instead of getting in the way. Even SBMM has been tweaked, so matches feel more natural and less like every lobby is a tournament. Zombies leans darker and more survival-focused, pushing you to stay mobile instead of hiding in one corner. Overall, it feels like Treyarch tightened things up in all the right places—familiar, but sharper. (Will)
Call of Duty has been a seasonal event in my life since Call of Duty 2. Now here we are again with Black Ops 7 with an all-new co-op campaign full of a strange, reality-bending story. Where Black Ops 7 really shines is its refined run-and-gun multiplayer. What I really like is the omni-movement system—letting folks do a bit of wall running, mantling, and sprinting in nearly every single direction. The speed is crazy, but the perfect way for an old man like me to unwind at the end of a day. If you are craving that modern COD multiplayer experience, and it has become a holiday tradition for you as it has for me, you already know to pick up Black Ops 7, but hey, this year, you might make sure your friends grab it too for that co-op campaign. (Austin)
Persona 3 Reload
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation & Xbox | Price: $60 (PC: $26.99)
Do you know someone who never let the calendar turn to 2010? Do they still have a flip phone? Is “Blame It” still on their playlist? Well, Persona 3 Reload is the perfect gift! As the year unfolds, you follow the protagonist in a journey that feels shockingly similar to Persona 5 Royal, with S.E.E.S. coming together to conquer the dreaded Dark Hour. Though there are many upgrades from the OG Persona 3, the most useful of them is probably the rewind feature. While in Persona 4 and 5, you were given grace if you did not meet some very ominous deadlines, Persona 3 was happy to give you a game over for missing them. In addition, the network feature found in Persona 5 is here again, so even if you aren’t sure what to do or just need some help answering a tough question in class, you have some guidance. And who knows, maybe your gift receiver may just discover their own hidden pocket of time in 2009 while they’re at it. (Branford)
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds
Platforms: PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, PC| Price: $48.99
I’ve been pretty uninterested in kart racers after burning myself out on Mario Kart over the years, but I remember enjoying one of the earlier Sonic racing games a massive amount, so I was excited to give Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds a go. I was met with a game that really took hold of me with its beautiful presentation, tight racing mechanics, and environments so pretty and full of references to SEGA properties that you might take your eyes off the race a little too long. This one introduces a TON of customization to your karts, and that is something that will always earn points with me as I tweak and build myself the perfect machine to race with. Being able to switch between driving, flying, and boating, each with its own quirks, felt great, and there were plenty of ways to take shortcuts by knowing and using those quirks to your advantage. What really made every race feel fresh, though, was the warping mechanic that replaces the second lap with a course from another world to race on. I really enjoyed seeing all of them over time, and they make it even more engaging when introducing modifiers to certain worlds, like unlimited boosting during it. I had a blast with Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, and anyone with some love for racing games should check it out. (Frank)
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed is probably my favorite all-time kart racer, and the more I play Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, the closer it comes to giving it a run for its money. For whatever reason, most kart racers have never done it for me, but SEGA has understood some secret formula to make it click for me. The tracks are pure spectacle. I love the implementation of transforming between car, plane, and boat. The music’s great, and the driving itself feels super tight as you effortlessly drift around corners. Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds takes what worked in Transformed and elevates it by letting you build your own vehicle and even change how you race with the gadget system. Good enough to always be near the top and hate being targeted all the time? Equip the gadget that makes defense items spawn more often in item boxes! It’s a great way to let you subtly change the way you race without drastically messing up the core of the game. And that’s not to mention the warp mechanic that allows you to warp into another stage’s track for a lap that really adds a good kick of variety to the races, as you never know what world might come up in the warp ring. If there were one gripe, it’d be the severe lack of SEGA characters compared to Transformed’s roster. I just want to race as Ryo in his arcade cabinet or B.D. Joe dammit! (Diego)
2025 has been a year of kart racers, and if you’re looking for the best out there, without having to spend on any new hardware, Sonic Racing is back with quite the extensive entry. It’s been a while since I’ve dipped into the Sonic Racing world, and wow, is it refreshing to see how deep the racing and metaprogression have become. While the guest characters roster is pretty small right now, it looks like they are steadily adding and are committed to supporting the game long term. Kart racing isn’t a genre I usually stick with, but the compelling nature of the dynamic races, where tracks include a portal to another track for a lap, and the depth of progression and customization should keep me busy for months to come. (Austin)
