You’ve managed to stay off the naughty list this year, so we’ve got three very different gifts for you this holiday season. The first is Worms Battlegrounds for Xbox One, an artillery-based game of annelid annihilation, which should handle your multiplayer strategy fix. On Xbox 360, you get two totally different titles: The Raven: Legacy of a Master Thief and SSX. The first places you in a graphic adventure set in the 1960s, on the trail of a dapper art thief known as the Raven. The second, a modern day reinvention of one of the most critically acclaimed arcade franchises of all-time, allows you to experience the franchise’s signature fun and adrenaline-packed gameplay across iconic mountain ranges all over the world. As usual, all games are available only for a limited time, as part of the ongoing Games with Gold program, so find a buddy (or not), and jump in!
Worms Battlegrounds ($24.99 ERP): Available from December 1-31 on Xbox One
The latest game in the Worms series is bigger, badder, and filled with more weapons and abilities than ever before. Your job is to command an army of weaponized worms against a rival force, using the arsenal at your disposal. You aim shots – and then gravity, wind, the type of weapon you’re using, the enemy’s defenses, and a whole bunch of other factors determine whether you hit, and how much damage you inflict. Terrain is deformable, and worms are surprisingly hardy, so beware the consequences of an errant or hastily placed shot. Worms Battlegrounds is both single-player and multiplayer, so you can test your artillery ability against the A.I. before trying your tactics out against a real-world foe. This is a huge game with tons of levels and weapons to choose from, so the depth will keep you busy well into the new year.
The Raven: Legacy of a Master Thief ($9.99 ERP): Available from December 1-15 on Xbox 360
The Raven: Legacy of a Master Thief is a period piece filled with the atmospheric depth of Europe in the 1960s. You’ll travel to many locations, experience beautifully drawn environments, and scratch your head at some challenging puzzles – all in pursuit of the titular Raven. He’s not a bird, of course, but an art thief who leaves telltale black feathers at the scenes of his crimes in order to taunt (or perhaps entice) the detectives pursuing him. In the first episode, you have to pursue the thief and catch him before he can steal a legendary gem: the Eye of the Sphinx. The Eye is traveling from Switzerland back to its original home in Egypt, and there are many opportunities for an enterprising burglar to pilfer it. You’ll need to follow clues and use your intelligence to make sure that doesn’t happen.
SSX ($19.99 ERP): Available from December 16-31 on Xbox 360
Also on Xbox 360 this December is SSX, a modern day reinvention of one of the most critically acclaimed arcade franchises of all-time, which allows players to experience the franchise’s signature fun and adrenaline-packed gameplay across iconic mountain ranges all over the world. Utilizing NASA topographical satellite data, they’ve mapped out a Massive World for players to explore. Using a Google-Earth inspired interface, navigate throughout nine expansive mountain ranges and regions, each with multiple peaks and multiple drops. SSX packs reality-defying gameplay into every run letting players Race, Trick and Survive down huge open mountains.
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