The Games of December 2018

Posted on December 3, 2018 by Warp Zoned Staff

The New Releases shelf is usually a barren wasteland in December as game publishers want their hot new titles out before Black Friday. But that is definitely not the case this year, and players looking for new games to play during the next four weeks will have a healthy selection to choose from. Especially if you’re the sort of person who loves retro revivals or the slightly goofier side of gaming.

Thankfully, we here at Warp Zoned love those types of games, and you can find out exactly what we’re looking forward to this month after the break.

Persona 3: Dancing In Moonlight (December 4)
Persona 5: Dancing In Starlight (December 4)
Nicole Kline: One of my favorite games I played this year was Persona 4: Dancing All Night, a rhythm game that is totally canon in the Persona universe. It’s no surprise then that I am super excited for the Persona Dancing: Endless Night Collection, which includes both Persona 3: Dancing In Moonlight and Persona 5: Dancing In Starlight (the games will be available individually as well).

I actually cried when I was at PAX West this year and I saw both games on the Atlus banner, and I cried even more while playing them. I even cried while playing the demos, which are available right now on the PlayStation Network! I can’t recommend these games enough and I’m really looking forward to what some of my favorite characters get up to.

Battle Princess Madelyn (December 6)
John Scalzo: Capcom finally gave Mega Man another moment in the sun with the launch of Mega Man 11 earlier this year. But fans hoping for one more glimpse of Arthur’s heart-covered boxers have had to content themselves with a Marvel Vs Capcom: Infinite appearance and nothing more.

Thanfully, Casual Bit Games is here to remedy this omission with the upcoming release of Battle Princess Madelyn. Serving as a loving homage to Capcom’s Ghouls N Ghosts franchise, the game was partially designed and developed by a nine-year-old child (who is also named Madelyn). Judging from the trailers and gameplay videos, little Madelyn absolutely understands what makes an SNES-style side-scroller work, and I can’t wait to try it out.

Katamari Damacy Reroll (December 7)
John Scalzo: Na! Na Na Na, Na, Na Na Na! The King of All Cosmos and the little Prince will return this month in a glorious package that recreates the original game for the PC and the Switch. It’s been almost 15 years since I first played Katamari Damacy, and seeing the wacky roll-em-up in high definition (and with the original soundtrack intact) is like a dream come true.
 

Nicole Kline: If you know me even one iota, you know that one of my favorite games of all time is Katamari Damacy! So I am beyond thrilled that it’s being remastered for the Switch as Katamari Damacy Reroll. It’s not just about being excited to play it… it’s about being genuinely happy that an entirely new generation of gamers are going to get a chance to see this quirky, wonderful masterpiece (Sidenote: This is the best time to get into Katamari, because Mondo, Insert Coin, and Fangamer have all launched gorgeous Katamari lines!).

Andrew Rainnie: In news that is sure to disappoint Nicole, I have never played a Katamari Damacy game! But now that it is coming to the Nintendo Switch, I feel like I need to explore this world of things before it passes me by again. But I’ll probably new give the gyro controls a miss (I’ll try them, but I’m just not a fan) while I roll around gathering stuff amidst the Katamari madness.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (December 7)
John Scalzo: Both Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat have received “EVERYONE!” entries over the years (insert your own Gary Oldman GIF here), and now the Super Smash Bros. franchise gets a chance to throw decades of fighters into the ring to battle it out. But I’m also very excited to try out the “World of Light” campaign. Smash Bros. Brawl’s “Subspace Emissary” was a lot of fun, and I have equally high hopes for “World of Light.”

Andrew Rainnie: I did purchase Super Smash Bros For Wii U, but weirdly, I don’t remember playing it nearly as much as I did Melee on the GameCube or Brawl on the Wii. However, the thing that is luring me back to the series is not the INSANE roster of characters, but the Spirits and how they work, both in the game and in the single-player story.

I still haven’t signed up for Nintendo’s online service yet, but if I buy Smash Bros. Ultimate, I’ll probably do so, if only so every six-year-old in the world can beat me into submission (like they did in Splatoon 2!).

Earth Defense Force 5 (December 11)
John Scalzo: I’ve always said that the Earth Defense Force franchise is the closest we’ll ever get to a Starship Troopers game, blasting away at wave-after-wave of alien insects has yet to feel old. You also need to look past the janky graphics and controls, and accept them as part of the charm (again, not unlike Paul Verhoeven’s excellent film). But while each of the games in the franchise might look ridiculous on the surface, they’re also extremely fun to play. Would I like to know more? Yes.

(Also… I’m aware, for this analogy to work, that we need to ignore the handful of actual Starship Troopers games out there.)

Gris (December 13)
Nicole Kline: One of the best surprises about the Switch has been not just how many third-party games have come out for it, but how many gorgeous and fantastic indie games have been releasing on it as well. Gris is about to join my digital library, and I’m hoping it’s as good as it looks. With its platforming puzzles, it’s right up my alley, and I can’t wait to spend a lot of time with it this month.
 

Andrew Rainnie: Despite Super Smash Bros. deploying in December, Gris is the game I am most looking forward to. With its haunting soundtrack and gorgeous watercolour graphics, wvery video and trailer I have watched has taken my breath away. It’s like Journey and Rime had a 2D baby and named it Gris.

Like those games, the focus appears to be not on beating the game or collecting objects, but experiencing a journey, living and surviving through a traumatic order. As we edge slowly away from the “all guns/all the time” mentality that is prevalent in video game culture, this looks like a game that will play at our heartstrings as much as we will play it.

What are you looking forward to this month? More games scheduled to be released in December 2018 can be found right here…

December 4, 2018

  • Just Cause 4 (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
  • Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom (PS4, Switch, Xbox One)
  • Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight (PS4, Vita)
  • Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight (PS4, Vita)
  • Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales (PC, PS4, Xbox One)

December 6, 2018

December 7, 2018

December 11, 2018

December 13, 2018

  • Gris (PC, Switch)

December 14, 2018

  • Below (PC, Xbox One)
  • Borderlands 2 VR (PS4)

December 17, 2018

December 18, 2018

December 20, 2018

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