What to play in December: The Callisto Protocol, High on Life, Dwarf Fortress

December froze game publishers, and by the New Year and Christmas, most of them will go into hibernation for a whole month. But the first half of the month will delight with both scary and strange products: Dead Space’s dad is back with a new project, the gnome colony is experiencing a rebirth, and the game from the creators of Rick and Morty will be available for free on Gamepass.

Major releases

The Callisto Protocol (PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One) – December 2

Glen Scofield and his Striking Distance Studio seem to be making the big dark horse of this year. A high-budget horror adventure complete from start to finish, no microtransactions, and a surprise mechanic from a small new studio. Players are tormented by the uncertainty of what the game will be.

The protagonist mistakenly becomes a prisoner, wakes up in a cell and sees that the prison station has been captured by unidentified organisms. He has to find survivors, survive on his own, get out of the planet Callisto and get to the truth – where did the monsters come from, who is behind it and who needed it.

The gameplay is also similar to Dead Space: the player makes his way through the dark corridors of the prison of the planet Callisto and destroys monsters. He has both ranged and melee weapons at his disposal – there is a chance to fight off the attackers even if the cartridges have run out. Dismemberment, telekinetic abilities – available.

High on Life (PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One) – December 13

A game from the creator of Rick and Morty is unlikely to appeal to users who are not involved in American culture and the current American agenda. But the game will be on the first day on Xbox Game Pass, and therefore we recommend that all subscribers of the service look at this foolishness.

The main character is a teenager who ended up on an alien planet. People on it are rare and are used as … a drug. Got the level of insanity? But that’s not all. The protagonist, in an attempt to escape, is armed with an organic weapon that… Talks! They speak and comment on what is happening as typical Americans – an African-American shotgun from the ghetto with a characteristic accent and words will mumble into the player’s ear without shutting up.

But there are questions about the gameplay. Video demonstrations at game presentations did not inspire awe: the game looked boring. However, the final cut, if it descends into a non-stop frenzy, might be better.

Dwarf Fortress (PC) – December 6

The unique, first and spawning dozens of clones dwarf colony life simulator is finally getting graphics, a user-friendly interface and is coming to Steam! Your wards will get married, get sick, fight terrible monsters, cause collapses in mines, starve, destroy merchant caravans – the simulation of life here is brought to the ideal.

Minor releases

Predecessor and Paragon: The Overprime (PC) – December 1 and December 8

Before the release of Fortnite, Epic Games had an unusual MOBA game called Paragon. All the action took place from a third person – it changed the feeling of the gameplay, made you think differently during the battles. After the release of Fortnite, the studio decided that it did not need Paragon and closed the project. Epic Games also gave everyone access to the game’s code, models, assets, and brand – even a team of novice developers could make their own Paragon. And such people were found.

The creators of Predecessors and Paragon: The Overprime break into Steam with their own versions of the same game, remaking it slightly: updated graphics and models, improved gameplay. There is a war between the communities of both these games, and everyone says that their version is better. Their dispute will be resolved this month. And perhaps both of these games will die, like their ancestor – which I definitely would not want to see.

Marvel’s Midnight Suns (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S) – December 2

Let’s make a reservation right away – this game is not available either in Russian or in Turkish Steam. There is still no pre-order in the Turkish PlayStation Store. And Denuvo will also be in the game, because the publisher is 2K Games. Probably, the game should already be forgotten and abandoned, however … The problems do not end there.

Turn-based RPG tactics with Marvel heroes relies on card-based gameplay. Before the battle, the heroes will have to build decks, knock out new cards and rely on “card random”. The percentage of hits from X-COM has not gone anywhere either, because the game is made by Firaxis Games.

The full hodgepodge of a failed project is already mixed in a pot with the inscription Midnight Suns. It’s even interesting to see how this product will fail miserably or overcome the hatred of the players and become a success. In the end, however, there is almost no hope.

Need for Speed: Unbound (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S) – December 2

Style taken from the blockbuster “Children vs. Wizards”. Drawings “like in comics” are everywhere: painted smoke from under the wheels; the wings of cars appear when they bounce on bumps; when using nitro, a cute light appears. But it is not clear what audience Electronic Arts is targeting!

The old fans don’t even want to touch it, despite the city’s seemingly good design. And young players will not understand the point in arcade rides “on irons” with hand-drawn effects – they are not interested in it, they start playing with friends in Fortnite any minute. So it turns out that the new Need for Speed ​​is not needed at all by anyone.

Hello Neighbor 2 (PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One) – December 6

“Hi, neighbor!” seems like the perfect co-op horror story where four players hide from an evil player neighbor throughout the house and complete the tasks offered by the game. And yes, there really is such a game – Secret Neighbor!

However, the second part of the “family-oriented horror” is designed for one player, who is given an entire city to explore and find out the secrets of what his neighbors are doing.

Knights of Honor 2: Sovereign (PC) – December 6

Medieval grand strategy, and not from Paradox? Yes, it’s real! The basis is reminiscent of Crusader Kings: the player takes patronage over the state or country, begins to manage them, and the plot is written from his actions. Wars, intrigues, trade, seizure of territories – the standard set of a medieval manager. But unlike Crusader Kings, real-time battles were also added to the game – now not two figures on the global map are fighting, but specifically the army of the player and his opponent. It remains to be seen how Knights of Honor 2 is deeper than its competitor.

Ixion (PC) – December 7

A strategy dedicated to the management of the space station. The player assumes the role of the administrator of the Tiqqun station, and while the scouts are looking for a new home for humanity, he will have to: keep an eye on the colonists, repair the last ark of the earthlings and expand it, plow space and explore the nearest planets. Ixion also won the “Best Strategy” award at the Gamescom 2022 presentation, which means it’s definitely worth paying attention to.

Blacktail (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S) – December 15

Baba Yaga, before becoming a cult villain of Slavic mythology, also started somewhere. The creators of Blacktail just decided to take a look at these events in their debut game. The girl, who was expelled from her native village, will have to: learn to survive, hunt, perform magic, brew potions and survive in the wild. At least the project looks entertaining and attracts with a picture.

Remasters, remakes, reissues

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII REUNION (PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch) – December 13

It’s unclear why Square Enix is ​​labeling this game as a remaster. The original was released only on the PlayStation Portable with characteristic graphics and detail for such a weak platform. The game was transferred to the new engine from Final Fantasy VII Remake, the combat system was changed and all the graphics were updated from scratch. Apparently, even Square Enix is ​​already confused in terms.

The story spans seven years prior to the start of Final Fantasy VII. The protagonist is a soldier, Zack Fair, who bears an exceptional resemblance to Cloud Strife. Why? This is what is told in Crisis Core, and the ending of the game brings the player to the beginning of the seventh part. Perhaps, if you have not played Final Fantasy VII, you should start your acquaintance with the REUNION remaster – the game reveals itself even apart from Cloud’s story.

Master of Magic (PC) – December 13

A remake of the cult game of the 90s will reach Steam in December. As one of 14 mages, players will have to conquer the magical lands of Arcanus and Myror. At your disposal are 5 schools of magic and hundreds of minions that will form the backbone of the wizard’s army and will conquer the continent for him.

Master of Magic is also a role-playing game and the strength of the hero will depend on how you play: brew potions and become a cool alchemist; perform dark rituals to master black magic; conquer the elements and become an elemental magician. During this, other sorcerers will also confront you, and therefore you will have to choose the right tactics to deal with them.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S) – December 14

A free next-gen update for The Witcher 3 will be released in mid-December. However, CD Projekt Red, who took the job from Saber Interactive, failed to make a proper update for nextgen consoles. Zoom camera, updated textures, ray tracing and 30 fps and photo mode. For nothing that it’s free, but it’s impossible not to mention it.