View source for The Game Rant Game Guide: December 2011 Beyond Edition

<br><br><br><br><br><br><br>With the beginning of December comes two things: the end of overwhelming amount holiday video game releases and the holidays itself, which effectively means that gamers everywhere will be spending time catching up on their backlog. There are still a handful of games releasing this month, but it is nothing at all like what we've seen in October and November and because of this the Game Guide has made a significant change for this edition - we will not only be detailing the games we'll be playing this month but the ones we're looking forward to next year as well! <br><br><br>So sit down, grab a cup of hot chocolate and tell us what games you'll be playing this month, and in 2012. <br><br><br>Game Rant's Playlist <br><br><br>Robert Keyes: <br><br><br>December is relax time for me. It's the first month in a while where I play games for fun instead of for review purposes. I plan to journey on in my restart of Skyrim on PC and make time to catch up on a large pile of games, including Saints Row: The Third, Battlefield 3 (PC) and Forza Motorsport 4 while making sure I begin Arkham City, Assassin's Creed Revelations and Uncharted 3. <br><br><br><br><br>Skyrim <br><br><br><br><br>Saints Row: The Third <br><br><br><br><br>Battlefield 3 <br><br><br><br><br>Forza Motorsport 4 <br><br><br><br><br>Batman: Arkham City <br><br><br><br><br>Assassin's Creed Revelations <br><br><br><br><br>Uncharted 3 <br><br><br><br><br>Ben Kendrick: <br><br><br>Before I tear into 2012 titles like Alan Wake: Night Springs , Mass Effect 3 , BioShock: Infinite , SSX , and Borderlands 2 , it's time for me to play catch-up after a busy November of reviews. I managed to resist the pull of both Battlefield 3 and Modern Warfare 3 , though it will be a holiday miracle if I don't end up caving this month and enlisting in one or the other military campaign. However, more importantly, I'm about to return to the hallowed halls of the assassins for Assassins' Creed: Revelations . Desmond's fourth trip into the Animus was one of my most anticipated titles of 2011 and I'm fully committed to becoming a master assassin - as well as collecting all the miscellaneous garbage Ubisoft has scattered around Constantinople. I've also got to clean-up some collectibles as well as pawn n00bs in a few of October/November's biggest titles, Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception and Gears of War 3 . That, and I'm going to dance my heart out in Dance Central 2 - and if high scores and smooth dance moves aren't enough motivation, I've got a bet to win. <br><br><br><br><br>Assassin's Creed Revelations <br><br><br><br><br>Uncharted 3 <br><br><br><br><br>Gears of War 3 <br><br><br><br><br>Dance Central 2 <br><br><br><br><br>Jeff Schille: <br><br><br>Oh, December. The month when I despair of ever playing all of the games I missed during November. The only new game on my radar for the rest of the year is Mario Kart 7 . Otherwise, it's all about catching-up. Lord of the Rings: War in the North, Forza Motorsport 4, and Kinect Sports Season 2 continue to be the go-to games in my house, but Rayman: Origins and Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword top the list of games I can't wait to get lost in over the holidays. I'm also really liking what I've seen of the new SSX -- if I could play any of next year's games right now, that would be the one. <br><br><br><br><br>Mario Kart 7 <br><br><br><br><br>Lord of the Rings: War in the North <br><br><br><br><br>Forza Motorsport 4 <br><br><br><br><br>Kinect Sports Season 2 <br><br><br><br><br>Rayman Origins <br><br><br><br><br>The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword <br><br><br><br><br>Andrew Dyce: <br><br><br>With a much-needed break coming this month, My plan is to first and foremost put some serious time into Skyrim . As an RPG fan, that's the game at the top of my list, but only slightly ahead of Uncharted 3, Modern Warfare 3, Battlefield 3 , finishing Gears of War 3 and Halo Anniversary . Of course, i'll have to get those out of the way before Star Wars: The Old Republic . I've never been a big MMO player, but this one might just do it. If nothing else, this dose of BioWare storytelling will tide me over until Mass Effect 3 . <br><br><br><br><br>Skyrim <br><br><br><br><br>Uncharted 3 <br><br><br><br><br>Modern Warfare 3 <br><br><br><br><br>Battlefield 3 <br><br><br><br><br>Gears of War 3 <br><br><br><br><br>Halo Anniversary <br><br><br><br><br>Star Wars: The Old Republic <br><br><br><br><br>Riley Little: <br><br><br>This month I'm looking forward to Mario Kart 7 . It's just one of those games that you can pickup and play whenever you want, and I plan on playing it throughout December and well into the new year. Since some folks are talking about what they're excited for next year, I'd have to say Halo 4 and Bioshock: Infinite are on the top of my list. <br><br><br>I'll definitely be playing Minecraft now that it has officially released, Rob and I will probably do a few more recording sessions with the game. I'll also be attempting to play through Gears of War 3 on 'Insane' difficulty in order to get those exclusive 'Impossible Mission' skins. <br><br><br><br><br>Mario Kart 7 <br><br><br><br><br>Minecraft <br><br><br><br><br>Gears of War 3 <br><br><br><br><br>John Jacques: <br><br><br>Playing This Month: Minecraft, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Gears of War 3, Football Manager 2012 . Looking forward to 2012: Mass Effect 3 x100000000, [https://www.counterstrike2guide.com/ Counter-Strike 2 News]: Global Offensive <br><br><br><br><br>Minecraft <br><br><br><br><br>Skyrim <br><br><br><br><br>Gears of War 3 <br><br><br><br><br>Football Manager 2012 <br><br><br><br><br>Trung Bui: <br><br><br>The only thing I'm probably going to be playing during December is Skyrim ... that ought to hold anyone over for at least a year. 2012: Max Payne 3 , Mass Effect 3, and BioShock: Infinite ... all third entries in their respective series... this franchise thing is getting out of hand sometimes. Luckily, they're all going to be good games. <br><br><br>Skyrim <br><br><br>Anthony Taormina: <br><br><br>December is the month that bats clean up for gamers, allowing us a chance to catch up on all the titles we missed this year. Among those titles I missed are Skyrim, Skyward Sword, and Battlefield 3 , so I hope to give those a go over the break. On top of that I'm also looking forward to finally procuring a 3DS and trying out Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 . And for my family fun I'm looking forward to checking out Scene It? Movie Night . Happy Holidays Ranters! <br><br><br><br><br>Skyrim <br><br><br><br><br>Battlefield 3 <br><br><br><br><br>Super Mario Land 3D <br><br><br><br><br>Mario Kart 7 <br><br><br><br><br>Scene It? Movie Night <br><br><br><br><br>Dwayne Holder: <br><br><br>It was a busy November for me and I had little time to play games outside of Modern Warfare 3 . December will be a different story since I will be spending a lot of time with my new Zelda 25th Anniversary 3DS. Mario Kart 7 will be my first purchase for the handheld and it will be a title that will tide me over until Nintendo decides to full-fill my Skyward Sword bundle pre-order. In the new year I'm looking forward to Diablo 3 and of course Mass Effect 3 . There are going to be a lot of lengthy games in my future. <br><br><br><br><br>Mario Kart 7 <br><br><br><br><br>The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword <br><br><br><br><br>Anthony MolÃ©: <br><br><br>December means three things for me: KOTOR , KOTOR 2 and The Old Republic, plus a possible co-op playthrough of Resistance 3 . I'm also hoping to catch up on some games I've missed such as Shadows of the Damned and Yakuza 4 , and this before I get to all of the games I bought off of Steam's Fall Sale. <br><br><br>As for 2012, well, anyone who knows me well knows that I'm a Metro 2033 fanboy, so my most anticipated title is Metro: Last Light . I'm also a huge fan of Yakuza 3 meaning I'm stoked for Yakuza: Dead Souls , not to mention BioShock Infinite , Prey 2 , Alan Wake: Night Springs , Binary Domain , and Operation Raccoon City as my first Resident Evil game, not to mention I have a nice shiny PlayStation Vita First Edition bundle with my name on it. I also plan to play Mass Effect 3 but I'm trying to keep my hype meter low for that one. <br><br><br><br><br>Knights of the Old Republic <br><br><br><br><br>Knights of the Old Republic 2 <br><br><br><br><br>The Old Republic <br><br><br><br><br>Shadows of the Damned <br><br><br><br><br>Resistance 3 <br><br><br><br><br>Yakuza 4 <br><br><br><br><br>Vivas Kaul: <br><br><br>With Black Friday over, I can now say that I'm looking forward to stabbing into Assassin's Creed: Revelations and Rayman: Origins which I picked up during the holiday hustle. I'm also almost finished with my second play through of Deus Ex: Human Revolution which is showing me just how many different ways there are to go through that game. I'm also going to grind out some more trophies for Uncharted 3 and Dead Rising 2: Off the Record . <br><br><br>As for next year, there are too many games I'm curious to see: Mass Effect 3, Max Payne 3, Hitman: Absolution and Bioshock Infinite . <br><br><br><br><br>Assassin's Creed Revelations <br><br><br><br><br>Rayman: Origins <br><br><br><br><br>Deus Ex: Human Revolution <br><br><br><br><br>Uncharted 3 <br><br><br><br><br>Dead Rising 2: Off The Record <br><br><br><br><br>Matt Rowland: <br><br><br>This December my gaming focus is squarely centered on the PS3 versions Skyrim and Assassin's Creed: Revelations . I still have yet to give Arkham City a whirl, but it is on my short list to play. On the PC front I'm still playing Deux Ex: Human Revolution . What can I say? I'm a perfectionist, and it's a great game. Racing games have never been my forte but Forza Motorsport 4 will be the next game I purchase as I try to broaden my horizons a bit. However, I'm still itching with anticipation for Mass Effect 3 , and wonder how many play-throughs of ME2 I can manage before I get my conditions "just right." Stay safe during the holidays Ranters. <br><br><br><br><br>Skyrim <br><br><br><br><br>Assassin's Creed: Revelations <br><br><br><br><br>Arkham City <br><br><br><br><br>Deus Ex: Human Revolution <br><br><br><br><br>Forza Motorsport 4 <br><br><br><br><br>Mass Effect 2 <br><br><br><br><br>- <br><br><br>Game Rant's Most Anticipate Game: <br><br><br>Mario Kart 7 <br><br><br><br><br><br>Who says there are no good games released in December? Mario Kart 7 , Nintendo's latest entry into it's iconic racing franchise is coming this year, and it's coming to a 3DS. What better way to ignore family at those tedious holiday get togethers than by racing down Rainbow Road? Still not sold? Well maybe you should check out our Mario Kart 7 review to see why this is one of the 3DS' hottest titles. <br><br><br>- <br><br><br>December 2011 Video Game Releases <br><br><br>Based on North American release dates, all information is subject to change <br><br><br>Week of December 1st - 10th 2011 <br><br><br><br><br>Mario Kart 7 (3DS; December 4th, 2011) <br><br><br><br><br>Fortune Street (Wii; December 5th, 2011) <br><br><br><br><br>7 Wonders (DS; December 5th, 2011) <br><br><br><br><br>The Adventures of Tintin: The Game (PS3, Xbox 360, PC, Wii, DS; December 6th, 2011) <br><br><br><br><br>Just Dance 3 (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii; December 6th, 2011) <br><br><br><br><br>Outdoors Unleashed: Africa/Alaska (3DS; December 6th, 2011) <br><br><br><br><br>The Oregon Trail (Wii; December 9th, 2011) <br><br><br><br><br>Week of December 11th <br><br><br><br><br>Rocksmith (PC; December 13th, 2011) <br><br><br><br><br>I Heart Geeks (DS; December 14th, 2011) <br><br><br><br><br>Week of December 19th <br><br><br>Star Wars: The Old Republic (PC; December 25th, 2011) <br><br><br>Week of December 26th <br><br><br><br><br>Mr. Bean's Wacky World (Wii; December 27th, 2011) <br><br><br><br><br>Aladdin Magic Racer (Wii; December 27t, 2011) <br><br><br><br><br>- <br><br><br>What will you be playing this month and what are you looking forward to come 2012? Follow us on Twitter @ GameRant or like us on Facebook and let us know, or just leave a comment down below! And from everyone here at Game Rant, have a safe and happy holidays. <br>