Den of Geek's Guide to Holiday Gaming 2015

Gamers have a lot to look forward to this holiday season. With big AAA blockbusters, action-packed shooter, sci-fi space battles, and terrifying encounters with ghosts, there’s something for everybody. 

Not sure what games you should be playing this fall or during the holidays? Den of Geek has your back! We've amassed a list of the biggest titles and our personal picks. Here are the game we'll be playing this season:

SEPTEMBER

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

Sept. 1 | Kojima Productions | XBO, PS4, PC

There's a reason we gave Metal Gear Solid V a perfect score: it's an absolute masterpiece and a perfect exit for video game auteur Hideo Kojima from the series. Fusing a higher emphasis on gameplay with the convoluted plot you've come to expect from this series, The Phantom Pain offers tons of things to do on and off the battlefield. Acquire vital personnel and equipment to build up your Mother Base, get revenge against the villains who almost killed you nine years ago, or face off against your buddies in Metal Gear Online, the game's online multiplayer component. All of this, while collecting cassette tapes of the best and weirdest 80s hits...There's so much to do in this game that we recommend you start playing it during the Christmas downtime.

Mad Max

Sept. 1 | Avalanche Studios | XBO, PS4, PC

Did you love Mad Max: Fury Road? Are you a fan of The Road Warrior? Then you should probably already own this open-world action-adventure take on that universe. On display in Mad Max is some of the best vehicle combat we've ever player, reminiscent of games such as Twisted Metal. Zooming through the wasteland is never a quiet affair, as enemy scouts surround you on all sides. You'll have to build up your muscle car and turn it into a death machine in order to survive. But in order to keep yourself alive, you'll also have to raid enemy camps in order to refuel your car. As you can imagine, this is a pretty bloody affair that will leave some bruises. Mad Max is good, violent fun.

Super Mario Maker

Sept. 11 | Nintendo | Wii U

We probably don't really need to sell this game all that much. Super Mario Maker lets you make your own Mario levels and challenges, play through them, and then dare others to get through your death traps unscathed. If that isn't the Mario experience in a robust sentence, we don't know what is. Taking a note from platformers like Little Big Planet, Super Mario Maker is basically an endless Mario platformer in which you'll never play the same level twice. It's glorious and a must-have for Nintendo fans. 

Destiny: The Taken King

Sept. 15 | Bungie | XBO, PS4, X360, PS3, PC

Bungie's new IP has had quite the year. From the barrage of complaints early on to its much-improved player experience since the House of Wolves expansion, Destiny seems to be here to stay and going very strong into its Year Two experience. With bundles releasing left and right and a new expansion, now is the perfect time to drop in, Guardians. What exactly do you get with the new expansion, titled The Taken King? New story missions, strikes, raids, multiplayer modes and maps, weapons, gear, and updates to the leveling system. This is the start of Destiny Year Two.

SOMA

Sept. 22 | Frictional Games | PS4, PC

The long-awaited follow-up to Frictional Games' fantastic Amnesia: The Dark Descent is finally here. The game is called SOMA and its a bit of a step in the opposite direction in terms of setting, but we're still promised plenty of scares. Basically, you're trapped in an underwater lab where machines have gone rampant and are now trying to murder you. Your mission? Get to the surface as fast as you can. Of course, you're unarmed, so all you'll really have in your favor is your quick wit and maybe a little prayer. If you're looking for survival horror this season, SOMA is your game. 

OCTOBER

Yoshi's Woolly World 

Oct. 16 | Nintendo | Wii U

The Big N is releasing one of the cutest little sequels we’ve ever seen: Yoshi’s Woolly World is the little green dinosaur’s own take on 2010’s Kirby’s Epic Yarn. Our painfully adorable hero must traverse a world of yarn and cloth to save his little woolly friends from the evil wizard Kamek. If you need anymore convincing, just watch the trailer above. And bring the cuddly teddy bear you've been hiding under your bed this whole time. 

Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water

Oct. 22 | Koei Tecmo | Wii U

For those looking for something on the scary side, Fatal Framemakes its return to our side of the world after a 10-year absence. Maiden of Black Water intends to haunt your nightmares. Come to think of it, it's a bit alarming how few horror titles are coming out from the big studios this year. A new Fatal Frame is more than a welcomed entry and a fine example of classic survival horror with a current-gen twist. It'll be fun to take down malevolent spirits with the GamePad, which will function like a camera in this instance. Whether you're a fan of the series or just looking for something scary to play, you'll want to check this one out. 

Assassin's Creed Syndicate

Oct. 23 | Ubisoft Quebec | XBO, PS4, PC

We'd be remiss if we didn't mention last year's Assassin's Creed Unity right at the top of this recommendation. It was a mess. We didn't like it. Some of us have sworn off the series forever. Still, this is the first current-gen installment in the series to be helmed by a studio other than Ubisoft Montreal. Instead, Ubisoft's Quebec studio is taking over for Syndicate. That's good news. If you need some proof, check out Ubisoft Quebec's excellent last-gen Assassin's Creed Rogue, which is a ways better than its current-gen counterpart. Don't worry, you still get to play as an Assassin with plenty of knives in his/her coat. 

Halo 5: Guardians

Oct. 27 | 343 Industries | XBO

There's a new Halogame coming out. That's pretty much the only thing we need to say, right? Oh, you want to hear more...Okay. Halo 5: Guardians continues the adventures of Master Chief, who's gone AWOL after the events of Halo 4. Joining him is his Spartan squad, the Blue Team, who you might recognize from the many Halo novels. Another group of Spartan, Fireteam Osiris, is sent on a mission to find the Master Chief and bring him home. Behind it all is an ancient Forerunner artifact that could mean the end of the galaxy. So, another day in the Halo universe, basically. Halo 5: Guardians also introduced squad-based commands and a new multiplayer experience. Yeah, you can aim down the sights now!

NOVEMBER

Call of Duty: Black Ops III

Nov. 6 | Treyarch | XBO, PS4, PC

There's also a new Call of Duty game coming out this year. Oh, you already knew that? Well, this one is from Treyarch, which means we're all really back for the original Call of Duty Zombie mode. And maybe when you're not out killing the undead, you'll even spend some time falling deep into some political conspiracy or other in the game's campaign. You'll also be able to play all that hardcore multiplayer you like. You might even mute some trolls along the way. But really, you're just here for the Zombie mode. Shoot away!

Fallout 4

Nov. 10 | Bethesda Game Studios | XBO, PS4, PC

No one knew this would be the year. Seven years after Bethesda created the blockbuster Fallout 3, the series returns for another adventure in the nuclear wasteland. This time, you'll exit the Vault and find yourself in Commonwealth-controlled postapocalyptic Boston. You'll have your Pip-Boy, your trusty dog, and the VATS system to get you through the endless days of the end of the world. A new feature will even allow you to build strongholds for yourself where you hoard supplies and take up defensive positions against raiders. This could very well be the ultimate RPG experience.

Rise of the Tomb Raider

Nov. 10 | Crystal Dynamics | XBO, X360 

Lara Croft is back for a whole new adventure, this time in an Xbox-exclusive. Rise of the Tomb Raider picks up after Crystal Dynamic's fantastic 2013 reboot and it will see Lara journey to Siberia and the ancient city Kitezh, where she believes she might find the secret to immortality. Does this feel just a little bit like Uncharted 2 to you? Just kidding! A solid, cinematic action-adventure game awaits you this November!

Star Wars Battlefront

Nov. 17 | DICE | XBO, PS4, PC

November also treats us to the return of Star Wars video games with the new Battlefront from the makers of the Battlefield series. Take the fight to the Empire on foot, in an AT-AT, or lock S-foils in attack position with your very own X-Wing. If you’re good enough, you might even get to play as Luke Skywalker. Plenty of modes offer different experiences in the warzone, so you'll always find something to do and kill in this grand return to form for the franchise. 

Star Fox Zero

Nov. 20 | Nintendo | Wii U

Fox McCloud returns for a whole new space adventure in Star Fox Zero. As the first original title in the series in nine years, Star Fox Zero takes everything you loved about Star Fox 64 and adds the Wii U GamePad for more intuitive controls. Zoom through space and shoot down your enemies with the Wii U peripheral and feel like a genuine Star Fox. 

DECEMBER

Just Cause 3

Dec. 1 | Avalanche Studios | XBO, PS4, PC 

In case you have space for another open-world action-adventure game or a fan of this series, Just Cause 3 offers you the chance to blow every single thing up and bring the pain to your enemies with high-flying agent Rico Rodriguez, who is on a mission to topple an evil dictator in his homeland. This is the closest you'll get to a James Bond game this year.

Xenoblade Chronicles X

Dec. 4 | Monolight Soft | Wii U

The sci-fi/fantasty successor to the Wii's Xenoblade Chronicles finally makes it to the Wii U this year and brings with it an improved battle system as well as more mechs and aliens to fight. You won't be getting Final Fantasy XVthis year, so may we suggest this excellent JRPG instead.

Hitman

Dec. 8 | IO Interactive | XBO, PS4, PC

Everyone's favorite contract killer is back for a whole new assignment. He's back with the Agency and his friend Diana for this one, so expect the master assassin to have all of his toys and intel back. There will be a lot less running than in Hitman: Absolution and much more creepy stalking of targets, as IO opens up the levels and turns them into the sandboxes we loved from Hitman: Blood Money. The master is back in Hitman. 

John Saavedra is an assistant editor at Den of Geek US. Find more of his work on his website. Or just follow him on Twitter.