It’s raining, it’s getting cold and soon, it’ll be darker than a comic book movie at 4pm. All of which means it’s time to hunker down and nab yourself this winter’s hottest releases. Here’s out guide to the 10 games you must own now
Batman: Arkham Asylum
The Joker takes over Arkham Asylum and plans an army of super henchmen to take over Gotham City. All you need to do is bring an end to his evil plans. And slap down the Penguin whole you’re at it. Expect to see plenty of classic Batman characters too. Genius.
The Beatles: Rock Band
The much–anticipated Beatles Rock Band lands on 9 September. Start out at the Cavern and end up the roof of a London office, barely able to conceal your hatred for your bandmates. Plus play tunes with Beatles–themed instruments.
GTA IV: Episodes from Liberty City
Don’t do DLC? This is for you. Episodes from Liberty City packs in The Lost and the Damned, as well as new downloadable extra, The Ballad of Gay Tony. The latter sees you work as a nightclub’s henchman. No Nikio–style brooding, just lots of killing.
Modern Warfare 2
The latest in the COD line caused gamers to go into rapture at the Xbox E3 press conference. Brutal and building on the success of COD4, expect killer online play as well as a cracking storyline. The only letdown? That epic £55 price tag courtesy of Activision.
Gran Turismo PSP
Free with a PSPgo if you’re quick out of the blocks, Gran Turismo PSP has been years in the works. It promises to be “full scale” with 800 cars, 35 tracks and 68 different layouts. That should give your new PSP a nice pre–Christmas workout.
Guitar Hero 5
The sequel to Guitar Hero World Tour is a must for completist and rock gods everywhere. Activision told us this was for rock lovers and with Matt Bellamy and Kurt Cobain announced as playable characters, it’s a belter.
Assassin’s Creed II
Picking up where Assassin’s Creed left off, this sequel follows Ezio Auditore da Firenze as he pals up with Leonardo Da Vinci, kills a lot of Renaissance Italians and generally struts about Florence. On first viewing it looked every bit as good as the original.
Forza Motorsport 3
Outed at E3, Forza 3 is set to be the hottest driving game of 2009. There are 400 cars and a big play is being made of tuning and painting your virtual motor to perfection. If you’re a petrolhead, this one’s for you.
LittleBigPlanet PSP
The PS3 classic comes to the PSP. Ok, there’s no multiplayer, but you can still create sand share levels with pals via Wi–Fi. Plus you can dress your sackboy up like an eejit and mooch about just like you do on the full–on version of the title.
Wii Sports Resort
Ok, summer’s over. But Wii Sprts Resort means you can still swan about like you’re on the beach. You can go skydiving, jet skiing and indulge in old–school golf and bowling. Well worth a punt for to break the ice at tawdry Christmas parties.
