Of gangster groups and master detectives: new console games

By Christoph Lippok Dec 11, 2011, 3:06 GMT

Berlin - Christmas is coming, which means there's a game out there for every type, whether sporty, laid-back or prone to black humour.

Offerings include gangster thrillers like Saints Row; wrestling matches with WWE 12; as well as a new Zelda adventure. But the fact remains that any company that wants to make a splash this season has already had its game on the market for a long time. Thus, there are few new games appearing in December.

But there is plenty left over from the last half of November.

Saints Row: The Third has already been out for a while. It focuses on the Third Street Saints, a street gang. The series has already shown its mettle and market draw with two previous versions. This time the Saints' questionable claim to fame - notoriety - is under attack from the evil Syndicate. Fighting and violence ensue.

Players will find they are not limited to handguns and motorbikes, like they might be in some other gangster games. The first levels of the game already have players testing out parachutes, satellite-aided airstrikes and tanks.

The whole adventure is sprinkled with black humour and double entendres, sometimes pushing the boundaries of taste, meaning it is not suitable for children. The game is available for the Playstation 3 and XBox 360 and costs about 55 euros (74 dollars).

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is the newest instalment of Nintendo's action-adventure series. The game's hero, Link, seems to have gained the abilities of a bird this time, letting him take the adventure to the skies.

As usual, the game is filled with puzzles, challenges and fighting. The first challenge already comes at purchase, since the game's swordplay is only possible with Wii's Motion Plus system, automatically included with newer consoles. People with older Wiis will have to upgrade. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is exclusively available for the Nintendo Wii and costs about 50 euros.

Dtp Entertainment has brought an adventure for Sherlock Holmes fans to stores with Sherlock Homes - The Secret of the Silver Earring, for the Wii.

Players alternate between the roles of Holmes and Dr Watson on a search for a murderer that takes them to 40 authentic London locales as they gather a bag full of clues and tips. To win, you have to be able to make connections and think like the criminal. However, the story's pace is more leisurely than a lot of other games on the market. The Secret of the Silver Earring costs about 40 euros.

Sofa-based athletes will not be left out in the end-of-the-year rush. Just in time for the season, Koch Media is bringing Eurosport Winter Stars to market. Up to four players at a time can compete on one console in 11 disciplines. There are traditional games like the biathlon, four-man bobsled and ski jumping, but newer games like curling, paraskiing and snowmobiling are also represented.

Each player can set his own personal difficulty level, keeping some suspense, even in contests between beginners and people who have played for a while. Eurosport Winter Stars is available for the Wii, XBox 360 and the Playstation 3, all of which support the necessary motion controls. The Wii version costs about 40 euros, while the Playstation 3 and X Box 360 versions costs about 50 euros.

And if the ski jump isn't your thing, there's always the ring, thanks to WWE 12, the new wrestling title from THQ. It promises a new graphics engine to make the fights seem more realistic than predecessor versions. But the game also tracks players' attributes, like endurance.