Holiday Gift Guide: Shooters

Instead of doing a customary awards article on Games Reviews, we have opted to pinpoint a few things you might pick up for yourself or other gamers on your Christmas List. Since awards are very subjective – especially with so many good games in the running – we are pinpointing our favorites from this year, and if the situation calls for it, previous years as well. For this article, we will examine the best Shooters that could find their way under your tree this holiday season.

Splatoon

When Nintendo paraded Splatoon out at E3 in 2014 I wasn’t buying. This is a poor man’s shooter I told everyone, and I’m pretty sure that was put into print as well. How wrong I was. Nintendo found an excellent balance between creating a shooter and a platformer that exists almost entirely online, and many months after launch people are still playing it by the 1000s. An extra bonus with Splatoon is the ability to play it with kids. Yup, a kid friendly shooter! Who knew that existed! Grab your gun, fill it with ink, and get spreading. You don’t want to miss out on this colourful fun this holiday season! And this is one of Nintendo’s most dedicated games when it comes to updates and new content, which is always free!

You can read our review of Splatoon here!

Call of Duty Blacks Ops 3

Treyarch Studios has always done something different with the Black Ops series, and these changes are often bizarre; but they work, almost 100% of the time. Black Ops 3 is no different. The change in game philosophy keeps the title fresh and exciting, while maintaining the great mechanics that make a Call of Duty game, well, a Call of Duty game! The Black Ops series has always thought out of the box which makes these specific Call of Duty titles so much more appealing than others. The World War shooter game has been done to death, and my tackling the future, Treyarch is always able to create and craft something new and exciting. For all the new things that the game adds, it is a wonder that more don’t fall flat on their faces. It is a true testament to how good Treyarch is as a studio, and how much love there still is for Call of Duty titles. Even long time haters of the Call of Duty franchise should give this latest offering a go. You probably won’t be disappointed, especially if you can manage to play with friends. Whether online or offline, Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 is one of the best shooters this year, and will have a long shelf life because of it.

You can read our review of Black Ops 3 here!

Halo 5

My expectations for Halo 5 Guardians were mixed. One one hand, it is Halo, and 343 Industries and Microsoft have rarely strayed from the core mechanics that make up a Halo game. On the other hand, 343 promised a much different Halo experience, which they demoed multiple times at many trade shows: squad combat. Although squad combat is not new to the franchise, it was the first time it was used exclusively in the a numbered Halo game.

Any worries I had were unwarranted as Halo 5 is one of the best in the franchise, as well as one of the best shooters in 2015. If you have an Xbox One and need something to play, Halo 5 is a wonderful option.

You can read our review of Halo 5 here!

I guarentee you that we have missed out on some great open world games in this short list. With a small staff, we don’t have the resources or the man power to cover everything that is available. If you have something to add, feel free to drop us a note with your reasons why and we will add it to the list!