DeltaGamer

December 20, 2011 | PCs

Long have Bioware fans cried out in anguish for a new Knights of the Old Republic game, and the RPG maker's finally responding--sort of. An MMO spin-off to the popular series, the game will take players on a World of Warcraft-inspired romp through the Jedi's age of glory in a galaxy far, far away. Joining up with either the Republic or the Sith, players can quest in story-driven missions to their hearts content, whether solo or in parties. Featuring several classes and nearly a dozen races, The Old Republic aims to bring high production values and Bioware's famed RPG writing to the MMO genre, eschewing dead MMO Star Wars: Galaxies' original sandbox approach. We'll see if they hit the mark on December 20.

December 4, 2011 | Nintendo 3DS

The seventh core entry to the best karting series featuring multiple Italian plumbers, the creatively titled Mario Kart 7 hits the 3DS early this month. It doesn't aim to revolutionize the genre, but rather introduce a few new tweaks and changes to the well-worn franchise and breathe some life into the 3DS' portfolio. New additions include hang-gliders and underwater driving sections, as well as revised and improved online play. Mario Kart DS gained fame as a classic handheld racer in its own right way back in 2005, and no doubt pushed hardware units for Nintendo--it's sold over 20,000,000 copies since release. If the Big N has any luck, Mario Kart 7 will do the same for the DS' successor.

December 9, 2011 | Wii, Nintendo 3DS

Quite possibly the first game ever to receive a 40th anniversary release, The Oregon Trail was a classic and punishing simulation that's claimed many young lives over the past four decades. Now it's getting a 3D re-release across Nintendo's two current platforms, allowing gamers to see firsthand the horrible effects of dysentery. Oh, the dysentery. Not much is known about gameplay or graphics at this time, but we do know it will be a more hands-on experience this time around, as you manually control your wagon to make it through the wild unknown. Whether this one sinks in the river or fords it successfully, we'll find out soon enough.

December 6, 2011 | Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC, Android, iOS, Wii, Nintendo DS

A game based on the film based on the Belgian comic books from the 1940s, The Adventures of Tintin brings its platforming charm to U.S. shores on December 6. Our friends across the pond already got their mitts on the game two months ago, and Eurogamer said, 'It's got great personality, and you'll wish that the designers had the courage to see that this was enough. As a 2D platformer, Tintin's a delight. What lets it down, though, are all the moments when it isn't a 2D platformer - and there are quite a few of them throughout the course of the adventure.' We'll see how it's received on American soil in just a few days.

December 1, 2011 | Nintendo 3DS

When the original Nintendo DS was released some seven years ago, a neat little shmup called Nanostray provided some early third party support for the system. It took full advantage of the handhelds graphical capabilities and remains one of the best-looking games on the DS; a sequel was also released in 2008. Now, Shin'en Multimedia aims to evolve things even further with Nano Assault, a continuation of the cult hit on the Nintendo 3DS platform. Mixing things up with a variety of top-down, twisty-turvy, and rail shooter gameplay, the latest entry in the Nano saga looks to continue the tradition of gorgeous graphics and intense shooting. The shmup is available now at retail.

December 2011 | PC, Mac, Linux, Playstation 3, Xbox 360

We don't have a firm date on this little gem yet, but hopefully Frozenbyte pulls this one off in time. Offering a co-operative platforming experience for up to three players, Trine 2 has the returning playable characters of wizard, knight, and thief, each of which brings different strengths and abilities to the team. Though it's not clear how much the game has innovated or changed from the first in the series, what is clear is that it will be a goregous, fun game solo or in multiplay. Let's hope that Frozenbyte spends the last few weeks of development making sure this one's as good as the first.