Christmas Guide 2021
It’s that time year again and if you have a techie or gamer in your family, then check out the list below. From the latest games and favourites to some cool tech gear, there is something for everyone!
The Ultimate VR Experience – Oculus Quest 2
With the winter months well and truly under way, why not indulge yourself or loved ones in the ultimate escapism with the Oculus Quest 2 headset. With a huge library of virtual reality experiences available, the Queen’s Speech will have to be set on record as family members burn off the Christmas turkey playing Beat Saber or settle down to relax with some virtual fishing. The possibilities are endless and will make the laboured game of charades with the in-laws seem like a thing of the past.
- Cost: £299 (128GB)
- Available from: Amazon, Argos, Curry’s PC World, Harrods, Selfridges, John Lewis, GAME or the Oculus store.
Call of Duty: Vanguard
is the latest addition in the critically-acclaimed Call of Duty® franchise. Protagonists of the new game are a handpicked group of soldiers who, despite their different background, have one common goal: to exterminate the Fourth Reich.
Whether dogfighting over the Midway Islands, defending Stalingrad with sniper’s precision, airdropping over France, or blasting through advancing forces in North Africa, the Call of Duty: Vanguard campaign will immerse you in an engaging and gripping character-driven narrative, telling the stories of those who turned the tides of war and changed history forever.
With the largest ever numbers of maps available since launch, Vanguard offers an expansive multiplayer experience, with new modes, 20 maps and more ways to enjoy the game than ever before.
With cross-play support across current and next generation systems, Call of Duty: Vanguard is now for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, and PC via Battle.net.
Release date: Out now
PEGI Rating: 18
Available Platforms: PlayStation 5®, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, and PC via Battle.net
Pricing: From £59.99 RRP
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-56 15.6 inch Gaming Laptop
- EVERYTHING YOU NEED: The Nitro 5 comes with a complete gaming bundle with a gaming headset, gaming mouse and mousepad
- DOMINATING PERFORMANCE: Conquer games and tasks alike thanks to a brand-new 11th gen Intel Core i5-11400H processor and 8GB of DDR4 RAM
- THE ULTIMATE PLAY: Nvidia’s latest GeForce RTX 3050 GPU can handle the most demanding games at the highest settings
- MADE FOR SPEED: The 144Hz 15.6-inch Full HD IPS display ensures you get the very best gaming experience with smooth, blur-free visuals
- THE KEY TO VICTORY: With a 4-zone RGB backlit keyboard, featuring accentuated WASD and arrow keys for easy location, so you game in comfort and style
Check it out over at Amazon with a RRP of £849.99
NBA 2K22: Anyone, Anywhere
NBA 2K22 puts the entire basketball universe in your hands. The latest iteration of the top-rated NBA video game simulation series offers best-in-class visual presentation and player AI, historic teams, and a wide variety of basketball experiences with online community features and deep, varied game modes.
Veteran ballers and new players alike can step up their game and experience new journeys in The City or set sail for the high seas on the 2K Cruise Ship. This year comes with new Seasons featuring fresh opportunities to reap new rewards and new music in partnership with top record labels on First Fridays.
Legendary players grace this year’s cover, featuring Luka Dončić on the Standard Edition and iconic big men – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Dirk Nowitzki, and Kevin Durant – on the NBA 75th Anniversary Edition.
Fans can also bring their best game on the virtual hardwood on-the-go with NBA 2K22 Apple Arcade Edition.
Perfect for: The sports fanatic, culture lovers, the baller in your life, Apple Arcade gamer and players that want to see IRL culture personified in video games.
How to Buy: Physical and digital editions available through major retailers and first-party platforms, here.
Pricing: £59.99
Nintendo Switch OLED
- Meet the newest member of the Nintendo Switch family
- The new system features a vibrant 7-inch OLED screen, a wide adjustable stand, a dock with a wired LAN port, 64 GB of internal storage, and enhanced audio.
- Play anytime, anywhere, with anyone. Nintendo Switch can transform to suit your situation, so you can play the games you want, no matter how busy life may be.
- Gather around a big screen and enjoy gaming with a crowd. Dock your Nintendo Switch to enjoy HD gaming on your TV. The dock included with Nintendo Switch (OLED model) features two USB ports, an HDMI port for connecting to a TV, and a new wired LAN port, allowing for more stable online play when playing in TV mode.
- Save games to your system with 64 GB of internal storage & Enjoy enhanced audio from the system’s onboard speakers.
Pricing: £309.99
PGA Tour 2k21
Golf Got Game with the critically-acclaimed 2K title, PGA TOUR 2K21, making waves in and beyond the golf community.
New this Holiday season, the PGA TOUR 2K21 Baller Edition is packed full of bonus content and dripping with swag. The Baller Edition includes the base game, all previously released DLC courses and game modes, an assortment of the hottest gear from Clubhouse Pass Season One, holiday gear, novelty putters, and the Golden Touch Pack featuring a gold putter and driver.
Earning stellar recommendations on Metacritic, PGA TOUR 2K21 brings players on their own PGA TOUR journey. Create your MyPLAYER — outfitted with equipment from top brands such as Adidas, Polo Ralph Lauren and Under Armour — build your legacy in Career Mode to win the FedEx Cup, compete with friends online via Societies and more.
Since launch, PGA TOUR 2K21 has surpassed 2.5 million units sold-in around the globe with new content added regularly including a recent course collaboration with lifestyle brand and gaming collective 100 Thieves. With new courses added to multiplayer playlists each month, an exciting race-to-the-finish Divot Derby mode added post-launch and a strong playerbase, now is the perfect opportunity to find your tee time.
Perfect for: Casual or avid golf fans, and those interested in a competitive, yet relaxing and fun, video game.
How to Buy: Physical and digital editions available through major retailers and first-party platforms, here.
Pricing: £49.99
Borderlands 3: Ultimate Edition
Borderlands 3 Ultimate Edition is the quintessential Borderlands 3 experience, featuring the award-winning base game plus all six content add-ons and the full collection of bonus cosmetic packs. The PlayStation®5 and Xbox Series X versions are optimized to take full advantage of the new-gen hardware’s processing power, letting you play at up to 60 frames per second in 4K resolution during single-player and online co-op, or enjoy three- and four-player split-screen in local multiplayer.
There’s truly never been a better time to join the mayhem! And new for Holiday 2021, next-gen players can now pre-order limited run physical disc editions of the game, available November 12th!
Perfect for: Next-gen gamers seeking a fully optimized experience complete with fresh content, couch co-op, and rich online multiplayer, as well as current-gen players searching for their new hobby. With legendary loot to discover and proven gameplay that’s earned the series years of commercial and critical success, Borderlands® 3 is an excellent gift to give this holiday season!
How to buy: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 Xbox One, Xbox Series X / Series S, Stadia
Pricing: £ 82.99
FIFA 22
FIFA 22 delivers the most realistic, fluid, and responsive football experience ever thanks to the new HyperMotion gameplay technology on next-gen platforms. Featuring innovation across all game modes including VOLTA FOOTBALL Arcade Tournaments, all-new FIFA Ultimate Team™ Heroes, and much more, FIFA 22 is the best representation of the power of football to date.
Get the squad together in Pro Clubs with enhanced team customisation and updated progression that puts you in control of your Virtual Pro’s development, and welcome back some of football’s most memorable players as new FUT Heroes in FIFA Ultimate Team™ with a redefined competition structure that makes testing your skills against other players more accessible. However you play, enjoy unrivaled authenticity everywhere with over 17,000 players, 700+ teams, and more than 30 leagues including the UEFA Champions League, CONMEBOL Libertadores, and the brand new UEFA Europa Conference League – only available in FIFA 22.
Pricing: £59.99
Battlefield 2042
Battlefield 2042 marks the return to the iconic all-out warfare of the franchise. Adapt and overcome dynamically-changing battlegrounds with the help of your squad and a cutting-edge arsenal. With support for 128 players*, prepare for unprecedented scale on vast environments. Take on massive experiences, from updated multiplayer modes like Conquest and Breakthrough to the all-new Battlefield Hazard Zone.
- SPECIALISTS: Choose your role on the battlefield and form hand-tailored squads through the new Specialist system
- NEW SEASONS, NEW CONTENT: You and the community will progress in Battlefield 2042 through a Season system, which will continuously bring fresh updates to the game
- Supported on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation(r)5, and PC only. Xbox One and PlayStation(r)4 will be locked at 64 players
- 128 SIMULTANEOUS PLAYERS: For the first time in Battlefield’s history, 128 players can join the all-out war at the same time
Pricing: £69.99
It Takes Two
From the makers of the award-winning co-op adventure A Way Out, embark on an all-new, crazy journey in It Takes Two, a genre-bending platform adventure game created purely for co-op. Play as the clashing couple Cody and May, two humans turned into dolls by a magic spell, who, trapped in a fantastical world where unpredictability hides around every corner, are reluctantly challenged with saving their fractured relationship.
In It Takes Two, players work together across a huge variety of gleefully disruptive gameplay challenges. With connected character abilities in every new level, an abundance of unexpected obstacles and hilariously heartfelt moments, players will work their way through a uniquely metaphorical gameplay experience. As the next co-op release from industry leading and award-winning studio Hazelight, It Takes Two whisks players on a wild and wondrous ride where only one thing is for certain: we’re better together.
Pricing: £34.99
Halo: Infinite
Campaign: When all hope is lost and humanity’s fate hangs in the balance, the Master Chief is ready to confront the most ruthless foe he’s ever faced. Step inside the armor of humanity’s greatest hero to experience an epic adventure and explore the massive scale of the Halo ring. To experience the campaign, purchase Halo Infinite (Campaign).
Multiplayer: Legendary Multiplayer, Freed: Halo’s celebrated multiplayer returns, reimagined and free-to-play! Seasonal updates evolve the experience over time with unique events, new modes and maps, and community-focused content. Arena: Halo returns to its roots with fair starts, on-map equipment, and 4-player squads to offer the ultimate arena-shooter experience.
Big Team Battle: Create endless combat possibilities by mixing and matching a rich variety of weapons, vehicles and equipment to experience big-team mayhem and fun that embraces the full spectrum of the Halo sandbox. Spartan
Customization: Become a Spartan that’s uniquely your own with a rich and deep player customization system. Earn and discover new cosmetic items simply by playing campaign or multiplayer. Or obtain even more cosmetic rewards, purchase a Battle Pass that never expires and unlock new content at your own pace.
Cross-Generation and Cross-Platform Gaming: Halo Infinite provides an amazing experience across the Xbox One and newer family of consoles as well as PC with stunning 4k graphics and world-class cross-platform play. And, on Xbox Series X as well as supported PCs, enjoy enhanced features like up to 120FPS and greatly reduced load times creating seamless gameplay that usher in the next generation of gaming.
* *Up to 120FPS and 4K Ultra HD available on Xbox Series X consoles and compatible PCs only across supported maps and modes; compatible TV or monitor required.
Prciing: £54.99
