Top Videogames for the Holidays

Little Big Planet (Media Molecule; exclusively for PS3; $60)

At first glance you might say, “Hey Little Big Planet is just your standard run-of-the-mill platformer,” and you would be partly right, but mostly wrong. It’s more like a sock puppet theatre on acid.
If you were to glance at the game for just a few seconds you might think you were looking at some kids show. The textures are all natural and give the game a cool DIY feel. Which was probably intentional since just about everything in LBP is customizable, right down to the little sack dude you control.

It’s kinda like a video game version of dress up, but with infinitesimal detail. When you’re done decking out your little sack buddy you can even build your own levels.

As hokey as that may sound, the game never plays or feels awkward or buggy—a trick the game designers are able to push straight throughout the game, which, although a little short, was a total blast.

And even though the main game is short, the levels made by other players leave hundreds if not thousands of hours of game play to go. Wrap that all up with the season’s best video game sound tracks—a mix of multi-cultural, multi-lingual, super catchy songs that reflect LBP’s world wide scope—and you have one killer game.

So there you have it, a totally fun for all ages, super accessible, gorgeous looking game that every PS3 owner should have under the tree.

-Raul Gomez

Fallout 3 (Bethesda; PC (Steam-enabled), Xbox 360; $50; 1 player)

Fallout 3 is the first Fallout game in ten years. A significant departure from the previous isometric-view titles, Fallout 3 takes the Elder Scrolls: Oblivion engine in new directions.
First-person dungeon crawling has never been more satisfying, as you gun down Super Mutants, bloodthirsty Raiders, and other assorted bad guys in the nuclear-devastated ruins of Washington, D.C.
Set 200 years after nuclear war destroyed the world, the remnants of 50s-style Americana will surround you as you traverse the wastes, accompanied only by your wits, weapons, and an incredible soundtrack straight out of the 1950s, featuring the Ink Spots, Ella Fitzgerald, and others.

-Ryan Gustafson

Dead Space (Entertainment Arts; PS3, Xbox 360, PC; $60)

Today’s video games are littered clichés from old movies, and EA’s Dead Space is no exception, although this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The player gets the drill in the first five minutes. You’re in space, zombie-like mutants want to eat your entrails, oh and by the way, you’re all alone.

None of this may sound very new the horror video game genre. So what is new? Well, for one, EA has cut no corners, this is by far one of the best looking and smoothest games on the market.
If that wasn’t enough, they pile on an assortment of futuristic weapons designed to turn any alien into fountains of gore and goo. Plus, you can fight from all kinds of crazy angles with zero-G. What’s not to love here?

-Raul Gomez

Spore (Electronic Arts; PC/Mac, DS; $40)

From the creators of the Sims, this long-awaited EA release lives up to its anticipation. Spore is a highly entertaining game for any age group, especially if you have a God complex. That’s basically what the game consists of—playing God (a Darwinian God, that is).

You begin as a single-celled organism fighting for survival in the primordial soup. As you feed yourself, you gain DNA points that you can use to “evolve” your species by adding various attributes. From there you grow legs and step onto land, then you enter the “tribal” stage, then civilization, and finally you enter the realm of space conquest.

For anyone who likes games where you do a lot of “pimping out” your character, this is a must have. It is the quintessential game for character development. This game is ridiculously addicting… if you lose your job over it, it’s not our fault.

-Zach Kobrinsky

Left 4 Dead (Valve; PC (Steam-enabled), Xbox 360; $50; 1-4 players)

Zombies! There’s nothing to this game other than the z-boys. An unknown infection has taken hold of the world, turning nice and normal people into slavering undead maniacs.

You and three other survivors must cooperatively work your way through the game, watching each other’s backs, sharing medicine, and working together to take down the bad guys.

If you go off on your own, you will die in this game.

Not only that, but the game is genuinely creepy. Sudden hordes of zombies can spring on you at any time thanks to the AI Director, the core of the game, which decides when and where to spring the monsters on you, depending on how well (or how badly) you’re doing at any given moment.
Play with friends or online with strangers, just don’t miss out on this terrific new game. Buy one for yourself and one as a gift for a friend—you won’t want to face the hordes alone.

-Ryan Gustafson

007: Quantum of Solace (Activision Inc; XBox 360, PS3, Wii; $60)

Let me preface this review by saying I have spent many hours of my life playing classic 007 games on N64 and GameCube with friends in multiplayer mode. Needless to say I had high expectations for this game.

It had been a long time since a Bond game had been released and this game made it well worth the wait. This game looks crisp from the menus and throughout the game play. If you’re like me you don’t buy Bond games because of the single player campaign mode, but for the multiplayer modes. This game is chock full of super entertaining, kill-or-be-killed action with nine different multiplayer games.

I put my headset on in full geek mode and had a great time. The levels are complex and the joy of being able to talk smack to someone after you have killed them really makes this fun.

There is no shortage of weapons to unlock in multiplayer mode which is the strength of this game. I struggled to put my controller down once I started to play the multiplayer games online.

Overall, if you are looking for a good single player, first person shooter game buy something else. If you are looking for classic Bond multiplayer goodness, this is the game for you.

-Derek Green

Far Cry 2 (Ubisoft; XBox 360, PS3, PC; $60)

The main point of this game is shooting people… a lot of people. It’s a first person shooter in one gigantic open African level. The controls are nothing special, but the graphics and landscapes make up for it.

You can tell the designer’s main goal was to make the game look amazing. The game consists of doing quests to get to the main objective or the main bad guy, and you can complete these quests in multiple ways.

The other cool thing about this game is the amount of damage you can do with a few well placed bullets. You can even start a brush fire to burn your enemies alive. The game and the quests can get tedious at times but overall it’s pretty fun.

So if you like shooting lots of dudes and/or starting them on fire with explosions and burning African plain, than this game could be for you.

-Tom Krag

Bioshock (2K Games; PC—$30, XBox360/PS3—$60)

There are so many things to discuss in this game. Suffice it to say that everything about it is revolutionary. It is one of the creepiest, most entertaining games of all time.

The post-apocalyptic underwater city, Rapture, has mutant psychopaths, unsettlingly frightening possessed little girls, and the most iconic character, the Big Daddy. These juggernauts are littered throughout the game, protecting the “little sisters” from being harvested.

In order to acquire the substance they posess, which is necessary to advance your mutant abilities, you must go through Big Daddy.

The beauty of this game is how creative you can get with your killing. I personally enjoy unleashing a swarm of bees on Big Daddy and watching him squirm. You can also set him on fire, hypnotize him, attach proximity mines to a corpse and throw it at him, or anything else your sadistic mind can think up. So creepy you’ll make a habit of keeping the lights on at night.

-Zach Kobrinsky

Sid Meier’s Civilization: Revolution (2K Games; XBox 360, PS3; $60)

The point of this game is world domination, which you can accomplish in many different ways. You have sixteen different civilizations to choose from when you start, each with their own advantages and disadvantages.

You’re in charge of running your civilization, but watch out because your neighbors may want to take one of your cities or eliminate you entirely. You start in a very primitive time without any technology and it is up to you to guide your civilization into the future.

The decisions you make will determine the future for you and your people. Be diplomatic or use your military might to take over, the choice is yours.

I found myself turned into a Civilization junkie and my fix was my next turn, which I couldn’t get enough of. This game is hard to put down and at times I found myself wondering if this game could be any better, and I don’t think it could be.

-Derek Green

Call of Duty: World at War (Activision Inc; XBox 360, PS3, Wii, $60)

If I were to say I was excited to play another WWII game, I would be lying. However, I was pleasantly surprised that this game did not make the subject matter feel old and overdone but new and original.

This game is a visual gem from start to finish; the colors are bright and elaborate unlike many other war games.

It’s packed with real WWII footage that adds to the storyline in campaign mode. The game plays as good as it looks—get your adrenal glands ready to be worked over because this game is intense.

I was totally and utterly entertained by the online game play. You can play campaign mode with strangers from all over the world or play one of three other free-for-all modes in which your objective is to kill everyone else.

If you really want to get your nerd on, put your headset on while playing online and it adds a great deal of fun and colorful language to the experience.

This game alone makes the cost of an X Box Live membership well worth it. I couldn’t find anything about this game that I did not like. Enjoy, you will not be disappointed.

-Derek Green

World of Goo (Brighter Minds; Mac OSX, Windows, Wii, and soon, Linux! $20)

A fun, casual game with a simple goal: build a bridge-like structure with elastic blobs and try to get your gooey lemming-like friends to a pipe that will suck them straight into an ominous place called “World of Goo Corporation,” all the while avoiding dangers such as grinding gears, spikes, fire, high winds and so on.

There sits a pile of moving goo balls ready to be put into action. Building your structure, one connection at a time, and picking up extra friends along the way, you notice that the game’s “jiggle” physics is making it hard to accomplish your goal. The bridge you built will soon buckle. Over-thinking the base support runs you out of your gooey buddies; not reinforcing the right location will sway you into oblivion.

This game is girlfriend/mom/kid friendly. Playable on Mac OSX, Windows, Wii, and soon, linux! Requirements are low, cost is twenty bones, and you don’t have to pawn your good pair of thermal underwear to one of the 3 major multimedia corporations just to be disappointed again. Great deal, even better game.

-Joe Curry

Carcassonne (Sierra Online; Xbox 360; $10; 2-5 players); Settlers of Catan (Big Huge Games; Xbox 360; $10; 2-4 players)

Carcassonne and Catan are both based on popular real-world board games. Their online counterparts are faithful reproductions—roll dice, play cards, trade resources, and lay tiles. It’s like a kitchen table without the cleanup at the end.

Although the strategy will be more difficult for newer players to pick up without having someone there to teach them the game, players who have previous experience will find the games easy to play.

Online versions of board games can’t compare to the real thing in terms of social interaction, but the multiplayer and voice chat provided by Xbox Live helps.

-Ryan Gustafson

Peggle Nights (PopCap Games; PC (Steam-enabled), Xbox 360, iPod, J2ME, BREW, Nintendo DS; $20; 1-2 players)

Peggle is a strangely compelling take on pachinko, the Japanese gambling game.

Remember the Plinko game from the Price is Right? Add a bunch of explosions, sound effects, and slow-motion effects and you’ll get an idea of what Peggle is all about.

Peggle Nights is the latest version of the game. It doesn’t add much from the original, Peggle Deluxe, but offers plenty of new challenges, levels, and a new Peggle Master, from whom you can learn a new special ability.

There’s a free demo on the website, but do yourself a favor and download it from Steam (http://www.steampowered.com), Valve’s downloadable videogame service, and get it for only $10. Give this game only to people who don’t sleep—they really won’t get any rest once the ball starts bouncing.

-Ryan Gustafson

Chrono Trigger DS (Square Enix; Nintendo DS; $40; 1-2 players)

The classic returns! Thirteen years after the original time-twisting, role-playing game emerged on the SNES (leading to many long, sleepless weekends), a new version will be available soon for the Nintendo DS handheld system.
While the graphics haven’t received an update (retaining the charm and simplicity of the original), the cut-scenes added to the 1999 Sony PlayStation version have been kept.

Chrono Trigger is, quite simply, one of the best RPGs of all time. If you’ve already played the game, you can probably skip it – there’s really nothing new. But if you’re feeling nostalgic or looking for a gift for a RPG fan who’s never had the opportunity to play Chrono Trigger, this is the perfect gift for your list.
-Ryan Gustafson

Tiger Woods: PGA Tour ‘09 (Electronic Arts; Wii, XBox 360, PS3; $60)

Whether you are a fan of golf or not, you will find a great deal of enjoyment playing this game. The Wii control lets you use a real golf swing, putting motion to play. After playing Tiger Woods on the Wii it would be impossible for me to play it on anything else.

You start by designing your own character and begin with very little skill. Practice and you will get better and you soon may be taking over the golf world.

There seems to be no end to this game which feels even bigger with the online play. There are also new party games that you can play with up to three other people.

There seems to be an infinite amount of characters in this game, some of which are pro golfers and some are the characters that you may have come to know and love over the years if you have played the earlier versions of this game.

-Derek Green

Animal Crossing: City Folk (Nintendo; Wii; $50)

I was foaming at the mouth when I saw that there was a new Animal Crossing game and I saw my winter months flash before my eyes, but I got my hopes up for nothing.

When I started to play this game it felt like I had played it before and then I remembered I had. This game is basically the same as Animal Crossing on the GameCube.

ACCF is a second-life game that never ends. The point of the game is to do as much fishing, bug catching and fossil finding as possible while keeping up relationships with your neighbors.

You can also shop at the store to make your house fit your personality with a wide range of items. It uses real time to determine the season and time of day, which is important because there are seasonal fish and bugs to catch.

You are able to use your Miis as your character which is cool, especially if you’re like me and have Miis that look like Bill Murray and Dwight from the office. The other main change that I noticed is that the ground is rounded so running around your city is made easier and you run into fewer trees.

If you have the old version do not expect a new game here, it’s basically a minimally upgraded version of the GameCube game.

-Derek Green

TrackMania Nations Forever (Nadeo/Focus Home Entertainment; PC (Steam-enabled), Nintendo DS; $40)

I was never one for racing games, but TrackMania offers a whole new angle to the genre. For starters, this game is completely free. It’s technically a demo for TrackMania United, but this version offers hours upon hours of gameplay without you really needing to upgrade to the pay version.

It comes with about 100 or so courses to choose from that are all unlike any other race tracks you’ve ever played. Some of these courses are so challenging that they’re difficult to finish, let alone get a medal in.

Beyond that, online play allows you to play these tracks against players all over the globe. And if that weren’t enough, players can create their own courses and invite others to play them online. A lot of these player-created courses are simply amazing, and the number of courses you can play are infinite.

TrackMania is readily available through the PC gamers community—Steam (Visit steamcommunity.com for free download). Just the demo version is enough to get anyone their jollies. However, the full version offers more cars to choose from, a vast number of new courses that are even more unique and challenging, and a number of other amazing features.

-Zach Kobrinsky

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (Lucas Arts; XBox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii; $60-40)

This game is one of the best Star Wars titles to date, and it should be considered by anyone looking for an action game this holiday. The gameplay is very enjoyable and the story is excellent.

You will be able to wield the Force like a Jedi master and slaughter storm troopers with ease. By defeating enemies you gain Force points which allow you to upgrade the main character’s abilities as you see fit.

The game is pretty solid overall despite some lame boss battles and questionable level designs. For some Star Wars fans this game won’t live up to the hype, but if you are a fan you should still give it a try. May the Force be with you.

-Tom Krag

NHL 09 (Electronic Arts; XBox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii, PC; $60-40)

We hockey fans have been pretty lucky with the hockey games over the years, and NHL 09 is the best. Not only is this hockey game the best hockey title, it’s one of the best sports games of the year.

The gameplay is extremely satisfying and the controls are excellent. The graphics are top notch and replays make you think you are watching Hockey Night in Canada.

The coolest part of this game may be the “Be a Pro mode”. You start off in the minors and work your way up to the pros. You will get more playing time if you make the coach happy and you will sit on the bench if you don’t.

If you call yourself a hockey fan you have to play this game. For anyone who has never played a hockey game, now is the perfect time to give an NHL game a shot.

-Tom Krag