| Topping the wish lists for gamers this year are the Sony PlayStation3 and Nintendo Wii game consoles, but in the event you’re having difficulty finding a store with the new units in stock, here are some back-up options.
For gamers-on-the-go, the Sony PSP ($229.99) and Nintendo DS ($149.99) are the two handheld options of choice. Both units play various media formats in addition to games, and all are Wi-Fi enabled.
If you want a next-gen gaming system, but can’t get your mitts on a PS3 (20GB hard drive: $549, 60GB hard drive: $659) or Wii ($279.95), a reasonable alternative is Microsoft’s Xbox 360 (standard: $399, 20GB hard drive: $499). If the gamer in your family is already a proud owner of this machine, consider equipping it with an X360 Wireless Racing Wheel ($159.99). It’s made of steel and is heavy enough that you can really torque the wheel without tipping over your coffee table. The wheel is also force-feedback enabled, to provide a realistic feel (although this requires power, which makes the wheel less wireless than it would otherwise be).
Software is where it’s really at when it comes to video-games, but a note, first, to all parents: look for a game’s ESRB rating, which can be found on the front of every package. These ratings, determined by the Entertainment Software Rating Board, provide a suggestion as to the age appropriateness of all games. Specific details about a game’s rating can be found on the back of every box.
Retailers will not sell mature-rated titles to minors, so you don’t have to worry about that. Knowing the content and the rating of the game you are considering for your child is the first step. The second, and most important, is to play with your children and talk about the games you enjoy together.
The price you’ll pay for games varies depending on what gaming platform they were created for (expect games for the next-gen PS3, X360 and Wii to average $10 more, for example) and where you are getting them from (retailers compete on pricing), but most will be in the $50 to $70 range.
While many of the titles below are suitable for kids of all ages, one that will particularly appeal to the younger crowd is The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning (Sierra; GameCube, DS, PS2, Xbox; rated everyone 10+) you play as a young dragon who is destined to save the world. Voiced by Frodo himself, Elijah Wood, Spyro’s dragonfly pal features the vocal talent of David Spade in yet another comedic sidekick role.
For the gamer who prefers to get sweaty with some action and adventure, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Double Agent (Ubisoft; PC, GameCube, PS2, Xbox, X360; rated mature) twists the spy genre once again, putting Sam Fisher in a moral dilemma.
There’s nothing better than getting scared out of your wits while trying to stay alive. Key survival horror experiences are found in Dead Rising (Capcom; X360; rated mature), in which a photojournalist must fight a horde of zombies while investigating the cause of the undead outbreak and F.E.A.R. (Sierra; X360; rated mature), which mixes a standard first-person shooter with the peripheral-vision dread popularized by films such as The Ring and The Grudge.
Exploring open-ended environments is a favourite of many gamers. There are excellent additions to that category this year with Bully (Rockstar; PS2; rated teen), set in the tumultuous environment of a boarding school and featuring the trials faced by all adolescents and Scarface: The World is Yours (Sierra; PC, PS2, Xbox; rated mature), which rewrites the ending of the Al Pacino vehicle to give us an excuse to embody Tony Montana in the wild-west world of Miami in the eighties.
For those who can’t get enough of killing things and blowing up other things, consider Gears of War (Microsoft Game Studios; X360; rated mature), set on an alternate, postapocalyptic reality in which humans defend Earth against an invading force of demonic aliens called the Locust.
Games can also tickle the funny bone. Destroy All Humans 2 (THQ; PS2, Xbox; rated teen) has you starring as a big-headed alien with a hate-on for the hippies, trying to regain control of the United States while quipping in a great Jack Nicholson impersonation. Playing Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (Lucasarts; PC, GameCube, DS, PS2, PSP, Xbox, X360; rated everyone 10+) gives you the opportunity to retell the story the way you want with the character you love best, all the while poking fun at the films that influenced a generation.
Working out the fine details of troop movements and suburban life will come from Company of Heroes (THQ; PC; rated mature) and The Sims 2: Holiday Edition and The Sims 2: Happy Holiday Stuff (EA; PC; rated teen). The former includes the full version of the best-selling game, while the latter is an expansion pack with holiday-themed items like mistletoe and reindeer lawn ornaments.
For fans of science fiction and fantasy, Prey (2K Games; PC, X360; rated mature) will put you in a massive alien spaceship trying to save humanity from becoming a food source. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Bethesda Softworks; PC, X360; rated teen) is an excellent choice for becoming a roguish or wizardly adventurer in a world of swords and sorcerers.
Don’t forget about some great games that were released earlier that are sure to get some "oohs" and "aahs" from the gamer who hasn’t yet added them to their library: Tomb Raider: Legend (Eidos; PC, GameCube, DS, PS2, PSP, Xbox, X360; rated teen) and God of War (Sony; PS2; rated mature).
To close out this year’s suggestions are two games that, because they are creative, entertaining and very different from the typical experience, are in a league all their own. First is New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo; DS; rated everyone), which is the latest and best game starring the famous plumber and second is Okami (Capcom; PS2; rated teen), which is not only an engaging game to play, but is about ecology and the environment, and has you painting the landscape to rejuvenate the flora and fauna. |
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