GameSmith's Holiday Video Game Gift Guide 2010
Video game buying used to be a bit more simple. Everything usually
boiled down to a couple of different choices - NES or Sega game,
PlayStation or Nintendo 64. But with the recent additions of Sony's Move
and Microsoft's Kinect add-ons, as well as downloadable games and extra
online content, holiday game shopping can be more difficult than
figuring out your taxes. To make things simple, here are some of GameSmith's
favorite buys:
In this gallery
OK, so there's a good chance you're going to buy it anyway, because well, isn't everyone? Skeptics, don't shy away from the sixth entry in the Call of Duty series just because you think it might not live up to the hype. Black Ops does, and it should be sought after by every first-person shooter fan.
As fun as it was that NBA2K11 let us step into the sneakers of Michael Jordan, the re-release of the classic arcade smash NBA Jam takes our fantasy of becoming a basketball superman even further - allowing players to to jump dozens of feet into the air and perform crazy, over-the-top, somersault dunks and half-court three pointers. Bulls fans can also use members of the current team as well as classic players like Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman.
Harmonix has tossed in everything but the kitchen sink for the latest edition of Rock Band - a keyboard peripheral that lets you jam away on keys for piano/synth songs, a pro-guitar and drums mode, backup vocals and a killer soundtrack featuring a nice balance of pop, modern rock and classic hits. It might be time to dust off those old plastic instruments once again for Rock Band 3.
Don't be fooled by the so-cute-it-hurts visuals of Kirby's Epic Yarn, a game that looks like what would happen if art-house filmmaker Michel Gondry made Nintendo games. There's a solid, amusing game here to go along with the creative, patchwork quilt visuals. And as a bonus, the cooperative multiplayer mode works extremely well.
The third in the Assassin's Creed series is set in once again in Renaissance Italy, but there's no dry history lesson to be found. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is a hardcore action game with emphasis on stealth as you sneak around the streets of Rome to assassinate political enemies.
Disney's impish icon Mickey Mouse has failed as a great video game character for some strange reason, but “Epic Mickey” changes all that in one calculated paintbrush stroke. In his new Wii-based adventure, Mickey has his classic mischievous attitude and has been granted the power to wield paint and paint thinner to dynamically change the world around him in the form of Wasteland, an alternative world made up of Disney's long forgotten attractions and characters. Don't just write off Epic Mickey as another simple kids title – it has enough charm for adults to enjoy as well.
Don't be afraid to go behind the wheel of Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit. Even in a year crowded with quality racing games (Blur, Split Second), Need for Speed stands out with its high-octane driving action. The game eschews any sort of narrative for no-frills racing action that boils down to two different kinds of racing - hunt or be the hunted. You're able to pick from being an outlaw who must channel the Dukes of Hazzard and escape the pursuit of the police or you can experience life as The Man himself as you try to bring in the bad guy. Hot Pursuit also does a great job integrating online play and the eight player multiplayer matches devolve quickly into delightful chaos.
Nintendo has been working overtime to dust off its big time classic franchises - Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Kirby and now Donkey Kong and for the most part the results have been good. Donkey Kong Country Returns, a revival of the popular Super Nintendo series, is the best of the lot so far. DKCR is full of fun side-scrolling monkey action as Kong romps around the jungles, trampling enemies underneath his big feet and trying to track down the K-O-N-G letters in each level. Best of all, a second player can join in as tiny Diddy Kong (not related to P-Diddy) for cooperative play. Finally, Kong is king again!
Sony Move ($99.99 for a bundle that includes a Move controller, the Eye camera and Sports Champions) PlayStation 3 Here's an easy way to think of Sony's new motion control device that hooks up to your PlayStation 3 - it's like the Nintendo Wii, but better. It might be a lot to swallow to spring $400 or so for a PS3 system and a Move for motion gaming, but the Move is a must-buy for current PlayStation owners.
Microsoft has tagged the Kinect with the slogan "You Are The Controller" with good reason. Instead of using your thumbs to play games, Kinect users run, jump, and flail their limbs around and yell and the system's camera, infrared sensor and microphones do the rest. The launch titles are on the weak side, but this is the future of gaming.
With another James Bond flick not expected to hit the silver screen again for two years, your best bet for a "007" fix is in the video game realm. Daniel Craig again voices the smooth super spy in "Blood Stone," a game which features a new story in the Bond canon penned by GoldenEye scribe Bruce Feirstein. It's got more exotic locates, over-the-top action sequences, car chases, and all sorts of international intrigue you'd expect from the series. The multiplayer doesn't stack up to Call of Duty, but Blood Stone is worth a spin or two in the Aston-Martin..
If you have the PlayStation 3 Move motion controls and want to relive the golden days of the 90's arcade gun game, (Terminator 2 or Time Crisis anyone?) then set your targets for The Shoot. In The Shoot, you point your Move Controller at the screen and fire at enemies from five different movie genres - a Western, a sci-fi film, a zombie horror, a mafia flick and an underwater adventure. To add to the mix, you can use Move's motion gesture controls into the mix like leaning left or right to avoid an stick of dynamite thrown your way. Also, if you toss in another $20 for the Move's gun attachment, The Shoot is that much more fun to play.
Sure, pop culture is beginning to sag under the weight of too many zombie related products, but there's always room for more when it's as well done as the add-on for Rockstar's Red Dead Redemption. The Undead Nightmare Pack lets you step into the boots of John Marston once again, this time as a six-shooting cowboy who must fend off a zombie horde from eating the brains of the townspeople that have survived. Much of the original game mixed Wild West action with drama and a dash of social commentary, but the story here is wisely focused on being more silly and fun. Highly recommended for fans of RDR and zombie lovers.
Get over the fact that the game won't actually put you any closer to being DJ Shadow and there's plenty of fun to be had with DJ Hero 2. The sequel is actually improved from the original, especially with regards to the freestyle segments. In the first game, you could only choose from a few generic samples that often sounded out of place. But DJ Hero 2 features track specific samples that can actually enhance your mix. The soundtrack is even slightly improved, featuring bigger artists like Lady Gaga, Kayne West and 50 Cent. To quote Flavor Flav - "Yeeeeeeah boy!"
How do you top a legendary video game set in post-apocalyptic Washington D.C.? Vegas, baby, Vegas. As implied by the name, Fallout: New Vegas is set in a bombed out Mojave Desert, where your character must interact with a variety of characters, battle a host of mutated or radiation-poisoned foes and eventually find his/her way to the bright lights of the New Vegas strip. The bad news: New Vegas feel so close to Fallout 3 that it almost feels like a flashy expansion pack. The good news: there's so much to see and explore and shoot, it's still a better value than almost every other video game out there.
Yup, the turn-based strategy game that has already stolen countless hours from PC gamers returns for a glorious fifth episode. Civilization V doesn't revolutionize the series, but it nearly perfects it by adding new tools and multiplayer options and a more streamlined interface. As in previous Civilizations, your job is to expand your small city into a vast empire using diplomacy or your military to deal with other nation states. In other words, you can decide if you're more of a Barack Obama or George W. Bush type leader. If you lack patience for the game's slow-paced, board game-like feel, look elsewhere. Otherwise, this fun and addictive title is a strategy gamer's paradise.
There's plenty of creative video games out there, but there's few that actually inspire gamers themselves to creativity. That's the calling card of Super Scribblenauts, a game in which you must solve puzzles with your power of being able to create whatever object you think of by writing one of over 30,000 words into your DS. If you need to get to a hard to reach area, for instance, you can write in "wings" or a "jet-pack" or even an "airplane" into existence and have your character use them. For the sequel, you can even use adjectives to help change the color, size, or behaviors of whatever object you're describing - meaning you can make a "sad panda" or a "hairy witch." If you're a puzzle fan or word freak, Super Scribblenauts shouldn't be missed.
For The War Hero Wannabe---Call of Duty Black Ops (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
OK, so there's a good chance you're going to buy it anyway, because well, isn't everyone? Skeptics, don't shy away from the sixth entry in the Call of Duty series just because you think it might not live up to the hype. Black Ops does, and it should be sought after by every first-person shooter fan.
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