The gift of gaming

>> Keep yourself busy through all family events!

by ERIK LEIJON

If you still haven’t graduated to a next-gen console, expect to receive a scratched up used game or one of those looping fireplace DVD’s rather than one of these titles (although the PS2 still has a few trickling in).

Microsoft Xbox 360—$500 (120GB Elite Edition), $400 (20GB Regular), $300 (Arcade, no hard drive)
Nintendo Wii—$270 (good luck)
Sony Playstation 3—$400 (40GB version), $500 (80GB version)

Zack & Wiki: The Quest for Barbaros’ Treasure (Wii/Capcom) is neither about an online encyclopaedia or about the valuable remains of a deceased horse, but it is the first must-have Wii game that wasn’t developed by Nintendo or isn’t a remake of an earlier title. Starring a big eyed anime pirate and his animal sidekick, it’s a series of puzzles solved by interacting with random on-screen items using the Wii remote. $50

Silent Hill: Origins (PSP/Konami) reminds us that before Silent Hill was a crummy horror movie, it was a downright spooky survival horror game. The theatrical-gaming series makes its handheld debut, and even with the reduced screen size, everything is ominous. $35

Gears of War (PC/Microsoft) 2006’s game of the year took less time to hit the PC than Halo 2. What’s new, you ask? Five new campaign missions, a level editor and more multiplayer maps. It’s worth it if you’re still hooked one year later. $50

Crysis (PC/EA) similarly will force you to buy a new video card or replace your machine altogether. The latest island-themed first-person shooter from Far Cry developer Crytek had devised the coolest futuristic weapons ever seen in a game. $50

Tomb Raider Anniversary (Wii/Eidos) was an underrated return to form for Mademoiselle Croft, and now she makes the jump from PC to Wii. Anniversary understands that Prince of Persia is the definitive action platformer and thus proceeds to successfully duplicate the winning formula; except for caves instead of castles, and a curvy heroine instead of a metrosexual hero. $40

Rock Band (PS3, X360/EA) is the latest music game from the creative minds behind Guitar Hero. On the plus side, the $170 package includes a microphone, a guitar (you need two, though) and a drum kit, with the promise of Metallica songs as downloadable content. The one caveat is you need three friends/slaves at all times to enjoy. $170

WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 (PS3, X360, Wii/THQ) provides all the action of pro wrestling, minus the nandrolone injections. Similar to EA’s analog obsession, submission moves are controlled with the two analog sticks. Wrestling games tend to be more fun than the real McCoy these days. $65

Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker (DS/Square Enix) is Pokémon for those too ashamed to admit they dream of raising an army of Pikachus. You know the drill: over 200 creatures hidden across the land and you must capture them, tame them and teach them the will of the warrior. For anime nerds, Dragon Ball’s Akira Toriyama designed the cute little buggers. Similarly well suited to the portable console is the adventure role-playing game Orcs & Elves (DS/EA) from Doom’s John Carmack. Yeah, that’s what he’s been up to. $40 and $30.

Time Crisis 4 (PS3/Namco) has been in arcades since last year (yeah, I’ve never seen one either), and now it has hit the PS3 in all its light gun glory. The new GunCon3 gun controller uses infrared technology, so it comes with a special bar you place on your television. It’s an extremely old school, oft-neglected genre that hopefully still has legs. $80 with gun.

Unreal Tournament 3 (PC/Midway) is yet another must-have first-person shooter for the PC. To the untrained eye, they likely all seem the same, and frankly, to even the seasoned gamer, playing a new FPS every week can become annoying, but UT3 is important for two reasons: 1) It’s the first Unreal game to use the Unreal Engine 3 (Gears of War) gaming engine, and 2) The multiplayer deathmatches are still too fast and crazy for human eyes to follow. $50 (PC), $70 (PS3)

Virtua Fighter 5 (X360/Sega) for the Playstation 3 was the ideal next-gen progression of the world’s greatest traditional fighting game series, and the recently released 360 version is the same visually jaw-dropping masterpiece with online play added. That’s a big deal, since fighting game addicts tend to be obsessive loners. Perhaps even more exciting is the upcoming release of Nights (Wii/Sega), the sequel to Yuji Naka’s forgotten 1996 classic. It’s a 3D platformer (in the loosest sense) starring a flying purple jester, and here’s hoping it has the look and gameplay to woo a new generation of gamers. $70 and $50

Table Tennis (Wii/Rockstar) is yet another Wii remake, this time based on the superior looking 360 version. Wii Table Tennis does have something the 360 version doesn’t—motion sensor controls using the Wii remote. If you have to choose, take the 360 version. If you want a solid Wii title, you won’t go wrong here either. $40

Do you have children? It can be difficult to come up with inventive ways to shut them up, so perhaps Go, Diego, Go!: Safari Rescue (DS/2K Play) $40, Ubisoft Montreal’s My Word Coach (DS/Ubisoft) $30, Viva Piñata: Party Animals (X360/Microsoft) $50, or those insufferable High School Musical (Wii/Disney) $70, and Hannah Montana (DS/Disney) $35 DS, $50 Wii cashgrabs will be just as effective as a fresh batch of Ritalin brownies. Not that I’m suggesting anything.