1:40PM EST December 4. 2012 - 'Tis the season to be jolly — and what better way to keep the kids (and kids at heart) happy and entertained than with a brand new video game.
This year saw no shortage of epic sequels, an explosion in mobile apps, indie hits (such as Minecraft), hands-free motion-control, second-screen gaming and more social media experiences.
If it's console and PC gamers you're shopping for, the following are some sure-fire suggestions for teens and adults. All titles are $59.99 unless otherwise specified.
While not too different from last year's version, Ubisoft's Just Dance 4 (from $39.99) is a blast — especially when you have company over for the holidays. The rhythm-based dancing game challenges up to four players to dance in front of the television. Their movements are picked up by the Kinect sensor (Xbox 360), PlayStation Move controller and camera (PlayStation 3) or wireless Wii Remote (Nintendo Wii and Wii U). While sweating it out to more than 40 songs — plus downloadable tracks including Psy's "Gangnam Style" — your moves are graded in real time. The game offers multiple modes, varied skill levels and depending on the console, the ability to shoot video and upload it for friends to see.
It's a fight to the finish with Sony's PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale for PlayStation 3 ($59.99) and PlayStation Vita ($39.99), a free-for-all brawler starring more than 20 video game heroes and mascots from the PlayStation universe. This includes Sackboy (LittleBigPlanet), Kratos (God of War), Sly Cooper, Sweet Tooth (Twisted Metal), Parappa the Rapper, Nathan Drake (Uncharted), and others. Along with single-player modes you can partake in head-to-head multiplayer action on the same television or online (with tournaments). As a bonus, those who buy the PS3 version will receive a code to play the game for free on the PSVita handheld system.
Other great picks for teens include EA Sports' NHL 13, WB Games' Batman: Arkham City - Armored Edition and 2K Sports' NBA 2K13.
ADULTS
One of the best — and most talked-about — games of the year is Telltale Games' The Walking Dead ($29.99 for all episodes; PS3, Xbox 360 and PC). Based on Robert Kirkman's best-selling comic and television franchise, this five-part series tells of a zombie outbreak in America and a band of characters who work together to survive. Between its memorable characters, stellar voice talent, nail-biting moments and gameplay that fuses multiple genres together, The Walking Dead is a "must-play" interactive entertainment experience for mature audiences.
Master Chief is back in Microsoft Game Studios' Halo 4 (for Xbox 360). Developed by 343 Industries, this sci-fi shooter marks the beginning of a new saga that takes place almost five years after the events of Halo 3. The player slips into the combat boots of the famous super soldier, and he'll have his faithful A.I. companion Cortana with him as they step foot on a mysterious new world and confront an ancient evil that threaten to destroy all of humankind. While Halo 4 has all the hallmarks of a Halo adventure — run-and-gun action, numerous vehicles and many multiplayer modes — it also has one of the best stories found in a Halo game to date.
Bigger, better and bolder, Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed III (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii U and PC) is an epic action game that drops the player in the middle of the American Revolution during the late 18th century. You play as a warrior known as Connor, of both Native American and English heritage, who joins the Continental Army to fight for freedom against the British. By wielding a number of weapons — such as tomahawks, guns and bows — you'll survey the landscape, hop between trees and building rooftops, and take down the redcoats one by one. The game includes a retelling of some legendary events including the Battle of Bunker Hill, the Great Fire of New York and epic naval battles off the east coast.
Available for Xbox 360, PS3 and Windows PC, Activision's Call of Duty: Black Ops II is set primarily in 2025, where America's best fighting machines — including unmanned drones and robotic vehicles — have been reprogrammed to turn against its own country. Fought in various U.S. hotspots, such as downtown L.A., you'll lead the war from an immersive first-person perspective, in both a frenetic single-player campaign — across huge maps and with branching storylines — or take to the Internet to team up with others for heated multiplayer matches on specialty maps. Fans of the Zombies mode from past games will also be happy to know this new disc features three different ways to survive the undead apocalypse.
Other excellent "Mature"-rated video game gift ideas: EA/Bioware's Mass Effect III, Ubisoft's Far Cry 3, Square Enix's Hitman: Absolution, Bethesda Softworks' Dishonored, 2K Games' Borderlands 2 and XCOM: Enemy Unknown
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