8:00AM EST December 2. 2012 - This has been a banner year for kid video games. Innovation abounds with companies pushing the envelope to develop unique ways to play games. On this list, you'll find a game that uses "augmented reality" to turn an ordinary book into a 3-D pop-up. One game invites preschoolers to play inside a beloved TV show. With the new Nintendo Wii U, families now play video games where one person does something unique on the GamePad while the rest of the family uses Wii remotes to try to foil or beat the Gamepad user.
If you are using this list to buy video games as gifts for kids on your holiday list, remember to ask them about the system(s) they own. Some games are exclusive to certain systems. All the games on this list are rated either EC (Early Childhood, meaning preschoolers), E (for Everyone, meaning all ages), or E10+ (Everyone age 10 and older) by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB).
Family Game of the Year: Nintendo Land
(Nintendo, for ages 8-up, $59.99. Nintendo Wii U)
Nintendo Land is the best game of the Wii U launch titles because it provides so many fun ways for groups to play together. Families can play a chase game featuring Mario and the gang where one player uses the GamePad to control Mario, and everyone chases him throughout a maze. The chasers have to talk to each other since each sees only a limited part of the maze. My family and Thanksgiving guests checked out numerous Wii U games, but Nintendo Land produced the most laughter, and it was the game we couldn't stop playing.
Best For: Families who love game nights.
FOR AGES 3-5
Kinect Sesame Street TV
(Microsoft, for ages 3-6, $29.99, Xbox 360 running Kinect)
Passive TV watching becomes a thing of the past with this game, since kids both watch and play within special episodes of the beloved Sesame Street TV show. Kids will see themselves inside the TV, play a game of catch-the-ball with Elmo and even shout out commands to onscreen characters. Combining movement, interactivity and learning into one game, Kinect Sesame Street TV is revolutionary.
Best For: Preschoolers who love Sesame Street.
Disney Princess: My Fairytale Adventure
(Disney Interactive Studios, for ages 4-7, $39.99 (Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS) and $29.99(PC/Mac))
Playing as an apprentice to the Fairy Godmother, your child enters the world of the Disney Princesses. She will meet and help five of the famous "Disney Princesses," including Cinderella, Rapunzel, Ariel, Belle, and Tiana. With each, your little gamer learns how to platform-jump and solve puzzles.
Best For: Girl gamers who adore the Disney Princesses
FOR AGES 6-8
New Super Mario Bros. U
(Nintendo, for ages 7-up, $59.99, Nintendo U)
For the first time, up to five Mario lovers can explore a game together. One player uses the GamePad to provide help and support, including building new platforms in the air for others to jump onto. The other players use the regular Wii remotes to bounce through levels of the Mushroom Kingdom in search of the princess-stealing Bowser.
Best For: Mario-loving families.
FIFA Soccer 13
(Electronic Arts, for ages 8-up, $59.99 (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, WiiU), $49.99(Wii), $39.99(Sony PSP, PlayStation Vita, PC), $29.99 (3DS)
This amazingly realistic soccer simulation is available on eight different platforms, and it makes taking control of the ball on the pitch easy. With both solo and multiplayer modes available, kids can shoot their way to the top however they like to play best.
Best For: Sports-loving kids.
FOR AGES 9-14
Style Savvy Trendsetters
(Nintendo, for ages 9-up, $39.99, 3DS)
Combining fashion style with business savvy, young fashionistas learn the clothing business by running a boutique and satisfying customer requests. Featuring both women's and men's styles, kids learn about the fashion world by styling their way through this simulation game.
Best For: Budding fashionistas.
Wonderbook: Book of Spells
(Sony, for ages 9-up, $39.99 (game+Wonderbook) or $79.99 (game+Wonderbook+Move controller and PlayStation Eye camera), PlayStation 3.
Using "augmented reality," this game turns a plain, picture-less Wonderbook into a 3-D pop-up spellbook found within Hogwarts library. Using the Move controller as their wand, kids practice magical spells created by J.K. Rowling. It's a breathtaking way to attend Hogwarts as a wizard-in-training.
Best For: Harry Potter fans.
Skylanders Giants
(Activision, for ages 10-up, $59.99 (game+ 1 giant action figure) or $74.99 (game, portal, 1 giant + 2 other action figures), Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, Wii U, 3DS).
A sequel to last year's blockbuster game, kids introduce giant heroes to Skylands by placing toy figurines on a special "Portal of Power." The toy morphs into a playable video game character that kids control to fight an evil bad guy and bring order to this fantasy world of floating islands. The toy figure stores all of the character's earned increases in power. What makes this game so much fun is that you can place your toy on a friend's portal (no matter the console) and have it show up in your friend's game.
Best For: Kids who love role-playing games and collectibles.
Scribblenauts Unlimited
(Warner Bros. Interactive, for ages 10-up, $59.99 (Wii U), $39.99 (3DS), $29.99(PC).
The third in a series of innovative puzzle games featuring Max, a boy with a magic notebook, this adventure game contains a series of puzzles that kids solve by writing in words of objects they need to solve the puzzles. The wilder the imagination, the more fun players will have as they create their own solutions. Bring on the "flying bathtubs" and such.
Best For: Puzzle-loving kids with wild imaginations.
Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask
(Nintendo, for ages 10-up, $39.99, 3DS).
This mystery adventure is filled with brainteasers and conundrums. To get clues and information needed to solve the mystery, kids must explore a town, talk to its citizens and solve the townsfolk's puzzles.
Best For: Armchair sleuths who thrive on puzzles and brainteasers.
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