A Loaded Season

I thought it would be worthwhile to start things off with my picks for the holiday season! As some of you probably already know, I am primarily a Nintendo fan, although I have been known to dabble in Playstation and Xbox titles as well, so that will be reflected here...

Below I am listing five games that I think you should seriously consider picking up this Holiday season.


1. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii) If you don't already own a Wii, GET ONE! There are more reasons now than ever to own Nintendo's crazy little white box, and at the top of the list is this newest outing by the iconic plumber himself, Mario.

2. Guitar Hero 3 (All platforms) Few games have the universal appeal that the Guitar Hero series does, and this latest edition comes to platforms from all three major manufacturers for the first time, including Nintendo! You don't need any knowledge of the guitar to enjoy this game, (although the higher difficulty levels can get intense) just a love of ROCK!

3. Zack & Wiki (Wii) Though I cannot give you a first-hand recommendation of this game (yet), it has been hailed far and wide as one of the finest efforts on the Wii. You control the protagonist, Zack (a wannabe pirate) indirectly by point-and-click, and solve all kinds of puzzles to quest after treasure. The videos that I have watched make this game look like a MUST HAVE!

4. Link's Crossbow Training (including Wii Zapper) (Wii, duh) I picked this up two weeks ago and it has been a blast! Set in the Legend of Zelda universe, the $20 shooting gallery game is tons of fun and a great casual pick-up-and-play game. Fire it up at Christmas, and I guarantee your family and friends will join in!

5. Medal of Honor: Heroes 2 (Wii) Again, I just got this baby and boy, does it deliver! A great single-player campaign mode, Wii-Zapper enabled Arcade mode (kinda like playing Area 51 or Time Crisis in the arcade) and 32-player online multiplayer all come together to make one awesome package. Add on the best FPS controls I've ever used (including Halo...) and you've got a winning combination.

HONORABLE MENTION: I should note a few other titles that are vying for everyone's attention here. Halo 3 (XBOX 360)is excellent, especially the multiplayer, and Call of Duty 4 (XBOX 360, PS3) has garnered too many good reviews to ignore. I also read great things about Bioshock (XBOX 360, PC), Assasin's Creed (XBOX 360, PS3), Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (PS3) and Mass Effect (XBOX 360). I could probably spend hours listing other Wii titles that I recommend, but I'm trying to keep it current, here people!

Get out there and buy something great, or ask for it for Christmas!