Special: Holiday Buyer's Guide 2010

Holiday Buyer's Guide 2010

The PixlBit staff has put together the go-to game guide for all holiday shoppers, gamers or not.

Sports & Racing

Sports

NBA Jam

Accolades

It's been a good long while since a proper NBA Jam title has been made, but EA Sports has returned the series to its former glory with the latest release. It won't be long before you're breaking backboards, shoving your opponents, doing monster jams, tossing alley-oops, and in general, playing some of the most ridiculous basketball imaginable. The controls might be a little rough and the CPU player is on the hard side, but with friends or family, NBA Jam is an absolute blast. Grab it for your kids, or those nostalgic for the original Midway games.

Also Available On: PS3 & Wii

Racing

Blur

Accolades

Blur is an interesting mix of simulation and arcade racer, providing players with semi-realistic car handling combined with power-ups and turbo boosts. Anyone with a passing interest in the racing genre will connect with Bizarre Creations' latest work, especially those who enjoyed the Project Gotham Racing series from Microsoft. A long quest and a low price tag should make this an excellent and affordable gift for a friend or family.

Also Available On: PS3

Mario Kart Wii

Accolades

Mario's venerable kart racer returns in this action-packed sequel. Grab your favorite character or use your Mii, and pair them up with one of over thirty vehicles, which now includes bikes for the first time. Battle it out with turtle shell projectiles, banana peels, and other classic Mario staples as you race around locales of the Mushroom Kingdom. The new tracks are pretty varied, with springy mushrooms, underwater tubes, downhill slaloms, and more wild environments that keep things interesting. Unfortunately, many of the classic tracks seem subdued by comparison, but they are still better than the originals. With a multitude of control options, such as the included Wii Wheel, players of all types and skill levels can comfortably compete on the racetrack, either in four-player split-screen or over the Nintendo WiFi Connection.

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Jason Ross Senior Editor

12/14/2010 at 02:08 AM

Since we stuck to titles that could be found on the major consoles, we left out Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty. If you know anyone with a PC powerful enough to play the game and an interest in gaming, consider StarCraft II.

I'm pondering an editorial about misleading gift games that shouldn't be given to anyone without a specific request, mostly because they're hit-or-miss or might lull gift-givers into a false sense of security. Toy Story: Midway Mania and Disney Epic Mickey would definitely be on that list, since they're probably not the quality one might expect from their names.

Anyway, despite having my name on it, this thing really was a PixlBit staff collaboration. I put together the base-work, Nick, Chessa, Kathrine, Nate, Chris, and I all wrote-up the various games, and then Nick made it look all nice and fancy.

Share your own recommendations in the comments, if you like!

Matt R Staff Alumnus

12/14/2010 at 02:15 AM

Three different thingies that tell you the game is fun in groups? One of them should've been -has online play-. I haven't read the rest yet though but you could do better with the badges.

birdo badges.

12/14/2010 at 02:20 AM

Different sorts of groups! Different people like different ways of gaming. You're right to recommend information about online play, though. I'll see if we can't add something like it, and once we do, update the guide with that information once we compile it all and make it fit in.

12/14/2010 at 02:36 AM

Motion Puss Enhanced Badge.

AUGHH MY ARM Waggle Badge.

These are what people care about.

Nick DiMola Director

12/15/2010 at 10:22 AM

Looks like Jason added in the Online Enabled accolade. Now you can further refine your purchase choice based on if a game goes online, if you so please.

Joaquim Mira Media Manager

12/15/2010 at 03:10 PM

I think that 3D Dot Game Heroes to be much more akin to A Link To The Past than the original Legend Of Zelda.

12/15/2010 at 03:17 PM

Yeah, I think it settles firmly between those two experiences. I think A Link to the Past is a bit more advanced, but 3DDGH is most definitely ahead of the original Zelda.

12/16/2010 at 01:13 AM

For some odd reason, Chris didn't like 3D Dot Game Heroes. I didn't play it yet, but Link to the Past is the Zelda game I do like, and I noticed the resemblance, too. I did watch him play it when the guy was trying to make the wife choice that was in Dragon Quest V. That was definitely worth a laugh or two, right there.

12/22/2010 at 04:30 AM

Excuse the double post.

It just occurred to me we left out Kirby's Epic Yarn. That's right. We left out what might be one of the most friendly games out there. A game that can be picked up and played just to play. Kirby's Epic Yarn is an especially great title for folks new to gaming. It's impossible to die, it has a cute storyline, similar to a children's book, too. The game has merit on anyone's shelves, but it would make an especially great gift to people with a Wii who are just looking for light-hearted fun.

PixlBit

Holiday Buyer's Guide 2010

Sports & Racing

NBA Jam

Blur