Gifts for the Winter Gamer

Dec. 14, 2008

Do you get cold at the drop of a (wool) hat? Curse the lack of sunlight and the near-daily unshoveling of your car? No skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, or ice skating for you? No problem - there are plenty of people who prefer their winter activities to be of the indoor variety, and video games can be one of the most entertaining and captivating ways to get through a long winter.
For under $100, you can easily snag two or three of this year’s brand new games, and there are definitely some great ones to choose from - so here’s our pick of the best new general-appeal video games for the two most popular video game platforms this holiday season:

PICK PLAYSTATION:

Little Big Planet
Unveiled at the Lollapalooza fest earlier this year, Little Big Planet - and it’s quirky-cute main character, Sackboy - are living up to all the hype. Crafted of virtual fabric, knittings, glue, and other... well, quirkiness, the LBP world is one that you both have to help create and a world that you have to find your way through. The balance of challenges and customization makes this one an absorbing trek you’ll lose hours to.
www.littlebigplanet.com, PS3 $59.99

Lego Batman
For those of you familiar with the inventive Lego: Star Wars, you’ll be equally geeked about the latest comic book entry from the Lego videogame series. Play as Batman himself, or choose chaos by taking on a bad-guy role as The Joker, Riddler, or one of many other villains; a big part of the fun is checking out all the superhero gear, like the Batboat and, of course, the rocket-powered Batmobile. Yee-haw! www.legobatmangame.com, PS2 $29.99

Lego Indiana Jones
We simply couldn’t include Batman without including Indy. Covering all three classic Indiana Jones movies in one game, you’ll not only get to use Indy’s trademark whip weapon, but you’ll also get to solve Lego-fied puzzles, and see (or be!) over 60 characters like Short Round, Marion Ravenwood, and the esteemed Jones Senior, all in hilarious blocky Lego form. And that classic Indy sense of humor translates well, too. http://indianajones.lego.com, PS2 $39.99

Buzz Quiz TV
Do you like Jeopardy, Millionaire, or similar quiz-based game shows? Then you’ll really like Buzz Quiz TV, ‘cause it puts you and your pals right in the middle of the game! Using color-coded Buzz, er, buzzers, your energetic (if somewhat generic) host guides you (and your onscreen you) through questions dealing with music, movies, TV, general knowledge, and more; and you can download even more puzzlers online. www.buzzthegame.com, PS3 $59.99

Rock Band 2
Taking the virtual rock band idea steps beyond Guitar Hero, Rock Band’s second edition includes several nifty additions, including mini Tour Challenges, Customizable Set Lists, a Drum Trainer, and a Character Creator so you can deck out your rocker in top-notch stage style. Plus you’ll get to rock on over surprisingly diverse 80 tunes from bands like Beck, Smashing Pumpkins, Modest Mouse, Foo Fighters, Alanis Morissette, and The Who. www.rockband.com, $49.99

GO NINTENDO:

Wii Music
It’s been one of the most anticipated Wii releases of the holiday season, and here’s why - much like Rock Band 2, it’s universally appealing to make music, and now even those without that particular talent can at least “jam.” You can play on your own or with friends (“bandmates”), and you’re not just limited to drums, guitar, and bass - you can virtually experiment with sitars, banjos, pianos, trumpets and, yes, more cowbell, please. www.wiimusic.com, $49.99

WordJong Party
If you enjoy Scrabble or Bookworm, then you’ll probably want to step up to WordJong, an Asian-themed version of word games that brings in elements of Mahjong and some pretty, calm music to accompany your spelling. With WordJong Party for the Wii, you can play in solitary mode, or bring in your equally wordy friends to battle (calmly, of course) your way through various tile-spelling challenges. www.ebgames.com, $29.99

Star Wars The Clone Wars -
Lightsaber Duels
Adapting the distinctive and sharp computer-animated look of the movie/TV Clone Wars series, the Wii game makes decent use of its motion-controlled “combat system” as you wield a lightsaber and fight your way through various duels. Although the lightsaber use is somewhat intuitive, it’s also a little too directional or clunky at times, but, luckily, the game itself is immersive enough that you’ll barely notice. www.lucasarts.com/games/theclonewars/wii/, $49.99

Iron Chef America Supreme Cuisine
The Wii remote gets demoted from lightsaber to cooking tool in this cult favorite, but you’ll forgive the demotion once you realize that all your Iron Chef favorites are here, from Mario Batali and Alton Brown to Marimoto himself. You’ll chop, you’ll dice, you’ll slice, you’ll sauté - you’ll panic when you realize you’re not sure what to do with the secret ingredient - and you’ll have a cookin’ good time. Allez cuisine! http://www.destineerstudios.com/ironchef/ $39.99

Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party
Those crazy big-eared, big-toothed cartoon rabbids are back, with over 50 games best played alongside your pals for maximum fun. Be prepared for lots of irreverent humor, plenty of eye-rolling silliness, and a peppy soundtrack to go with; you can float through outer space, dance-dance your own revolution, and if you’ve got a Wii balance board, you can even cycle, surf, or “sled” down a hill, steering with, yep, your posterior. http://rabbids.uk.ubi.com/index.php, $49.99