Better known as The Wizard of Oz - Beyond the Yellow Brick Road (now there's a crappy name), RIZ-ZOAWD is one of those games that, though lacking in the story department, never seizes to be fun. Control everything with the stylus and run fast like the wind! Battles that remind of Dragon Quest, amazing music from Hitoshi Sakimoto and Masaharu Iwata and extremely pretty graphics makes this a great gift for both children and adults. - Lania

Improving on last year's formula presented in Space Invaders Extreme, Space Invaders Extreme 2 still combines the upbeat music with some interesting twists on the classic arcade shooter. It's chaotic, challenging, addictive and lots of fun. For everyone feeling a little bit nostalgic, this "remake" is definitely worth the repetitive presses of the A button. - Didi

A game for the more casual gamer or tower-defense-lover close to your heart. Plant plants in your yard to keep the zombies at bay, play mini-games, master survival mode, and zone out in your Zen garden. And with a modest price tag of $20.00, even the poorest of gamers can afford this box of awesome for their mom, cousin, brother, best friend, or significant other. Just be prepared to not be able to talk to the recipient for the next week or so because they'll be too busy defending their house from the zombie horde for that. - Meagan

Flower is an absolutely gorgeous title (in more than just a graphical sense), but is one game that is difficult to adequately describe – you control a gust of wind, represented on screen by independently animated flower pedals, and must hover over thousands of flowers, forcing them to bloom, thereby repairing surrounding technology and otherwise recreating a lush landscape. The game is emotionally engaging, and while lacking entirely in human characters, dialogue and all things expected therein, if you give yourself over to the game, letting it affect you as it will, it does contain a far-reaching narrative concerning humans’ effect on nature that can remain long after the game is completed. As a PSN download, the title is rather short, my one and only complaint, but that also means that it's cheap, further eliminating any excuse one could have against giving it a shot, which you all definitely should. - Brandy

While Killzone 2 may no longer technically be considered "new", for those that are picking up a PS3 this holiday season, KZ2 simply should not be missed. Don’t let the quality (or lack thereof) of the original Killzone fool you – its sequel has been improved in every way imaginable. Intense combat spread throughout a fairly lengthy campaign (at least where FPSs are concerned), tons of multiplayer modes, character customization, incredible graphics, voice acting and more; Simply put, Killzone 2 is one of the best PS3 games, not only of 2009, but ever. - Brandy

Singstar is one of the biggest music game franchises out there, and a very entertaining karaoke-at-home system. Singstar Queen is definitely a niche title, but I'm sure there's enough fans to go around that will enjoy singing along to Freddy Mercury's high and low notes while wearing spandex... or not! - Didi

A fun RPG true to its roots. This game follows the typical RPG formula pretty closely, but why fix what isn't broken? It has pretty graphics, interesting characters with a decent amount of customization, surprisingly good voice acting, and a healthy amount of humor sprinkled throughout. And while the story is a bit predictable, it's sure to bring the JRPG lover on your list a good amount of enjoyment for the holidays. - Meagan

Dissidia: Final Fantasy offers fans of the franchise a mix of RPG elements with those of a fighting game, starring your favorite characters from the game series as your fighters. The only downside is that although Final Fantasy has gotten us used to amazing storylines, here the plot is quite shallow. Yet, the game makes up for it by throwing at you tons of little unlockables and rewards as you progress, keeping the gameplay interesting and addictive. - Didi

Dead Space: Extraction is an on-rails shooter that serves as a prequel to 2008's Dead Space (as such, having played the original is not a requirement). Following a group of survivors of the Necromorph outbreak, Extraction ties seamlessly to the story of its predecessor, helping further explain the origins of not only the Necromorphs, but also allows you to serve as witness to some of the gruesome events that took place before Isaac Clarke stepped foot on the USG Ishimura in the "first" game. While lacking in instant scares (something the original contained plenty of), Extraction instead elicits a true sense of tension through its control of player movement, as you are never truly given a chance to catch your breath – you are always advancing, usually right into the arms of seemingly certain death. A seriously underappreciated gem, Dead Space: Extraction should be at the top of every mature gamer's wish list. - Brandy

Well, so far I have seen no information claiming that the black Wii will be released in the US. A shame really, since you can buy black controllers, but for what purpose? I've wanted an NTSC Wii since its release, but now I'm guessing my craving for a black Wii is bigger than any other need. It's slick, it's tiny, the black goes great together with the blue light in the CD-slot. It's a match made in heaven. And it's also bundled with Wii Sports, Wii Resorts and the Motion Plus add-on. It's the perfect gift, even for those of us who already own a Wii. - Lania

The newest installment in the Mario Bros. franchise. Similar to New Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo DS, this is a new game with a new story (or at least as new as a Mario Bros. story can be) and added multiplayer. Players can control Mario, Luigi, or two different-colored Toads as they play through the eight worlds and work together to rescue Princess Peach. Great graphics, catchy music, responsive and smooth gameplay that avoids frustrating Wiimote waggling, and potential for infuriating-yet-hilarious play sessions with friends makes this game a must-have for any Wii owner. - Meagan

Wii Fit Plus has more to keep you entertained, active and having fun. The game is simple and user-friendly, the presentation is still pleasant, and the new activities and features are very welcome. For those who don't own the original game, Wii Fit Plus is the way to go: it has all the "old" stuff, plus the new goodies. For everyone who already has the original with the balance board, it's a very affordable ($20) addition for their Wii games library and a good excuse to dust off the balance board. - Didi

It was a long wait for us Europeans, but this highly anticipated game finally made it across the borders. And it was worth the wait. Graphically it's the best Tales game to date, the characters were all fun and it was great to see the male lead Yuri to not be your average copy-paste RPG-hero. While the plot was sometimes confusing and the music was not Sakuraba's best, this still is one of the games one has to own. - Lania

Great characters, lots of humor, fun gameplay, blood, gore and some creepy creatures, interesting story and a fantastic soundtrack sum it up for this game. Of course, you have to be into metal to truly enjoy the epic tale of Eddie and the Ironheade army... But if you're not, let me tell you: you'll be missing out. - Didi

Guitar Hero 5 is the future of all Guitar Hero games. The features implemented in this edition make it the most user-friendly GH so far. Party Play lets everyone of all skill levels and even no skill at all play without failing. The Challenges system ensures there's plenty to keep you busy for quite a while, and the extensive track list plus the option to import some GH World Tour tunes add to the replay value and variety. - Didi

The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition

An Xbox Live Arcade game that I am very proud to have received as an early gift from my husband. I loved playing Monkey Island way back in the day, and revisiting it now with improved graphics and voice acting was a pleasure. And a hoot! Not to mention you can still experience it as it was originally with a simple press of a button. Retro humor doesn't get any better than this. Until they decide to release Le'Chuck's Revenge, that is... - Didi

While everyone was fairly disappointed with the suspension of The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf, there are still ways to keep the fans entertained while waiting for The Witcher 2. Blood of Elves is the second book translated into English and an actual novel (not another short story collection like The Last Wish), where you follow the development of Ciri and learn about the conflicts between the different races. Definitely a must-have for fans of the original game who would like to know more about Geralt's world and adventures. - Didi

For a little bit of retro fun, Innex has a series of consoles handhelds available that play all those oldies you used to love. One of these nostalgia-packed systems is the Sega Genesis Handheld. This little baby comes pre-loaded with 20 Sega Genesis titles, including Golden Axe, Sonic & Knuckles, Alex Kidd, Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, Columns 3, Ecco the Dolphin and many more. It's like a trip back in time in the palm of your hands, with the added option of being able to be plugged in to your TV! - Didi