Holiday Games Gift Guide – Playstation Vita December 22, 2012

The Holidays are coming pretty soon and I know that many of you may very well be opening up brand new gifts including a wide range of consoles and handhelds for the first time. However, with a new console or handheld comes the responsiblity to find some of the best games to get for it. The hope is to bring you a list of currently in print brand new games which are either some of the best for the platform or the best deals on the platform that you can easily pick up at the store for a reasonable price, pop it into your new gaming system and enjoy every second of it! So, in the time leading up to Christmas, I’m going to be posting a series of articles for each platform and handheld system currently on the market and tell you what are some of the must-have games for new console owners!

Well, keeping with the theme of covering the handheld consoles today, lets talk about the games on the Playstation Vita from Sony.

Assassin’s Creed: Liberation – A side story of the widely popular Assassin’s Creed series, this is the game that really pushes what can be done with this system graphically and features a whole new character, setting and storyline.  There are also some exclusive unlockables with this game for any players that have Assassin’s Creed III on the Playstation 3.  Twitch and I recommend getting the White Playstation Vita bundled with this game, as the $249.99 US WiFi model only bundle will practically get you this game and a Vita memory card for free.  If you can’t find any Vitas bundled with this game, the game alone costs $39.99 US.

Sound Shapes – The first downloadable title that I’ve included in the Holiday Games Gift Guide, I first demoed Sound Shapes back in E3 2011 and enjoyed it quite a bit.  It has a great soundtrack and addictive gameplay for such a simple game.  If you’re interested in picking it up, Sound Shapes is $14.99 US on the Playstation Store.  It is also on the Playstation 3.

Uncharted: Golden Abyss – This was the killer app launch title for the Playstation Vita and it just got a price drop.  I can’t think of any game I demoed on the Vita that captured all the cool features of the system’s touch screen better than Golden Abyss did.  It is so exciting to navigate Nathan Drake through all sorts of areas, and have the added effect of using the Vita’s touch screen and gyro sensors to climb, jump and shimmy from ledge to ledge.  Uncharted: Golden Abyss is $39.99 US.

Silent Hill: Book of Memories – The most recent release in the hugely popular Silent Hill series from Konami, this game brings a lot of new features to the table, and many of them are perfect for the handheld.  This game features a unique cooperative campaign you can play with your friends, giving you the chance to work together to solve challenges in the Otherworld.  It also allows you to fully customize your characters, giving you the chance to put your own personal stamp on the character you are playing as.  You can get the game for $39.99 US.

So there we have it for the Playstation Vita, some unique platform exclusives you should have no problem finding brand new in stores.  Stay tuned this weekend, as there is still one more platform that we haven’t discussed yet in the Holiday Games Gift Guide, the Xbox 360.

Holiday Games Gift Guide – 3DS/DS December 22, 2012

The Holidays are coming pretty soon and I know that many of you may very well be opening up brand new gifts including a wide range of consoles and handhelds for the first time. However, with a new console or handheld comes the responsiblity to find some of the best games to get for it. The hope is to bring you a list of currently in print brand new games which are either some of the best for the platform or the best deals on the platform that you can easily pick up at the store for a reasonable price, pop it into your new gaming system and enjoy every second of it! So, in the time leading up to Christmas, I’m going to be posting a series of articles for each platform and handheld system currently on the market and tell you what are some of the must-have games for new console owners!

I’m going to include games here for both the Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS, as both platforms are still in print and seeing new games. Also, don’t forget that the Nintendo 3DS is fully backwards compatible with all Nintendo DS games, making it practically two platforms in one.

Okay, so lets start off by listing some games that are out for the DS, and can be played on any model DS or 3DS.

Pokémon Black 2/White 2 – The only official sequel to a Pokémon game of any generation, this game is a direct sequel to the fifth generation Pokémon Black and White games. While the game has just been released, with the heavy sales that have been going on for these games this holiday season, I have seen prices for it as low as $34.99 US each, making it cheaper than a copy of Pokémon SoulSilver. If you prefer to play the original Pokémon Black and White games before playing the sequels, you can also find Pokémon Black or Pokémon White for $34.99 US each.

The World Ends with You – A sleeper hit from Square Enix at its release, The World Ends With You has gained a cult status on the handheld. It has a fantastic art style I appreciated a lot and a unique storyline. Since the release of the iOS version a few months ago, the game has been reprinted on its original platform, the DS. While there hasn’t yet been an announcement of a sequel some of the characters from the game do make an appearance in a game further down this list. If you can find yourself a new copy, I’ve seen prices for it as low as $19.99 US, but given its popularity you may have to pay as high as $34.99 US.

Okay, now lets talk about some 3DS exclusives. These will only work on a Nintendo 3DS or 3DS XL.

Mario Kart 7 – If you own a 3DS, you must own this game. It is simply the best game I have played on the platform. A continuation of the fantastic Mario Kart series the game has some of the best 3D effects on the system, fantastic controls, and some of the best race tracks (new and old) that I have seen on any Mario Kart game. You can also play the game locally with a friend or online and race worldwide. Mario Kart 7 is 3DS exclusive and can be bought for $39.99 US.

Resident Evil Revelations – Many critics found themselves disappointed by Resident Evil 6 for the consoles, but a lot of people found a lot to love in Revelations. This was no series of minigames or rail shooting sequences, this featured the full gameplay features of a console Resident Evil game, and it all came on a handheld device in 3D. Didn’t like the control scheme? It took advantage of the Circle Pad Pro accessory just in case you needed to have an extra thumbstick. Resident Evil Revelations is currently $19.99 US for the Nintendo 3DS.

Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance – The first game to continue the Kingdom Hearts storyline since the release of Kingdom Hearts II back in 2005, Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance easily recaptures all the magic of the original Kingdom Hearts games, and looks stunning on the 3D screen. All the original game’s gameplay is intact, and entirely new features are availble, as well as new Disney worlds to explore. You can probably find the game new for $39.99 US.

Hope you’re enjoying the list!  More will be coming all weekend!