Holiday Video Game Guide

  Times have changed since Atari first released the ping pong-based arcade game Pong back in 1972; since then, video games have grown from being a niche hobby for computer geeks to a mainstream form of entertainment that rakes in more money each year than every Hollywood movie combined does at the box office. Games themselves have changed considerably as well, from relatively primitive and simplistic games to complex, beautifully-rendered works of art that boast engaging storylines and compelling characters. In honor of everything video games have become, we here at TrendPimp are going to take a look at the hottest new games available this holiday season for all of the major consoles.

Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
  As far as video game franchises go, Nintendo’s Super Mario series has enjoyed a long and esteemed reign at the top of the pile, largely based on the success of massive-selling, highly-rated games like the original Nintendo Entertainment System’s Super Mario Bros. 3 and Nintendo 64’s Super Mario 64. Continuing on this tradition of excellence comes Super Mario Galaxy for the Nintendo Wii, the latest installment in the series and one that is being widely hailed by video game critics as a worthy successor to the Mario throne. While backed by the same Bowser-kidnaps-Princess-Peach storyline that one would expect from a Mario game, Super Mario Galaxy takes the franchise where no Italian plumber has gone before – namely, outer space. By basing the usual platform-jumping gameplay around planets and inter-stellar objects (including dangerous black holes), the creative team at Nintendo has added an innovative new dimension of play to the game, whereby the manipulation of gravity becomes crucial to progressing from platform to platform and planet to planet. Also returning from previous Mario games are the special “suits” that Mario can wear when he picks up certain power-ups, including reliable old standbys like “Fire Mario” and new suits like “Bee Mario” (which, quite literally, has Mario flying around in a giant bumblebee suit). Selling over 1 million copies worldwide in its first month of release (November 2007), Super Mario Galaxy looks like a sure-fire hit for Nintendo and a must-own game for Wii owners of all ages.

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Xbox 360, Wii, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PC, Mac)
  The third full installment in the Guitar Hero series (and its 4th overall title), Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock is available on all of the major platforms and, like the series’ previous incarnations, comes bundled with a special Gibson Les Paul guitar-shaped controller to make the player feel like they’re really rocking out. For the uninitiated, Guitar Hero games involve the player “strumming” away at buttons on a guitar-shaped controller in response to “notes” displayed on screen; the more notes a player gets correctly during the course of a song, the higher their score will be. Boasting a variety of strong tracks including Metallica’s “One,” Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out,” Heart’s “Barracuda” and the Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage,” as well as celebrity characters like Slash (of Guns N’ Roses/Velvet Revolver) and Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine/Audioslave), it’s obvious that Neversoft Entertainment, the game’s developers, spared no expense in creating as authentic an experience as possible. However, the game is largely intended for experienced players who have played the previous versions, as 51 of the game’s 71 playable songs (including 25 “bonus tracks”) fall under the hard “master track” difficulty rating. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock looks to be one of the most popular games of the holiday season for gamers on every console, and its multiplayer support makes it an ideal game for people who prefer to play games with their friends or family.

Assassin's Creed (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)
  For gamers looking for something more action-oriented than Guitar Hero III and more adult than Super Mario Galaxy, the new Ubisoft action/adventure title Assassin’s Creed may be just the thing. Set in the year 1191 during the turbulence of the Third Crusade, Assassin’s Creed sees the player taking on the role of Altaïr, a skilled member of the feared Hashshashin clan (from whose name the term “assassin” was originally derived) whose mission is to bring peace back to the Holy Land by assassinating nine key leaders who are facilitating and encouraging the war. Visually, the game is absolutely stunning, featuring fluid character animation and historically realistic portrayals of ancient Jerusalem, Damascus and Acre. In terms of gameplay, Ubisoft sought to cobble together a unique gaming experience by combining the stealth combat tactics popularized by games like Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell with the swashbuckling action of old-school adventure games like Prince of Persia. While currently only available for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, PC and Nintendo DS versions of the game are in the works and scheduled for release in early 2008. All-in-all, Assassin’s Creed would make a great gift for more mature gamers who have an appreciation for strong storylines and more complicated gameplay.

NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams (Wii)
  NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams, slated for release on December 18th for the Nintendo Wii, is the type of long-overdue game that comes along only once every decade or so. After the first game in the NiGHTS franchise proved to be a rare hit for Sega’s struggling Saturn system back in 1996, demand was strong for a sequel, but nothing ever came of it. In fact, Yuji Naka, Sega’s star game designer and the one who programmed the original NiGHTS, told Official Dreamcast Magazine in December 2000 “I know a lot of people love it and want us to make a sequel, but for us it's a really important game. Like the way Spielberg likes E.T. so much he won't remake it, I don't want to make another Nights.” Fortunately for fans of the series, Naka’s recent departure from Sega facilitated a company decision to secretly revive the franchise, and NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams was the result. By capturing the fast-paced 2.5D aerial gameplay of the original NiGHTS and tailoring it to suit the Nintendo Wii’s impressive graphical capabilities and unique controller scheme, Sonic Team USA (the in-house studio of Sega that programmed the game) has set out to both reinvigorate and reimagine the franchise. Once again set in the fantasy dream world of Nightopia, players will assume the role of one of two teenagers who merge with the androgynous jester character named – you guessed it – NiGHTS, in order to battle personified nightmares through a wide range of dream-inspired levels. NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams would make a great gift for both younger gamers who may appreciate its cartoony design and accessible gameplay, as well as older gamers who may fondly recall the first NiGHTS game from 11 years ago.

  While there are many video game titles to choose from this holiday season, the aforementioned four are the proverbial “big guns” of Christmas 2007. Whoever it is you’re buying for, these games are sure to give them many hours of fun well into 2008.

About the author:

  Curtis is a writer specializing in politics, popular media and the entertainment industry. Based out of Vancouver, Canada, he graduated from Kwantlen University College with an Arts degree in 2006 and is now a contributing editor at TrendPimp magazine. His online portfolio can be found at CurtisSpring.com.