Perhaps more so than any other recent year, 2010 has been a great year for buyers who want to buy family-friendly games and gaming accessories as Christmas gifts. With both Sony and Microsoft jumping on the family-friendly bandwagon Nintendo has been driving for years, the options are plentiful. Here is TheFish.com's favorite gaming buys for 2010…
Donkey Kong Country Returns - Nintendo Wii
With the expanding popularity of the Wii across all age groups, it makes perfect sense to give a game that all age groups can play! Rated E for Everyone, Nintendo's Donkey Kong Country Returns is a classic platform game, which means it will satiate new and retro gamers alike. In what other game can you swing, roll, tumble and jump through jungles as a tie-wearing gorilla or youngster monkey trying to get back your stolen bananas? This is a great game.
Other Wii stuff worth gifting: Super Mario Galaxy 2, Red Wii Bundle
Playstation Move - Playstation 3
After the immense popularity of the Wii's motion controls, it's amazing it took Sony this long to release a motion controller option. The Playstation Move uses the Playstation Eye camera and a wand to capture motion accurately and with great depth perception. With games like Sports Champions and Eye Pet, the Playstation Move moves into the casual gaming market the Wii has been dominating. So if you're looking for family-friendly games that will get you off the couch, the Move is a good way to go.
Other PS3 stuff worth gifting: Little Big Planet 2 Preorder (releases in 01/2011)
Super Scribblenauts - Nintendo DS
In short, if the person you're buying for has a Nintendo DS, then they would probably love Super Scribblenauts. It's a game where your imagination in solving problems is just short of boundary free. Need to cut down a tree? Want to use a sword to do it? Just type in sword and bam, you have a sword. This second installment of this innovative franchise is sure to please.
Other DS stuff worth gifting: Professor Layton and the Unwound Future
Kinect - Xbox 360
You have undoubtedly seen the tv ads starring the Xbox accessory that makes your body the controller. While the accuracy isn't as precise as the Playstation Move or Nintendo Wiimote, the idea of moving your arm and your video game counter part doing the same is pretty exciting. Is it worth buying? If you're looking for hours of dance parties and family fun in your living room, then yes.
Other Xbox 360 stuff worth gifting: Xbox Live Gold Membership
Minecraft - PC/Mac
As one of the best retro PC games of 2010, Minecraft is a game for the builder in your life. If the person you're buying for enjoyed building blocks as a small child, they'll love Minecraft, a game where the world is a sandbox filled with beautiful valleys and sunsets. Well, that's during the daytime. At night, spiders, zombies and skeletons roam the countryside looking for you. It's great fun with retro, cartoony graphics and never-ending gameplay. This game needs to be downloaded at the official website as opposed to buying it at a store. Works on Windows and Macintosh machines.
Other PC/Mac stuff worth gifting: Plants vs. Zombies
Cut the Rope - iPhone/iPad
This game, simply put, is really fun. It's a physics game where you cut ropes attached to candy in order to swing them into stars and ultimately into Om Nom's mouth. Om Nom is a cute little character with a big appetite for candy that waits hungrily at the bottom of the screen for you to cut the rope at just the right time. What's even better is that there is a high definition version for the iPad! The best way to gift this game (or any iPhone/iPad game) is to buy your loved ones an iTunes gift card at a local retailer (just about anywhere).
Other Mobile stuff worth gifting: Angry Birds (iPhone/Android)
Dixit & Dixit 2 - Board Game
The first Dixit was released in 2008 with the expansion, Dixit 2, released this year. Dixit is a fantastic family game where players bluff their way to victory by using colorfully painted tiles full of zany images. Each turn a player chooses a painting tile from their hand and selects a word or phrase that explains the tile in some way. If you can get one person to guess your tile, but no more than one, you and your wooden bunny marker will be on the way to victory.
Other Board Game stuff worth gifting: Ticket to Ride, Saboteur, Bezzerwizzer
*This Review First Published 12/2/2010