Toys for game girls and boys

If you’re a gamer, the holiday season is a great time to fill in the gaps in your library. If you’ve got a gamer on your list, you’ll win points for giving just the right thing. Here are some suggestions for both groups. And respect the Entertainment Software Rating Board’s ratings—they exist for a reason.

Controller, controller

For PlayStation 3 owners, the Move controller provides precise detection of movement. Kinect for Xbox 360 is less accurate at motion sensing, and works by turning the body into a controller. There isn’t a must-have game for either interface yet, but expect some interesting experiments soon.

Looking back

Players wanting to return to the underwater dystopia of BioShock should take the opportunity to do so. In BioShock 2 (2K; PC, PS3, Xbox 360; rated mature), you become a Big Daddy, one of the protectors of the creepy little girls with glowing eyes. This time, it’s Big Sisters you have to watch out for.

The game-of-the-year edition of the sleeper hit Borderlands (2K; PC, PS3, Xbox 360; rated mature) was recently released. This version of the first-person-shooter game with role-playing elements includes all four downloadable add-ons that have been released for the game, and will grant owners early access to the Duke Nukem Forever demo when it becomes available.

Mass Effect 2 (Electronic Arts; PC, Xbox 360; rated mature) debuted last January, and while many RPG fans will have already played it, those who haven’t should. PS3 owners, who have thus far been left out of the fun, can rejoice. The PS3 version of Mass Effect 2 lands in January 2011, and it will include much of the downloadable content that has been released for the Windows PC and Xbox 360 versions in the past year.

The latest downloadable content for Red Dead Redemption (Rockstar; PS3, Xbox 360; rated mature) is Undead Nightmare, which sees John Marston searching for a cure to a zombie plague. It’s a great excuse to revisit the wild frontier, and if you haven’t visited yet, rectify that immediately.

Shaping up

EA Sports Active 2 (Electronic Arts; PS3, Wii, Xbox 360; rated everyone) is the category leader when it comes to fitness titles, and it deserves that designation. Available for Kinect, Move, and Wii, Version 2.0 comes with a heart-rate monitor you strap to your forearm.

Your Shape: Fitness Evolved (Ubisoft; Xbox 360; rated everyone) is only available for Kinect, but it’s worthy of consideration by those looking for a more ethereal interface and presentation.

Kids of all ages

Costume Quest (THQ; PS3, Xbox 360; rated everyone 10+) is a downloadable action adventure in which players become either Reynold or Wren, fraternal twins out for a night of trick-or-treating. Trouble is, troll-like creatures kidnap your twin and are making off with all the candy in the neighbourhood. This is high-concept hilarity.

From acclaimed game designer Warren Spector comes Disney’s Epic Mickey (Disney; Wii; rated everyone), in which the famous mouse finds himself transported to Wasteland, where forgotten and rejected Disney characters reside. Mickey manipulates the environment by using paint to create and thinner to erase, all in an effort to save the land from an evil plot.

Donkey Kong and his nephew Diddy are on a quest to recover their stolen banana hoard, and they’re going to run, jump, and pound the ground to do it in Donkey Kong Country Returns (Nintendo; Wii; rated everyone). This is a basic platformer, but it comes from Nintendo, so it’s as refined and enjoyable an experience as you’d expect it to be.

Kinectimals (Microsoft; Xbox 360; rated everyone) isn’t just an opportunity to use the Kinect interface, it’s an interesting game that demonstrates how removing the controller from the equation makes it possible for new game experiences to emerge. Plus, it’s fun playing around with the cute cubs.

Become a racer or a cop and go head-to-head in Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit (Electronic Arts; PC, PS3, Xbox 360; rated everyone 10+). This game convincingly conveys a sense of speed, and dials down the difficulty of controlling the cars while amping up the excitement of travelling really, really fast.

NHL Slapshot (Electronic Arts; Wii; rated everyone) uses a mini hockey stick into which a Wii controller is fitted. It makes for one of the most fun games of the year, as players pass and shoot the virtual puck by simulating passing and shooting with the stick. Designed for the Wii with the family in mind, NHL Slapshot is an easy win for everyone.

A casual affair

If there’s one thing that will cause a worldwide decline in worker productivity this December, it’s not the holiday season, but rather the release on December 7 of Bejeweled 3 (PopCap; Mac, Windows; rated everyone). It’s an addictive game for a reason: it’s well designed.

Keyboards and three-person harmonies are new to Rock Band 3 (MTV; DS, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii; rated everyone 10+), as is the integration of controllers that more closely mimic real instruments. Think you’re learning the guitar by playing video games? Now you really can.

DJ Hero 2 (Activision; PS3, Wii, Xbox 360; rated teen) builds on the DJ Hero experience by improving and increasing opportunities for players to freestyle, and by supporting a second controller deck so DJs can play together and compete. Singers and rappers can join in the fun now too.

War games

The fight for control of the future is at the centre of Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (Ubisoft; PS3, Xbox 360; rated mature). The Templars are trying to eradicate the Assassins once and for all, and it’s up to Desmond Miles to explore the memories of his ancestor Ezio, who rebuilds Renaissance Rome while trying to wrest control from the Borgia family.

A scattered but well-told story set during the Cold War is one thing that makes Call of Duty: Black Ops (Activision; PC, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360; rated mature) so enjoyable. Bonus features include two smaller games, embedded as Easter eggs.

Dead Rising 2 (Capcom; PC, PS3, Xbox 360; rated mature), from the Burnaby studio formerly known as Blue Castle Games, is set in Las Vegas and stars a father who’s trying to find the medication that will prevent his infected daughter from becoming a zombie. Like the thousands that now reside in Sin City.

The vicious and vengeful Kratos returns in God of War: Ghost of Sparta (Sony; PSP; rated mature), set immediately after the events of the first game in the series. Kratos, having killed Ares and become the god of war, learns that his brother, who was presumed dead, is a prisoner in the Underworld.

Deathwing the Destroyer returns to Azeroth in World of Warcraft: Cataclysm (Blizzard; PC; rated teen), the first expansion of the massively multiplayer online role-playing game since 2008’s Wrath of the Lich King. Cataclysm will be released on December 7, and is sure to be on many wish lists.