To say video games are a popular holiday gift is putting it mildly. Overall, they’re No. 1 on the wish list for adults, according to a survey by KRC Research — and the percentage of adults who want them is up 9 points from 2007. And don’t think of video games as gifts just for guys; according to the study, 47 percent of respondents plan to buy a game for a female. Morgan Webb and Adam Sessler, co-hosts of G4 network’s “X-Play” (5:30 p.m. weekdays) help you to decide on the best video game gifts. Green dots indicate their picks.
FOR THE CYBER WARRIOR
‘Modern Warfare 2’
$59 XB360/PS3
The follow-up to “Call of Duty 4” is going to be the hit of the season, Sessler predicts. “They’re doing the same kind of campaign and incredibly popular multiplayer and they’re adding in a whole new Spec Ops cooperative element,” he said.
FOR THE ARCHEOLOGIST/ADVENTURER
‘Uncharted 2’ $59 PS3
Forget the “Tomb Raider” games and even the last two “Indiana Jones” flicks, that’s how good “Uncharted 2” is. “It’s got this ‘Indiana Jones’-type story and amazing production value and really, it’s the closest thing you’re ever going to get to playing ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’,” said Sessler. “It’s one of the best games I’ve ever played.”
FOR THE OLD SCHOOL GAMER
‘New Super Mario Brothers’
$49 Wii
Remember a time when a game didn’t need super realistic, flashy 3D-graphics to be great? Nintendo does, and its newest Mario Brothers title feels a lot like the classic ’80s version. “It’s maybe not the type of game you’d probably play now, but hey, it’s Mario,” Webb said. “You … play it and get those warm and fuzzy feelings of playing them as a kid. That nostalgia factor is definitely worth something.”
FOR THE POP STAR WANNABE
‘Band Hero’
$199 PS3/XB360/Wii
OK, it’s not as cool as its “Guitar Hero” older brother, but “Band Hero” still rocks. It’s got a soundtrack that features more pop and classic rock, a refreshing break from the hard rockin’ Metallicas and the AC/DCs of other music games.
FOR THE SPORTS FREAK
‘Wii Sports Resort’
$49 Wii
It’s hard to find anyone who didn’t like the sports game pack-in with the Wii. Well, the second edition of the best-selling game of all time has even more to love — including table tennis, Frisbee, basketball, archery, wakeboarding, even fencing.
FOR THE HISTORY BUFF
‘Assassins Creed 2’ $59.99 XB360/PS3
It might be the only video game ever to have taken place in Renaissance Italy, but don’t expect a dry history lesson. “Assassin’s Creed 2” is a hardcore action game with stealth elements that allow players to sneak around the streets of Venice and attempt to assassinate political enemies.
