Holiday Game Guide: E for Everyone

You might remember that last year I featured a holiday game buying guide to help everyone out there get some great gifts for the gamer in their family.  I know as well as anyone that it's tough to find a game that they will enjoy when you don't really know much about games yourself.  Of course there are plenty of other holiday lists out there for games, and I recomend you check out the ones at IGN.com and G4TV.com since they're the most accessible.  As I mentioned last week, try to avoid CNN or Fox News or any place that doesn't focus primarily on gaming since often times they aren't too accurate.

Today I'm going to focus on games that are rated either E for Everyone or E10+.  According to the ESRB or Entertainment Software Ratings Board, these games, "rated E (Everyone) have content that may be suitable for ages 6 and older. Titles in this category may contain minimal cartoon, fantasy or mild violence and/or infrequent use of mild language." While "titles rated E10+ (Everyone 10 and older) have content that may be suitable for ages 10 and older. Titles in this category may contain more cartoon, fantasy or mild violence, mild language and/or minimal suggestive themes.

All of the prices for each game are the MSRP, but there are plenty of deals out there right now.  Also, clicking each link will take you to the product page at Amazon.com which, as of this writing, has $10 to $20 off most titles.  You can also save a few bucks by going to your local used-game shop.


Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time
Available for: Playstation 3
MSRP: $59.99
# of Players: 1
Ratchet and Clank are back for their latest adventure around the Universe and they've got a whole slew of great additions this time.  The evil Dr. Nefarious is trying to get his mitts on the Great Clock and it's up to Ratchet and Clank to put an end to it.  Very few games give you the feeling that you're playing a Pixar quality story but the team at Insomniac have pulled it off.  The jokes are great and I found myself laughing out loud on numerous occassions.  Not only is the story akin to what Pixar creates, the graphics are crisp and vibrant and really bring the characters and environments to life.  This game is great for anyone on your list, regardless of age, so long as they enjoy fun.  There's plenty of replay and hours to be played and it's easily accessible for occassional gamers and can also pose quite the challenge for the vets as well.


Forza Motorsport 3
Available for: Xbox 360
MSRP: $59.99
# of Players: 1-2
Racing games have come a long way over the years, and often times it can be one of the most polarizing genres in gaming today. Forza Motorsport 3 on the other hand is able to introduce racers to the simulation side of the genre without being too intimidating while still providing plenty of tweaks and technical aspects to please even the biggest gearheads.  There are plenty of braking and driving assists that helpout the new comers that can just as easily be turned off to provide a bigger challenge.  There's also a great creative community behind the game that creates some fantastic vinyl patterns and skins for your cars.  Racing games all come down to control and presentation and Forza 3 passes both tests with flying colors.


New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Available For: Wii (obviously!)
MSRP: $49.99
# of Players: 1-4
Just about everyone could have fun with the latest installment in the Mario franchise and that includes Grandma too!  You see, it's the typical running and jumping that we all know and love, but this time everyone's favorite italian plumber has also brought in three of his friends to an all new 4-player experience.  The game gets absolutely crazy with four players at once, and I mean that in the best possible way.  My friends and I had an absolute blast playing through the game a couple of weeks ago and I look forward to the next time I get my hands on it.  There's also a great new feature called "Super Guide."  You see, if you fail to complete any of the levels in the game after 8 lives, the game will initiate Super Guide and offer to finish the level for you.  It may seem cheap, but it's a great way to get past that tough part without getting overly frustrated.  On top of that, if there's four people playing and one person can't make a certain jump, all they have to do is hit the "A" button and they'll start floating towards the nearest player in a bubble.  That way the more experienced players don't get slowed down and those just starting out can keep up.  You certainly cannot go wrong with this one.


Mini Ninjas
Available For: Wii, Playstation 3, Xbox 360, DS and PC
MSRP: $29.99 - $49.99
# of Players: 1
This is a delightful game for all ages.  Don't let the cuteness factor scare you away from getting this for an older kid or even an adult.  I had a blast playing through it myself and I wouldn't mind giving it a second go after the holidays.  The art style is adorable and the humor, while still acceptable for kids, also has a dimension that's tailored to the adults playing.  The presentation and polish makes this one of the sleeper hits of the 2009 holiday season.

Other notable titles rated E or E10+ include:

Katamari Forever for Playstation 3
Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues for Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, DS, PSP and PC
Wii Sports Resort for Wii
Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 for Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Wii and PSP

Another great idea is to get points cards for each respective console so that they can download digital titles directly to their console.  There's the Wii Points Card, the Playstation Network Card and the Xbox Live Points Card.

I'll be back tomorrow for a look at the T for Teen games out there for the older kids to enjoy.

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