While I had hoped to have several more genre categories, due to time constraints, I’m going to have to combine everything. I’m just a one man show here, so it can be tough to initiate all pieces that I want to see on the site. But, there are a bunch of other games that didn’t make the other guides that should be considered. So here is the best of the rest (20 in total). Look for one more guide by the end of the week (most likely on Saturday) that will cover hardware & other gaming related items. Also look for my Best of 2009 picks sometime in the next 14 days or so along with...

By far the ultimate in-person social experience, the music gaming genre has grown over the years from a nitch novelty to a full blown category. Credit Guitar Hero for taking it to the next level. Now, we have so many different titles that it can be tough to decide which one to get. Hopefully this guide will help resolve that for you. Keep in mind that this guide will be focused on the stand-alone software only. So if the gamer on your list doesn’t have the instrument controllers, be sure to look for the various package out there that will provide the both the instruments & the games....

In a year that saw the launch of the biggest first-person shooter in console history, it’s easy to forget some of the other titles that are just as worthy of your attention. Surprisingly, after reviewing my picks, they were all from established franchises. I hope I’m not overlooking something, but I don’t remember a single FPS original IP that I enjoyed more than the ones I list for your below. If you can think of some, drop me a note in the comments section below. I toyed with the idea of throwing 3rd person shooters in here too, but I found enough good stuff in both categories...

To be honest, not a lot of RPGs caught my attention this year. There have been a couple of stand-outs along with one RPG/FPS hybrid, but that’s about it. If you’re unfamiliar with the term “RPG”, it’s short for Role Playing Game. These games, which originate from table-top games like Dungeons & Dragons, allow for the player to immerse themselves in a role they create. With the focus on story driven character development, RPGs typically have robust character creators to allow you to choose anything & everything, from eye color to character class to the even...

I must admit, the Wii is a tough console to shop for. The selection is almost over saturated with a bunch of throw-away titles. For every “good” game, there’s 10 more that are utter garbage. So, out of all the platforms you may be shopping for, I think the Wii would be the one you need to really make sure you do your homework on. Check the various gift guides (including this one ) & don’t be afraid to look at the reviews either. If you don’t have a lot of time & just want to do a quickie review score search, shoot over to Metacritic.com. You’ll find...

As I noted in my Xbox 360 Guide, these pics are exclusive to the Playstation 3. You won’t find them anywhere else except on Sony’s top platform. Now, with the Playstation 3 being in my opinion one of the best Blu-Ray players on the market, you may want to look at movies as an option as well. Just about every new release these days hits both DVD & Blu-Ray on day one. All the summer blockbusters are out now I believe like Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Star Trek, & Terminator Salvation. Anyway, as I said, keep that as an option. Now, on to my pics… Bookmark It Hide...

Before I start getting slammed with the “you missed GAME X” or “what about GAME Y” emails, let me shed a little light into how I’m organizing this year’s pics. The console specific gifts will be exactly that, meaning the games listed for a given console will be exclusive to that console (not counting the PC versions). So even though a game like Assassin’s Creed II is a viable choice, it’ll be put in the action/adventure list since it’s a multiplatform game. Given the sheer amount of different categories that I could use here, I had to narrow...