Can't decide which games you'd like to receive from Santa (or whatever supernatural seasonal being you subscribe to)? Need help picking the perfect gift for the gamer in your life? Assistance is at hand! Over the next week, Gamesblog will be bringing you its selection of recommended recent titles, starting with the finest gems from the PlayStation 3 release calendar. I've even put these in a totally subjective order of merit so as to court some festive controversy.
If you don't agree with my choices (and I've only gone for UK retail titles from the last three or four months to make it timely), go ahead and suggest your own in the comments section. You too can help bring yuletide cheer to living rooms up and down the land!
Tomorrow: Jack Arnott and the Nintendo Wii!
10. IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey (Gaijin Entertainment, 505 Games)
Certainly not the most fashionable title on the list, and nowhere near the most critically acclaimed, but what the heck - this is an astonishingly entertaining WW2 flight sim, packed with key battles and recognisable aircraft, and intuitive enough (thanks to the forgiving mechanics of the Arcade mode) to welcome complete newcomers to the genre. The missions are familiar but varied enough to keep you plugging through on single player, then there's a rich multiplayer online mode to aim your MG 131 machine guns at. Could get several generations of your family huddled around the TV – though mostly the male members, I fear.
9. The Beatles: Rock Band (Harmonix, EA)
Brimming with respect and admiration for the Fab Four, this fascinating musical adventure follows the band from those inauspicious early gigs at the Cavern Club to their final performance on the rooftop of Apple HQ. 'Being' The Beatles is a strange experience, but a satisfying and educational one, factors that lift it above the usual party fun of the standard Rock Band and Guitar Hero titles. True, there are 'only' 45 songs, but they're among the finest songs ever written and if you're looking for an alternative to belting out eighties pop hits and seventies AOR standards this Christmas, you have to slap this on your list and hope Santa is a fan of John, Paul, George and Ringo, too.
8. Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time (Insomniac, Sony)
The comic book platforming adventure was a key genre on PS2 with Ratchet and Clank and Jak and Daxter at the very top of a considerable heap. Those days of cartoon aliens and knockabout space action are largely gone, but A Crack in Time is a fitting paeon, loaded with customisable weapons, fiendish puzzles and manic set-pieces. The strength of the series has always been the way in which Insomniac instills these characters with genuine gravitas; their quest to foil the evil Dr. Nefarious is almost Homeric in scope. A rewarding alternative to settling down in front of the latest Disney animated adventure.
7. Dragon Age: Origins (Bioware, EA)
Bioware has done it again, building a massive narrative experience that truly pushes at the boundaries of interactive story-telling. While Mass Effect was an epic space opera, this is back-to-the-roots fantasy stuff, pitching you into the Tolkien-esque landscape of Ferelden where the Darkspawn and Grey Warden factions compete for control of the kingdom. The visuals are workmanlike and the battle system patchy but there's no arguing with the sheer depth of the experience, allowing gamers to build their own massive heroic fable filled with choices that sway the course of the whole world. Just make sure you put plenty of time aside – this is not one for a quick ten minute sesh during the Queen's speech.
6. Colin McRae Dirt 2 (Codemasters)
Codemasters has never been afraid to offend purists with its approach to the driving genre. A throughline can be traced from the knockabout cartoon madness of the Micro Machines titles to this latest series – it's all about fun and diversity, rather than tweaking your rear axle and gear ratios until your brain seeps out of your ears. With over a 100 events taking in a vast range of surfaces and vehicle types, Dirt 2 offers amazing diversity and some rip-roaring high-speed experiences. And thanks to a robust yet complimentary handling mechanic, you will feel like a rallying God in the process.
5. Fifa 10 (EA Sports, EA)
I recently spent two weeks working in the Future Publishing offices and every lunchtime and evening, saw all the console mag writers huddling around their giant LCD TVs playing this. Not PES. This. Fifa 10 offers a fluid, thorough and engaging simulation, which makes use of an improved physics engine to offer real passing depth and accuracy – the defining element of a good football game - as well as the fabled 360-degree dribbling. The usual wealth of modes and options add to the mix, and of course, it all looks beautiful. A mammoth inter-family Fifa 10 tournament is the only way to slowly recover from your Christmas dinner blowout this year…
4. Batman: Arkham Asylum (Rocksteady Studios, Eidos)
No one ever really expects much from super hero games – there have been so many poor examples over the years, often rushed out to accompany equally mediocre movies. But this is different. Clearly inspired by the graphic novels of Frank Miller, Alan Moore and Grant Morrison, as well as a deep delve into the mythology of the character, Arkham is an engrossing Gothic spectacle boasting perfect controls, a thrilling story and a wealth of discoverable extras. Some called it this year's Bioshock, others referenced Metal Gear Solid: Rocksteady Studios' wonderful game is completely comfortable in this revered company.
3. Assassin's Creed 2 (Ubisoft Montreal)
Like Uncharted 2, this is a title that took a promising predecessor, improved every facet, and provided one of the most complete gaming experiences of the year. Designer Patrice Desilets and his vast team have constructed a thrillingly detailed evocation of renaissance Italy and chucked the player right into the centre of it as a stroppy noble on a vengeance mission. What really works is the combination of impressive depth and innovation with a solid platforming mechanic. It is also a benchmark open-world game, providing true freedom within a strong narrative structure. If you want to get away from it all during Christmas, this is the place to head for – it's cheaper and more exhilarating than a weekend in Venice – though you may have trouble convincing your non-gaming partner…
2. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Infinity Ward, Activision)
Oh God, what is there left to say? Yes, the single player campaign is comparatively short, the airport level is questionable (did it go too far, or not nearly far enough?) and the plot has attention deficit disorder. But, bloody hell, Infinity Ward knows how to choreograph an interactive action set-piece like no other developer on Earth and chucks in plenty of audacious narrative moments, too. Then you have the exemplary online multiplayer mode, so solid, so engaging and so full of brilliant features it will keep you engaged for months, no matter how many times you're insulted by squeaky-voiced American teenagers who seem to have learned their entire vocabulary from a mix of Steven Seagal movies and paranoid right-wing blogs.
1. Uncharted 2 (Naughty Dog, Sony)
The first game was a solid attempt to bring cinematic Boy's Own adventures like Raiders of the Lost Ark and Romancing the Stone to the PS3. The sequel, benefiting from Naughty Dog's growing experience and confidence with the hardware, is a masterful rendition, combining breathtaking visual flair, excellent voice-acting (good lord, it's rare that we ever write that) and brilliant co-operative play. It is a true next-generation game, a showcase for what console hardware can achieve in this era. Many will view it as THE game of the year full stop. Play it and then try arguing with them.
