The Gamer's Guide to the Holiday Galaxy

Well, it's that time of the year again: the time of the year where good games flood the market and gamers do their best to find time to play them all. It just so happens that this coincides with Christmas; a major holiday for the non-gaming populous. This works out well because it means that you, the gamer, reap the benefits as parents and loved ones ease your financial burden by purchasing some of the great games for you as gifts for the holidays.

There are a lot of good games out there this year so you'll need all the help you can get and that's where CVGames comes in; we've presented you with a list of the top picks for each major console. Naturally, we couldn't include every game here so what you'll find are just a few strong recommendations to help you get through the cold winter months ahead. Let's begin!

Best of Wii
Yes, even the Nintendo Wii has some strong games this time of year. Wii owners, I know your console has gotten kind of a bad reputation for not being "hardcore" enough, but let's ignore the naysayers and take a look at some awesome Wii titles for the holiday season.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii
A new Mario game, a new fantastic entry in one of gaming's most beloved franchises. Nintendo knows what fun is all about and games like this prove it. Take on the game alone or with some friends; either way you'll have a blast. If you have a Wii, you'd be doing yourself a great disservice by ignoring this one.

The Metroid Prime Trilogy
It's Metroid; what else needs to be said? Yet another classic franchise all packaged up for Wii owners to enjoy. The Wii's motion control brings a new level of depth and excitement to Samus' adventures.

Wii Sports Resort
A lot of people may groan when they see this on the list, but hey, the games are fun. Gimmicky or not, the mini-games in Wii Sports Resort are something that anyone can enjoy. Spend some quality time with the family this holiday season and get in some gaming at the same time!

Best of PlayStation 3
Sony's PS3 had a rocky start, but it has really stepped up the game this year. Plenty of great titles to choose from made creating this list a difficult task; but enough chat - on to the games!

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
The original Uncharted was phenomenal and this sequel is even better. This may be the single best game available on the PlayStation 3 platform. In addition to the gripping single player game, the developers have whipped up a fair multiplayer mode to round out a great package.

Infamous
Have you ever wondered what it would be like if something extraordinary happened to you on a seemingly average day and suddenly you woke up from a coma with super powers? Well, play Infamous and see what you may be missing. An open world game where you can run around the streets and cause carnage for no apparent reason or complete story-driven missions where you'll run around and cause carnage anyway. The PS3 library has gotten pretty strong and Infamous still stands out as one of the best offerings on the system to date.

Killzone 2
Remember the original Killzone title? Yeah, neither do I, but everyone will remember the sequel. Aside from being one of the best looking games to be released this generation Killzone 2 proved to be a solid shooter with both a robust single player mode and a hefty multiplayer which provides hours, if not days, of trigger-happy fun.

Best of Xbox 360
Microsoft has proved that the Xbox 360 is here to stay. This year will stand as yet another great one for 360 gamers as developers churned out some of the best titles to date in the console's library. Here are the ones we think you should pick up this holiday season.

Halo Wars
The now closed Ensemble studios crafted a terrific RTS game based on Bungie's Halo property. The new twist on the intriguing scifi universe proved to be a hit as the game received great critical acclaim and despite being released early in the year, the game remains one of the highlights that everyone should pick up and play if they haven't done so already.

Forza Motorsport 3
Turn 10 turned out one of the best racing games of all time this year with Forza Motorsport 3. The game's deep career mode and highly-customizable online racing experience will keep you on your butt for months even if you're not normally a fan of the genre. The crown jewel in the game's extensive car collection is the Bugatti Veyron; welcome to 250+ mph.

Halo 3: ODST
Is this really a surprise? Halo has been gaming's hottest property for a decade now and with this expansion to the hugely popular Halo 3, Bungie took the gameplay back to its roots while crafting a unique and moody single player campaign and just for good measure they also brought in an entirely new multiplayer mode with firefight. This game alone could hold you over until the new year and then some.