Eric Thomas' Holiday Video Game Gift Guide

When your new girlfriend suddenly has opinions about your creepy stepdad, and stupid pine needles are stuck everywhere, it can only mean one thing. It must be the holiday season.

One of the hardest parts of the holidays is coming up with that perfect gift for everyone. Where is Santa Claus when you need him? If you've got a gamer on your list, I'm sure you want to buy them something they won't toss angrily into the snow bank outside your house -- or maybe your gamer is a child and you don't want them to play a game where the protagonist is an enthusiastic member of the Khmer Rouge.

If you're in the market for a video game, well, you're in luck -- because here are reviews of the most popular this holiday season.

Legend of Zelda: The Skyward Sword (Wii)

Ah, Zelda. The gateway game that got me hooked. The Legend of Zelda was the game that changed everything. Super Mario was only remembered fondly because it came free with the system (There, I said it). Zelda games have always been the best on Nintendo, and Ocarina of Time is widely considered the Citizen Kane of gaming. This version makes use of the Wii "Motion Plus" controller, luckily offering you a chance to give more of your money to Nintendo this holiday season!

How is it? How you are going to feel about this game has everything to do with how you feel about the controls. I hated them. I suspect that younger gamers (your kids) will love it. I am accustomed at this point to laying the smack down via button combinations. I have no interest in being in an actual sword fight. In the latest Zelda, you have to swing your sword and thrust it at the television in order to get Link to attack people. This was fine in Twilight Princess, because any amount of swinging would suffice. They have made it real, which is a total drag. I got frustrated after the first dungeon and stopped caring.

Is OK for kids? Sure. I suppose there is violence because Link vanquishes his enemies with a sword but there is no blood, just a cartoony puff of smoke. To be honest, your kids will probably like this game way more than any adult. They might actually want to swing the WIimote around having actual fencing matches with Disney characters. I want meld with my couch and do a series of ABYYAB button combinations, pausing only to smear the orange Doritos grease across the rest of my face.

The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim

This isn't a game. It's a commitment. While the World of Warcraft games drop you into a world populated by other people playing online, this is has no other humans. Just you, a sword and possibly the ability to do magic. Alone on a planet where you occasionally have to fight dragons. It's a bit like the Mormon depiction of the afterlife. There are adventures to be had, people to meet and things to do. This game is frighteningly deep, sometimes you will only know how long you have been playing when the sun starts coming up.

How is it? It depends. If you are perfectly fine sinking 10 hours a day into playing a game, you will love Skyrim. The makers of the game say you could conceivably play every day for a year and still not find everything in Skyrim. If you like the Call of Duty, Halo or GTA moments of packed in thrills, then avoid at all cost. These games sometimes its an unholy pain just to get from one objective to another. But if you like sword - lashing fire-breathing monsters, this is well worth your $60.

Is it OK for kids? Again, it depends. There really isn't a lot of graphic content. Try tho Bethesda does, the graphics still look very "cartoony". The problem is the game lets you do whatever you want. You can drink alcohol (or not) you can murder, steal, and actually be the bad guy. Now, you will wind up in prison if you do these things and the authorities will make a lousy life for you, but it is possible to do these things. The game is as open world as it gets.

Modern Warfare 3

Granted it's called "Call of Duty" but let's just stop the nonsense. The subgenre of Modern Warfare games has been the headline for Infinity Ward these days. If you just yelled "NERD" at the screen, let me explain what I just said. Infinity Ward is a group of guys who created the original Modern Warfare, which is only the best-selling product in the history of entertainment. James Cameron can go do a pixie dance with the stupid Na'vi for the rest of his life and it does not matter because MW is king.

How is it? It's awesome! Of course it is! Modern Warfare is the first game that literally made my heart pound. I could not believe how intense it was and MW3 does not disappoint. Graphically its amazing, and you wind up in these urban environments in amazing firefights. There is something bracing about sprinting into an alley, and dodging a HAIL of bullets while you desperately scramble for cover. While playing MW3 online, I have actually screamed out "COVER ME!" in my house alone and no one thought I was being weird. Someone actually said "GIVE ME A SECOND!" and then I shouted out "THANKS!". Then I muttered, "I'm gettin to old for this..."

Is it OK for kids? If they are only playing the single player campaign, I would let a teenager play this. It's a war game, so the battle lines are drawn brightly. You don't have the opportunity to become the bad guy.  Yes there are guns and killing but there is no way to live in American and not be confronted with that these days.

Online? Totally different story. Some people might say "well you don't know what kind of child predators are online." but honestly I don't see how that is possible on Xbox live or PSN. Usually you are far to preoccupied with shooting people than having an actual conversation. The offensive part online are the other kids. I have worked in radio most of my life and EVEN I can be offended by these little Mel Gibson wannabees. Who knew the most horrifying thing you have ever heard in your life would come out of a ten-year old's mouth? This is usually after they have killed you, and that makes it even worse.

 Madden 2012

What do you want me to say? No one else is allowed to make NFL games anymore, so you have no choice. Sure you can get better through the draft, and the visuals have been updated (I guess) but there is really nothing separating this game from 2011. Oh, sorry I forgot, you can trade future draft picks when in franchise mode now! Race yourself to the store!

How is it? With the advent of downloadable updates at least the bugs that were there when it shipped are going to be gone at some point in the next year. This is progress, but the patches come out SLOW.

Is it OK for kids? Yes! Especially if you want your kids to know that life isn't fair, when the one of the bugs is that the opposing linebackers have 10 foot verticals. Also, Ben Roethisburger is not depicted realistically. That helps.

NCAA 2012, NBA 2K12

NBA 2K12 is one of the most realistic sports games you will ever play. From running into the scorers table to Lebron James not performing in the 4th quarter -- it's all there. There is also downloadable content that just came out where you can play with a ton of NBA legends, just in case you missed the days of dunking on Shawn Bradley you can now relive that on more than just youtube.

FIFA 2012

I have read online that it's awesome. I don't play soccer.  How is it? Well I hate soccer, and this game seems to have a whole bunch of soccer in it.  Is it okay for kids? I am not sure I would be so keen on introducing my kids to soccer.

iTunes, PSN, or XBL gift card

If the person you are giving the gift to is a serious gamer, they might know a $50 gift card to their service of choice is awesome. Amazing games like "From Dust", "Eufloria", and of course "Minecraft" are at the top of game critics charts right now.

How is it? I played "From Dust" for almost a full 24 hours one day this summer. To say it's addictive would be a vast understatement. That's like saying heroin is "habit forming". You basically play a God. You create terrain that your people can inhabit and eventually travel through. This is, of course, next to impossible because the islands have earthquakes, tidal waves and stupid volcanoes. I once yelled at the screen "WELL, I DIDN'T TELL YOU TO BUILD A HOUSE NEAR A VOLCANO! THAT'S WHY YOU ARE BURNING TO DEATH!".

The other games are awesome, too. But Minecraft is getting a lot of attention these days. It's available for basically every device and people are going crazy online about it. It's more popular among computer nerds than an ergonomic keyboard with breasts. It's hard to describe, but it's basically a creativity tool (think Etch-A-Sketch) that features monsters. It takes a massive amount of time to build things (Want wood? You need to chop down trees! Want steel? You must mine for ore!), and is so addictive you have absolutely no idea where the last week went.

How is it? Depends on which game you get. But there are games on the downloadable networks that are more highly lauded than the stand-alone discs.

Is it OK for kids? Absolutely. The games you will find on XBL, PSN and iTunes are usually completely chaste. Granted, I don't know how much the kids are going to love creativity tools, but it might prompt them to go outside for a change.

Batman: Arkham City

It came out a while ago, but it is still the "must have" game amongst the dork community -- for good reason because it's amazingly cool. You get to be Batman, and not in the Bruce Wayne spend-money way. Actually, the Bruce Wayne side of things is the only part the Arkham series skips. It's a giant open world environment. Want to be on top of that building? You have a grappling hook. Are there seven enemies all sitting around talking in a circle? You can lay the smack down on every single one of them. Couple that with an actually compelling story line and a disturbingly hot depiction of Harley Quinn, and you are not leaving the house this weekend!

How is it? Again, you get to be Batman. The game seamlessly combines stealth and fighting, along with an open world exploration side not seen since the better Spiderman titles. Batman can hide in the shadows or among the ceiling, drop down on criminals and open up an epic can.

Is it OK for kids? Sure, I guess. Batman is non lethal, possessing the ability to knock out foes (seemingly indefinitely) and the only time someone dies is when you (Batman) screw up. But my guess? You are going to be fighting your kids for the controller on this title. I would lock my controllers away with my guns so that they can't get their grimy little hand on them. I bought the console, and Daddy gets to be freaking Batman. Arkham City appeals to kids, I am sure, but it really appeals to me and my fellow pudgy 30-somethings who are tired of emasculating household tasks and engagement pictures. Throwing an unsuspecting criminal off a building does a lot to quell the voices of debt collectors calling nonstop.