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75 Must Have Games for the Holidays

• By GamePro Staff
• December 19, 2008 16:42 PM PST
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Downloadable Content

Some pundits have already forecasted the death of physical media, claiming digital distribution is the wave of the future. While we highly doubt that digitial distribution will take over Blu-rays and DVDs as the sole format for gaming in the near future, it has proven itself to be a legitimate business model. Whether it's for extra content like Rock Band tracks, indie darlings like Braid and Super Star Dust HD, or for full-fledged games like Left4Dead, DLC is a rapidly growing segment of the gaming market. Do not overlook services like the Xbox Live Marketplace and Steam because you will miss out on some incredible gaming experiences, as evidenced by our list below.

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Bionic Commando: Re-Armed

GamePro's Reviews Editor Tae K. Kim says: "Capcom deserves a special place in the hearts of all retro gamers, especially old fogeys like me. They know how to take a classic franchise and inject it with new life, unlike, say, Sega who absolutely butchered Golden Axe with Beast Rider. Thankfully, Capcom knows that the secret is to build upon the foundation laid by those classic titles rather than rely solely on brand recognition and fan loyalty. Bionic Commando was one of my favorite NES games of all time-I've played through it multiple times at various points in my life-and I was absolutely thrilled with this remake. It stays true to the original while adding some neat-o features that makes the game even more fun than I remember. The visual upgrades don't hurt either. All in all, it's a fantastic game and definitely deserves a place on your Xbox 360 or PS3 hard drives."

Braid

Previews Editor Andy Burt says: "Every once in a while a game will come along that turns the concept of how a game should, or could be designed on its head. Portal did it, as did LittleBigPlanet, but these titles had dozens of designers and artists working to ensure the level of ingenuity in their games was upheld. Braid, on the other hand, had one lone designer who was supported by a small handful of artists and composers. Braid is, for lack of a better term, a complex work of art disguised as a simple 2-D platformer that tackles questions as heady as the meaning of life, and the lengths to which one will go in the name of love. The catch is the player is able to reverse time, which plays a vital role in the game's puzzles. The world in Braid looks like a water color painting that ebbs and flows as you move through each of its 6 worlds, each with its own unique take on how the player can manipulate time. Priced at a paltry $15, Braid is a must-own title for this holiday season."

Mega Man 9

Brutally difficult and insanely challenging, Mega Man 9 is a must-have for gamers looking to test their mettle. Navigating the trap-filled levels and tackling the devious bosses is not for the faint of heart but the best part of Mega Man 9 is the love and care that Capcom put into its development. It plays like an old school NES Mega Man title complete with graphical and audio glitches; it's a great throwback to the glory days of gaming and proves that Capcom cares about its loyal fanbase. Besides which, it only costs like ten bucks, which is a relative bargain in these tough economic times.

Super Street Fighter II HD Remix

Another Capcom game, another fantastic update. When it first debuted, Street Fighter II revolutionized the fighting game genre and HD Remix is now reigniting our love affair with Hadokens and Sonic Booms. The graphics got a bump up in quality and the talented folks at Udon Studios gave the game a fantastice new visual style. The result is the same great fighting experience we all know and love but with a brand new feel. The online multiplayer mode only makes it that much sweeter. It's definitely worth downloading and will help you get in shape for 2009's Street Fighter IV.

Rock Band / Guitar Hero DLC

We don't care which game you own: you have to check out the DLC content that's available. Whether it's Rock Band 2 or Guitar Hero: World Tour, there are some amazing bonus content out there that you should seriously consider downloading. Rock Band 2 has full albums from various artists-Foo Fighters Colour and the Shape FTW!-as well as single tracks; Guitar Hero has an awesome lineup of downloadable tracks as well and there's also a nice collection of user-created tracks that you can check out. The songs that come bundled on the discs themselves are rocking but you can keep the virtual concert going forever with the sweet DLC offerings that are available.

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For the Casual Gamer

Casual gamers get a lot of flack from their hardcore bretheren whose scorn borders on fanatical eliticism, but we don't know why. After all, casual gamers are just average people like us who just want to have a little fun every now and again. Just because they don't live the "gamer lifestyle" doesn't mean we should look down on them. And lost in all the nonsense is the fact that "casual" games can offer just as much depth and addictive enjoyment as a "hardcore" game. Heck, we've spent just as much time playing so called "casual games" as we have playing hardcore games. Just take a look at our list and you'll see games worth playing no matter which side of the digital divide you exist on.

Peggle

Valve's The Orange Box was an insanely awesome package of games that included Half-Life 2, Portal and Team Fortress 2. Lost in the shadow of those amazing titles was a little timewaster known as Peggle Extreme. A simple puzzler that involves dropping pinballs from a great height in order to clear levels of colored blocks, it's the sort of addictive game that you start up and play for hours without quite realizing it. The Extreme version is only available as part of the Orange Box but that's a game you should own anyway; otherwise, check out the other versions, Deluxe and Nights, which are available off steam for a mere ten bucks each.

BigFish Games

This company is single-handedly responsible for thousands of lost work hours in the GamePro offices. They have a deep library of titles that fit almost every taste. Puzzles, mysteries, action, brain-teasers-the site has them all. If you have a casual gamer or bored office worker on your shopping list, send them a Big Fish Games gift certificate which will let them download a title or two of their choice. But don't get mad if they suddenly stop returning your emails and phone calls in a timely manner.

Desktop Tower Defense

We love Flash games here at GamePro, for obvious reasons. They load quickly, you can play them right inside your browser and they're insanely fun. There are a ton of great Flash games out there but for our money, Desktop Tower Defense is the best there is. Basically, you set up an array of various weapons and try to kill an unending swarm of creepy crawlies as they worm their way around your defenses. It's addictive, it's challenging and best of all, it's free. It's not exactly something you can wrap up inside a box with a pretty little bow but the holidays are all about giving, so do your friends and family a favor and send them the link to this awesome Flash game. They'll thank you for it later.

Portal: Still Alive

Portal: Still Alive was an Xbox 360 exclusive offered for download over Microsoft's Live Arcade service. Originally included as part of The Orange Box -- a Valve-developed game bundle including Half-Life Episode II and Team Fortress II -- Portal stood out as one of the most unique games of 2007. Players guide an experiment subject through an increasingly difficult series of mazes and obstacles. The goal is to navigate to the end of the game through clever use of your Portal Generator -- a gun that literally shoots portals. By cleverly exploiting space and physics, players can build up to incredible speeds to jump gaps, bounce from wall to ceiling, or avoid and trick enemy gun turrets.

Space Invaders Extreme

Space Invaders Extreme was a new portable take on the arcade classic featuring a new look, new music, new mini-games, and more! It was released to mark the 30th anniversary of Space Invaders which saw its original arcade release in 1978. The game is played at a fast pace with an electronic soundtrack and sound effects, but casual gamers beware: once you plug Space Invaders Extreme in, you're gonna have a hard time putting it down!

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