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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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Games for Dad

Your Dad may not know a joystick from a pogostick but that doesn't mean the old man can't get his game on every now and again. Or maybe your Dad is an old school gamer, at which point, you're probably fighting him for the controller on a nightly basis. Either way, gaming with your Dad can be highly rewarding, whether it's to watch him struggle with the basics-"What button do you press to jump again?"-or to beat him down in an intense round of deathmatch so you can utter the classic taunt, "Who's your daddy now?" The following games will please the old man regardless of which end of the gaming spectrum he occupies, so put these titles on your shopping list then pull up a chair and spend a few quality gaming moments with your father.

Madden 09

Baseball might be America's past-time but football is this country's heart and soul. If your dad is anything like ours, he's obsessed with pigskin. Sunday mornings, he gets up early, prepares a spread of food that would make Jabba the Hutt jealous, then parks himself on the couch and starts screaming at the top of his lungs. It's pretty hilarious. The sad part is that football season only lasts for a couple of months; that's why we're getting the old man a copy of Madden 09. That way, he can keep the football action going year 'round; he can also undo the heartbreak of watching his favorite team, the San Francisco 49ers, struggle to a losing record by taking them to a virtual Super Bowl. Maybe next year, pops.

Brain Age

Your dad ain't getting any younger, so set him up with a DS and a copy of Brain Age so he can keep his mind sharp and alive well into his later years. It's full of mental exercises that'll stimulate the old man's noggin, so he'll be able to fully enjoy his golden years.

Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway

Reviewer Mitchell Dyer summed up his thoughts about Hell's Highway thusly: "As the best realization of WWII in a game to date, Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway explains why war is hell, not to mention loads of "hell yeah!" moments along the way." Your dad will feel the same way when you give him this riveting title that pays respect to the many soldiers who fell in battle by not turning the conflict into a cartoon.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09

This one's a no-brainer. A lot of dads golf and Tiger Woods has his mug on the most recognized video game golfing franchise around-we hear he's not too bad on the golf course either. Your dad probably plays a decent game but sometimes, getting out to the course can be a hassle. Get him a copy of PGA 09 and he can get in a round whenever the mood strikes. And who knows, with virtual Tiger showing him a thing or two, it might just improve his game. FORE!

Fairway Solitaire

Reviews Editor Tae K. Kim says: "Mixing the sport of golf and the card game solitaire together might seem like an odd combination but Fairway Solitaire is actually one of the best games I've ever played. It's premise is simple yet complex and it's insanely addictive. It's a great game for dads and card game junkies alike."

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Games for Mom

There was a point in time when the only thing most mothers knew about video games was that their children spent way too much time playing them. Now, the tables have turned and mothers all across the world are muttering classic kid lines like "Just let me clear this level" while staring at a monitor or television screen. The following games will have your Mom sitting on the edge of her seat, controller or keyboard and mouse tucked firmly into her hands; while she's doing that, go be a good egg and do some chores around the house, okay? Go take out the garbage, give the dog a bath and balance the family's checkbook. Your Mom totally deserves to take a break.

Wii Fit

Nintendo continues to push the boundaries of what's possible with video games with their Balance Board, a neat-o peripheral that allows you to turn your entire body into a video game controller. There are a couple of awesome games that take advantage of it-Raving Rabbids 2 and Skate It!-but Wii Fit, the game that the Balance Board was designed for, is still the best example of what the peripheral is capable of. It's a suite of exercises and balance tests whose true benefit is to get the player more aware of their body and how it moves. Considering how hard your Mom works all day, her body is probably home to a ton of aches and pains, so set her up with Wii Fit and hopefully, it'll get her to stand up straight and maintain good posture. You know, just like she was always bugging you to do when you were younger.

Lumines Live

In Lumines Live, gamers control squares made of four smaller block pieces that are dropped into the playing field, one at a time, to form same-color rectangles. The vertical timeline sweeps across the playing field from left to right, and wipes the same-color rectangles from the playing field. Unmatched blocks pile up and the game ends when the pile gets to the top of the playing screen. Advance through many action-packed levels, each with its own musical theme and sound effects.

Viva Pinata

Developed by Rare, the minds behind the insanely popular Banjo Kazooie franchise, Viva Pinata allows you control a variety of living pinata species in an ever-changing garden environment, as you take control of the creatures' day to day life and activities! The visual style is unique to say the least, with each character detailed with stunningly innovative graphics.

Team Fortress 2

Why? Because it's fun and has just the right amount of humor to off-set its cartoonish violence. Sure, it requires lightning fast reflexes and an eagle-eye for aiming but the game is so well balanced that you don't need to be an FPS vet to have fun. Set your mom up as a medic and she can do what she's been doing for you her entire life: making sure a big, hulking maniac who makes a mess out of everything stays safe and sound. Better yet, have her be the Heavy and get the hell out of the way because Mom's about to get angry, and you wouldn't like her when she's angry.

Animal Crossing City Folk

If you look close enough, you can trace the casual roots of today's Nintendo back to the GameCube's quirky runaway phenomenon, Animal Crossing. The game's latest incarnation, Animal Crossing: City Folk feels and plays extremely natural on Nintendo's flagship family-friendly console and feels right at home with wii-mote and nunchuck in hand. For gamers taking their first trip to Animal Crossing, City Folk will be paradise.

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