The best hand-held console in gold limited edition form, along with one of the timeless RPG games in Zelda, is an irresistible combination. The most pleasing things about the DS are its portability and the relative simplicity of games on this system versus the big consoles. That simplicity frankly leaves a bit more to the imagination in gameplay, rendering it a bit more fun than some of the over-the-top, immersion experiences of the large machine games. Plus, that stylus is killer. As someone who was formerly devoted to PDA-based games, the DS is a perfect fit. Plus, a classic RPG like Zelda with its heavy use of text works well in this stripped down format. And, oh did I mention this limited edition DS comes in a really snazzy gold color?

—Sarah Zupko

Role playing games have come a long way from the slow-paced, menu-driven “Boy and ragtag band of warriors grow up/fight evil wizard” days. A lot of the credit for that goes to BioWare, whose previous titles Knights of the Old Republic and Jade Empire combined old school role playing with action packed lightsaber battles and kung-fu fighting respectively. BioWare’s next step in innovation is Mass Effect, which fuses a third-person squad shooter with role playing elements in a completely original outer space science fiction setting. Mass Effect‘s problems (mediocre combat, hiccuping framerates) might be slight annoyances, but the game’s breathtaking graphics and absorbing story more than make up for them. In Mass Effect, you play as Commander Shepard, a mid-level military officer who must pursue a rogue Spectre, the intergalactic equivalent of a CIA operative. Unlike most sci-fi plots where humanity is still the center of the universe, humans are relatively weak in Mass Effect, tolerated by some alien races, hated by others. Combat with guns and “biotic” powers is a big part of the game, but conversation via BioWare’s signature complex dialogue trees is where you make the important and sometimes ethically challenging decisions. Those expecting Halo should stay away, but all role playing fans should check out Mass Effect.

—Ryan Smith

The Nintendo DS, to this point, is best known for light, fluffy fare, games like Brain Age and WarioWare: Touched that can be played and enjoyed in a matter of minutes.  Developer Renegade Kid and publisher Gamecock are looking to shift that reputation (or, at least, fly in the face of it) with this year’s Halloween release of Dementium: The Ward.  Not since the DS iteration of Resident Evil has a DS game so thoroughly sought to creep us out, but Dementium, through its effective use of music and surprisingly immersive atmosphere, does just that.  Renegade Kid works effectively within the parameters defined by the DS to present a control scheme worth using and a story worth telling.  Dementium is the perfect gift for the surly high schooler who complains that the DS you got him for his birthday only plays baby games.

—Mike Schiller

Mutant Storm Empire is one of the most recent examples of the shoot ‘em up renaissance that is now taking place via Microsoft’s Xbox Live Arcade gaming download service.  The gameplay mechanic isn’t that original (use the left analog stick to move, use the right one to fire), which is why this game seems to be getting overlooked as just another Geometry Wars clone.  Or, if you were a coin-op kid in the ‘90s, you might prefer to think of it as a Smash TV clone.  Regardless of what it’s cloning, it looks great doing it, complete with beautiful HD graphics that might best be described as bloopy alien polygons.  The control is fantastic and responsive, and the strange alien worlds are beautifully laid out and quite intuitive to navigate.  Perhaps best of all, there is pretty much no fanfare behind this game right now, so it’s a fantastic game with which to surprise someone with what is an extremely fun, and at its highest level staggeringly hard, gaming experience.  At only 10 bucks, it’s also one of the most affordable gifts you could possibly come up with this year.

—Mike Schiller

Hardcore gearheads and racing simulation fans may swear by the Forza Motorsport series, but for our money we’ll take the arcade-like thrills of Project Gotham Racing 4 for the Xbox 360. Instead of spending hours fiddling around in a game menu trying to decide what suspension or exhaust system to buy, Project Gotham Racing 4 lets you just get into a fast car and drive almost immediately—car or motorcycle, that is. Of the 120 vehicles available to be selected, many are two-wheeled, giving the gameplay another dimension by adding stunts to the mix.  New vehicles aside, the core dynamics of the PGR series have remained the same in its fourth installment—it’s all about collecting so-called “kudos” (think PGR‘s own version of Xbox Live achievement points) to unlock new vehicles, paint jobs, etc., or racing your way to the top through the game’s extensive career mode.  It’s almost a shame that your car goes so fast, though, because you’ll be speeding by the game’s beautifully detailed urban landscapes in places like Shanghai and Quebec.  Minor quibbles with the gameplay aside, (motorcycles might be a bit too easy to race), it’s hard to find much fault with Project Gotham Racing 4 unless you prefer your games in the slow lane.

—Ryan Smith

I’ll admit it, I was skeptical. I thought our own L.B. Jeffries might have sucked down one too many helium balloons as a small child when he took on the assignment of reviewing the American Idol Talent Challenge and actually decided he liked it. Of course, this meant I had to try it.  And you know what? He’s right. The quality of the little contraption you get in the box with the fairly disposable DVD with the judge snark and the Idol-specific karaoke tracks is actually quite high for such an inexpensive karaoke machine. It will work just fine with a typical karaoke DVD, it will work fine with your DVD-Audio copy of Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (as long as you don’t mind singing along with Wayne Coyne), and L.B.’s right, it works especially well when you want to insert your own Mystery Science Theater-style commentary into the latest DVD release of, say, Gigli. It’s a fun party contraption for adults, and I don’t think I have to explain why kids love the thing. Fifty bucks might seem a bit much for an American Idol-branded hunk of plastic, but the possibilities it opens up are surprising, not to mention lasting.

—Mike Schiller