PC Gifts

Our star studded lineup for the PC is one of the best in many years. Mirroring recent movie trends in the Hollywood industry, 2004 was a showcase for sequel titles. Popular franchises like Doom, Half-Life, Call of Duty and EverQuest were extended with brand new material. Every one of them promises to stress the latest and greatest hardware to their limits. Still, there was time for first of its kind watershed titles including the critically acclaimed Rome: Total War and Blizzard's long awaited World of Warcraft.

 

PS2 Gifts

With rumor mills going wild about the next generation of Playstation, Sony continues its industrious effort to bring great software to its flagship PS2 console, including Sly 2: Band of Thieves and Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal. However, the holiday lineup also got strong support from Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, a PS2 exclusive, and Konami's visceral Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. The recent release of Sony's slimmed down console will attract plenty of casual gamers. To cater to the newcomers, we wanted to highlight Namco's Katamari Damacy; a puzzle title for all genders and ages that will be a great addition to any holiday party.

Xbox Gifts

Despite swirling rumors regarding Xbox Next, this year has arguably been the best in terms of software titles for Microsoft's console. Unless you've been living under a rock, you already know about the mega-sequel Halo 2, but third-party support has been strong this holiday season. Tecmo's Dead or Alive Ultimate, an Xbox exclusive, and LucasArts' Knights of the Old Republic 2 top the list. And with acclaimed games like Burnout 3: Takedown, Rainbow Six 3: Black Arrow and ESPN NFL 2K5, the Xbox library has never been hotter. So put aside thoughts of the next generation of Xbox, tis the season to play Live!

 

GameCube Gifts

Nintendo fans have something else other than the DS handheld to get excited about. Games are being released for some of its strongest franchises including Metroid Prime 2: Echoes and Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door. Not to be trumped in the first person shooter category, Activision is bringing the popular Call of Duty: Finest Hour to the console. As well, we thought WWE Day of Reckoning, with its create a wrestler theme, was something unique. Is the GameCube a console for kids? This holiday lineup will have adults, teens and children huddling around the GameCube.

 

Handheld Gifts

Wireless and handheld titles are beginning to gain traction in the gaming arena. With a wireless infrastructure becoming more mature and developers becoming increasingly adept at designing games in BREW, the titles we looked at this year are significantly more complex. We also looked at some defining handheld titles on the Palm and Pocket PC handhelds. These previously separate platforms are cross-proliferating into the so-called smartphone user base. We chose some big name titles that are being released on PC and console platforms from JAMDAT and Gameloft. As well, we picked out some perennial handheld favorites from publishers like Astraware.

 

Gadget Gifts

The emphasis in 2004 for our gadget and handheld list is entertainment and multimedia. We looked at several ways to get your digital photos, MP3 songlists and video playlists on to your television screen - and in one case, your cell phone too as our coverage of Sprint's latest multimedia phone will illustrate. Gaming hardware, networking gear, as well removable media are also some things we think consumer electronic fans will enjoy getting for the upcoming holidays.

 

Family Gifts

Probably every summit, press event and conference you'll hear about for big name publishers or manufacturers in the gaming business will tell you about the masses of casual gamers that are just waiting for the right title to jump into gaming. Whereas a decade ago, mom or dad was happy with playing solitaire, nowadays friends and family, regardless of age, are hooked on to titles like The Sims 2. We thought interacting with your body in EyeToy's AntiGrav should be something fun at the upcoming holiday gathering. One of the most popular reality television shows, American Idol, shows us that a game like Karaoke Revolution should be a hit (for the second year in a row). And Taiko Drum Master is this year's novel spin on the popular rhythm and action games. There's something here for everyone's taste.