Sony fans have a lot to be thankful for this year. They also have a lot to titles help them lighten their wallets. Here’s Elder-Geek.com’s gift idea list for gamers who own a Playstation 3 or Playstation Portable (PSP).
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Playstation 3
Shooter Fans: Killzone 2 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Take the fight against the Helghast to their home planet. Killzone 2 sports some of the most bleeding-edge graphics available on current consoles. Its single-player campaign is exciting enough to require at least 2 playthroughs to feel satisfied. And when gamers are finished with that, the constantly full multiplayer servers will bring them back time and time again.
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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 puts you in the body of several different soldiers across the globe as they try to stop Makarov’s terrorist agency. The plot has more twists than a bobsled run and it’s sure to leave every gamer (and a few of their mothers) shocked until the very end. But the true gem in Modern Warfare 2’s crown is the multiplayer gameplay. Perfectly balanced maps and a well thought out perk system will be sure to satisfy the PS3 shooter fan in your life.
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Role-Playing Fans: Demon’s Souls
In Demon’s Souls, players venture to the land of Boleteria to defeat infestations of demons to lull the Old One back to slumber. Demon’s Souls is a bee-yoo-tee-ful game but it is also punishingly difficult. Some will find it more difficult than others, but almost every role-playing fan will love this adventure.
Some gamers will find themselves playing Demon’s Souls for hours. Hundreds of hours, actually. If your geek-at-heart is a trophy junkie and loves to squeeze out every minute of playtime in their games, then Demon’s Souls is a sure thing.
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Action Fans: Batman: Arkham Asylum, Uncharted 2, and inFAMOUS
Batman: Arkham Asylum delivers on all accounts and is one of the greatest superhero video games available on the market. Easily a contender for a few game of the year awards, Batman: Arkham Asylum is sure to please any fans of the comics, television shows and movies that bare the Batman name. Even if your geek isn’t the biggest Batman fan, the beat-em-up / stealth gameplay delivers a cinematic experience that almost everyone will enjoy.
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Uncharted 2 continues the adventures of Nathan Drake and his friends as they travel the world seeking lost treasures. Part Lara Croft, part Indiana Jones and all fun, Uncharted 2 isn’t just a great game for action fans, it’s a great game for videogame fans of all types. The impeccable controls, voice acting, and stunning visuals will leave even the most angry of fanboys speechless. Uncharted 2 is a must own.
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If your geek in mind doesn’t yet own a copy of inFAMOUS, then go out and buy them a copy right now. Now! Stop reading! Go!
At first glimpse, inFAMOUS seems like just another mindless beat ’em up, but after a few hours of play, you realize that it’s much deeper than many anticipated. Gamers play as Cole as he slowly discovers the depth of his electrical superpowers in a sandbox city. Players will love the “climb anything” attitude and the graphic novel art style.
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Racing Fans: Dirt 2
If your geek loves racing games, you are hereby ordered to check out Dirt 2, one of the most beautiful racers out there. The lighting stands out on night tracks where headlights, logo projections, fireworks, and other environmental lights glimmer and reflect off the body of the car and the track. The sunlight shining over the horizon will cause other lights to dim in its presence. Water splashes to life with realistic ripples while cars dash through puddles. Dirt and mud fly everywhere as you slide around the track. And car / damage models still look great. Being dirty never looked so good. Codemasters delivers yet another badass interface to boot as they masterfully stylize their menus. Dirt 2’s menus are different sections inside and outside of the trailer that you’re using to tour around the world, conquering different tracks.
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Stocking Stuffers (Great Games For $20 Or Less):
Super Stardust HD, any PixelJunk game, Trine, Bionic Commando Rearmed, Final Fantasy VII, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune
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Stumped? Here’s Some Titles All PS3 Gamers Should Own:
Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, LittleBigPlanet Game of the Year Edition, Fallout 3 Game of the Year Edition, Grand Theft Auto IV, Metal Gear Solid 4, and Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Game of the Year Edition
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Playstation Portable (PSP)
For the Hardcore Players: Grand Theft Auto: China Town Wars
One of the best games on the Nintendo DS is now one of the best games on the PSP. Rockstar delivers all the badassery of a home console version of Grand Theft Auto and packs it into the palm of your hand. This is a great addition to the hardcore PSP library. It’s the kind of game you can pick up and play for ten minutes on a bus, or sit and play for ten hours on end.
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Gran Turismo PSP
If you are a Grand Turismo fan on the GO! your wait is finally over. This game features hundreds of cars, tracks, and customizations. It also includes the voice talents of known comedian and car enthusiast Jay Leno. For fans of the series, this game is must own. And if you have never played a GT game before, this bite-sizee version is an excellent way to get you started.
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What the Hardcore Gamer Should Already Own: God of War: Chains of Olympus
Tear the limbs off your enemies! If you don’t already own this masterpiece for the PSP, the Gods will look poorly upon you this holiday season. Kratos’ run on the PSP is just as intense and bloodthirsty as its PS2 counterparts. With God of War 3 on the horizon there is still time to pick this one up and fill in a bit of the missing story.
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The Casual Gamer: LittleBigPlanet PSP
LittleBigPlanet PSP is a great game to pick up and play this holiday season. The game has everything that made its PS3 counterpart great. Although the online functionality has not yet hit its stride, it will greatly improve as time goes by. Best of all, Sackboy is kid-friendly so there’s no need to hide what you’re playing when the little ones come wandering by. Stuff your stockings with Sackboy this holiday season!
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LocoRoco or LocoRoco 2
With intuitive controls, relentless cuteness, and incredible platforming, both these games are a must buy. Guide your jelly-like characters through each environment by using the shoulder buttons on your PSP. Both Locoroco great games to play, and the music is highly entertaining. LocoRoco defines casual gaming.
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Patapon or Patapon 2:
Pata…Pata…PataPON….FEVER!!!! If you own a PSP and have somehow not caught the Patapon Fever at this point , you need to get some serious exposure. The Patapon series is the perfect blend of rhythm, RPG, and combat. It’s original enough to be entertaining, but traditional enough to be intuitive. Go get this. The only downside to Patapon games is that they get stuck in your head… for a long time!
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Super Stardust Portable
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his arcade-style shooter will be a great intro for any PSP newcomer. Slick and stylish, the game runs extremely well and there are literally hundreds of things going on at any given time. If you have ever seen or played asteroids or are used to some flash-based shooters this game will come very naturally to you. Stardust is perfect for hardcore and casual gamers alike.
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PSN Gift Cards
The Best part of the PSP is the Playstation Network. With over 16,000 pieces of content and thousands of movies and tv shows to download on the go, access to PSN is a must. PSN Gift Cards are perfect for younger gamers who don’t have credit cards. They’re also great for the gamer who have all the latest titles, allowing them to purchase future downloadable content.
I would add Valkyria Chronicals, Ratchet and Clank: FToD, and Dead Space to games that all PS3 owners should have… and they are cheap as hell.
Katamari Forever for someone who likes abstract games that suck up lots of time.
Add Noby-Noby boy to that… I still don’t get it… and I’ve put in at least 20 hours.
I feel the same way about Valkyria Chronicles, sans massive time spending. The story it didn’t click at all for me, i seem to have a thing against calling Europe Europa for no particular reason and stuff like that the japanese like to pull off. But what i really really hated, was that i felt like at all times i had half a team to spare. Vyse, Miss Valkyria and some sniper are about what i ended up using while most of my team stayed at starting point playing cards or something. It just felt like sloppy design, that they just had to see considering how much QA games have and they did nothing about it. And when i see that stuff, i strike with ruthless might. So i didn’t like VC at all.
Now the CoD4 image on MW2 was a little low…