With Christmas right around the corner comes the holiday tradition of scrambling to find gifts in congested shopping malls and stores after dealing with overcrowded parking lots. Here’s a list that might help some shoppers find the right gift for the gamer in your life.
STATE OF THE INDUSTRY
Before diving into the list, it’s important to know about the current state of the gaming industry. A lot of the hottest consoles right now, such as the Playstation 5, Xbox Series X and the Nintendo Switch OLED model, are nearly impossible to find.
This shortage is in part due to scalpers buying up these systems which causes a supply shortage and allows them to resell the consoles for two to five times over its original price. So, if you’re really yearning for a new PS5, you’ll need to be prepared to drop a ridiculous amount of money for it, though purchasing a console through a scalper further enables this sort of behavior and is not recommended.
Another thing to note is that some console names can be confusing to some.
Fortunately, Sony has been smart about naming their consoles by simply numbering each iteration of the Playstation with PS5 being the latest, but the other companies have a history of naming their systems in a confusing way.
The biggest difference between the Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo Switch OLED is the display quality. The OLED has a 7’’ OLED display over the regular model’s 6.2’’ LCD display. The OLED also is made of slightly better quality but overall is the same, though it is $50 more than a regular Switch.
On that note, it’s also important to know that a Switch Lite is only a portable version of a Nintendo Switch, which means you can’t connect it to a TV to play but it is a hundred dollars cheaper than the regular model.
They all still play Switch games though, so there’s no need to worry about that.
Of course, this information is only useful if you somehow find yourself with the opportunity to choose between both systems, which might be unlikely.
The Xbox Series X and S have a good number of differences from the Nintendo Switch systems.
Now, these differences are based on the internal hardware and might take too much time to get into the nitty gritty, so all one needs to know is that the X is the higher end model and the S is more simplistic. Though you can’t go wrong with either, especially if you plan on buying into Microsoft’s subscription service, which we’ll get into soon enough.
NINTENDO SWITCH
Nintendo has always been known as the most family friendly gaming console and the majority of the recommended game purchases for this console will of course include their prolific mascot, Mario.
You can’t go wrong with first party titles like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, Mario Party Superstars, WarioWare, Get It Together, Animal Crossing New Horizons and Super Smash Bros. Ultimately, though, it is recommended to buy Fighter Pass 1 and 2 for Ultimate as it adds more characters, stages and music to the game.
While those games are fun for the family, Metroid Dread, the long awaited fifth installment in the Metroid mainline series, is a single player experience and may have heavier themes not meant for kids. That being said, it’s a solid experience and highly recommended.
Speaking of games for an older audience, Monster Hunter Rise is perfect for those itching for a fight against giant monsters and jumping online with friends to take said monsters down. Capcom, the studio behind Monster Hunter, is constantly updating the game to keep things feeling fresh, so there’s always something to do.
Shin Megami Tensei V also works great for those who like Pokémon but seek more in-depth RPG mechanics that Pokémon games just can’t scratch.
That being said, Pokémon recently released their remakes to 2006’s Diamond and Pearl games, but if you want a more modern Pokémon experience, buying either Sword or Shield is recommended.
If neither of these recommended titles work for you, buying eShop cards would probably be your lifesaver. They’re available in most brick-and-mortar stores as well as online and will save you the stress and time of picking and choosing a game for someone.
Parents can also browse the eShop through the Nintendo Switch to see a variety of games available. Checking out the ‘Great Deals’ tab is recommended as it’s guaranteed you’d find something worthwhile at a discount during Christmas time.
PLAYSTATION
This section will include a mix of third-party titles, PS5 exclusives and PS4 games since some Playstation games are practically the same between both systems such as Marvel’s Spider-Man, which was rereleased alongside the release of Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales. Both games are sold as either a PS5 or a PS4 game, but they are technically the same game.
Now, you may be asking if Spider-Man is a must buy and the answer is an absolute yes. You can find both games at a discount now since the first Spider-Man on PS4 released in 2018, plus it’s the holiday season. A lot of titles will be on sale.
For PS5 owners, look out for Astro’s Playroom, Deathloop, Returnal, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart and Demon’s Souls.
As for games that transcend or can be played on both systems, Final Fantasy VII Remake, Ghost of Tsushima, Kena: Bridge of Spirits, Persona 5 Royal, The Last of Us Part II and this year’s dark horse and winner of The Game Awards’ Game of the Year title, It Takes Two, would make for a great gift.
Of the third-party titles, meaning you can find these games across most if not all systems, recommendations include, Resident Evil 8, last year’s Resident Evil 3 Remake, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Far Cry 6 and Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy.
XBOX
Xbox is a tricky beast to tackle as it’s had some major releases such as Halo: Infinite, Forza Horizon 5 and Psychonauts 2, but what if you were told you could play all their first party titles and then some for a small monthly fee?
Xbox’s Game Pass is a service unlike any other company has to offer. With over a hundred games at your disposal, you can play Xbox’s most recent releases and almost the entire Xbox catalog from past generations. They even include third party titles and grant you access to PC versions of several games while also allowing you to stream games to mobile devices.
Game Pass is constantly updating its library with games as well.
The service starts at $10 a month, but Xbox is almost always giving a month for only a dollar in order to allow people to try it out and see if they enjoy the service.
It’s hard not to recommend as it’s one of the gaming industry’s best services yet.
