Top 10 Video Game Christmas Presents

It's hard to believe that Christmas is already just around the corner and many people are probably still looking to buy gifts for friends and family. Considering the video game industry is bigger than both the movie and music industries, it's probably safe to assume that you know at least one gamer so video games are always a good gift idea. Let's be honest, nobody is ever disappointed when they unwrap a brand new video game on Christmas! So what video games make for the best Christmas presents? Here is a list of 10 games that you should consider giving this holiday season.

10. Destiny

Available Platforms: PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One

Price Range: $40 - $50

Destiny is a mix between a first person shooter and an MMORPG which means it appeals to a wide audience of gamers. Destiny was made by Bungie, the same studio who created the popular Halo franchise so it looks and feels quite a bit like Halo. This makes it a pretty good gift for any Halo fan.

That being said, the mechanics behind it are very RPG-like. For example, attacks deal numerical damage that can be seen with each hit. Gamers need to put in hours upon hours of grinding to get gear and materials as well as leveling up. Players can team up with groups of friends to go on raids and there are some pretty epic boss fights that can literally take hours to bring down. Some gamers have likened Destiny to World of Warcraft in that respect and although this might initially sound off-putting to those who aren't avid WoW players, Destiny has a tendency to suck people in and slowly but surely convert them. One minute you might be calling your friend a nerd for talking about his level 29 Warlock and the next you're on Xbox LIVE secretly leveling up your Hunter.

Destiny is a good gift for both FPS and RPG fans because it is different from what either of them are likely used to. Don't worry, in addition to the robust single player/co-op experience, there's also competitive multiplayer as well.

The biggest criticism of Destiny thus far has been that there isn't enough to do. That should be a complaint of the past however since the first expansion, The Dark Below, came out on December 9th and adds a new Strike, a new Raid, new quests, increases the Light level cap to 32, and three new multiplayer maps. There is sure to be more DLC on the horizon as well so the game will only continue to get better and better.

9. Titanfall

Available Platforms: PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One

Price Range: $20 - $40

Titanfall plays a lot like Call of Duty so it is a good gift for the Call of Duty series veteran in your family. People tend to get bored of Call of Duty year after year so Titanfall can provide a breath of fresh air while remaining just similar enough with the same control scheme that they will feel right at home.

Titanfall isn't perfect. I previously wrote an article detailing both the good and bad things about the game. Titanfall is much faster paced than Call of Duty (even compared to Advanced Warfare which is very fast for a Call of Duty title). There's no camping for killstreaks because there are no killstreaks. It's just pure run-and-gun action. If that sounds like your cup of tea, then you're going to like Titanfall.

There's a disappointingly limited variety of weapons and game modes which is a major downside since extended play sessions can start to get boring after awhile. As the title would imply, the titans are what make the game fun. Titans are basically giant mechs with oversized weapons and there's nothing in Call of Duty that feels like getting in a titan and crushing your enemies like ants. Titanfall is kind of like two games rolled into one because playing as a soldier and playing as a titan are two completely different gameplay experiences.

Another reason Titanfall is a good gift idea is that it is inexpensive. The PC version is currently available on Amazon for just $17. You can also buy the Xbox One version from GameFly new for $24.99 with free shipping which is a great deal considering it is normally around $40 in stores.

One other aspect of the game worth noting is that there is no single player. It's a multiplayer-only game so if you are getting the Xbox 360 or Xbox One versions, you'll have to make sure the person you're buying it for has an Xbox LIVE membership beforehand otherwise they won't be able to play it.