Top 10 Video Game Christmas Presents

8. Super Smash Bros. for 3DS/Wii U

Available Platforms: Nintendo 3DS, Wii U

Price Range: $40 (3DS) - $60 (WiiU)

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U is one of just two Wii U games to make this list but it shouldn't come as a surprise for anybody to see it here. Smash Brothers has long been one of the most popular Nintendo franchises ever since it was introduced on Nintendo 64 in 1999.

The allure of Smash Brothers as a series is that it can be played either casually against friends or competitively at the highest level. For example, Smash Brothers is a cult classic among college kids and yet has also made it onto the Major League Gaming Pro Circuit.

In addition to having HD graphics, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U has a special game mode which allows for up to eight player battles. The game also has the most extensive roster of characters yet including newcomers such as Little Mac from Punch-Out!!, the Wii Fit Trainer, the “Duck Hunt Duo,” Mega Man, and even Pac-Man.

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U is currently the highest reviewed game for the Wii U console ever released with a 92 aggregate score on Metacritic. It also recently won Fighting Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2014.

There's also a handheld version of the game for the Nintendo 3DS called, as you would expect, “Super Smash Bros. for 3DS” which has some exclusive game modes.

7. BioShock Infinite

Available Platforms: PC, Mac, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3

Price Range: $10 - $30

BioShock Infinite may be a last generation game but it is still one of the best titles to be released in the last few years. BioShock Infinite was released in 2013 and won 42 Game of The Year awards and several more Best Shooter awards.

The best part of giving BioShock Infinite as a gift is that despite the fact it is the third entry into the BioShock franchise, it's actually a standalone game in that it doesn't presuppose you have already played the first two games. You can fully enjoy BioShock Infinite without having played either of the first two BioShocks. There are of course several tie-in's to the other games (especially in the subsequent downloadable content), but they are mostly minor things that you don't really need to know about.

BioShock Infinite has one of the most memorable storylines in the last ten years of gaming. It also has absolutely beautiful visuals, even despite the fact the game is a year old.

BioShock Infinite is also the cheapest game on this list which is another reason for its inclusion to begin with. The Xbox 360 version of the game is available for just $10 on Amazon at the time of this writing.

If you really want to be a hero this Christmas, pick up the Ultimate Songbird Edition instead. It's relatively expensive at a few hundred dollars but comes with a sweet collectible statue of one of the game's characters, Songbird (seen below), as well as some other neat stuff like a keychain, poster, and art book. The cheapest you can find that statue alone on eBay is $150. This would be a really cool gift for anybody who collects and displays gaming memorabilia.