Editorial:9 Video Games to Buy this Holiday Season

From Wikia Gaming

With the holiday shopping season fast approaching, here are 9 must-buy video games.

World in Conflict (PC: Sept. 18, Xbox 360: Nov. 7)

World in Conflict Trailer

Halo 3 Trailer

World in Conflict presents a chillingly authentic Cold War scenario where the Berlin Wall never fell. Created by Cold War authority and best-selling author Larry Bond, the story begins in 1989 as the Soviets, fearing certain collapse, boldly advance into Europe. NATO responds in force only to be met on a second front -- a full-fledged invasion of the American homeland.

Players take on the role of field commander, leading the era's most powerful military machines in the campaign to retake America's cities and suburbs. The RTS gameplay features completely destructible 3D battlefields, aggressive team-based multiplayer action and a focus on fast, hard-hitting battles. For the Xbox 360 version, the game has been customized for the controller and implements a new heads-up-display (HUD) that is more functional for console gamers.

Halo 3 (Xbox 360: Sept. 25)

The epic saga continues with Halo 3, the hugely anticipated third chapter in the highly successful and critically acclaimed Halo franchise. Master Chief returns to finish the fight, bringing the epic conflict between the Covenant, the Flood, and the entire human race to a dramatic, pulse-pounding climax.

Taking full advantage of the power of Xbox 360, Halo 3 expands on everything that has made the Halo franchise great, adding a wealth of graphical, technical and gameplay advancements, as well as offering a whole new level of online gameplay.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PC, PS3, Xbox 360: Nov. 5)

War rages on in the fourth edition of Activision's acclaimed war game. For the first time in the series, Call of Duty moves away from WWII to the modern battlefield. Armed with an arsenal of advanced and powerful modern day firepower, players are transported to treacherous hotspots around the globe to take on a rogue enemy group threatening the world.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Trailer

Assassin's Creed (PS3, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS: Nov. 13)

Assassin's Creed Trailer

Crysis Trailer

Skate Trailer

Super Mario Galaxy Trailer

Rock Band Trailer

The first game in the Assassin's Creed franchise is set in 1191 AD, when the Third Crusade was tearing the Holy Land apart. Shrouded in secrecy and feared for their ruthlessness, the Assassins intend to stop the hostilities by suppressing both sides of the conflict. Players, assuming the role of the main character Altair, will have the power to throw their immediate environment into chaos and to shape events during this pivotal moment in history.

Intuitive, free form, third person adventure play. Find yourself running up and along walls, across rooves and making majestic movements that enemy soldiers wouldn't even dream to be able to follow.

Free running/parkour is the name of the game, where every building, in your assassin's eyes, is nothing more than a series of ledges and platforms, of which it's your job to navigate. Stay out of sight and get to your targeted assassination.

Crysis (PC: Nov. 15)

A next-generation project by CryTek, makers of the dazzling FPS Far Cry. This game is running on the new CryENGINE 2 technology. The game is one of the the first announced to run on the advanced DirectX 10 architecture.

Set in 2019 after a colossal asteroid crashes to Earth, Crysis begins amidst a tense military standoff between the North Korean and United States governments for control of the impact zone. Amid rising tensions, the asteroid suddenly bursts open revealing a massive alien ship, which begins freezing vast portions of the island and altering the global weather system. The invasion of Earth has begun. Crysis features an epic three-act story of alien invasion where players are able to customize their armor and weapons in real time to confront an ever-changing enemy and a harsh, dynamic environment.

Skate(Xbox 360: Sept. 11, PS3: Sept. 24)

Skate delivers the real feel of skating in a fully reactive skateboarding city, utilizing the power of the Xbox 360 and PS3 consoles for advanced new control and physics techniques to feel through every kick-flip and land every aerial. The game features professional skaters such as Danny Way and PJ Ladd. Skate's unique control scheme captures the true feel of skating -- with physics-driven animations, gamers will have a unique gaming experience every time they pick up the controller since no two tricks will ever be the same.

Spider-Man: Friend or Foe (Nintendo DS, Wii, Xbox 360, PSP, PS2, PC: Oct. 2)

Inspired by the Spider-Man film trilogy and the classic Spider-Man comics, Spider-Man: Friend or Foe challenges players to defeat and then join forces with notorious movie nemeses including Doc Ock, Green Goblin, Venom and Sandman, and embark on an epic quest to overcome a worldwide evil threat. Throughout the game's original story and thrilling battles, fans control Spider-Man and one of numerous Super Hero or Super Villain sidekicks and master unique fighting moves and styles while switching between characters to execute team combos and defeat foes.

Spider-Man: Friend or Foe Trailer

Super Mario Galaxy (Wii: Nov. 12)

As always with any Nintendo game console, the first Super Mario game is one of the defining experiences on the system. Join Mario as he ushers in a new era of video games, defying gravity across all the planets in the galaxy. When some creature escapes into space with Princess Peach, Mario gives chase, exploring bizarre planets all across the galaxy. Since he's in space, Mario can perform mind-bending jumps unlike anything he’s done before. He'll also have a wealth of new moves that are all based around tilting, pointing and shaking the Wii Remote.

Rock Band (PS3 and Xbox 360: Nov. 20, PS2: in 2008)

Rock Band allows gamers to perform music from the world’s biggest rock artists with their friends as a virtual band using drum, bass/lead guitar and microphone peripherals, in addition to offering deep online connectivity. Built on deals with the world’s biggest record labels and music publishers, the music featured in Rock Band spans all genres of rock and include many of the master recordings from the biggest songs and artists of all time.