2007 was quite the year for gamers. Not only were there a rather large number of titles hitting the market, but an unprecedented number of quality titles as well—so many that it's highly unlikely most folks are familiar with them all.
This holiday buyer's guide has been made for you with that in mind. Within, we've highlighted a number of titles for Wii, Nintendo DS, and even other platforms that we think you should be giving a second look when it comes to holiday game-gifting. Many of them we've reviewed as the game came out; if you're interested in reading more, you can follow the link right on over to that review.
For the Traditional Gamer
Super Mario Galaxy briefly headed GameRankings' list of top-reviewed games recently, and for good reason: the game, from the studio that developed the critically-acclaimed Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, is a masterpiece of pacing and design that will be spoken of in reverential tones for years to come. Its co-op mode, where a second player with a Wii Remote can play along—whether they're veterans or novices—is just the icing on the cake. Everyone needs this game—if they can find a Wii, that is.
Capping off the trilogy in grandiose fashion, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption is a markedly different, though still entertaining, take on the mechanics that have served the series so well for so long. One of the most stunning visual showcases on the system, Corruption also provides the Wii's premier first-person experience with impeccable control and interaction that justifies the Wii Remote as a device worth it's waggle.
Resident Evil 4 was the game of the year way back in 2005 and the newly released Wii version reminds us all why, while adding some sorely needed enhancements. Ultra-useful on-screen remote pointing, remote-shaking reloads, scads of new content from the PlayStation 2 version, and full widescreen 480p support make this package a vast improvement over the original. At just shy of thirty bucks, this is a Wii title that could find itself at home under any long-time gamer's holiday object of choice.
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, most recent game in the Legend of Zelda series, brings back the beautiful artistry of The Wind Waker in portable form, and introduces the series' first control rethinking since Ocarina of Time—making a game that's not only easy to get into, but works so well and is so fun to play that it makes other DS adventures seem stodgy and inefficient by comparison. If that wasn't enough, you can get it in a limited-edition bundle featuring a Zelda-themed DS Lite.
Geometry Wars: Galaxies neatly answers the question of "how do you turn a $5 downloadable title into a (nearly) full-price experience": by expanding it greatly. This follow-up to Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved (which also includes said title) takes the core avoid-and-shoot gameplay, enhances it, and mixes it up across 64 wildly creative levels. Although its mechanics are easily understood, it's definitely a hardcore title; lightweights won't survive very long—but those with the skills and time invested in practice will find a very satisfying score contest.
GWG comes in two versions. The Wii installment comes with two control schemes (Remote/Nunchuk and Classic Controller—the latter aping the Xbox 360's dual-analog control scheme). The DS version sacrifices a bit of the insanity and prettiness for portability, but is still a very worthy purchase in its own right.