Christmas (and for you Americans Thanksgiving, which has passed).

Its a brilliant time of year when Santa delivers presents and you receive numerous games to play with. But, as we gamers know, its all about getting the right games. So which games do I believe you should put on your Christmas list. Well, I'm about to tell you. Don't follow my advice if you don't want, but this is what I would get if I had the three consoles and the PC. At the end of each section i'll list the top 5 to get, along with the "Blast From The Past". This is simply a game which came out a while ago but will be quite cheap now. Let's start with the wonderful Wii.

Nintendo Wii

The Wii's continued success has been nothing short of remarkable. So unless you've sent your letter away early, don't be too hopeful as there are basically none available anywhere. The gaming surely must be Mario Galaxy. All reviews have been praising it, plus its the first "proper" Mario game since Mario 64 (We'll not mention Sunshine). Even GS, who aren't nintendo's biggest fans, gave it 9.5. There's also the Wii zapper, including Link's crossbow training, though I must say reviews of the zapper have been pretty mixed. Some see it as pointless whilst others find it kind of useful. Either way for £20, its a bargain. For the zapper why not purchase the praised Resident Evil:Umbrella Chronicles, which has recieved great feedback. Mario and Sonic At The Olympics seems a bit of a waste of the two licenses, unfortunately, though it'll obviously sell due to it being the first Mario and Sonic game. Lego Star Wars: The Complete saga won't get the succes it deserves this Christmas and other special mentions should include Guitar Hero III, for all you rock fans, and Pokemon Battle Revolution. Another interesting choice would be the cheap Endless Ocean and of course you could always try EA's My Sims. Tomb Raider:Anniversary deserves a mention as does the very unique Boogie. Finally the great Metroid Prime 3:Corruption is definately up there. It's a good Christmas for Wii owners.

Blast From The Past: Resident Evil 4 - Its cheap and the best version of an awsome game.

5. Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga

4. Guitar hero III

3. Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles

2. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption

1. Super Mario Galaxy

Galaxy had to win. There was no other option.

XBOX 360

The 360 has had a great year also. I keep saving but I fear I will not have enough for the excellant elite. Anyways, there are so many shooters out for the 360 this year. The big hitter Halo 3 and the atmospheric Bioshock are both excellant titles along with the amazing money deal of the year, that is, The Orange Box. Forza Motorsport 2 is there for all you racing fans and of course, the stunning Assassin's Creed. Also there is the best Call Of Duty yet in Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warefare. Guitar Hero III is up there for the 360 too. Mass Effect covers the RPG category and of course the family friendly Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga deserves an acknowledgement.

Blast From The Past: Gears Of War - Still a great shooter.

5. Assassin's Creed

4. Halo 3

3. Bioshock

2. Mass Effect

1. The Orange Box

This was a very hard decision but The Orange Box has to much quality. As for the popular Halo 3, in my opinion it is neither a good enough improvement on previous games nor developed a good enough single player. I will get a lot of abuse for that decision.

Playstation 3

Well.....yeah, ok, what to write. Should I be honest....? I guess I have to. Here goes, it's been Sony's worst year ever if you ask me, though i do see things starting to turn. I can't really write many positives, because to be honest there aren't many, though with Grand Theft Auto 4 and the new Metal Gear Solid on the way, things can only get better for the most powerful console out there. Assassin's Creed is definately up there this year for best game, along with Unchartered: Drake's Fortune. There is also Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Guitar Hero III,and Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga. Finally The Orange Box is there again. So on with the final rankings.......

Blast From The Past: Motorstorm - It's a great racing game.

5. Guitar Hero III

4. Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

3. Assassin's Creed

2. Unchartered: Drake's Fortune

1. The Orange Box

Once again The Orange Box takes the award and it really is hard to disagree with its quality.

PC

Its really good having a good PC and I must say for those who don't it must be frustrating as they are missing out on some great games this year. Anyway, we're talking about Christmas here, so continue I must. Crysis has been a huge hit as has Bioshock, Unreal Tournament 3 and once again, Call Of Duty 4. The interesting WorldIn Conflictdeserves a mention and The Orange Box is also included again. So on to the final ratings and find out who rules the PC this Christmas.

Blast From The Past: Supreme Commander - Supreme graphics and gameplay (sorry), this was definately an under-bought game by the public.

5. World In Conflict

4. Bioshock

3. Unreal Tournament 3

2. The Orange Box

1. Crysis

So,The Orange Box was finally beaten, by the great Crysis. A very interesting line up from the PC.

And that's it. This has taken me quite a while, and remember this is just my opinion, many will probably disagree with my choices. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii), The Orange Box (XBOX 360, PS3) andCrysis (PC)should be top of your Christmas lists.

Enjoy your games and have a verymerry Christmas.

Yeah, so I picked up a copy of Metroid Prime 3 on release day. I am also a couple of hours away from purchasing Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (PC). Anyway the differences between the two are massive. I mean they are completely different genres.

It is often observed that different people like different genres over others. For instance the Japanese are well known for their love of RPGs whereas the US prefers FPS. I'm not sure what an Irish person is seen as preferring, but anyway...

I also have friends who stick strictly to their sport games, buying FIFA, Pro Evo, and Football Manager year-after-year. I also know others who would never look at a sports game but are obsessed with FPS and there are others again who are obsessed with Guitar Hero (they insist that they will also buy Rock Band).

The point is everyone is different.

A couple of weeks ago someone told me not to buy Pro Evo. The same person had advised me against Metroid Prime 3. Supposedly, Nintendo games like Metroid are for kids and Pro Evo is rubbish.

But why should I take advice from someone who calls the Metroid series, games for kids. Those who have played the Metroid Series will know if any Nintendo game isn't for kids, its Metroid. The person surprisingly, doesn't like FPS. Nor do they like sports games.

I bought Prime 3 and it was awesome (see the soon coming review) and so I will buy Pro Evo even if the person has told me its rubbish. How are they supposed to know about a genre they think is rubbish and never really play. They are biased against it. The lesson is only listen to those who have experience in playing the game and games of the same genre. Only they will know how good it really is. You'd be surprised by the number of people who buy games because of what their friends think.

Remember if you like a game get it, don't let others who don't really have a clue, cloud your view.

Games take up a lot of time in a persons life. Constantly buying and playing the newest releases. But over the summer i took a break.

*Gasps from the crowd* Yes, i know, how could i?

Very easily in fact. I had been playing games like mental at the start of the year. Always switching on my Wii or DS and playing for a while. But the summer arived and i must say i got annoyed with certain games and so stopped playing games for a while. I spent my time playing football and when i came home in the evenings, i switched on some DVDs rather than play games. It was i'll admit the best thing i could have ever done.

Also, the ammount of spare cash i had was amazing. Not buying games leaves you considerably richer. Things were great.

So what made me come back. Simple, the challenge and enjoyment. A Gameis not suposed to be a stressful experiencewere it is treated as the greatestimportance that you pass it. You should enjoy the game, not get frustrated. Relax, sit back and enjoy. If you lose,you can just try again. Its notbig deal. I don't pretend to be a good gamer, and probably never will be but, unlike some people, i dont care.

Its OK to take a break from games, its healthy. If you find yourself roaring at the screen or tossing controllers aside, switch the console off and relax. Take your break and whether the break lasts an hour, a week, or even months, the game will seem more enjoyable and easier when you come back to it with a relaxed mind.

So remember before you hit the ON button, sit back, relax and enjoy the game, because otherwise you could just end up getting extremely frustrated. But more importantly remember, its ok to take a break