HEARTLESS

Curious as to what to get for the diehard Xbox gamer in your inner circle? Unsure how to casually hint to your mom or dad that you want an Xbox Kinect this holiday season? Then check out our gift guide for all things Xbox.



XBOX KINECT/ XBOX SLIM BUNDLE

Easily the most highly-priced item on this list, the Xbox Kinect / Xbox Slim bundle also packs the most bang-for-your-buck. Perfect for a child, spouse, or really the entire family, you’re getting not only the most up-to-date version of the Xbox 360 console (sporting an ultra quiet reader, 250GB hard-drive, Wi-Fi capability and a sleek new design), you’re also getting the Xbox Kinect, the much discussed peripheral that turns you into the ultimate controller. While the Xbox itself can power hardcore games for father and son alike, the Kinect can pull the entire family into the gaming experience, making this one-stop shopping for your total entertainment experience. Just be sure to pick up Dance Central to compliment your copy of Kinect Adventures.



FABLE 3

It’s good to be the king. Or, at the very least, it’s good to battle your way through an epic fantasy adventure until you become the king…and then rule your kingdom with an iron fist. Or a gentle hand, if you’re the yellow-bellied type. Fable 3 improves on so much of what Fable 2 had hoped to accomplish, offering a grand journey through an industrialized version of an old, familiar land. With the Road to Rule allowing players to conquer and then control their kingdom, not only do gamers get a first-rate RPG, they also get a real, tangible sensation of power.



CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS

Black Ops is the game to get for the guy who’s killed everything. Had your fill of aliens and space marines? Gunned down enough Wild West black hats? Then it’s time to put some real, historically correct (sort of) bullets into the virtual heads of some Cold War villains in this stunning follow-up to one of the all-time, best-selling video game series in history. Avoiding both WWII Europe and the trappings of modern warfare altogether, Call of Duty: Black Ops takes a trip down memory lane into the time when Castro failed to puff that exploding cigar. Hardcore action, first-rate graphics and damn near unbeatable multiplayer make this a must-own for the hardcore gamer.



RED DEAD REDEMPTION

Who says the Old West is dead? Clearly that person has never played Red Dead Redemption, perhaps the greatest Western game ever created for consoles. With an emotionally gripping story, a cast of quirky, complex characters, a visceral combat system, a sprawling world to explore, and a metric ton of quests and challenges (not to mention the year’s greatest batch of DLC in Undead Nightmares), Red Dead Redemption is perhaps the closest to a flawless gaming experience you’ll have this year.



MASS EFFECT 2

Hi, I’m Commander Shepard and Mass Effect 2 is my favorite RPG on the Citadel…

Bioware’s epic, three-part space opera continues with Mass Effect 2, one of the few gaming sequels on par with The Godfather, Part II as far as follow-ups go. Streamlining almost every aspect of the original, Mass Effect 2 is bigger, faster, smarter, and more jam-packed with content than the first game in the franchise, and that’s a difficult thing to improve upon. Make your choices, man your ship, and go out to conquer the galaxy in this action-packed, story-driven RPG. That, or simply buy this game for a friend or loved one and let them do it. Either way, it’s one of the very best of the year.



Fallout: New Vegas

If you can’t quite wait until 2012 for the end of the world, head out into the post-apocalyptic wasteland of Fallout: New Vegas, the next adventure in the sprawling, open universe of Fallout. Moving the action from the wreckage of Washington, D.C. to the desert surrounding Vegas, this latest chapter offers players hundreds of hours of content packed into a single disc. Pursue the main story of a “murdered” messenger on the hunt for his killer or simply roam the landscape in an effort to help (or harm) or the locals. The world is yours to make, or unmake, with Fallout: New Vegas.



HALO REACH

Next to Call of Duty: Black Ops, you’d be hard pressed to find a more insanely popular franchise release this year than Halo: Reach. The final game for the series’ original developer, Bungie, this outing takes a more militaristic look at the sci-fi series. Set in the days prior to the original Halo, this prequel offers a great opportunity for gamers not familiar with the dense mythology of Halo to leap into the series without missing a beat. Boasting a first-rate single-player campaign and some of the Xbox 360’s finest multiplayer action, Halo: Reach should be on your list for any hardcore gamer you know.



ALAN WAKE

If you're looking to inject a little horror into your holiday, be sure to pick up this year's most impressive supernatural survival title, Alan Wake. Step into the shoes of a famous author who is enigmatically cast into the plot of a novel he doesn't remember having written. Aid Alan in the search for his wife as he attempts to unravel the mystery of Bright Falls.