VIDEO GAMER X'S CHRISTMAS PICKS

The end of this year has to be one of the best of all time for gamers. Systems like the Nintendo 64 and original Sony Playstation have hit their maturity and the most innovative titles are being released in lieu of the eventual replacement of these systems by Nintendo GameCube and the now available Sony Playstation 2. That being said we also have the Sega Dreamcast and the Playstation 2 as the first entrants into the Next-Generation leap in technology. At this time of year these game companies tend to go all out to deliver hopefully the best and most exciting games in hopes of obtaining more revenue for their company. That's kind of the advantage of corporate greed. They get a piece of your wallet, while we get a really great game. It's pretty much the basics of economics, but that's not really what I'm here to talk about. As a gamer I can truly appreciate some of the worthwhile efforts being put forth this year and this article details my recommendations for games that should be on any gamer's Holiday wish list.

Some people have yet to upgrade their console system to either Dreamcast or Playstation 2, (good luck finding this one), and may still have the Nintendo 64. I myself, have the rather unused N64. Really good games for the system have been rather far and few between, and I've migrated much of my gaming attention toward the Playstation, Sega Dreamcast, and Playstation 2, but there are a few titles that if you are an N64 owner like myself you probably shouldn't be without. If you're not under 13 then you will probably be looking for something other than Pokemon.

For N64, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, represents about the best RPG/Adventure game you will ever get on the system. It's a good sequel to the much heralded Ocarina of Time, and improves upon and recreates the premise of Zelda like never before. The game may have much in the way of comical relief, but it also maintains a rather involved and interesting storyline. The graphics are improved as well as some of the musical scores. Nintendo vets will be happy to know that the classic Hyrule Overworld Theme returns in this sequel. You will need the 4 MB Ram expansion pak if you want to play this game. If you own an N64 this is a must have game.

Another game which I recommend that comes as the sequel to Goldeneye 007 is Perfect Dark. As far as these types of games go, this is a very good First Person Shooter - Action title. It blends much of what made Goldeneye successful with enhancements, and many options not found on it's predecessor. Rare has been Nintendo's saving grace for the N64 and this game is probably their best work for the system. I would strongly recommend getting the 4 MB Ram Expansion pak, because I don't even think very many of the game's functions run without it. If you liked Goldeneye then you will love Perfect Dark.

Face it, the Sony Playstation is old now. It's been out for close to 6 years, and it still amazes me the quality of games that are being produced for this antiquated 32 bit system. This year has to be the very best for Playstation games. Sony's developers have done well with phasing the original Playstation out of commission with a bang of great titles to keep gamers happy who can't ante up the 300 beans for Playstation 2. I myself have a rather extensive collection of good Playstation titles that I've found much enjoyment with.

First and foremost I would recommend a game that's really a no brainer, Final Fantasy IX. You would have to be pretty wet behind the ears not to know about Final Fantasy or about how legendary Squaresoft's flagship has become. Final Fantasy IX boasts the best visuals both in cinematic and Playstation rendered that have ever come to the system. The storylines blends the good of the new and the good of the old into one hell of an adventure. Everything I've heard about Final Fantasy IX, makes the game sound incredible. RPG fans should rejoice for a title like this. I don't have to say it, you know you will buy this game regardless if I put it on this page or not. I know I've already got mine pre-ordered.

Parasite Eve II. Yet another Squaresoft title, Parasite Eve claims to be the cinematic RPG, and in fact the game is very exciting and no where near the realm of Final Fantasy VIII or IX. The game is in itself much more action oriented with events that happen on the fly and weapons that might be found in your local Police precinct or armory. The storyline is captivating and will keep you interested from beginning to end. I enjoyed this game, and it should probably be on any gamer's list.

Dragon Quest VII. Now, honestly, I don't know if this game will release before year's end, but everything I've read about it indicates it's very much along the quality of the Final Fantasy series and represents a great deal of attention paid to keeping the classical RPG alive in the contemporary world of realism. It holds true to the original premise of the RPG genre. If it does come out before the end of the year, I recommend this title as an alternative to Final Fantasy IX when you are done with it.

Driver was one of those games that came pretty much out of nowhere and made a niche for itself right away. It takes all the fun of similar type titles like Demolition Derby, Carmageddon, and Grand Theft Auto and blends into an action packed thrill ride that is just beyond fun to play. Driver 2 comes out the end of this year, and I would recommend getting it. Not only are the graphics hard to believe possible on the Playstation, its out and out fun factor is very much something to propel it's popularity. The total chaos factor of watching the fuzz chase you through the city at high speeds while you leap over hills and watch as their mangled crusiers crash and burn is very very fun. It's like watching those car chase videos we see on TV and actually controlling the insanity of the chase. Who hasn't had the urge to just drive on the wrong side of the road at 120 MPH, then do a reverse 360 around a city street corner and then run though a mailbox and a newspaper stand only to peel out and ram a station wagon in the rear and keep going. Normally this would put you in jail with your license revoked permanently but that's what Video Games (and someday holodeck or telepresence) are for, right!

Another RPG that deserves as much merit as Final Fantasys VII, VIII, and IX, is Chono Cross, touted as the sequel to the much adored Chrono Trigger, this game is a very worthy RPG, that maintains a very classical feel, but keeps a very well written storyline that we find in many of the modern era of RPG's. The plot and character development in this game is phenomenal, the implimentation of the gameplay is flawless, and the sheer amount of playable characters in this game is astounding. The graphics are very colorful and many times it seems like you are playing the game amidst an Anime painting. There's even M.C Escher reality and impressionistic dimensions. This one should be on you must buy list for sure.

If you're really into the survival horror genre and don't own a Dreamcast then get Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. It's true to form with the RE series and you will find much of what made those games great in this game as well, however, if you own the Dreamcast, I would just skip this one and go right to RE: Code Veronica, it's by far, a much more worthwhile experience than the Playstation versions, probably due to the vast improvements in the graphics and overall feel of the game. You will even find some elements remeniscent of the Matrix in RE: Code Veronica that give the game a very movielike ambiance. I enjoyed this, although like the past RE games, it becomes hard because the play control is odd for me. As it was, I had to change the default controller configuration because it was totally unnatural the buttons that they had things to do. Sometimes you almost feel as if Claire is just too slow in response time, and when you are trying to conserve bullets and you know the knife can kill the zombies you still get burned because it clangs against the wall and the Zombie still manages to cling on and start sucking your blood. I like this game incredibly, but I also cursed it's difficulty sometimes.

Yet another well accomplish RPG from Squaresoft, Vagrant Story, will definitely please with a very involved and intricate storyline. The gameplay is action oriented, and the menu system is pretty much non-existant during actual gameplay. The graphics are very well done, and I even improved it further on my Playstation 2. If you are looking into another great RPG during the absolute peak of the Playstation, then go for this game, it will not disappoint. I did find it a little tough at times, and sometimes got a little bogged down in statistics of items and weapons and armor and affinities. This game is difinitely the thinking man's RPG.

Despite being technologically inferior to Playstation 2, GameCube, and X-Box, the Sega Dreamcast has managed to stur up the other companies by gaining ground in the United States. Dreamcast was the first trailblazer in the next-generation 128-bit era and with the Dreamcast came many bold new ideas. Sadly, Sega is losing money in Japan and the extended future of the Dreamcast is uncertain, but Sega has stated that they will continue to support the system. This of course is not always the outcome but for now and in the immediate future there are many games that will keep the system something gamers will enjoy. In all honesty, from what I've seen I just don't see the Dreamcast as much of a failure, rather a great success considering the quality of many of the games I've seen or own personally.

Crazy Taxi is like Driver for Playstation on steroids. The Graphics on this game are detailed, and the action is non-stop. The replay on this game is though the roof. I've played it many times, since I got the game months and months ago and I still find it an out and out blast to play. That really says something about a game, and this game has all the attributes to make it a classic. I would recommend getting this game no matter what, you will not regret it. It's not like there's a vastly epic plot, in fact there is no plot, but just pick up the customers, drive 'em to their stops, collect the cash and drive like a maniac in-between leaping over walls, bridges, though phone booths, over hills, etc. This is a good party type game.

Soul Calibur. Do I really need to tell you how good this fighter is? I think not. Words alone do not describe the level of godliness this fighter genre title attains. Tekken Tag Tournement for Playstation 2 may have this beat in the graphics department, but there's no compare in any fighting game I've ever played to the level of control and quality in this game. This game plays so well, and looks so wonderful for what it is. All the extras thrown in just for good measure add significantly to the replay value. Here's a testement to a great game. I bought this on the Dreamcast's launch back in September of Last year, I STILL PLAY THIS GAME on a weekly basis. Dead of Alive 2 is very nice looking, and pretends to be this game's rival, but it's no where near the echelon of Soul Calibur in terms of pure genius. What are you waiting for, just go get it.

Shenmue itself represents what I would consider the ultimate direction of gaming, fully interactive environments where if you see a stick you can pick it up and hit someone with it, if you see a book on a table you can pick it up and read it, if you see a dog you can pet it, if it rains, the ground gets wet and your boots get muddy. If you see an arcade machine you can walk up to it and play it. If you are thirsty and want a soda, then you can buy one and drink it. It is the first wake up call of tomorrows FREE (Fully Reactive Eyes Entertainment) games, that will begin taking the place of Hollywood about 2010. Imagine if each day instead of waiting for the next episode of your favorite show to come on, your Playstation 4, or Nintendo SuperCube continued spontaneously a new plot whereby characters developed spontaneously with thier own realistic AI created by the computer and you the character/director could explore the game's environment to your heart's content and become engrossed in the plot occuring between the characters. It's kind of odd that games like Shenmue tantalize us so much, I mean, don't we play these games to escape from the real world? Why recreate it down to the most minute detail in a game? Is that going to be fun? I do believe that it has something to do with being in control of the entertainment, or every aspect of the gaming environment that gives us satisfaction and fulfills our imagination's desire for new experiences. Shenmue is so incredibly detailed and so beyond the scope of anything that came before it, that it's revolutionary. It's really that good. The next title like this one, that will start blowing people's socks off is Metal Gear Solid 2, a game that also mimics reality to such a degree that lines between film and digital gaming start to become less apparent. Get Shenmue, trust me on this one, this is a sight to be seen.

If you liked the original Grandia, then I would strongly recommend getting Grandia II for the Sega Dreamcast. This sequel of course does away with the old 2-d sprite classic style of the game as seen in the past. This game will adequately fill the Dreamcast's lack of RPG's for the time being until Phantasy Star Online is released. Everything I've heard about this game has been good, and it's definately on my list.

NFL2k1 is a great game, but your determination on getting this one will probably be influence by some obvious factors. First of all if you already own NFL2k, there's not really that much difference in this one, except you now have online play on this one and can play other gamers across the nation with your Dreamcast. That's pretty cool, and this is a very good looking football game to say the least. If you just so happen to own the Playstation 2 and can afford to do so then get Madden 2001, if you are going for a different experience than NFL2k then get Madden 2001. If you enjoyed NFL2k a lot then go for NFL2k1. This is really a matter of taste. I would recommend renting before you buy Madden 2001 or NFL2k1 before you blow your money on an extra game that you don't play that much in lieu of a title you like more. It's your choice here.

The newest kid on the block this year is Sony Playstation 2. If you can find one of these, you can expect to have a lot of envious folks making insane offers to get it from you. I can't say that it's that great, but there is a marked graphics improvment increment in some of the games over what I've seen on the Dreamcast. The added bonus with Playstation 2 is the fact that even if you own many original Playstation games, you can still play them on the new system, and even improve the graphics to almost N64 Standards with Texture Smoothing. It even makes for a good DVD Player. If you don't have a DVD, then you you've got to figure, in this digital age, tapes are pretty antiquated and the VCR is now a dinosaur. It's almost 2001. It's time to go to DVD, and the Playstation 2 is a good excuse to upgrade with the versatility of the unit. The only games really avalable for Playstation 2 are the 29 launch titles right now, 4 of which I own and can vouch for their worthiness. The rest, I would suggest either avoiding or renting before you buy. Just because it's Playstation 2 doesn't mean that crackpot developers are not going to make a stinker.

I've said this before, and I will say it again, I was thoroughly impressed with Kessen, a strategy game to hail all strategy games. Having played similar games in it's genre on the computer, I really began to tire with this series, but Kessen reinvigorates my attention toward War Simulation-Strategy games. It's more than just a typical game like this, rather it contains a very intriguing storyline, bundled with an epic soundtrack, kick ass action, and beautiful graphics. I couldn't believe this was a launch title. I had a lot of fun with this game, and ended up playing it non-stop for 10 hours and never got board. Who can get bored sending hundreds of Ninja Girls to attack your opponent army and then fire huge canons that destroy like 1000 of them at once. This game is fun, it's cool, and just out and out hard core at times. "How did such a weakling become an officer!" "My Tambalgiri will be your passage to HELL!" Braveheart was a cool movie, and this game is very much like watching those epic battles for hours on end, with samurai guys dying and getting thier asses trashed in battle. Of all my Playstation 2 games, this one became my favorite. If you are lucky enough to get a Playstation 2, then for Video Gamer X's sake, go get this game.

Madden 2001, grew on me after awhile. Is it better than NFL2k1? Well, here's the thing, if you own a Dreamcast, and just so happen to be a Football fan, then get NFLk21, it's worth the effort and you will have a very enjoyable experience. If you Own the Playstation 2 and the Dreamcast and already have NFLk2k (last years version), then don't waste your money on the same game this year, go with Madden 2001 for a change of pace. The graphics in Madden are very good, surpassing NFL2k1, the realism is definitely there. There are only a couple minor tweaks I could have made, and John Madden is a little on the boring side at times in his sometimes repetative commentary, but the game overall is an NFL fan's dream. You won't regret this purchase.

Again, if you are lucky enough to Own a Playstation 2, then there are two fighter titles worthing looking into, Tekken Tag Tournament, and Dead or Alive 2: HardCore. Either of these titles will quench your thirst for a decent fighter. I took a good gander at Tekken Tag's graphics on my Playstation 2, and that was some pretty sweet stuff even surpassing the achivement of Soul Calibur back in 1999, but the thing here is, the play control of Tekken doesn't quite compare to that of Soul Calibur. If you have only one fighter in mind this holiday season, and don't have it already, go for Soul Calibur first, otherwise look into getting DOA2:Hardcore or Tekken Tag for some fresh blood.

So there you have it, that's my Holiday round-up. These are the games that you will probably want to bug your parents and grandparents into getting for you this Christmas. If you have the dough to shell out for all these games and systems before X-mas, then go for it, now is, to coin an overused holiday cliche, "It's the most wonderful time of the year" for gamers. I myself will find my wallet rather lighter this holiday season due to the quality of games coming out. I've got most of these on this list pegged down already but I've still got to save up for some of the other titles that haven't been released yet. This year probably has the greatest quantity of legendary titles to hit at years end so far. Shenmue, Majora's Mask, and Final Fantasy IX alone are a tour de force of gaming excellence like never seen before. If you have to pick just one game, that really can't come from me, but as a gamer if I could only choose one, it would probably be Final Fantasy IX. Really though, that is only reflective of my tastes, and yours may in fact be different. Happy Holidays from Video Gamer X!