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Holiday gift guide for video gamers

Josh Rouse
Nintendo may come up as a big winner this holiday gift-buying season thanks to a bevy of hot new titles for the Switch console, including the highly rated Super Mario Odyssey. (NINTENDO)

The video game industry has a few potential big sellers this holiday gift-buying season with the release of the Xbox One X, a growing library of Nintendo Switch games and a $199.99 holiday special on PlayStation 4 one-terabyte consoles.

The Xbox One X and PS4 Pro consoles both offer 4K gaming, though the PlayStation has an advantage when it comes to exclusive games and the Xbox argues it is the more powerful of the two and will offer better graphics on cross-platform games, such as Activision’s Call of Duty: WWII or EA’s much-maligned sequel, Star Wars Battlefront 2. You’re also paying more for the One X, which boasts a $499.99 price tag for its 1 TB version versus Sony’s $399.99 price tag for the PS4 Pro 1 TB.

Perhaps the biggest winner out of all of this could be the Nintendo Switch, however, which launched in the spring and has released some massive titles just in time for the holiday season — including Super Mario Odyssey, Pokken Tournament DX, Splatoon 2, Farming Simulator — Nintendo Switch Edition and Xenoblade Chronicles 2, which releases Dec. 1.

Add onto that list remastered versions of Rockstar Games’ hit L.A. Noire, Bethesda’s masterpiece Skyrim and Nintendo’s smash hit Mario Kart 8 and you’ve got an extremely strong lineup of games that will be likely to be on many a gift list. Oh, and let’s not forget The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which Nintendo is repackaging as an “Explorer’s Edition” for the holiday season with an extra guidebook and map.

Sony has a lengthy list of exclusive games that likely will see major deals for Cyber Monday, including game of the year-challenger Horizon Zero Dawn. Several more are about to hit stores, as well, with a standalone Spider-Man game, God of War and Days Gone set to release in early 2018. The Last of Us 2, possibly the most hyped game to release this decade, also may release next year.

Xbox, on the other hand, has Forza, Gears of War, Halo and Cuphead as exclusives. Yes, Cuphead. Fans will surely enjoy taking full advantage of the Xbox One X’s 4K capabilities while playing a game that (purposefully) looks like it’s from the 1920s. However, it will be interesting to see the difference between the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X’s graphics when the much-anticipated Red Dead Redemption 2 from Rockstar Games comes out in the second quarter of 2018.

Still holding on for life this shopping season is Nintendo’s aging handheld, the 3DS, which has a few new games to offer its loyal users, including Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, Metroid: Samus Returns, Farming Simulator 18, Ever Oasis and Fire Emblem Warriors.

Highest-rated games for 2017*

Xbox One

1. What Remains of Edith Finch … 92

2. Injustice 2 … 89

3. Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus … 88

4. Destiny 2 … 87

5. Cuphead … 87

What I’m playing: Watch Dogs 2

PlayStation 4

1. Persona 5 … 93

2. Undertale … 92

3. Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood … 89

4. Horizon Zero Dawn … 89

5. What Remains of Edith Finch … 88

What I’m playing: Fishing Planet

Switch

1. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild … 97

2. Super Mario Odyssey … 97

3. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe … 92

4. Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove … 91

5. SteamWorld Dig 2 … 88

What I’m playing: Farming Simulator — Nintendo Switch Edition

3DS

1. Pokémon Ultra Sun … 86

2. Metroid: Samus Returns … 86

3. DragonQuest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King … 85

4. Pokémon Ultra Moon … 85

5. BYE -BYE BOXBOY … 85

What I’m playing: Pokemon Ultra Moon

* Ratings from Metacritic