Holiday 2015 Video Game Shopping Guide

Need help with gift ideas for the gamers in your life? Shopping for Christmas or winter birthdays? Maybe you’re just looking for game recommendations for yourself.

No matter why you’re here, I’ve prepared a video game shopping guide for this year’s holiday season!

Adventure/Visual NovelNintendo 3DSIf you know a 3DS owner who wants to get into the Ace Attorney series and doesn't mind digital-only games, the Phoenix Wright Trilogy is the best way to go.



This collects all three original games into a single package and is the perfect starting point.Available from the eShop


Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney

Adventure/Visual NovelNintendo DSThe fourth Ace Attorney game isn't available on the 3DS yet, but you can still find the DS copy.



This is the best gift for someone who has already played the trilogy.Buy from Amazon or Play-Asia


Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies

Action RPGPlayStation 3While the original Tales of Symphonia for the GameCube is difficult to find these days, it was re-released (along with its sequel) for the PS3 as Tales of Symphonia Chronicles.



This game is amazing. Great story, fantastic characters... I recommend it to all RPG fans.Buy from Amazon or Play-Asia


Tales of Xillia

Action RPGPlayStation 3If you've already played Tales of Symphonia, or you'd prefer a more modern game, Tales of Xillia is an entertaining game with a great sense of humor and one of my favorite RPG characters.Buy from


Professor Layton and the Curious Village

PuzzleNintendo DSFor fans of puzzle games, the Professor Layton series is a must. Challenging puzzles, wacky stories, charming characters... and it all started here, with Curious Village.



Compared to later entries, Professor Layton and the Curious Village isn't as polished. However, Professor Layton is a series best experienced in order.Buy from Amazon


Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box

PuzzleNintendo DSThe second Professor Layton game is an enjoyable game, though I consider its story the weakest.



If you don't mind the plot holes in Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright, you won't mind them in Diabolical Box.Buy from Amazon or Play-Asia


Professor Layton and the Unwound Future

PuzzleNintendo DSProfessor Layton and the Unwound Future is where the series really hits its stride. Considered by many people (including me) to be the best Layton game, it's an epic, emotional story with plenty of puzzles.Buy from Amazon or Play-Asia


Professor Layton and the Last Specter

PuzzleNintendo DSLast Specter begins the Professor Layton prequel trilogy, set before the original games.



Since it is first chronologically, Professor Layton and the Last Specter is a viable place to start the series.



It also includes a side RPG called "Layton's London Life" in all but the European versions.Buy from Amazon


Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask

PuzzleNintendo 3DSThe Layton saga concludes in epic form with Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy.



This puzzle-solving adventure sends you on a quest around the world to finally solve the mystery of the lost Azran civilization. It also is the final game to star Professor Hershel Layton.Amazon


Layton Brothers: Mystery Room

Visual Novel/Dating SimPC/PlayStation 4/VitaRecommendations of Hatoful Boyfriend require a disclaimer: this is not a joke!



Despite its ridiculous premise of a human student at an all-bird school finding romance, it is surprisingly interesting and deep. If you like visual novels, play Hatoful Boyfriend. It's not what you're expecting.Buy from Steam or PSN


Hatoful Boyfriend: Holiday Star





The 1.5 Remix includes the Final Mix of the first Kingdom Hearts, Re: Chain of Memories, and the cutscenes from 358/2 Days.Buy from Amazon or Play-Asia


Alien Isolation

Survival HorrorPC/PlayStation 4/Xbox One/PlayStation 3/Xbox 360Survival horror has diminished in the mainstream market, but Alien: Isolation held true to the genre's core mechanics.



It's also very true to the atmosphere of the first Alien movie.



If you're a fan of Alien or survival horror, check out Isolation.Buy from Amazon or Play-Asia

Shopping for non-gamers?

I have a Christmas romance about Santa’s elves, available in a short anthology of holiday romances, Love Under the Mistletoe. If you’d prefer a comedy, don’t forget about The Accidental Zombie.

For more stories from yours truly, check out my fiction page.

Or, if you prefer a fairy tale adventure to my weirdness, check out a novel by one of my fellow authors at Kellan Publishing, The Curious Case of Prince Charming.

And to all fantasy fans, I recommend Maria V. Snyder’s Poison Study and Andrzej Sapkowski’s Witcher series, starting with The Last Wish. (You can find my reviews for them here and here, respectively.)

Finally, if you played Hatoful Boyfriend and love Anghel’s route, do yourself a favor and read Absolute Zero. It’s a manga set entirely in the universe Anghel perceives. You know you want to see Dark Sorcerer Wallenstein again!

I hope this has helped you with your last-minute Christmas video game shopping! What video games do you recommend as gifts this holiday season?

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