GIFT GUIDE: Naughty or nice, there’s a game for every gamer

It's easy to pick the right video game as a present. Just follow my advice in this year's holiday gift guide.

WHICH CONSOLE TO BUY?

Get an Xbox 360 Elite 250GB ($300) or a PlayStation 3 250GB ($300). The biggest games come out for both. Only some hit games are exclusives -- "Gears of War 3" is for Xbox only; "Uncharted 3" is for PS 3 only.

PS 3 plays Blu-ray movies and offers Web surfing; Xbox does neither. PS 3's online gaming is free; Xbox Live costs $50 a year. Both stream Netflix.

But if your gift-receiver prefers one system over the other, then buy that system!

If you're worried about violent content for little kids, buy a Nintendo Wii Black Mario Kart Bundle ($150).

If you're looking for a hand-held system, the Nintendo 3DS ($170) plays games in 3-D. It streams Netflix via WiFi.

GAMES FOR XBOX 360, PS 3 AND PC

■ War game: "Battlefield 3" (by EA; rated "M") is better and more realistic than the new "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3" (Activision; rated "M") -- especially online. But "Call of Duty" is quite good and more popular among kids, particularly.

■ Solo campaign adventure: "Deus Ex: Human Revolution" (Square Enix; rated "M") may be my game of the year. The August release is a cinematic action-adventure with 200,000 spoken lines of dialogue; detective work; puzzle minigames; and sleuth-or-shoot spying.

If you want a newer solo adventure, "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim" (Bethesda Softworks; rated "M") offers acclaimed action-adventure/role-playing with dragons and 150 dungeons. You travel countryside, blacksmith weapons, talk to townies, shoot bows and arrows, and unleash different magic spells from each hand.

■ Racing: In "Need For Speed: The Run" (EA; rated "T"), you drive 186 miles in an illegal cross-country road race against hundreds of other cars. Also available for Wii.

■ "Grand Theft Auto"-type game: "Saints Row: The Third" (THQ; rated "M") is a crazy open-world shooter. You don't just wreak havoc with guns. You assault sidewalk pedestrians with wrestling moves and hijack an armed hover jet and tanks in city streets.

GAMES FOR WII

■ Adventure: In "The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Bundle" (Nintendo; rated "E 10+"), you search a large, cinematic world of dungeons, forests and fantasy lands -- fighting bad guys by sword, shield, combat skills and magic powers.

■ Party: With "Just Dance 3" (Ubisoft; rated "E 10+"), you dance to LMFAO, Katy Perry and other popsters. It's also available for Xbox 360 and (on Dec. 6) PS 3.

PLAYSTATION 3 EXCLUSIVE

■ Adventure: "Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception" (Sony; rated "T") is a great, big, colorful adventure with fun game play, gorgeous cinema scenes, and parkour and shooting challenges.

GAMES FOR NINTENDO 3DS

■ "Super Mario 3D Land" (Nintendo, rated "E") sees Mario killing mushrooms and grabbing finish-line flags again, but this time in 3-D.

■ And "Mario Kart 7" (Nintendo; rated "E," Dec. 4 release) is another kart racer but in 3-D.

Contact Doug Elfman at delfman@reviewjournal.com. He blogs at reviewjournal.com/elfman.