Bummed out on X-Box? On the fence about a PS3 or Wii U? Just want some new video games? Read this!

By: Doug Elfman  NOLA.com
December 17, 2012 at 9:41 AM

If you're still wondering what to get that gamer in your life, here are some thoughts. We have a lot of ground to cover, so I'm offering a bit more guidance during the holiday gift-buying season.

1. For the third time, one of my Xbox 360s just died, giving me that old “red ring of death” light around the start button. So from now on, I’m recommending PS 3 and Wii U over Xbox 360. There are other reasons for my switching allegiances.

I’ve never loved that Xbox Live charges me $60 a year to game online. PS 3 and Wii U are free to game online. But the new Wii U still doesn’t have a lot of games available, so PS 3 has a big edge.

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It’s also silly Xbox makes me buy excess credits (rather than letting me use a credit card) to buy TV shows and games. Plus, every year, my rechargeable Xbox controller battery dies.

I’m not vilifying Xbox 360. I love gaming on it. It’s just that now I’m officially a PS 3 fanboy.

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I’m giving you my Top 10 games of 2012 for more holiday gift-buying ideas. But don’t forget you can buy old masterpieces too, such as these below.

Old greats available for both Xbox 360 and PS 3: “Mass Effect Trilogy,” “Deus Ex: Human Revolution,” “L.A. Noir,” “Resident Evil 4,” “Battlefield 3,” “Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution,” “Just Cause 2,” “Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days” and “Afro Samurai.”

Available only for PS 3: “God of War Saga,” “Uncharted 2,” “Uncharted 3” and “Infamous 2.”

Available only for Xbox 360: “Alan Wake,” “Fable III,” and the first three “Halos.”

Top games for the new PS Vita: “Uncharted: Golden Abyss” and “Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational.”

Top games for 3DS: “Super Mario 3D Land,” “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D” and “Mario Kart 7.”

And top games for the new Wii U: “Call of Duty: Black Ops II” and “Scribblenauts Unlimited.”