If you've been waking up in a cold sweat after nightmares of scratching and clawing your way through mobs of people in a giant store full of strange gadgets only to arrive at an empty wire shelf surrounded by people on you holiday list sadly shaking their heads don't worry, you're not alone. These traumatic dreams are common for people purchasing video games as gifts for the holidays, especially those who admittedly know nothing about "gaming". Instead of seeking expensive therapy the following list should help you navigate the confusing world of video games and, with the right gift in hand, sleep soundly knowing your gift is exactly what that person wanted.

Of course getting someone exactly what they want should be as simple as asking them. If you can, get a list of the games that the person is hoping to unwrap this holiday season. Having an exact list takes all the guesswork out of video game shopping and will definitely lower the stress of choosing "THE" game as it is plainly spelled out for you.

At this point it would seem that your nightmare is over. You have the right game; what could go wrong? When selecting the game it is important to make sure you have purchased the title for the right console. The console is the little box that plays the game and each console requires its own version of the game. The most popular consoles are the Nintendo Wii and the portable Nintendo DS, Microsoft's Xbox 360, and Sony's Playstation 2 and Playstation 3. If you have any doubts, most sales associate will be more than happy to help you determine which console you should be buying for. It would also be wise to have your gamer include their console type on their list of holiday wishes.

Unfortunately for those of you looking to surprise your video game enthusiast with a new console it's impossible to ask which games they want. For every non-portable console Guitar Hero 3 is a sure bet as the perfect gift to accompany the new console. As for specific consoles, the Nintendo Wii's latest and most popular title is Super Mario Galaxy. This game has received rave reviews across all types of gamers. For the Xbox 360 both Bioshock and Halo 3 are exciting titles but much of their content is violent. On the Playstation 3, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is a popular game. For shoppers of Playstation2 games, there are a number of "Greatest Hits" games that are sure to make a successful gift. Also, don't be afraid to search for previously played games for each

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