Holiday Gift Guide 2010: PC Games

Written by Alex Roth  on December 20, 2010

Special Feature: Don't forget the PC gamer on your list. And these games are very nice indeed.

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Gaming Target's Holiday Gift Guide 2010
Wii Games | DS Games | PS3 Games | PSP Games | Xbox 360 Games | PC Games | iPhone Games



Scrambling for a last a minute gamer gift? Or perhaps holiday cash is already burning a hole in your pocket? Either way, Gaming Target offers you the crя┐╜me de la crя┐╜me of PC gaming, all available through digital delivery. So bit back, relax, avoid holiday shipping charges, and stay far, far away from the mall.


StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty

If you've got a PC gamer on your list who hasn't played Starcraft II, you might consider getting him a gift card for a brain scan as well. Blizzard's blockbuster sequel didn't turn the RTS world on it's head like the first Starcraft, but it's easily the genre's best offering in years. While the millions of players on Battle.net will tell you SC2 is all about multiplayer, the game still boasts a robust single player experience. Blizzard's trademarks of strong art design, stellar voice acting, and expensive-looking cinematics are all here in full force. We here at Gaming Target are big fans of the Starcraft II music. If you have a SC2 fan on your list, remember you can always give them the soundtrack, available at Amazon.com or on iTunes. Also, the game is available on Mac as well, so show those Mac gamers some love this Xmas.

Mass Effect 2

If you played any Halo game before and you didn't like it, chances are you won't like Halo: Reach. However, if you played the first Mass Effect and weren't happy with the hyped Action RPG, you still might take a liking to Mass Effect 2 -- that sequel is that much better. Released in January 2010, it instantly became our first Game of the Year contender. Bioware's sci-fi epic features a more compelling storyline and improved combat gameplay to cater to a larger audience. Best of all, the PS3 version won't release until January, so you still have a couple of weeks to fan the fanboy flames.

Civilization V

If you want to give the gift that keeps on giving (and who doesn't?), then might I suggest Civilization V? Any fan of the series will tell you what a standard this game is, how they take a break from the newest and shiniest of MMO's and FPS's to play one more game of Civ. Your gift recipient needn't be an old school fan, Civ V is the series most accesible incarnation, not to mention the prettiest. Again a burgeoning online community makes this game a multiplayer must. This, in addition to some recently released DLC, ensures that Civ V will have legs just like its predecessors. Plus, the game just got ported to Mac. Don't all those busy coffee shop writer-types deserve a nice distraction?

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II: Chaos Rising

OK, so the RTS fan on your list is like all the rest, he has Starcraft II and has grown weary of wave after wave of Zerglings. Gaming Target offers the cure for the too much Blizzard blues: Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II. A sci-fi RTS whose old school fans come not from Windows 98, but table top gaming. It's got the strategy you crave, plus buckets of intergalactic gore. It's another game with a lively multiplayer scene, and a single player experience you won't soon walk away from. Warhammer, you've come a long way, baby. From a staple of the miniatures gaming scene to a surprise success in the computer gaming world. Happy Holidays Warhammer, Gaming Target is glad to have you, and so are PC gamers.

Call of Duty: Black Ops

You mean, you werenя┐╜t one of the 10 million people who bought Call of Duty: Black Ops in its first five days of availability? Treyarch finally sheds the WWII theme and comes out from the shadows of Infinity Ward to make the best CoD game yet. Its Cold War theme is provocative and the gameplay is adrenaline pumping from the start of the campaign mode to the end. Although the main game isnя┐╜t centered on defeating fascism, Nazi Zombies return and have their very own mode to every survival mode fanя┐╜s delight. Our Mike Gutierrez said it best in his CoD: Black Ops review: я┐╜This game is a steal at $60.я┐╜

Mafia II

With no Grand Theft Auto V this year, 2K Games tried to fill the void with Mafia II, the story-driven game about becoming a я┐╜made manя┐╜ in the 40s and 50s. The sandbox world that it takes place in successfully captures the two decades in which it is set and the twenty-hour story plays out like a really great mob film. Unfortunately, as I mentioned in my Mafia II review, it felt like I was punished every time I tried to divert from the linear mission path and explore the я┐╜openя┐╜ world. The game, nevertheless, is an achievement in storytelling and should be played by anyone who enjoys a good mafia flick.

Minecraft

Got one of those crazy, alternative type gamers on your gift list? Then show him how cool you are with a copy of indie darling Minecraft. Minecraft is a game all about freedom, where you dream up and build a blocky word of your design. However, it's not all happy building sim. At night the game world undergoes quite a change. Not wanting to spoil the surprise, I'll just say you'll be fighting tooth and nail to protect your creation. The free Alpha version of Minecraft it still available for download, but for only twenty bucks you can give the newly released beta version. I say spring for it, it's Christmas after all.