Without a doubt, the game with the highest playtime-to-dollar ratio this year. It’s easy to get lost in the vast open world Bethesda has created, which can quite literally encompass the land mass of its previous Elder Scrolls titles. There's a main quest, sure, but you can easily spend hours just exploring the lands helping others on sidequests (say nothing of the hours you'll spend just crafting your character's face). Skyrim is what you make of it — a story driven entirely by what direction you wander at any given point. A word of caution, though: if you think slaying dragons is tough, just wait until you run into a bear.

For the love of brooding protagonists in more story-focused open world environments. Arkham City brings back voice actors Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill from the animated series to reprise their roles as Batman and the Joker, respectively, and beat up crime with a variety of upgradeable hi-tech gadgetry. Deus Ex: Human Revolution opts for cyborg augmentation and a grittier, more political tale.

Though only one lets you use charm and dialog to succeed (that'd be DE:HR), both games let you smash through concrete walls to knock them out cold. You really can't go wrong with a good old-fashioned wall smash.

Nintendo is hoping for some holiday cheer, and with both a drastic 3DS price drop and a new Mario title, it'll probably gets its wish granted. As expected, the appeal is part nostalgia (another strong Mario platformer) and part 3D showcase — but it's also had critical appeal. If that doesn't do the trick, if Mario or even the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D remake don't do the trick, there's always Mario Kart 7 (due out sans bundle in early December).

The two pillars of military combat simulators, each with a relentlessly passionate fanbase. Both are refinements to a well-worn formula. Both are multiplayer-driven shooters that have a very secondary solo campaign. So, why pick one over the other?

The Modern Warfare franchise has long been the more dominant of the two franchises, both in sales and user base. MW3 also has the more compelling (albeit short) campaign and a couple new multiplayer tricks like the "Strike Package" system and special perks. Battlefield 3, meanwhile, has great multiplayer and jets. In fact, we asked our resident BF3 aficionado T.C. Sottek to contribute to this gift guide, and he responded in video singalong form.

Did your significant other, friend or offspring ever wax poetically about a game named "Portal," only to get an incredulous stare from you? Here's your chance to make it up to them (and yourself) by buying Portal 2. It's a hilarious brain-twisting romp through a laboratory where a crazy computer is trying to "test" you into oblivion, and with two copies or the game (or split-screen on console) you don't have to go it alone: co-op mode with even more unique and challenging puzzles that require extreme teamwork. Smart, funny, charming, it's the best companion you could ever ask for!

Gaming's homage to Indiana Jones. In a nutshell, the gameplay is run, climb, jump, and shoot. Story-wise, in Drake's Deception we find part-time archaeologist / full-time daredevil Nathan Drake and a gaggle of his wisecracking cohorts racing against a conspiracy group with hundreds of suit-clad disposable gangsters across the globe, from city to jungle to temple to desert. It's the kind of cinematic game you can probably get away with playing while your significant other watches it like a long TV movie.