Review Fix’s Holiday Video Game Shopping Guide

Don’t know what to get that special gamer for Christmas this year? Our knowledgeable staff breaks down some of the most talked about games this holiday season and tells you if they belong under your tree or not.

WWE 2K14: Sporting improved animations, an overhaul in the locomotion system and more ways to apply your favorite moves, “WWE 2K14″ is a ton of fun, even if it doesn’t look all that much different from “WWE ’13.-Patrick Hickey Jr.

Disney Infinity: The comparison with “Skylanders” is easy to make, but they are very different experiences. With Infinity you know the back-story and can jump into the feet first. The game is especially good at making kids interact with menus in a fluid and straightforward manner. Overall, the game is truly something to experience. It is just a fun romp with the ultimate toy box – the Disney toy box. And if the market keeps asking for toy based games Infinity could be the perfect catalyst to busting the market and children’s creativity wide open.-Juan De Jesus

Pokemon X & Y: The first Pokemon games on the 3DS, X & Y may be a bit lean in terms of post-game content, but it’s still a wonderful game with plenty of to do. The new starter Pokemon are nifty and the new fairy type is cool enough to steal a few more hours of your time. Whether you’re a fan of the series or looking to give it a try for the first time, “Pokemon X & Y” is a great place to start.-Patrick Hickey Jr.

The Last of Us: From the get go “The Last of Us” shows that its attachment to characters is on the same level as George R.R. Martin’s, the end result is a cinematically paced adventure that grabs at your heart whenever you don’t expect it to. While certain sections can be tedious, the game is ultimately more an epic for its message than its ability to scare you with enemies or wow you with lush environments.-Dima Zaritskiy

Grand Theft Auto V: One of the best selling games of all time, by a publisher in Rockstar that goes above and beyond in delivering the goods, “Grand Theft Auto V” is a must-own title for anyone that has played a previous game in the series or anyone who needs proof that video games are the most captivating form of entertainment in the world today.-Patrick Hickey Jr.

Metro: Last Light: In a world of Modern Warfare, Halo and Borderlands, Metro: Last Light is a welcome breath of fresh air for an player looking for a truly engaging storyline, environments and rewarding play styles. Characters are realistic and natural. Environments are engaging, realistic and immersive, just as well as the strange, yet not completely unrealistic mutant creatures. Moments in certain environments of the game are hauntingly frightening, not because they are attempting to jump out at you – quite the opposite, in fact. Many of the games scariest moments are simply frightening because they don’t jump at the player. They are simply there, as a part of the environment. Don’t look to Metro if you’re looking for long-lasting scare factor, though.-Ulrik Narcisse

Rocksmith 2014: Ubisoft’s guitar-instruction software will have you playing the guitar in 60 days and for 200 bucks, you get a Les Paul electric guitar. Easy to learn and extra intuitive, Rocksmith 2014 is a blast.-Patrick Hickey Jr.

Madden NFL 25: After years of tinkering with new gameplay modes and physics engines and all their other hocus-pocus and mumbo-jumbo, EA Sports has delivered the goods in what will most likely be their last “real” on current generation consoles. Although the game has its blemishes, the additional gameplay modes and various other do-hickeys hit the spot and deliver what could be considered the best football game this console generation.-Patrick Hickey Jr.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Two Worlds: “Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past” has been called one of the greatest Zelda games of all time and even one of the reasons the Super Nintendo was a must have console. After 21 years, Nintendo returns to the world of “A Link to the Past” in a Nintendo 3DS remake called “A Link Between Worlds.” So much more than a worthy remake, it makes the 3DS a must-own system.-Rocco Sansone

Sonic: Lost World: Hold your horses, or furry blue hedgehog. This isn’t your typical Sonic game. The fast and furious gameplay that made the character legendary is still there, but it appears Sega’s has taken a line out of John Hughes’ “Ferris Beuller’s Day Off.” “The world moves pretty fast sometimes. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. ” With a revamped control scheme and focus on exploration, Sonic Lost World feels like Sega’s first attempt at making a more traditional platformer than the speed-infused adventure many of their most dedicated fans are used to. The early feeling is that it works, but takes time to get used to. Think “Super Mario Galaxy” with an undeniable Sega flair.-Patrick Hickey Jr.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 13819 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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