We’ve come to expect it in the gaming world, often around this period now and we’ll no doubt have it again around Easter, it’s the grouping of games to appease the gamers, a horrible and brilliant period of time where you must decide what games you definitely buy, those you can scrape the money together for and those that you simply must wait until there is another dry spell (or, if at this period of the year, the January sales).

So I’m bringing you a list of the 12 Console Games of Christmas, all of which arrive long before the fat bearded man on December 25th.

12. Call of Duty 5 | Multiformat | GameTrailers |

Back to World War 2 we go for the 5th release in the Call of Duty franchise, this time developed by Treyarch studios, developers of the underwhelming Call of Duty 3, not Infinity Ward, developers of the phenomenal Call of Duty’s 1, 2 and 4.

Sadly for us, it almost certainly won’t have the fantastic multiplayer of CoD4, though it is making use of the perk system that proved very popular. Whether or not it’s as widely received as it’s precursor I don’t know, as a betting man I would guess not, but from what has been seen from beta’s it certainly looks far superior to Call of Duty 3 and that will please many multiplayer gamers.

Had the game been developed by IW I am certain it would have hit the top 3 in my anticipation-o-meter, but makes the list because I’m sure it will satisfy the FPS fans out there.

11. Tomb Raider: Underworld | Multiformat | GameTrailers |

Lara Crofts long awaited return after the rather brilliant ‘Tomb Raider: Legend’, the latest installment has promised to return to its roots, a welcome return for sure – after all, she stopped raiding tombs a long time ago.

Featuring a climbing system more akin to Assassins Creed than previous Tomb Raider games and graphics that are truly worthy of being mentioned alongside the front-runners in the beauty contests and new animations that blow those away from previous iterations to really show off those new moves.

Tomb Raider: Underworld now has a demo available, so those of you who are unsure should give it a whirl and see what you think. For me it’s a bit of a triumph and has me excited this Christmas.

10. Rock Band 2 | Xbox360 Exclusive | GameTrailers |

Two Rock Bands in a year for the UK on Xbox360, thankfully released much closer to our American brothers than the annoying 7 month wait we endured last time. The most expensive game in our list if you don’t have the instruments already, but thankfully offers cross titles compatibility for all that downloadable content you have bought for Rock Band and for a nominal fee you can even import those tracks contained on the original CD (barring 4 songs) to be played on Rock Band 2 giving you more songs than ever before – a move which will almost certainly embarrass Guitar Hero: World Tour which only allows the transfer Metallica’s latest album and nothing more.

Rock Band 2 features more than 70 songs in a set list which is arguably stronger than that of it’s predecessor, no mean feat considering the wealth of songs featured there and on top of all the new songs it features almost unbeatable longevity meaning those gamers who’ve played Rock Band for a year none-stop already have at least another year left.

9. Left 4 Dead | Multiformat | GameTrailers |

A long awaited return for Valve creators of the greatest game of all time, Half-Life, Left 4 Dead offers 4 player co-op (no doubt the reason for the rubbish name) over Xbox Live or PSN, something not often seen in games but always popular.

Left 4 Dead takes place in a modern day city infested and overrun by zombies where you fight to survive through four different campaigns all of which are said to be rather large. Zombies aren’t the only genetically modified meanies however, you yourself can pick from a range of humans or a range of mutants which can offer different bonuses allowing you to be the meanest bastard of them all.

This game could well end up being a sleeper hit much like The Darkness was in 2007, but it doesn’t look set to disappoint those who are getting it, this could well end up being one of the best games of the year.

8. FarCry 2 | Multiformat | GameTrailers |

Developed by Ubisoft Montreal, developers of Assassins Creed, FarCry 2 promises to be one of the most beautiful games ever developed, even claiming ‘play with the most realistic fire ever seen in a game’ (I was always taught never play with fire).

Set in South Africa the story of FarCry 2 is set around the now popular ‘blood diamond’ stories, where a civil war has broken out through the country and you’re caught in the middle of it – you’re mission is to track down the person responsible for arming both sides, ‘The Jackal’, and kill him.

It also brings the welcome addition of a level creator for multiplayer combat, extending the life span beyond just ready mad multiplayer levels and modes, something rarely seen, especially in the console market, odd considering the popularity of them and for this alone I’ve ranked it at #8 in this list.

Featuring a range of in-game vehicles and over 50 square kilometers of landscape and a create a level map editior , FarCry 2 offers to be an expansive experience in both single and multi-player game modes.

7. Dead Space | Multiformat | GameTrailers |

In space no one can hear you scream… and never so much has that been true more so than in Dead Space.

When an immense mining ship, the USG Ishimura, comes into contact with a mysterious alien artifact in Dead Space, its communications with Earth are mysteriously cut off. Engineer Isaac Clarke is sent to repair the Ishimura’s communications array, but he arrives to find a living nightmare—the ship is a floating bloodbath, the crew unspeakably mutilated and infected by an ancient alien scourge. Clarke’s repair mission becomes one of survival as he fights not just to save himself, but to return the artifact to the planet … at any cost.

Dead Space has been described as taking the mantle of best survival horror game from Resident Evil 4 and also for being the scariest game ever seen on consoles, so anyone interested in this had better not worry about the things that go bump in the night.

6. Mirrors Edge | Multiformat | GameTrailers |

Mirrors Edge takes the trend of Parkour to a whole new level, possibly creating a whole new gaming genre. ME takes place in a futuristic city where runners are responsible for the handover of precious information to prevent it falling into the wrong hands, which is where you, the player takes the role of ‘Faith’, the protagonist of this little adventure.

Mirrors Edge features a story mode as well as a Time Trial mode, both of which involve you finding the easiest and quickest routes through the city, avoiding trouble and jumping through gaps and over walls that don’t seem possible.

The twist of this little game is that it’s played from a First-Person view which could be very tricky and awkward, but developed by DiCE, creators of the phenomenal Battlefield and RalliSport franchises I have faith that they can deliver on their promise for this title.

5. Fable 2 | Xbox360 Exclusive | GameTrailers |

Described by some as Peter Molyneux’s masterpiece, Fable 2 promises to deliver what Fable (1) never, fixing the flaws and adding what was necessary to make a concoction which looks both beautiful and believable in equal measure.

Fable 2 enters as an ‘action RPG’ rather than too much of either, something which is seldom done to standards that make games ‘classics’, but Fable 2 does appear to be making strides in the right direction featuring a vast landscape 10 times that of the original, beautiful graphics which are up there as some of the best for this generation and vocal talent from some real British start such as Zoe Wannamaker and the legend that is Stephen Fry.

Fable 2 looks like it could be a game that should be in everyone’s stocking this Christmas.

4. Resistance 2 | Playstation 3 Exclusive | GameTrailers |

Resistance 2 is this years major FPS title exclusive to Sony’s Playstation 3 and is the follow on to the launch title Resistance: Fall of Man a game which many of you will know was massively disappointing for me as it’s the game I wanted a Playstation 3 for, but this promises to correct that for me and as a result it has me very interested.

For a start, it offers 8 player campaign co-op play, a first for a console game of its type blowing away 4-player co-op efforts from Left 4 Dead and Halo 3, the only worry is of course that you could still feel disconnected from your squad, 4 players feels like a squad, 8 could be too many and Sony infamously continue to sell PS3′s without headsets.

It also offers 64 player multiplayer which looks quite simply, fantastic. Multiplayer was the best part of the first game and this will have learned from that and bettered it in every way possible (or at least, that’s the aim).Resistance 2 could finally be the first ‘must have’ exclusive FPS game on Playstation 3.

3. Fallout 3 | Multiformat | GameTrailers |

Almost a decade after it’s forerunners, Fallout 3 arrives on PC’s and Consoles in time for Christmas. Developed by the makers of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, it promises to blend the history and stylization of the Fallout games with the best elements from Oblivion to develop Fallout 3, a game which has had the media jumping up and down with excitement in almost every magazine going for the last 9 months – it was also the winner of the coveted ‘best of show’ award at E3 2008.

Set in Washington D.C., or what’s left of it after a Nuclear Holocause 200 years prior, the landscape is populated with mutants and humans, those of you who played Oblivion will no doubt know what to expect, but in a post-apocalyptic landscape… and who doesn’t love those?

Fallout 3 is sure to be a front-runner for the Game of the Year award and as such should be a part of your collection.

2. Gears of War 2 | Xbox360 Exclusive | GameTrailers |

Cliff Bleszinski, creator of the Gears of War franchise has described Gears of War 2 as “Bigger, better and now more basass.” and from previews of the game that looks to be a fairly accurate representation. Once again you return as Marcus Fenix, star of the first game and one of the coolest characters of all time.

You’re still fighting the Locust, but this time you’re fighting more of them in more ways than one. Firstly, there are many new breeds to fight, some are huge, secondly, there are literally more of them, Gears of War 2 now features many, many more enemies on screen at once creating a far more intense adventure. You have new weapons, more levels, more modes and this time you get a proper storyline rather than the broken and almost none-existent story from the first game.

If you own an Xbox360 you must buy this game this Christmas, it’s absolutely stunning graphically (the best I’ve seen by a long way on consoles) and it looks to have bettered the brilliant prequel in every single department. Awesome.

1. Little Big Planet | Playstation 3 Exclusive | GameTrailers |

Gadzooks, a 2D platformer in a market full of 3D games… and it’s about bloody time! A fun game that offers the users the ability to create and share their own level creations thanks to the games ambitious level creator, but more importantly, you can download levels created by users from any of the 3 major gaming markets in the world, Europe, America and Asia.

Little Big Planet offers 4 player co-op mode, a first for this type of game I believe and an incredible intuitive game play that will almost certainly not be bettered for pure ‘fun’ in a long, long time. This is the first real game that Playstation 3 is getting that will make almost all gamers jealous.

I’m putting money on this being the Game of the Year I’m that certain of how good a game this will be. If you own a Playstation 3 and don’t get this game you need your head checking.

So that’s why it’s a good time to be a gamer this Xmas, the only problem is, very few of us can afford them all and there are many more that just missed this list like Fifa 09, Motorstorm 2, Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts and Prince of Persia, then there are the PC games like Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3 and World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King. Scary.

Have you ever known such a group of top, arguable AAA titles come out at the same time? I haven’t and I’ve been gaming pretty solidly for 2 decades.

Electronic Arts has never been known as a company dedicated to giving you the gamer the best possible gaming experience, instead releasing a gamut of games upon the market every year with the aim of making masses of cash for movie tie-ins or sequential sports games most of which you would want your ennui removed just to play. This is the image EA still have to this day and that’s a shame because they have taken strides far beyond the norm for publishers to improve their games.

Many will tell you that EA are at fault for Crysis not being ready on release, a game requiring patching. What they won’t tell you, either through ignorance of the facts through hatred or because they didn’t do their research, is that EA actually massively delayed the release of the game so that Crytek, the developer of the game, not EA, could improve it. Many more will tell you that they are still interested in making a quick buck through sequential sports releases, notably Fifa in Europe, Madden and NBA in the US and NHL in Canada and to a degree that is accurate, of course they want money, it’s business, that’s natural. However, where they are wrong is in the description of ‘quick’, it’s anything but quick, because EA have gone the extra mile in giving us the very best in sports games as well as improving in the quality of the games they produce.

Madden has always been a major release, however with the release of Madden 07 we were offered features such as superstar mode and training camps which took the game to a whole new level from ’06, a game which massively under-delivered and disappointed on the XBox360. The whole presentation of the game went up another notch and it clearly became the front-runner for the EA Sports series in terms of features – something that they were aiming to bring to the rest of the series.

NBA brought with it exceptional graphics featuring sweat as play developed and extended game modes. Where Madden 06 disappointed NBA Live 06 delivered, bringing the first true taste of next-gen into sports games. Full online support, management modes and a fully working engine with potential.

NHL is the major franchise of Canada, and much like NBA, has competition from 2K Sports (Take-Two’s sports division), so aside from crisp and beautiful graphics it brought another dimension to controls, utilising the right stick for shot selection, adding enhanced interactivity, removing the standard issue button presses and adding a more skillful element to the game. It may have been the smallest of the sports releases, but it was certainly the one which gave an idea of what was possible in terms of controls.

Fifa Road to the Fifa World Cup was a whole other kettle of fish, offering great visuals, but was more in line with the EA of old, cashing in on a sports license, it was a way to not only make money, but to appease the football fans out there itching for a game to play. For those outside of Europe, it’s these football games that often make the sales of consoles, it’s massive business and these are often the games people want to play be it EA Sports Fifa brand or, at the time of the Xbox360′s release, the preferred brand, Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer. Of all the sports games released it was undoubtedly Fifa which under-delivered the most. Choppy frame-rates, International teams only, no real player differentiation and poor player likenesses with skin that was so far from the real thing that it left the players looking soulless… however there was a sign that EA were clearly working hard.

This is going back to 2005, 3 years ago now since the release of the Xbox360. What people also often don’t know is that EA decided to get rid of their mission statement that franchises and tie-ins were all that was needed and that quality control was much more important, that new intellectual properties (IP’s) were needed and that the same tired game series’ needed to be redone from scratch and that something new had to be brought to the table.

Since then we have gone through the formalities of new iterations of games, Fifa, Madden, NBA and NHL have all been put through the motions, full rebuilds, new features, better presentations, license controls, online engines, EA did the whole six-million dollar man routine, bigger, stronger, faster, they rebuilt what they had, taking the fight to their competition 2K Games and Konami and now in 2008 it’s safe to say that EA Sports are the leaders of the pack and now offer the best of NFL, NBA, NHL and Football/Soccer, and to do so over the space of 3 years should be commended.

On top of that they have released a new IP, Skate, a skating game that was made not only to compete with Activisions, Neversoft developed Tony Hawk’s series, but to absolutely destroy it, taking both casual and hardcore skating fans by making a free-roaming game with the emphasis set upon their new control methods developed through NHL, making the right-stick the be all and end all of trick creation, all tricks were performed with the right analogue stick using intuative movements to perform simply ollies (jumps) and flip tricks, a method which immediately made Tony Hawk’s button presses stale.

To say EA have gone the extra mile is something of an understatement. To go and actively strip apart games that were already making them a lot of money and to put a great deal of pride and effort into them deserves praise that titans of the industry never seem to get, this is something that companies such as Microsoft and EA seldom get, instead only hearing the negatives.

More annoying is the fact that EA often get the blame for games that they produced as opposed to developed. People are ignorant to the fact that they are entirely different and that the developers are often to blame for not getting the best job done when EA have to get a game out.

In the last 3 years EA have published and developed, for me, more top class games out there than anyone else including new IP’s, Skate and Army of Two, as well as getting The Orange Box and Rock Band onto consoles. They have since installed Reebok, Dreamcast and Xbox360 guru Peter Moore into a senior position which shows the intent that EA have – they are always looking at improving what is out there.

Whilst getting these games out they have re-defined the market, producing more often than not, the best games in their genre’s, so it’s about time people stood up, took note and started praising rather than jeering Electronic Arts. They deserve it.