Which would you recommend for a Christmas Present?

[Uncle Joe]

Particularly for role playing, adventure, puzzle and strategic games.

If you have a different recommendation please list it.

[lazarus]

1. I have a PS3 and love it

what may be the deciding factor for some is that it also is a quality BluRay player. We already have a BluRay player, but many people don't.

Also, the PSN network is free, while I think you have to pay for XBox Live. I just don't know much about the XBox, though. I just really like my PS3.

[ZombieHorde]

2. PS3, online is free.

Uncharted is an extremely popular adventure game.

You can download the old Final Fantasies, including Tactics, and Arc the Lads for 6-10 bucks apiece. There is also some great, new generation role playing games, such as Valkyria Canonicals.

The PS3 has some great, and cheap, real time strategy games, such as Pixle Junk Monsters, which is charming, and Savage Moon, which is bloody.

There are a bunch of puzzle games you can downlaod. Most of them are 10 bucks.

[Ohio Joe]

3. I go with the PS3 as well

Lots of good games and blu-ray as well.

[realisticphish]

4. I hate the PS3

I hate the controllers, and don't like the graphics. Not WORSE, I just don't like the "playstationy" quality, for lack of a better term.

But I also have no particular animosity towards someone who chooses differently. I just like my 360 :shrug:

[NuttyFluffers]

5. a cheap computer for those genres in question...?

but i really need to know, who is this for, what games specifically are their favorites, etc.

see, some work well with a cheap copy of Bejewelled Blitz and Seek & Find on the PC, whereas some need the anime stylings of Square Enix with 40+ hours of lvl grinding and needless plot twists.

and for strategic games... they are all but dead on almost all consoles, including PCs. but PCs are the last hold outs for some good strategic games.

Give me the target's age, favorite activities, how well they respond to reading, 3 of their all-time favorite movies, and 3 of their all-time favorite games. then i can tell you with great certainty which to get, and which games.

(PS: i generally find the PS3 not the obvious choice as most of the games are found elsewhere, and you should likely wait for a blue ray player for at least another year or two.)

edit: if you are on a budget, the Nintendo DS is really hard to beat. the library is enormous (covering GBA & DS), covering all those genres, is portable, and a fraction of the price. but again, i'd need to know more.

[lazarus]

6. good call on the DS

and the 3DS is coming out soon. Can't wait for that one.

[Uncle Joe]

7. Favorite games would be Morrowind, Oblivion and some Civilization type games

where you build and evolve cities, weapons, technologies and then play it like real time chess.

My nephew is an avid reader, 19 years old.

I believe some of his favorite movies are Master & Commander, Gladiator, and that recent blockbuster movie with the blue aliens, I forgot the name of it.

[NuttyFluffers]

8. Xbox 360, hands down. far more library for his tastes, and at cheaper prices.

the reason why is because a lot of those games already came out on PC and rapidly went onto Xbox. PS3 often got those games later (it's a long, dramatic story, but the PS2 success did not travel to the PS3, especially in terms of PC ports in the formative years of the system).

so a lot of the games he will like are already out on Xbox 360 and are likely on discount. on the other hand some are also on PS3, but came out later and not on so much of a discount. further, 360 usually has more DownLoadable Content because their version has been out just a smidge longer. besides, as all have backwards compatibility, there's plenty of old games (like Morrowind & Oblivion) on all systems that he can snag on the cheap -- i'm a budget gamer, it's what i do. ;)

let me give you a few titles to look up online (some will also be on PS3, but again, saving money on older games means buying more games! :7 ):

Mass Effect 1 & 2
Batman: Arkham Asylum (fighty, but still thoughtful)
Fable 2, & 3
Fallout 3
Dragon Age
Elder Scrolls: Oblivion
Command & Conquer: Too Many to Count
BioShock (if for the gorgeous art design alone)
Assassin's Creed...

Crazy Recommendations cuz I'm like that:

(DLC *downloadable content* Military Madness: Nectaris, from way back old skool, TG16/PCEngine. but that's just me! :D )
Tropico 3 (whee! brings back old gamer memories!)

so go for the "Greatest Hits" Platinum/Gold whatever the hell series and save money. no matter what the age, people prefer more toys than anything else. a system and bucket of games will always be a winner.

[Uncle Joe]

9. Thanks for the list, NuttyFluffers.

:)