If that giftworthy individual in your life has a gaming console, then a lovingly wrapped video game is an easy choice for the holidays. The harder decision is what to pick from the bounty of holiday releases. (Unless your giftee has been very nice, there’s a one-game limit.) Lucky you, we’re making the hard decisions so you don’t have to. We’ve pitted some of the hottest releases against one another to see which comes out on top. But, as with kids’ soccer games, there are no losers here – most of these games will make the best-of-the-year lists.

This article appears in December 9 • 2011.

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James graduated from Columbia University in 2000 and moved to Austin a year later. Ever since, he has followed the arts and video game scene in ATX, editing and writing stories for the Chronicle along the way. Over his more than 20 years with the paper he has climbed the "corporate" ladder from lowly intern to managing editor.