Xbox 360 Holiday Gift Guide

With the holidays right around the corner, it's tough to decide what games to buy. So many titles have been released in the last few months that it's hard to know what games will make the gamer in your family happy. Here are some great games that should make everyone thrilled to be on your holiday list.

"Halo Reach" is actually a prequel to the original "Halo: Combat Evolved." You are a member of Nobel Team during the fall of Reach, the largest remaining Earth colony. Featuring a deep, albeit short, story and an amazing multiplayer mode, this is a game your loved ones can be playing for a long time. Microsoft has just released a map pack you can download on Xbox Live for "Halo Reach" giving you even more content to play with. "Halo Reach" is rated M for Mature.

"NBA 2K11" is a must-have for all basketball fans. This is hands down the best sports game released this year, and could even be the best game of the year. Featuring Michael Jordan on the cover, the game also allows you to play through all the best moments of MJ's career. You can play as all of the classic teams in NBA history. Add to that an amazing multiplayer mode, and "NBA 2K11" is definitely worth the money. "NBA 2K11" is rated E for Everyone.

"Alan Wake" is one of those games that you probably missed this year. You play as Wake, a successful novelist suffering from writer's block. You go to a secluded house in the mountains with your wife to try and relax. Instead, you find that an evil entity has taken your wife, possessed the local population and turned them into killing machines. The story is absolutely amazing; "Alan Wake" is a great game, especially now that you can pick it up for $30. "Alan Wake" is rated T for Teen.

"LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4" is a great family title. LEGO games take a humorous look at the world of Potter. This is an entertaining game to play with your kids, with two-player co-op so you can help your younger kids through difficult parts, or the other way around depending on who's the better gamer. It also has a nice feature when one of the characters gets too far away from his or her teammate; it splits the screen in two, allowing for more freedom of movement. "LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4" is rated E10 for Everyone Ten and Up.

"Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit" is one of those games that is a childhood fantasy come true. Picture a town where street racing runs rampant and a special police taskforce takes down speeders. That is as deep as the story gets. You can play as a racer or a police officer. Do well, and unlock new cars and special abilities. "Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit" is just that: a pursuit. It is pure racing fun for the whole family. "Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit" is rated E10 for Everyone Ten and Older.

"Assassins Creed: Brotherhood" is a great hardcore romp through time. The single-player campaign builds on the epic story of the last two games, while keeping all of the fun, open-world action from "Assassins Creed II." For the first time, the game also features multiplayer modes. You run in a world where you are constantly hunting down prey, while you are being hunted, as well. Between all the collectable items in the single-player and the multiplayer modes, the gamer in the house can be playing "Assassins Creed: Brotherhood" for a long time to come. "Assassins Creed: Brotherhood" is rated M for Mature.

Keep in mind the age of the gamer you are buying for and his or her interests. A teenage boy might not be thrilled with getting "LEGO Harry Potter" when he really wanted "Halo Reach." At the same time, while your 7-year-old might want to play "Assassins Creed: Brotherhood," he would be better off with a more age-appropriate titles, like "Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit."