With just days to go before the big day Nigel Burton offers some top tips for the games you should be hoping to buy or receive this Christmas...

PlayStation Two

BMX XXX (Acclaim)

Definitely not a game to ask your granny to buy. BMX XXX (geddit?) combines Carry On-style saucy humour with the critically acclaimed Dave Mirra BMX game. The result is an adults-only laugh fest that defies all attempts at categorisation.

Fans of the Dave Mirra series will recognise the gameplay elements, albeit wrapped up in a risque front end that requires you to shuttle hookers around or work your way into a strip club.

The PS2 version stops short of topless competitors - the unexpurgated version can be found on the Xbox.

Haven: Call of the King (Midway)

An epic RPG, Haven boasts a great soundtrack and expansive levels but fails (just) to reach the pinnacle that is the Final Fantasy games. Utilising elements from different genres, including racing, beat 'em ups and shooting, there has to be something here for everyone.

It may not be the gaming epic so many people hoped, but Haven is still worth a try.

The Getaway (SCEE)

This game has been locked in development hell for so long that many critics had begun to openly question whether or not it would ever see the light of day.

What started as a driving game for the PSOne has been transformed into a gritty, more realistic version of Grand Theft Auto for the new generation.

The plot is standard gangster fare, the graphics are terrific and the plot is wonderfully gripping.

A classic of its type, The Getaway sets a new standard for PS2 games; GTA Vice City's reign may be very short, indeed.

World Rally Championship Extreme: II (SCEE)

One in four games available for the PS2 are driving sims. If a title wants to stand out above the likes of Gran Turismo and Colin McRae it has to be something pretty special.

Sony's own world rally simulator boasts all the drivers and all the special stages of the real thing. It also has sharp graphics, excellent sound and a decent physics model.

If you fancy getting muddy on Boxing Day this is the title to buy.

Auto Modellista (Capcom)

If WRC II Extreme throws tonnes of mud into the driving equation, this game offers something totally different.

The cell-shading technique - which makes a game look like a cartoon - was pioneered by Sega but has been perfected by Capcom.

Similar to Gran Turismo, but not quite so challenging, Auto Modellista offers sumptuous visuals and good old fashioned racing fun.

Every car can be customised with different paint jobs and even stickers. So many tweaks can be applied that you'll have great fun before your motor has even left the garage.

Xbox

Blinx: The Time Sweeper (Microsoft)

Nintendo has Mario, Sony has Crash but Microsoft has yet to discover a cute family-orientated mascot for the Cube.

In truth, the marketing demographic means the most powerful of all games consoles probably doesn't need such a thing just yet.

Blinx is the closest near-miss yet in the search for a Mario-killer. A 3-D platformer, Blinx doesn't have a huge range of abilities but his vacuum cleaner can suck up the junk you'll find litters all levels and spit it back at enemies.

One innovative feature is the ability to manipulate time - you can pause the action and even rewind catastrophic events - provided you have enough tokens.

NFL Fever 2003 (Microsoft)

Apart from John Madden on EA, American football has failed to capture gamers' imagination in this country.

NFL Fever deserves to find a wider audience if only because the graphics are quite simply splendid, but intricacies of the American game may hold it back.

This year's version features improved team management plus all the latest teams and uniforms - the kind of stats that matter so much to the fans.

Super Mario Sunshine (Nintendo)

This game shows why you can never count Nintendo out of the console race. On the face of it just another cute platformer, Super Mario Sunshine gets better the longer you play it.

The level of control over your character is sublime - and comparisions between this game and Blinx shows just how far other developers have to go before they can lay claim to Nintendo's throne.

Die Hard Vendetta (Vivendi Universal)

This is actually quite a decent stab at a first person shoot 'em up which is a pleasant surprise, given just how awful the PC version happened to be.

John McClane pitches straight into the action when he find himself in the middle of a deteriorating hostage situation. The baddies have taken hostages in a museum and, worse, McClane's rookie cop daughter is in the middle of it. McClane must investigate the reasons behind the hostage taking before he can rescue the hostages.

Vendetta's graphics may be a step down from the PC but the control is better and the frame-rate rarely dips below 30fps.

Smuggler's Run 2: Hostile Territory

Another PS2 port but, unlike its PlayStation cousin, the Cube isn't blessed with a plethora of decent driving games. A simple arcade racer - you are a smuggler and each mission is a mad-dash to get your contraband to your destination as quickly as possible - Smuggler's Run is a fun diversion from more serious action-adventure titles.

Published: 13/12/2002