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Gaming gift guide

Looking for a Christmas gift for the gamer in your life? Here are our suggestions for some titles to look out for across all current platforms.

Nic Healey
Nic Healey is a Senior Editor with CNET, based in the Australia office. His passions include bourbon, video games and boring strangers with photos of his cat.
Nic Healey
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1 of 13 343 Industries

Halo 4

Looking for a Christmas gift for the gamer in your life? Here are our suggestions for some titles to look out for across all current platforms.

Platform: Xbox 360; available now

The first in a new Halo trilogy, and the first Halo game to be made by anyone other than Bungie Studios, Halo 4 could have been a risky proposition for Microsoft — but the reviews and sales show that it's been a true success story.

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2 of 13 Sony

LittleBigPlanet

Platform: Vita; available now

The Vita is about to get some major software support in the form of LittleBigPlanet. Touchscreen controls will change the way we play with our favourite Sackboy characters, as well as edit levels within the game.

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3 of 13 EA

Need For Speed: Most Wanted

Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3, PC; available now

Sure, a Need For Speed game hits nearly every year, but not with the team behind the Burnout series. In Most Wanted, EA Games delivers the open-world racing game we've been asking for.

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4 of 13 Ubisoft

Far Cry 3

Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3, PC; available 29 November

While it was bumped from its earlier release date, it still looks like Far Cry 3 will see the light of day before Christmas. That's a great thing, because judging by what we've seen and played of the game so far, Far Cry 3 will provide a lot of good gaming — both in terms of story, and just plain shoot-'em-up fun.

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5 of 13 Activision

Call of Duty: Black Ops II

Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3, PC; available now

Black Ops 2 was the biggest release of 2012, raking in half a billion dollars in just 24 hours. Its tried and true formula, combined with a setting that switches between the Cold War and the near future — along with the ever-popular multiplayer aspect — make it a tough game to beat.

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6 of 13 Bethesda

Dishonored

Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3, PC; available now

We love seeing an original piece of software hit game consoles, and Dishonored is something we've never quite seen before. Stealth, magic, sword fighting and a powerfully interesting bit of world building all combine, with DLC on the way.

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7 of 13 Disney

Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two

Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3, Wii U, PC; available 22 November on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC; available 30 November on Wii U

While we were a little less than impressed with the first game, Epic Mickey 2 brings a ton of new implementations, along with availability on multiple consoles.

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8 of 13 2K

Borderlands 2

Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3, PC; available now

Borderlands 2 is the follow-up to the highly successful "shoot-and-loot" original. More weapons, new environments, unique enemies and a robust co-op mode all look to add to an already winning formula.

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9 of 13 Ubisoft

Assassin's Creed III

Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3, PC; available now

It's had some mixed reviews, but the third Assassin's Creed game is probably a must for anyone who's keen to finish the series. A recent patch fixed a number of bugs both for the single-player and multiplayer games.

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10 of 13 Bethesda

Skyrim

Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3, PC; available now (DLC only for Xbox 360 and PC so far)

Yes, it's over a year old now, but Skyrim is the gift that keeps on giving, not only in terms of its simply massive amounts of gameplay and infinitely generating quests, but also in the ongoing DLC, including the upcoming Dragonborn add-on.

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11 of 13 Activision

Skylanders: Giants

Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3, Wii; available now

Giants is the sequel to the first Skylanders title, which melded physical toys and virtual gameplay. Giants adds 40 new characters, including the eponymous Giants who are twice the size of original Skylanders. Be warned, though: depending on how many characters you think you need, this could get expensive.

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12 of 13 Warner Bros

Scribblenauts Unlimited

Platforms: Wii U, DS, PC; available 28 November

Maxwell is back, and in a world that's bigger than ever. Scribblenauts Unlimited keeps the puzzle gameplay of the earlier games, but adds an explorable world, NPC quests and more.

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13 of 13 Square Enix

Hitman: Absolution

Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3, PC; available 30 November

Agent 47 returns to sneak, shoot and generally wreak havoc in a silent and deadly kind of way. Absolution includes an innovative multiplayer component called Contracts that will have your friends hating you in no time at all.

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