What to Buy Your Kids for the Holidays - Wii

Hey mom and dad, do you have no inkling of these moving pictures your children are controlling? I understand your pain. You want to be a great parent this Christmas and produce for them a fresh new video game but have no idea where to start. Well I'm going to lay out a few suggestions for you - one platform at a time.

I'll start with the Nintendo Wii. This is a huge item on a lot of kids' want lists, but there are a lot of terrible games out there. I'm looking at you, Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader. Here are a few games (some old, some newer) that your kids would love.

THE BASICS - Here are the games that every owner of a Nintendo Wii should have in their possession.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Super Mario Galaxy
Super Smash Bros.: Brawl

KID-FRIENDLY GAMES - Some games that are very child friendly (and fun for big kids, too).

Animal Crossing: City Folk
Mario Kart Wii
de Blob

BIG KID GAMES - These games are more violent and probably shouldn't be unleashed on the little gamer.

No More Heroes
Call of Duty: World at War

THE LITTLE MUSICIAN - I just want to make a quick, honest point. If your child is interested in music games, do NOT buy them Wii Music. It's a trap. Your child may have fun with it for a few days, but it is not a game that will last for the long haul. If they don't have an Xbox 360 or PS3, get them:

Rock Band 2

Otherwise, I would just get Rock Band 2 on another system, but there you go.

CLASSIC STAND-BY - Don't know what to get? Here's a fail-safe item for your Wii toting young'n.

A Wii Points Card - this prepaid card will buy the gamer any game he or she wants on the Virtual Console (meaning a game that can be purchased online). This is available at any game store (GameStop and EB).

BUY THEM SOMETHING ON THE WII SHOP CHANNEL - If you're really tapped in to the Wii and know how to work the Wii Shop Channel, there are a few pretty good options for gifts. Plus, you can buy some classic games that you enjoyed playing for the N64, SNES, NES, Genesis, or a few other systems.

World of Goo
Mega Man 9 (extremely difficult, yet fun)
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Super Mario 64
The classic Mario games
Punch-Out!! Featuring Mr. Dream

Those are the definite highlights for the Wii to pick up your kids. Please leave a comment if you have any questions about buying games for your young'ns this holiday season. On to the next console.