The Top 10 Games of Christmas 2014

03. Pokemon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire

ESRB Rating: E (for Everyone)

Price: $39.99

While this is very convenient for the games journo community, the facts are that whenever there is a new addition to the Pokemon game series to write about, you can pretty much bet that in terms of game play it is going to be a pretty good year!

Pokemon Omega Ruby / Alpha Sapphire is, as their names imply, a re-imagined take on the original Ruby and Sapphire for the current Nintendo handheld console, the 3DS. This is actually part of the well-established tradition for the series and not really a factor that requires explanation or comment.

Veterans of the series already know that by the time the current generation has reached the point that the foundation titles are being re-interpreted, that means that their favorite Pokemon from other lands are closer at hand. More significant though is the trend that this phase in the game series promotes - which is half of the focus of the story in the catch phrase “Gotta Catch 'Em All” because, with the introduction of these new takes, you actually can.

Developed by Game Freak - the studio that originally conceived and created the games that would develop into a major multimedia empire, the games were published by Nintendo in November 2014 timed specifically for the Christmas season. And for good reason.

In recent years Nintendo has had to deal with some spectacular failures. The Pokemon series is not one of them! The fact that the Ruby/Sapphire offerings in the series happen to be among the most entertaining offerings it has is also pure bonus.

As is traditionally the course with the series, these new versions of Ruby and Sapphire, while they offer the sort of instant connection and recognition of the original versions, also feature a unique take and presentation of their own, which in turn makes them both original and new.

The fact that Game Freak also managed to somehow reinterpret the entire world and regions in a way that not only makes the player feel more connected to each, but also challenged by them is part of the special magic that is Pokemon.

At least part of the attraction for the series and its games is the familiarity that they breed in terms of plot and purpose.

Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire are true to the games upon which they are based, offering the player the role of a new Pokemon Trainer just relocated to the Hoenn Region, where their father is a Gym Leader and where, with luck and hard work, they will make their mark among the Pokemon Gym Culture and Trainer Community!

After saving Professor Birch - this regions Pokemon Professor - from a wild Pokemon attack, the player gets to choose either Treecko, Torchic, or Mudkip as their starter Pokemon and first partner for this massive adventure.

With an eye towards travel through the Hoenn Region in order to complete their Pokedex (an encyclopedic reference device that is all about Pokemon) the traditional challenge to journey to and battle with the eight principal Gym Leaders of the Hoenn League is only part of the adventure.

The other part involves the player and their encounter with the antagonist group Team Magma in Omega Ruby and Team Aqua in Alpha Sapphire -- and encounter that perfectly sets the stage for the adventure to come.

That adventure includes more than just a few Legendary Pokemon, solving a mystery or two, and having you a David vs. Goliath battle with the misguided almost criminal groups and their conspiracy to alter the world to better suit their notion of how it should have been in the first place!

Success in that adventure also translates to success in the primary plot, as the player finally makes their way to the Pokemon League, and their shot at becoming the League Champion.

Along the way the player completes their Pokedex (or makes it as complete as it can be before they seek out a partner with the opposing game in order to fully complete it) as well as getting introduced to the new side-quest for the game, which is called 'Delta Episode.'

This new side-adventure has the player working alongside a new character named Zinnia, in order to figure out the best way to stop a meteor from crashing into the planet, and destroying life as we know it! Of course no solution is possible without Pokemon, right? And for this adventure no solution is possible without a Legendary Pokemon - a conclusion that sets the player on an inevitable quest to capture and obtain the assistance of the Legendary Pokemon Rayquaza.

Ironically the meteor that poses a significant threat to the world also happens to contain another Legendary Pokemon - one called Deoxys - who we first met personally at the Houston Space Center, but that is another story.

If there are gamers on your gift list who are already dedicated Pokemon Trainers, choosing between Omega Ruby or Alpha Sapphire is really an academic matter because there is no wrong choice here! And if your gamer already has a 3DS, even if they are not already committed Pokemaniacs getting this one under the tree or perhaps more appropriately in their stocking is a sure-thing in terms of gifting happiness.