Yes, it's that time of the month when we pick out the three titles you should be buying this coming month. Of course, it's that special time of year when we drink too much, eat too much and pretend we like everything our relatives bought for us...
So what better than earmarking a short list of three great titles you can pass to your nearest and dearest so they know what you really want this Christmas! As ever, we're focusing on UK and European release dates...
1.
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
Without a doubt this is one of the two absolute 'must have' titles for the PS3 this year in my opinion, the other being Ratchet & Clank from
last month's Big Three. Sure there's loads of really great games out there now (CoD4, Motorstorm, Resistance, Folklore, Eye of Judgement, Guitar Hero III, Heavenly Sword, Assassin's Creed) but Uncharted and Ratchet are as close to gaming perfection as you'll find on our favourite platform.
Not only are the graphics literally revolutionary (I love the way your clothing changes when you walk in water or under a waterfall) but the gameplay is slick and varied. You have action, gunplay, platforming and puzzle solving all rolled into a great pulp-fiction inspired storyline with excellent characters that have so much detail they move and react fluidly at all times.
This really has to be your number one purchase for the holiday season.
2.
SingStar
One of the seminal party games of the last decade, SingStar has had more than a cosmetic makeover for its first appearance on the PS3.
The interface and music are completely customisable through new songs (the SingStore) and new downloadable skins. You can build your own playlists and download the entire back catalogue of 3,000 PS2 SingStar favourites in addition to a continuing list of new material as the months progress.
And in a social network style, you can capture your best performances (with or without using the PS Eye) and upload them for all the world to see, as well as transferring them to your PSP for offline viewing and sharing.
It's the gift that keeps on giving!
3.
Half-Life 2: The Orange Box
Much has been written about the woes of the PS3 version of The Orange Box of late. There is the obvious delay between the release of this version and the PC/X360 titles, and there are stories of framerate issues and bugs.
Let's be clear about the reality for a second. Unless you fully expect your games to never, ever drop below 30 fps for even a moment, you will be perfectly happy with The Orange Box on PS3. The issues have been blown out of all proportion.
So what do you get for your money? Five games - HL2, HL2: Episode 1, HL2: Episode 2, Team Fortress 2 and Portal. That's great value for money if you're an FPS fan, but the real pull is the non-FPS title - Portal.
Portal is a marvel of three-dimensional puzzle solving and, by all accounts, is the absolute star of the show. Addictive, compelling and mind-altering, Portal will have you fully occupied for hours on end. And then you can go shoot things. What more can you ask for?!
Click the links above to pre-order any of the titles.