Ever since I was a kid, playing my original NES, I can recall how popular video games were at the holidays. My brother and I received our NES from Santa, in 1987 or 1988. Since then, I have received video games nearly every year. In the beginning, we received them for our NES, then my Nintendo Gameboy. We moved on to the SNES, the Nintendo 64, the Sega (well I had to play that at my cousin’s house), the Gameboy Advance, the Gamecube, PS2, Nintendo DS, PS3, Xbox 360, and Nintendo Wii. As game systems have evolved, so have I. I’ve owned all the Nintendo systems and am catching up with the PS3 and Xbox 360.

With the 2008 holiday season in full swing, the excitement of what to buy your loved ones may lead you to video game websites. I’m not joking when I say 2008 had some great video game releases. So, here’s my list of the top 25 Video Games you have to buy this holiday, and I’ve made sure to list them in order from great to totally awesome (MUST BUY). Truth be told, all of these games are well worth the purchase, so make sure to consider this list when doing your shopping for your favorite video game enthusiast.

25. Rune Factory 2: A Fantasy Harvest Moon – I’ve been a fan of Natsume and the Harvest Moon games for years. While Rune Factory 2 isn’t truly a Harvest Moon title, it’s close enough in its farm oriented play that it will keep Harvest Moon lovers more than satisfied!

In Rune Factory 2, you actually have the chance to play as two different generations in one family. This is unique to this game and allows for additional, extended game play. Unlike the other Harvest Moon titles, and similar to the original Rune Factory, this game has a much darker overtone. Still, it’s the farming that makes this game and really, who doesn’t like to farm?!

You can pick up a copy of Rune Factory 2 at Amazon for around $40.

24. Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe – The first time I heard about this was around the time of E3 2008. The excitement about this title sort of fizzled off again until its release last month and now it’s made this Top 25 list. While the game doesn’t really follow along with either of the game series’, fans of Mortal Kombat or DC Universe (or both) can really get into this one.

As you might have guessed, in this game, the two worlds have merged. The merger has caused a shift in powers and abilities for many of your favorite characters making gameplay much more interesting and unpredictable.

With the two worlds blaming one another for the merging, they must battle in Mortal Kombat until one world is defeated. This is exactly what you’d expect of a title called Mortal Kombat vs. D.C. Universe.

Mortal Kombat vs. D.C. Universe is available for the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3, You can pick this title up in a Collector’s Edition at Amazon for $64.99.

23. Rock Band 2 – I had the chance to review Rock Band 2 for the Xbox 360 earlier this fall. The game was released by MTV Games in September. The game is also available for the Playstation 3 and the Wii. This game is pure fun and is something the entire family can enjoy. With the new Battle of the Bands mode, amongst other, updated features, your entire family will be rocking in no time, when you upgrade to Rock Band 2.

With compatibility to all of the past content you’ve downloaded, and a massively large, much cooler list of music available, with constant content being added on a consistent basis to the Rock Band 2 library, there is a little something for every Rock Band fan in the bunch. In fact, this is the arena Guns n Roses chose to release the first single from their latest album, and as you might recall, it’s been a number a years since GnR have released anything!

You can pick up your very own copy of Rock Band 2 at Amazon for any of the platforms you use. The game is also available in a bundle with the new Rock Band 2 instruments. The price for this title is $57.

22. Shaun White Snowboarding – Depending on what platform you choose to play Shaun White Snowboarding, you may actually be standing up on your very own snowboarding board. This is great for more active families, but for me (I’m in a wheelchair – I can’t stand up, so snowboarding is unfortunately out) and those who are less active, the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of this game will be more than enough to give you thrills and chills on and off the slopes.

Made with the help and guidance of Shaun White himself, you can play this game with your older kids (it’s rated T for teens, so it won’t be good for the little ones) and the experience is so similar to the experience on the slopes (especially in the Wii version – so I’ve been told) you’ll practically feel the cold air and snow all around you. This is definitely the most lifelike video game I’ve seen for a snowboarding game. I don’t even like snowboarding but I’m totally into Shaun White Snowboarding!

If you’d like to purchase this game for the Wii or for one of the other game systems, pick it up at Amazon for $54.99.

21. Need for Speed: Undercover – I guess 12th times the charm, because the 12th Need for Speed title, Need for Speed: Undercover, is by far one of my favorites in the series. The entire idea of an open road experience, with over 80 miles of uncharted territory is exactly the kind of addition I like to this game. If you like race games, it doesn’t get much better than this. The extensive system of highways and race routes have made this the biggest open track system to date. EA really went out of their way with this title and it shows!

Need for Speed: Undercover is available on a wide variety of game systems including Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii, PSP, PC, and a wide variety of mobile devices (Including the iPhone). The game is at its best, graphically on the PS3 and Xbox 360, as is to be expected.

You can purchase Need for Speed: Undercover for $56.99 on Amazon.

Check out More Games on our Countdown on Page Two