by Owl Staff
Posted on Dec 7th, 2009
Filed under: Science & Tech / Technology / Electronics / Consumer Electronics / Video Games
Tagged with: games, gaming-apps, mobile-game-apps, nintendo, parents, videogames, xbox
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Photo Credit: Getty Images Europe

The gaming industry peaks around the holidays with the release of tons of video game options that will make your head spin, and the challenge for you - or Santa - will be in trying to decide which top video games to buy for your kids.

Of course the kids already know exactly which video game they want, but chances are you're pretty clueless on which ones to get. To help guide parents on the many types of kids and teens rated games out there, KOL, AOL's website for kids, has created a Holiday Video Game Guide that previews a few of the best "E" Rated (for Everyone) games for 2009.

And just in time, the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB), a non-profit self regulating group for computer and video games, has come up with a free iPhone App that helps parents navigate the maze of new game ratings out there. The app will display the rating on the game and includes a game rating summary. The new ESRB app is available for free at www.esrb.org/mobile/ and at the iTunes app store.

The game industry is also turning out literally hundreds of mobile gaming apps for iPhone and iTouch. You can't walk around anymore without seeing kids fiddling around on their parents' iPhones – and you can bet money they're playing games. So KOL Games decided to ask their kids audience which gaming systems they want most and the poll results were surprising – iPhone / iTouch were a clear preference for kids. Good news for parents because these are cheap.

iPhone / iTouch 32%
Nintendo DS / DSi 21%
Nintendo Wii 15%
Xbox 360 13%
PlayStation 3 / 2 9%
PSP 7%
PC 3%

The explosion of mobile game apps suitable for teens and the sheer demand for quick and affordable games continues to grow. The challenge for parents is to stay on top of which games are appropriate – and cheap. JSYK.com recently identified some of the top iPhone apps for teens that would likely pass the parental sniff test. You decide for yourself.

A few interesting video games we're seeing more and more attempt to bridge the gap between toy and game. One example, the NERF: "N-Strike" Elite brings the popular NERF game for Nintendo Wii to a whole new level for kids. The game has a new blue "blaster" Wii accessory that is sure to be a hit with kid gamers. Toy-now-game maker Mattel marries prehistoric pet dinosaur-like action figures called Xtractaurs, with the Xtractaur's online interactive game website. The game allows you to play with the dino pets and build your own online.

The Littlest Pet Shops franchise has brought their toy figurines to the hugely popular video game space with the release of Littlest Pet Shops Friends on Wii and DS. And the Pokemon franchise entered the video game world with the release of several recent Nintendo games including Pokemon Platinum version on Nintendo DS.

And finally, there's been a huge push by the gaming industry to bring the most popular kids movies and cartoons to game consoles and handhelds. A list of the most recent releases include: