Nintendo Christmas Gift Guide

December 9, 2015

Joseph Rositano

Christmas can be a daunting time of year. Quite often you’re left wandering the shops for hours trying to pick out the perfect gift for that special someone. For gamers in particular, this can be quite a tricky task. To help you out, we’ve compiled lists for each console manufacturer and PC highlighting what we consider to be some of the better titles available for purchase this Holiday Season. The only proviso with titles is that they be relatively easy to purchase and gift, meaning many digital games were not included.

This is by no means a definitive list, and some tough decisions were made on titles that missed out. Due to the high costs involved, Lego Dimensions missed out on getting an entry, as well as the several dozen Amiibo figurines that have invaded department store shelves across the globe.

This guide suggests titles which are avaliable for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS systems. Don’t forget to check out our PlayStation and Xbox Christmas Guides as well. Our PC Christmas Guide will be published later this week.

Title: Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker

Platform: Wii U

Genre: Action Puzzle

Rating: G

Modes of Play: Single Player

Family/Kid Friendly: Yes. Being a Mario spin-off, the title is aimed towards the family friendly market.

Rocket Chainsaw Review Score: N/A

Title: Code Name: S.T.E.A.M

Platform: 3DS

Genre: Turn-based strategy

Rating: M

Modes of Play: Single-player, online and local multiplayer

Family/Kid Friendly: Yes. While there is some mild cartoon violence it is not confronting and should not scare any children. Parents are advised shooting is a core mechanic which you may not want to expose your children to.

Rocket Chainsaw Review Score: N/A

Title: Kirby and the Rainbow Paintbrush

Platform: Wii U

Genre: Platformer

Rating: G

Modes of Play: Single-player

Family/Kid Friendly: Yes. The game is aimed towards the family friendly market.

Rocket Chainsaw Review Score: N/A

Title: LBX: Little Battlers eXperience

Platform: 3DS

Genre: Action RPG

Rating: PG

Modes of Play: Single-Player, local multiplayer

Family/Kid Friendly: Yes. There is some mild cartoon violence but it is not confronting in any way.

Rocket Chainsaw Review Score: N/A

Title: Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam Bros.

Platform: 3DS

Genre: RPG

Rating: G

Modes of Play: Single-player

Family/Kid Friendly: Yes. The title is from the Mario series and is aimed towards the family friendly market. A basic reading ability is recommend to enjoy the game fully.

Rocket Chainsaw Review Score: N/A

Title: Monster Hunter 4: Ultimate

Platform: 3DS

Genre: Action RPG

Rating: M

Modes of Play: Single-Player, online and local multiplayer

Family/Kid Friendly: Discretion advised. The game does feature fantasy violence where players battle monsters which may scare younger players.

Rocket Chainsaw Review Score: N/A

Title: Puzzle & Dragons Z: Super Mario Bros. Edition

Platform: 3DS

Genre: Puzzle

Rating: G

Modes of Play: Single-Player

Family/Kid Friendly: Yes. The game features no violence or offensive material.

Rocket Chainsaw Review Score: 4 / 5

Title: The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D

Platform: 3DS

Genre: Adventure

Rating: PG

Modes of Play: Single Player

Family/Kid Friendly: Yes, though there is mild fantasy violence and supernatural themes which may deter some younger players.

Rocket Chainsaw Review Score: N/A

Title: The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes

Platform: 3DS

Genre: Adventure

Rating: G

Modes of Play: Single-player, local and online multiplayer

Family/Kid Friendly: Yes, though there is some mild cartoon fantasy violence.

Rocket Chainsaw Review Score: N/A

Title: Splatoon

Platform: Wii U

Genre: Shooter

Rating: PG

Modes of Play: Single-player, online multiplayer

Family/Kid Friendly: Yes, though there is minor cartoon violence. The game does feature characters shooting guns at each other, but instead of bullets it is ink.

Rocket Chainsaw Review Score: 4 / 5

Title: Super Mario Maker

Platform: Wii U

Genre: Platformer, level creator

Rating: G

Modes of Play: Single-player

Family/Kid Friendly: Yes. The game is focused on level creation and does not feature any violence. Parents may wish to restrict younger players from downloading other user created courses just in case they contain offensive material. Nintendo do monitor submissions, but you can never 100% guarantee something won’t slip through.

Rocket Chainsaw Review Score: 4 / 5

Title: Xenoblade Chronicles X

Platform: Wii U

Genre: Action RPG

Rating: M

Modes of Play: Single-player, online multiplayer

Family/Kid Friendly: Discretion advised. There is fantasy violence and players will battle giant monsters during their quest. This may frighten some younger players

Rocket Chainsaw Review Score: N/A

Title: Yoshi’s Woolly World

Platform: Wii U

Genre: Platformer

Rating: G

Modes of Play: Single-player

Family/Kid Friendly: Yes. The game features no violence and is aimed at the family-friendly market. Prepare yourself for cuteness overload though.

Rocket Chainsaw Review Score: 4 / 5

Multiplatform:

Title: Disney Infinity 3.0

Platform: Wii U

Genre: 3D Platformers and Action

Rating: G

Modes of Play: Single-player

Family/Kid Friendly: Yes. As with Disney films, Disney Infinity 3.0 is specifically built to a be a title for all ages.

Rocket Chainsaw Review Score: 4/5

Title: Guitar Hero Live

Platform: Wii U

Genre: Guitar Simulator

Rating: M

Modes of Play: Single-player, local and online multiplayer.

Family/Kid Friendly: Largely, yes. The M rating for Guitar Hero Live comes from the language used in some songs included in the game.

Rocket Chainsaw Review Score: N/A

Title: Lego Jurassic World

Platform: Wii U and 3DS

Genre: 3D Platformer and Adventure

Rating: PG

Modes of Play: Single-player, local multiplayer

Family/Kid Friendly: 100%. The combination of family friendly action, easy to learn controls and split screen co-op makes Lego Jurassic World potentially the most family friendly title on this list.

Rocket Chainsaw Review Score: N/A