The Ultimate Video Game and System Buyer's Guide: Games

— -- The Ultimate Video Game and System Buyer's Guide |Consoles and Handhelds |Video Games Galore |Understanding Video Game Ratings |Talk the Talk: Gaming Lingo

It's doesn't matter whether you spend $5,000 on a lightning-fast gaming computer or a couple of hundred on a new video game console -- it's all about the games.

While Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft have released some pretty impressive video game consoles, it's the great games that make these machines successes or failures.

But navigating the video game section at a major retailer can be intimidating if you're one of the uninitiated -- it's like walking into a library when you don't know how to read.

To make things easier, we've got the top picks for the season from gaming Web site Kotaku.com, one of the Web's premier destinations for all things gaming.

Also, there is the National Institute on Media and the Family's annual Video Game Report Card, which tells you what games to stay away from and what games to grab.

Refer to our explanation of the ESRB video games rating system to know which games are appropriate for the gamer in your life by clicking here.

Gears of War (Xbox 360): Epic Game's take on console first-person shooters may not reinvent the wheel, but it puts a spiffy hub on it.

The Legend of Zelda: The Twilight Princess (Wii): The plot may be pure Nintendo mysticism, but this latest rehash lets you fish, swing a sword and generally carry on with the help of the Wii's motion-sensitive controller.

Madden (Wii): There are times when it feels like Electronic Arts has been making Madden since before the birth of football, but this isn't one of those times. Adding the ability to go through the motions of hiking, passing, kicking and crazy-leg dancing after a touchdown breaths life into this game.

Resistance: Fall of Man (PS3): Amazing detail combines with massive 40-player online matches to make this first PS3 first-person shooter a pleasure to play.

Guitar Hero 2 (PS2): The next-gen may be in full swing, but Guitar Hero 2 proves you don't need to spend $600 to have fun. This Playstation 2 game is even more fun than last year's game-of-the-year title.