Xbox 360 Familiy Holiday Games

Xbox 360... the system that's synonymous with the over-hyped Halo series. Here's a list of some more family-oriented games.

On their official games catalogue, Xbox 360 has a "family" search function that will display only family games for the Xbox 360. However, it doesn't give reviews or tell you if the game is any good ^_~ That's what this list is for.

NOTE: Not too long ago, Xbox 360 launched a family safety campaign to trumpet the new parental controls on the Xbox 360. If you'd like to learn more, click here.

Viva Pinata (Platinum Hits) -- $19.99 -- E for Everyone
Ever dreamed of having a pinata farm? No? Well anyways, here's your chance. You keep a garden with pinatas in it (of course), and whatever actions you do or don't take greatly affect your garden. You can control the pinatas daily lives or simply let them run free in your always-changing garden. Friendly, colorful, fun. (**Platinum Hits: essentially means this game has sold enough copies for Microsoft to be able to slash the price to $19.99)

Viva Pinata: Party Animals -- $49.99 -- E for Everyone
Lovable Viva Pinata franchise takes to the mini-game party genre. This is similar to Mario Party, except with pinatas. I really don't like to recommend party games because they tend to get old pretty quick and not have a lot of content (as was a big complaint in reviews of this game). However, with the quick, colorful gameplay and humor, kids may still enjoy this one, especially if they've played Viva Pinata before. For multiplayer/family gaming purposes, Scene It (below) might be a better choice.

Scene It -- $59.99 -- T for Teen
Scene It: Lights, Camera, Action! on your Xbox 360. Tests you on movie trivia. Comes with four big button controllers that are more conducive to trivia playing/answering. This may be a better choice than Viva Pinata: Party Animals.

Guitar Hero III -- $99.99 for bundle (game, guitar) / $59.99 for game only
Activision's hot guitar playing simulation. Getting this game and maybe an extra guitar for two-player options is a great gift.

+Rock Band -- $169.99 for bundle (guitar, drums, microphone, game)/ $59.99 for game only --T for Teen
Pricey, but promisingly fun. Think of this as Guitar Hero with the rest of the band.

Every Extend Extra Extreme: E4 -- 800points ($10.00) @ Xbox Live Arcade -- E for Everyone
Xbox Live Arcade, an option that can be accessed through online options when your Xbox 360 is connected to the Internet, has many cheap, friendly, fun games available. You could even allow your gamer a certain amount of points/cash to shop on Xbox Live Arcade (keep an eye on what they want to buy).

LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga -- $49.99 -- E for Everyone
Just fun. Everyone I know who's played these games have loved it and/or become addicted to it.

Super Monkey Ball Deluxe -- $29.95 -- Xbox, playable on Xbox 360 -- E for Everyone
An oldie, but a goodie. Includes all of the features, stages and multiplayer games from Super Monkey Ball 1 and 2.
NOTE: There's also a version of the game where a separate Sonic game is included on the same disc. The Sonic game was so-so, but if it's essentially free, why not? This is what the Sonic/Super Monkey Ball Deluxe game looks like.

Fusion Frenzy -- as cheap as $8 online (Amazon) -- Xbox, playable on Xbox 360 -- E for Everyone
I saw this on the Xbox game catalogue family section, and I just had to include it. I remember this came with our original Xbox at home (so yeah, it's a little old). It's a long list of challenging multi-player party games that are really fun to play if you have enough controllers (2 or more). The futuristic settings and cheesy, competitive one-liners from characters just add to its charm. The mini-games usually don't last much longer than a minute or two, but you can spend a decent amount of time on this game.