The Main EventIt seems just last year we proclaimed "this was the best year for games in ages!"

365 days later, we're inclined to say it again.

Though it started off a bit slow, 2011 ended as loudly as you could want. Critically-acclaimed sequels to nearly every major game franchise hit shelves, creating a glut of blockbusters and absolutely decimating the wallets of those crazy enough to try to play them all. From glorious indie downloads like Bastion to big, brash noisemakers like Modern Warfare 3, we were never at a loss for an exceptional game experience. In 2011, quantity met quality.

For Star Wars fans, Christmas is coming a few days early this year.

Click to check out more screenshots!Heavily-anticipated online game 'Star Wars: The Old Republic' has arrived, and even in the season of eggnog, fruit-cake, and gingerbread, it's boasting a heady recipe: the experience of legendary role-playing game studio Bioware, the massively-multiplayer gameplay of hits like 'World of Warcraft', and a Death Star-scale brand to back it all up.

But this sort of game is a new direction for Bioware, and not one without risks -- online RPGs are difficult to get right, and players are notoriously nit-picky. According to analyst reports, production costs for 'The Old Republic' were in the region of $100 million. That's enough to scare a Hutt.

'Tis the season for ridiculous, over-the-top Christmas light shows. But while most are simply fun to watch, this one's fun to play.

Check out the Angry Birds Christmas Lights game, and turn a piggish green with envy:

Ever longed for a day when a madman in a little blue box would show up at your doorstep and whisk you away on a cosmic adventure to the edge of outer space?

Click to view screenshots!In "Doctor Who: Worlds in Time," the Doctor makes his most important house call yet as he steps into your room, recruiting you and other potential companions -- pajamas and all -- straight into a world of real-time Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) gameplay.

Developed by San Francisco-based Three Rings Design in conjunction with BBC Worldwide, "Doctor Who: Worlds in Time" is browser-based -- and completely free to play.

Last minute stress test.Christmas is looming and you don't have a gift for the gamer on your list. At this point, heartfelt is pretty much out the window. You just need something to put under the tree.

Last minute gifts tend to be stinkers, though. Combing through the dregs of whatever serious holiday shoppers have left behind usually nets nothing but trouble. And for gamers, that means they're stuck with things like Wii classic controllers and 101-in-1 Sports Party Megamix or PlayStation Move Ape Escape.

You can avoid that trap, though, by thinking digitally. PC and console gamers alike can buy all sorts of awesome games online, and since you probably don't have time to hit up a retail store, it's a great

Sony's next big hope for the handheld gaming market has made its debut in Japan, and while the numbers aren't awful, they aren't exactly stellar, either.

Playstation Vita (Sony)More than 321,000 Vita units were sold in its first two days on store shelves, according to Famitsu. That's a bit shy of launch figures for Nintendo's 3DS (371,000), though it nearly doubles what the original PSP boasted when it went on sale seven years ago.

While some will find the decent numbers encouraging, the launch wasn't entirely smooth. Sony reportedly shipped over 700,000 Vita units to retailers, selling under half of them. Further, a number of early buyers have complained about technical problems with their Vitas, ranging from unresponsive touchscreens to system freezes. Sony quickly responded with a software update and an apology.

It took more than 24 hours for the world's news organizations to learn of the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.

Homefront (THQ)But a video game saw it coming nine months ago.

THQ's Homefront might be a work of fiction, but it was eerily close to paralleling reality when it effectively predicted the "great leader's" death. The March release, which told the story of a reunified Korea becoming a world power and eventually attacking and occupying the U.S., kicked off with the death of Kim in 2012 -- a mere two weeks away.

The games less traveled.Along with eggnog hangovers and credit card debt, tiresome train, plane, and automobile rides are all too often part of the holiday season experience. Turn any lengthy voyage into a high point of your holiday festivities with this selection of travel-appropriate family games that'll make your trip fly by.

CLICK TO SEE MORE >>>