Five great video games to look out for this Christmas

Every year it's the same: a huge number of video games are released in the run up to Christmas and deciding which to buy - either for yourself or as a present - is often a tough process. With that in mind, here's a quick rundown of five of the most hotly anticipated games that will be on the shelves in time for Christmas 2010:



Halo: Reach (Xbox 360)



Halo: Reach acts as a prequel to the bestselling main trilogy of games, with the Halo franchise having sold more than 34 million copies to date worldwide. The game tells the story of Noble Team, a courageous group of Spartans who must stop the Covenant from destroying the planet Reach - and ultimately, Earth - in their quest to wipe out humankind. Featuring the same fast paced FPS action that has made the Halo series one of the most popular franchises around, Reach offers up an action packed campaign mode as well as expanded and improved online multiplayer modes. One of the most anticipated innovations in Halo: Reach is the inclusion of a four-player co-op mode, allowing friends to battle through the campaign together as individual members of Noble Team. Players are also able to customise and personalise their Spartan with a massive range of armour and accessories that will carry over for both campaign and multiplayer modes.



FIFA 11 (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, DS, PSP, PS2)



Gaming's biggest football franchise returns bigger and better than ever with a number of improvements over previous versions. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions will feature Personality+, which will see the abilities of each player more accurately represented. The system relies on a database featuring 36 attributes and 57 traits for each player, which come together to give each player in the game a new sense of individuality reflecting their real-life attributes. The information feeding into Personality+ has been maintained by a 1,700-strong network of scouts and editors across the globe, culminating in a more realistic representation of real life players than ever before. PS3 and Xbox 360 players will also be able to directly control the goalkeeper for the first time in the FIFA franchise's history, allowing for true 11-a-side gameplay. Wii owners will have their own bonus, with a ‘street football' mode allowing them to play five-a-side matches in an urban setting.



Fallout: New Vegas (Xbox 360, PS3)



The latest game in this RPG franchise with a huge cult following has been developed by Obsidian Entertainment, which contains many key members of the team that created the original Fallout and Fallout 2. Fans of the original games have been waiting for a return to the series' roots since 1998 and this new instalment looks set to deliver by combining elements from the first two games with the first person mechanics brought in by Fallout 3. The game is set in a post-apocalyptic Las Vegas and the surrounding area in the year 2280 and players assume the role of a courier who is attacked and left for dead while carrying a mysterious package. In investigating the reasons behind the attack and attempting to recover the stolen package, players will navigate through a densely populated world, battling a huge range of hideous enemies - including bloodthirsty wasteland gangs, disfigured mutants and deadly robots. Not to fear, though; players will be armed with a variety of innovative weapons with which to dispose of their attackers and given the option to join forces with several different factions made up of a huge number of unique characters. Reputation and karma systems, fuelled entirely by player actions, determine how members of the varying factions react to the game's main character. Getting friendly with one group may ease your path in the short term, opening up new quests along the way - but you may also end up burning bridges with rival factions.



Gran Turismo 5 (PS3)



First announced in 2006, this PlayStation 3-exclusive has been on the wanted list of racing game fans for a number of years. The latest instalment in a hugely popular franchise, Gran Turismo 5 will ramp up the realism thanks to years of research going into ensuring every car sounds, looks and feels exactly as it would in real life. GT5 will also add a further touch of authenticity previously lacking in the series by including realistic vehicle damage for the first time in Gran Turismo history. Also a first for the Gran Turismo franchise is the online multiplayer mode, which will allow up to 16 players battle it out at once. The single player mode will offer a staggering amount of choice, allowing players to choose from around 1,000 different cars, which will all handle uniquely. Throw in a choice of 70 tracks based in 20 locations and you've got a petrolhead's perfect game.



Call of Duty: Black Ops (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii)



Call of Duty is currently the most popular FPS franchise by some stretch - previous instalment Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 enjoyed the biggest entertainment launch of all time, earning almost £200m in Day One sales in the UK and US alone. The next game in the CoD series is always met with excitement - and Black Ops is no different. The game features a single player campaign set in the Cold War era, placing the player in the shoes of various characters from mission to mission, telling several sides to the same story. As well as battling it out on foot, players will also take to the skies in various aircraft including a Hind helicopter. Black Ops also builds on the groundbreaking multiplayer modes and reward systems that have been in place since Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, giving players a well rounded experience across both online and offlline options. There's good news for Wii owners, too; Black Ops marks the first time that the full Call of Duty game has been released on that console as well as the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.