One of the somewhat cruel and unusual things about 2021 is that while it’s been incredibly difficult to obtain video game systems, notably the backwards-compatible Xbox Series X and the PS5, this has also been a particularly fantastic year for new video game releases.  While there are some exceptions, for the most part this quality stems from studios revisiting longstanding franchises for either sequels or conscientious remasters, which results in a slate of new titles that almost comes across like comfort food. From Samus and Ratchet to Commander Shepard and Link, there’s a lot of familiar territory this year.

The familiarity also comes about in surprising ways, though. An unofficial, spiritual sequel to a popular franchise stumbled into the gaming arena, while another horror series borrowed generously from one of its older, most popular installments in creation of a very overt callback game. And then, a studio answers the impassioned requests of fans for a sequel to a decade-and-a-half old property.  What’s remarkable is that barring a few expected quibbles with modern-era glitches or perhaps some features that could’ve been beefed up or done better, the wide spectrum of games have all received rampant acclaim, to a degree where it was tough leaving off games from this list instead of finding stuff to add.

Below, you’ll find a list of over a dozen video games worth giving for the holiday season, with links to each game’s page on Amazon to make purchasing easy. Be sure to pay attention to the system format for the game this year, though, as the visual differences between Xbox and PlayStation games of different console types can be somewhat minimal. You’ll know a Switch game when you see it.

For the Open World Lover With an Open Mind

Following a period where it seemed like every big game had to be a sandbox time-sink as a prerequisite, it seems like that demand for everything open-world seems to have hit a decline.  If a game has an open aspect, now it’s usually in service of novel gameplay or quirky personality to justify it. Below are a pair of games that actually make the player want to continue exploring the nooks and crannies of the world they’re in.

No More Heroes 3

• After nearly a decade away from the series proper, Travis Touchdown returns from the middling success of a spinoff title for No More Heroes 3. With this return, the series also reintroduces several popular aspects from previous titles, notably a more open world for exploration.
• No More Heroes 3 takes place two years after the spinoff game and takes the action to a grander scale, pitting Travis Touchdown against invading aliens who have established a new tier of assassins to eliminate and drawing him back to the fictional California city of Santa Destroy.
• Travis must earn enough money to move up the ladder of assassins, and he does so by traveling across 5 distinct islands completing side tasks and grinding, utilizing his “beam katana” and wrestling repertoire to get him through the brisk, amusing third-person combat scenarios and pop-culture references.

Click to Order on Amazon

Hitman 3

• IO Interactive has poured a lot of energy into making the rejuvenated Hitman franchise a satisfying mix of old-school stealth pleasures and modern polish and open-world freedom, and they’ve reached a pinnacle with Hitman 3, opting for fan-pleasing refinement over rocking the boat with changes.
• The story follows Agent 47 as he flips allegiances and works to take down Providence, a cabal of powerful political and industrial forces pulling strings from the shadows.  Expect lots of big twists and turns, which is where most of the risk-taking for the game takes place.
• While the plot makes significant moves of the espionage variety, the freedom of the gameplay and its willingness to not take itself too seriously lets Hitman 3 feel like familiar territory, allowing for a wide variety of ways to complete missions and create chaos if desired.

Click to Order on Amazon

For the Patient Gamer Awaiting the Return of Fan-Fave Franchises

It’s impressive to see the longevity and staying power of video game characters and settings, as we’ve reached a point in the culture where a property can lie dormant for a decade or two – or three! – and come back with a vengeance if there’s enough passion and demand. All three of these properties have undeniable fanbases behind them, and the resurgence of two of them isn’t exactly unexpected. However, the fact that the first game on this list exists at all is a marvel, a delightful fruition of fan requests stemming from an initial game that, while it’s built a cult following since release, didn’t sell well.

Psychonauts 2

• A devoted fanbase has been waiting patiently for a second entry in the Psychonauts narrative, continuously asking the folks at Double Fine Productions when they’ll get back there. Well, the mythical has finally turned real with the third-person action platformer Psychonauts 2.
• Players once again gain control of Raz, a wayward and agile acrobat with psychic powers, whose fascination with joining the mental-power research and regulation agency Psychonauts has landed them in their office, the  Motherlobe.  There, he uses his powers to help root out a double agent.
• In a fashion befitting the wacky personality of Double Fine, Psychonauts 2 weaves together a compelling premise with clever, bizarre puzzle-platform levels, while also striking a meaningful chord involving mental health in the process.

Click to Order on Amazon

Metroid Dread

• It’s been a while since a new Metroid game has been released, but it’s been even longer since a new 2D Metroid game – that isn’t a remake — has rolled onto the scene.  Metroid Dread goes back to the series roots and delivers a fresh side-scrolling adventure with Nintendo icon Samus Aran.
• Originally conceived as a Nintendo DS follow-up to a Game Boy title from the early 2000s, Dread follows Samus as she investigates the alien planet ZDR after parasite-killing EMMI robots fail to complete their mission. Ambushed and lacking full powers, Samus must battle local enemies and sneak past the EMMIs.
• Dread gets the Metroid formula back to its roots with 2D side-scrolling level design with a modernized feel, placing Samus in the position of both hunter and hunted through old-school skill progression through levels and new stealth components. It does everything a classic Metroid game should do, well.

Click to Order on Amazon

Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart

• Despite their rampant popularity during the PS2 and PS3 eras, Ratchet and Clank only showed up once during the PS4 era for a reboot/reimagining of the first game, titled Ratchet and Clank. Their devoted fans have been waiting anxiously, and now they’ve received Rift Apart on the PS5.
• Rift Apart serves as a meeting-point sequel to both 2013’s Into the Nexus, the last game produced for the PS3, and 2016’s Ratchet and Clank. During a battle with Dr. Nefarious, several dimensional rifts open and relocate the characters to alternate realities; Clank is found by Rivet, a female Lombax like Ratchet.
• Using a new device called a Rift Tether, both Ratchet and Rivet can zip between portals to realities, a new gameplay tactic introduced within the series’ signature run-‘n-gun antics and bountiful artillery. A mix of old and new weapons, locations, and combat mechanics ensure Rift Apart has something for all.

Click to Order on Amazon

For Those Who Enjoy (Re)Playing Beloved Games Polished in HD

Sometimes developers make remastered versions of games simply because they want to ensure fans will keep playing and remembering the same game for years, preserving legacies by essentially making archive versions of their games to keep up with the times.  Other times, however, studios take risks and get their hands dirty with improving certain titles by listening to fan feedback, and the result ends up being a noteworthy upgrade and a reason for people to revisit that goes beyond nostalgia. Both the titles below have that going for them.

Mass Effect Legendary Edition

• Nearly a decade after the series reached a polarizing conclusion, the folks at BioWare have begun the process of revisiting the Mass Effect franchise with this Legendary Edition collection for newer consoles.  All three games from the original trilogy have been included, along with their respective DLCS.
• Players gain control of Commander Shepard, who can be a customized character creation or a preset, as they race against time to stop the Lovecraftian Reapers from wiping out civilization. The player makes choices – from who live and dies to brokering deals and building relationships – that’ll have degrees of impact throughout the whole series.  
• The original Mass Effect received a drastic overhaul in visuals and gameplay without fundamentally changing how it operates, while the other two games have been more subtly polished. Like this, including the extended version of the ending and all the character and story DLC, Mass Effect feels complete and still presents one of the most engrossing and adaptable sci-fi arcs in gaming.

Click to Order on Amazon

Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword HD

• Once considered the black sheep of the modern Legend of Zelda creations, Skyward Sword has enjoyed some laid-back reevaluation amid Breath of the Wild’s successful tweaking of the franchise. This HD remaster takes some voiced issues to heart and shapes it into a fresh, worthwhile adventure on Switch.
• Skyward Sword follows many of the familiar story beats of other Legend of Zelda games, yet its focus on the early aspects of the history of the Hyrule kingdom and the Skyloft setting in the clouds give it an extra dose of storytelling intrigue. Link still needs to rescue Zelda, hacking-‘n-slashing across time.
• Skyward Sword HD may not have drastically improved visuals, but other aspects of the new version make it well worth a second look, from tweaking the autosave feature to making it so the game doesn’t require motion controls (the Joy Cons can still be used this way).  Link’s still in baggy trousers and the level design and exploration show their age, but this Switch version improves the conditions to enjoy it.

Click to Order on Amazon

For the Nostalgic Horror Lover

Whether it’s by being stranded among zombies in a European village or teaming up with buddies to wipe out infected humans, the horror games included below rustle up memories of game past through wildly different methods.

Resident Evil Village

• Arguably the best entry in the Resident Evil series succeeded by isolating itself in a small European village invaded by a zombie-creating parasite. Capcom decided to try and recapture this magic with Resident Evil Village, taking place a few years after the last one and featuring protagonist Ethan Winters.
• From a first-person viewpoint, Village lets the player openly explore the stuck-in-the-1800s European village, allowing them to use the setting for tactical combat against the enemies. Aside from the now iconic vampire Lady Dimitrescu and her sisters, Ethan battles against werewolf like creatures in an effort to rescue his daughter.
• Resident Evil: Village brings the scale back to a stripped-down, scarier place in how Ethan explores the area and scrounges together an inventory of resources, combining iconic aspects from earlier games – there’s unsurprisingly a lot of Resident Evil 4 in here — with what’s worked in the current iterations.

Click to Order on Amazon

Back 4 Blood

• The folks responsible for the Left 4 Dead franchise, Turtle Rock Studios, have returned after a decade to deliver the spiritual third entry in the franchise.  Back 4 Blood is the result, and while it isn’t pound-for-pound an exact continuation of those popular games, the developers got about as close as they can.
• Somewhat differently, Back 4 Blood takes place about a year after a parasitic outbreak has claimed much of humanity, where groups of survivors known as Cleaners try to clear out post-apocalyptic surroundings. This progression makes the atmosphere a little lighter while coordinating squad attacks.
• Sure, Turtle Rock deliberately models much of the co-op gameplay off Left 4 Dead, but they’ve also incorporated modern RPG-ish aspects like deeper weapon customization and skill cards to update the gameplay.  Coupled with plentiful maps and a quality attitude, Back 4 Blood largely feels like the sequel everyone’s wanted.

Click to Order on Amazon

For Those Dazzled By Conceptual Sci-Fi

Whether it’s temporal anomalies, tapping into the power of human brain, or the idea of superheroes being a bunch of poor renegades traversing the galaxy for their next payday, these games latch onto unique science-fiction concepts and apply relatively conventional gaming control ideas to them. The results are thrilling entertainment against the backdrop of engrossing sci-fi atmospheres.

Deathloop

• Stealth, steampunk, and the supernatural interweave in the games of Arkane Studios, the team behind the Dishonored series. Deathloop continues that legacy, telling a story of assassinations and time loops that plays into the studio’s narrative strengths while hooking the player with novel mechanics.
• With a setting that’s more identifiable and realistic than Arkane’s previous worlds, pegged to the ‘60s or ‘70s, Deathloop follows an assassin who must eliminate 8 different targets on an island in the same time loop … or else the timeline will reset. Naturally, another assassin is also hunting the main character to thwart their progress.
• Paying attention to details and routines is one of the keys to success in Deathloop, which incorporates a familiar caliber of strategy to Arkane’s previous games, observing how obstacles move and knowing what weapons to use for different scenarios. It opts for a credible variety of solutions to endless possibilities, and that’s ideal for a concept with a bunch of moving parts already. Deathloop is a timed PS5 exclusve; Xbox users should expect to pay it next year.

Click to Order on Amazon

Scarlet Nexus

• Some might be quick to dismiss Scarlet Nexus based on the anime stylings of the characters and the conversation panels, but they’d be overlooking a much more engaging action-RPG experience from Bandai Namco that taps into fast-paced action, open-roam exploration, and science-fiction concepts.
• Echoing the stellar sci-fi action game Control, Scarlet Nexus focuses on agents for a supernatural defense force who also have psychokinetic abilities. The world-building differs in how society has developed around the potential of the human brain, and how citizens with elevated abilities are recruited to defend civilization from hostile aliens.
• Scarlet Nexus makes the most of its relatively standard anime-style plotting and conversational rhythm by dialing up the smooth superpower combat and chaotic battles with unique enemies. And it only grows more interesting as the player gains access to further abilities and explores the futuristic Japanese landscape.

Click to Order on Amazon

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy

• While the enthusiasm for Marvel’s The Avengers may have petered out much quicker than most had anticipated, that shouldn’t hold one back from jumping into  Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, which has one very clear thing going for it: it’s focused on delivering an engaging single-player experience.
• In a post-galactic war environment, the story finds the Guardians of the Galaxy – Peter, Gomora, Rocket Raccoon, Groot, and Drax — strapped for cash and willing to go to sketchy lengths to make some. They end up pissing off the wrong person while on a mission to make a quick buck, which chains together the events that’ll shape this new raucous adventure.
• This game from Eidos and Square goes down a different path than the Avengers game by molding the story around light RPG elements, allowing the story to branch from choices made and dialogue chosen in prompts. Wrapped around serviceable, if repetitive third-person sci-fi shooting, Guardians of the Galaxy makes an effort to fill the space opera RPG void left in the absence of others like Mass Effect.

Click to Order on Amazon

For the Console Gamer Who Misses Out On Great PC Titles

Console players lucked out this year, as they’ve been granted the honor of being able to play two of the best PC titles to come out in recent memory, in very short order. They couldn’t be more different, either: one’s a colorfully action-based dungeon crawler with levels of difficulty, and the other’s a bleakly moody and dialogue-heavy RPG with layers of complexity.

Hades

• This roguelike dungeon crawler has amassed a strong following since its release, touting it as one of the best current games that couldn’t be played on Xbox or PlayStation. After much celebration, Hades has finally been ported over to those systems a year later, in both digital and physical formats.
• After gaining control of the Prince of the Underworld, players navigate through the beautiful, complex maze of the constantly changing realm as the Olympian gods cheer you on. The path is challenging and unpredictable, but gifts from the gods help the journey, if you can keep them. Die, and boons are reset.
• Between the ever-changing dungeon and the boons to other character-driven paths the game can take, Hades has been designed with countless runs in mind, and it generates enough excitement to do so. That also makes it worthwhile to get this physical edition for the shelf, which includes a 32-page character compendium and a digital code for the soundtrack.

Click to Order on Amazon

Disco Elysium: The Final Cut

• While Hades gets the adrenaline flowing through its action and unpredictability, Disco Elysium has been making a name for itself in the opposite spectrum. A dialogue-driven RPG that’s almost entirely stat-based and driven by dialogue or situational decisions, it has been celebrated as one of the best of the genre since its release.
• As a boozed-up detective, the player navigates the subtly futuristic realm of Elysium to pursue the case, which opens up a wealth of conversations and only the tools in the character’s noggin to navigate them. Skills are all about temperament, and as the character moves up in level, overdeveloped aspects of their personality can come into conflict with one another while trying to “succeed” in a conversation. Min/max isn’t effective here.
• Due to the fluid nature of the skills and the wealth of options at the player’s disposal – the game and setting originated as a tabletop RPG, after all – Disco Elysium carries heaps of replay value for the right type of player, with the Final Cut’s addition of fully voiced characters and new quests elevating that.

Click to Order on Amazon

2021 Gift Guide: Video Games for the Holiday Season

Think back to the holiday season. (We know, it’s tough to remember what happened four days ago, let alone four-plus months ago, but just try.) You probably were thankful for receiving many excellent gifts, perhaps including some gift cards. Sure, you don’t normally shop at the House of Prune Juice, but after receiving a gift card, you figured you’d check it out.

All this time later, that same gift card is still in your wallet because you never had a hankering for prune juice. And at this point, you probably never will. Don’t worry. Those unwanted gift cards may be worthless to you, but they aren’t to someone else, and they’ll pay cash for them. We guarantee that cash won’t live in your wallet for four-plus months without being used. Keep reading to find our best ideas for how to sell your gift cards for cash!

Realistic Expectations

We do have to include a disclaimer here: Chances are not great that you’ll receive face value in cash for your unwanted gift cards. Depending on the demand for a particular brand of card, you could receive far less than face value actually.

So you’ll have to decide at what percentage of face value you’re willing to sell the gift card before you start the process.

Additionally, you can sell a card that you’ve partially used, but most re-sellers that purchase gift cards require that you have at least a $20 balance on the card.

Why Can’t I Receive Face Value?

Remember that if you’re selling an unwanted gift card, the gift card re-seller has to have the ability to re-sell the card at a profit. So the margin for the retailer occurs in the difference between the value for which it purchases your card versus the amount it can sell the card. Re-sellers wouldn’t make any profit if they pay you full value for the gift card.

Additionally, some cards are in greater demand among buyers than others, so more popular cards will be more valuable when you sell them. And some gift card re-sellers may have a temporary oversupply of cards from a particular company, meaning they’ll pay you less if you’re selling that type of card at the wrong time.

If you sell the card to another person, rather than at a retail re-seller, you may receive closer to face value — or even face value — for your gift cards. But you do have the hassle of taking the time to find a buyer … and even then, you’re not guaranteed to receive face value.

So the fastest and easiest method to sell an unwanted gift card is to go to one of the gift card re-sellers listed below, but don’t expect to receive face value.

Cardpool

With the Cardpool service, you have multiple options for exchanging your gift cards for cash. Cardpool partners with stores and kiosks in your local area to purchase gift cards. This is the fastest way to exchange a gift card. (If you’ve used Coinstar Exchange kiosks to sell cards in the past, Cardpool now owns these kiosks.)

The Cardpool web site offers the ability to search by postal code for locations near you. You will need an ID to make the exchange.

You also can use Cardpool to perform an exchange remotely over the Internet. Just enter the gift card retailer and the amount remaining on the card, and you’ll see a payout amount that you can choose whether to accept. You will have to mail the gift card before receiving your payment.

GiftCardBin

GiftCardBin is a service that partners with businesses in your local area — usually payday loan stores and pawn shops. You then can sell your gift cards at those locations. Just visit the GiftCardBin web site where you can search for a location via postal code.

You also can sell your gift cards online through the GiftCardBin web site. But you will have to mail the physical gift card before you can receive your payment.

Check Into Cash

This is a payday loan store that also will purchase gift cards in person. Visit the Check Into Cash web site to find a location near you. You cannot sell your gift cards remotely through the Internet with this service.

Card Cash and Gift Card Zen

The Card Cash web site and the Gift Card Zen web site are two more options for selling the cards online. Neither site has an option for selling the cards in person, though.

Local Check Cashing Stores

If you don’t have one of the stores listed above in your area, it’s worth checking with any locally or regionally owned check cashing, pawn shop, and payday loan types of stores to see if they’d be interested in purchasing your unwanted gift cards.

Sell It on Your Own

There are many options for selling an unwanted gift card yourself. A popular option is eBay. If you’re looking more for a site that focuses only on gift cards, the Raise web site is an option. At Raise, you just set the card’s price and then wait for it to sell.

You always can try to sell it through a Craigslist ad too. Or if you don’t mind trying to sell face to face, visit the store that issued the gift card and ask people there if they would like to buy it. Because the people there already like the store, they’d be good candidates to buy the card. Just make sure your sales pitch is on point!

Still Carrying Holiday Gift Cards? Here’s How to Sell Your Gift Cards for Cash

In a year of anxiety and uncertainty around nearly every corner, it’s almost comforting to see so many staples of the video game realm distracting folks from what’s going on in the real world.  One might lament the absence of popularity toward new properties, but the ability to get immersed in the long-awaited return to a western environment from Rockstar, a historically dazzling presentation of ancient Greece from Ubisoft, and a gritty yet mesmerizing rendering pf Norse mythology from Santa Monica Studio are all quite welcome. The industry seemed intent on delivering what one could consider the “comfort food” of video games pretty much all year long, continuing into the final months with new sequels from other beloved franchises.

Below, we’ve gathered together over a dozen of the assorted titles that have impressed across this year and will likely impress once their release rolls around, if prior installments are any indication of what’s to come.  From open-world immersion and player-versus-player battling to the constraints of platform games from years back, there’s a lot to relish in the year’s releases.  Be sure to head over to Bens’s Bargains Hardware Guide to figure out which of the below games have been paired with consoles in easy-to-wrap bundles.

Gifts for the Sandbox Wanderer

For those that need to get absorbed in a lengthy departure from the real world that grants tons of freedom, these games leave the modern era and explore open-world locations in The Wild West, even further back to ancient Greece, and a post-apocalyptic version of West Virginia.

Gifts for the Old-School Brawlers

The experience in staying up late at night brawling against friends has a long pedigree that stretches back many console generations, nearly 25 years of ‘em.  Since, with the prominence of the internet, a lot of things have changed in terms of how players can combat against each other whenever they want, yet those marathon sessions amid a party atmosphere are still some of the best times gamers can have with one another. Two of the genre’s most prominent couch combat franchises are enjoying new releases this year, one of which is just about guaranteed to be a smash hit at gatherings.

Gifts for Those on a Quest for Sequels

Developers aren’t oblivious: they know that sequels cannot rely too heavily on the storytelling of past games, so that newcomers can jump right in and enjoy what’s happening without necessary backstory. That means each sequel ends up being an opportunity to improve on what works and fix what doesn’t, both in terms of storytelling and gameplay components.  One of the below games proves to be the embodiment of refinement, while the other promises to be yet another coexistent part of its world’s lore as its first new entry into the current slate of consoles.

Gifts for the Exclusive Hunter

Few things for gamers are quite as satisfying as console exclusivity for a title released on their “chosen” system, especially when it’s really, really good.  Not just high enough in quality that it’d be nice to play that game if someone were to ever pick up one of those specific consoles, but such a talk-of-the-town release that excels so much in what it sets out to do that others are drawn to that specific console.   There’s a bit of both this year, but the one where a popular superhero swings around a recreation of New York ends up being a tried-and-true system seller.

Gifts for [E]veryone

While previous versions of this column in the gift guide mostly center on the fact that these are rated E for Everyone, both games in this section have a second meaning.  Yes, both are, of course, rated E; however, they’re also representations of legendary platform characters, and the warm feelings involved with playing these games and familiar characters will speak to both newcomers and those who gamed in the ‘90s, a 2-decade spread.

Gifts for Those Not So Easily Spooked

Don’t be scared to give these to the horror aficionado in your life as a holiday gift, as they both capture distinct and absorbing types of atmosphere that they’re sure to love.  Granted, these might be the games that they’ll shelve until a later period outside the joys of the season, but when the mood strikes, they’ll be glad you thought of their fear factor.

2018 Gift Guide: Best Video Games of the Holiday Season

There are a lot of toys out there. And they’re all trying to get your kids’ attention by being the coolest, the greatest, the most extremely ultimate toy that the world has ever seen.

So which toys live up to the hype? Here are some of the best toys of 2017, that should actually get played with long after the holidays are over.

Best Toy for Vehicle Loving Kids (and Their Parents!)

The Anki Overdrive: Fast & Furious Edition Starter Set is a fun upgrade to the super popular app-controlled car racing set from Anki. The Fast & Furious Edition includes “Supercars” inspired the movies, the ability to upgrade with weapons, and a new Power Zone track piece that disables your opponents. This was a collaboration just waiting to happen, and reviews are saying it’s a blast to play with.

If you don’t care about the movie tie-ins, I would expect we’ll see some nice price drops on the regular old Anki Overdrive this season (we saw it as low as $100 last November/December).

• MSRP: $170 / Lowest Price on Ben’s: N/A

Check Price on Amazon

Best Toy for Christmas Morning Battles & Beyond

There have been many attempts at inexpensive laser tag sets, but most have failed to take off because of bad reviews. The LASER X Two Player Laser Tag Gaming Set seems to have finally gotten it right! The starter set comes with two blasters and two receiver vests (200′ range), and can be expanded with additional one-player sets ($25 each). The reviews at Target are great, with one writing, “It is a rare toy that mom, dad, 12 year old and 9 year old all play at once and end smiling not fighting.”

• MSRP: $50 / Lowest Price on Ben’s: $34

Check Price on Amazon

Best Toy Robot

Past years’ have given us robot dinosaurs, robot dogs, robot balls. This year we have the Meccano MeccaSpider, and it looks about as awesome as it sounds. Designed for kids 10 and older, the MeccaSpider can be programmed in multiple ways after being built, and has some fun features built-in, like an IR sensor that senses movement and can even spray “venom” (water) at whoever comes in its path. 

• MSRP: $100 / Lowest Price on Ben’s: $67

Check Price on Amazon

Best RC Toy with Ridiculous Over the Top Features

Okay so we’ll get the bad news out of the way: the DC Justice League App-Controlled Ultimate Batmobile RC Vehicle has an MSRP of $250. But if you’re a Batman fan, your kid you’ll want it anyway. It’s got a POV camera in the cockpit, Batman figure with an arm that actually turns the wheel, real smoke that comes out of the exhaust pipe…just watch the video.

Not a lot of reviews out yet (it doesn’t actually come out until 11/1), but it certainly looks cool.

• MSRP: $250 / Lowest Price on Ben’s: $187

Check Price on Amazon

Best Building Toy

Obviously the best building toy is going to be a LEGO set, the question is which LEGO set! If you spent all your money on the Batmobile above and can’t swing $800 for the new LEGO Millennium Falcon (the biggest set they’ve ever made), the next best thing this year might be the LEGO Ninjago City Set. Also massive, and filled with incredible details, the 3-level, 4867-piece Ninjago City looks looks like an awesome set, even if you’re not into the Ninjago series. I saw it in-person at the LEGO Store and was pretty blown away.

On the not $300 or $800 end of the LEGO spectrum, the LEGO Ninjago Movie Green Ninja Mech Dragon is big and awesome for $50, and the new LEGO Brick Heads ($9.99 each) look like they were basically made to be stocking stuffers.

• MSRP: $300 / Lowest Price on Ben’s: N/A

Check Price on LEGO

Best Toy for Little Superheroes

Every year there is some Batman toy that every little kid has to have, and this year it’s the Fisher-Price Imaginext DC Super Friends Batbot Xtreme. My son (5 years old) has been telling people, “I’m getting that Batbot that’s as big as my sister for Christmas.” And while the comparison is not 100% accurate, this thing is really big (almost 3 feet tall), and looks like it will cause a lot of squeals and excitement come Christmas morning.

I’m a big fan of the Imaginext toys in general–they are well-designed, nearly impossible to break, and the kids actually play with them.

• MSRP: $110 / Lowest Price on Ben’s: $64

Check Price on Amazon

Best Learning Toy for Toddlers

Because kids only play with “toddler toys” for maybe a year or so, the pick for this category has to be fairly inexpensive. The LeapFrog Scoop & Learn Ice Cream Cart retails at an affordable $40, and we’ve already seen it closer to $20 on sale. It comes with a cute magnetic ice cream scooper, cash register, and “order cards” for young toddlers to follow. So far the reviews are almost universally positive (4.9/5 stars on Amazon). 

If you want to go a little bigger (or have a really hipster toddler), the Fisher Price Laugh & Learn Servin’ Up Fun Food Truck is another cute food-related playset this year.

• MSRP: $40 / Lowest Price on Ben’s: $22

Check Price on Amazon

Best Toy You’ll Drive Yourself Crazy Trying to Find

Last year it was Hatchimals; way back when it was Cabbage Patch Dolls, then Tickle Me Elmo and Furbies. This year the toy that everybody seems to be looking for is WoWee Fingerlings. They’re little “interactive” monkeys that hang onto your finger and do stuff, or something. They also make a unicorn version (that has been out of stock forever). The demand for these things is so great that people are selling fakes all over Amazon and eBay. Definitely only buy these from big box stores (or if it’s Amazon.com as the seller).

If you can find them, they’re only $15 retail, and weirdly kind of adorable.

• MSRP: $15 / Lowest Price on Ben’s: N/A

Check Price on Amazon

Best Star Wars Toy

With the Last Jedi coming out this December, it feels wrong not to include one of the new Star Wars toys on this list. A lot of the 2017 toys have gotten “meh” reviews, but that is definitely not the case for the Star Wars The Black Series Poe Dameron Electronic X-Wing Pilot Helmet. Seriously, read the reviews on Amazon; they love it. One says it’s “200% worth the money.”

It’s got sound effects, polarizing visor, speech projector, and it fits adult heads as well as children’s so you can live out your 8-year-old dreams when your kid goes to bed.

• MSRP: $80 / Lowest Price on Ben’s: $48

Check Price on Amazon

Best Toy That Will Take Up Half Your Living Room

Big toys are kind of annoying, especially if they take up a ton of space but don’t actually get used much. I can pretty much guarantee that the Step2 Disney Pixar Cars 3 Up & Down Roller Coaster Ride-On (or any other roller coaster toy) will be worth the living space it takes up. Perfect for keeping active little kids entertained during the colder months! Kids as young as 1 can enjoy this, but my 5 year old still thinks it’s fun, too. It can even double as a ramp for Hot Wheels cars or other toy vehicles.

Note that Kohls will have a non-Cars version of this for $50 on Black Friday; pretty great price if you can snag one!

• MSRP: $100 / Lowest Price on Ben’s: $67

Check Price on Amazon

2017 Holiday Gift Guide: Toys that Live Up to the Hype