We here at Three Dads and a Console want to share with you what to get that gamer in your life for the holidays, or, if you are the recent recipient of a shiny new gift card, what to keep an eye out to spend it on!
Pez's Picks:
Balatro (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Mobile)
Back in March, I reviewed Balatro with the title “Balatro Makes A Case For Indie Game of the Year” and boy was I wrong. This game was nominated for straight up Game of the Year in 2024. Balatro was like a unicorn for me and a nice palate cleanser after spreading my freedom all over Helldivers 2.
The premise is quite simple: you play poker hands which will award you chips. Once you collect a certain amount of chips, you move on to the next blind.
Balatro throws a wrench in the plan with jokers. Jokers allow you to craft your run directly how you want to. Some jokers will give you chips, some will provide +Mult (multiplier) while some will give you an xMult. How you build your deck and complete your runs is completely up to you.
There is a slight learning curve, especially if you’re not knowledgeable with poker hands, but the game also has accessibility options that continue to provide you hand information.
The game runs extremely well on all consoles, PC and the Steam Deck. It is truly a cut above the rest in a sea of bloated roguelikes where you can lose hours and hours of time because the “one more run before bed…” sentiment is always lingering.
This is truly my favorite game of 2024 and I’ll continue playing it well into 2025.
College Football 25 (PS5, Xbox Series X/S)
If Balatro is my favorite game of the year, College Football is easily my most played game of the year. I have to give EA credit where credit is due, I was extremely sheepish on College Football 25, and while the game has its flaws, it is a pretty good recreation of college football. There is a mode for everyone with Dynasty, Road to Glory and unfortunately, College Football Ultimate Team.
The gameplay feels really good when you’re on the field. The EA team has taken some chances with things like the switch stick and while it does work at times, it can be frustrating. I’ve found that College Football is night and day better than Madden 25 and the infinite recruiting really makes your teams feel fresh.
There’s a reason I spent 140+ hours playing this on my PS5.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (Nintendo Switch)
I fell in love with the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but wasn’t incredibly fond of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and I think it is because I missed the old Zelda games. I missed strolling through dungeons and dealing with puzzles and the top down view. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, to me, was the warm Zelda hug I was looking for after experiencing Nintendo’s massive offerings. Echoes of Wisdom is a “welcome back” for old school Zelda fans who have been dying to jump back into what made them love the series. Unexpectedly, you get to play as Princess Zelda this time! Something has taken over Hyrule and it is your job, with your new friend Tri, to figure out what it is and how to defeat it.
The new mechanic is an echo mechanic, where Zelda can learn how to copy things around Hyrule. Need to pass through a gap, create a bridge of echo beds that stack on top of one another. Surrounded by enemies? Summon some echo fighters to help you lay waste to your foes. Much like Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, puzzles can be solved in multiple ways.
I found the experience to be absolutely joyful, full of color and a fun (albeit sad at times) story that does a great job bringing back that old Zelda feeling.
Wabba's Recommendations:
Star Wars Outlaws
If you are a Star Wars fan, this is the game for you! The character Kay Vess feels at home in the universe and Ubisoft nailed the feel of the original star wars story. This storyline intertwines with existing characters and story beats, and its a great addition to the original trilogy. The music, the voice acting, and even some familiar faces will make you feel right at home for fans of the series.
They just added new missions to the season pass and while short, I had a lot of fun and it was great way to spend an evening. Along with this mission were gameplay balancing and fixing, which reduced the reliance on stealth to complete a mission, and other really good noticeable quality of life fixes. Its great to see this type of support to ensure its the best game it can be.
The game is fun - and at the end of the day, thats what matters. I love learning about Kay’s journey and some of the story missions really hit hard. I cant recommend this game enough!
TMNT: Mutants Unleashed
We all love the turtles - and the newest movie was so much fun! That's why we were excited when we heard our friends at Outright Games were making a game spin off of this version of these teenage mutant super heroes! They nailed the aesthetic of the movie and the game can be surprisingly deep with leveling up and social links, compared to some of their other titles. Or if you care just about gameplay and story, you can focus on that as well. Each turtle feels different with their move sets and varied super abilities. Plus, there are plenty of collectables to find! Our kids loved this game and its a great title to watch them play, and to play with them. Outright is all about family experiences, and this is one of their best titles by far to enjoy with your kids this holiday!
Court's Choices:
Dragon Age Veilguard
In a time where there have not been a lot of story games I’ve wanted to play, Dragon Age Veilguard has scratched that itch with its storytelling and characters. I played all the way through and thought the main storyline was really strong and made me want to keep playing. The combat was a little different than prior iterations, but it was easy to get used to. I have not had a game I’ve not wanted to put down in a while! If you are looking for a game, or shopping for someone, who likes fantasy games with characters who add to the depth of the story - Dragon Age Veilguard is my pick for you!
Pokemon TCGP
This is a game The Dads love and a great game to play with your kids. Whether you are a Pokemon master or new to the ‘mon, this game will be super fun for you. Collecting is my favorite part - mostly going after the Video Cards that show a pokemon filled scene before moving to show the main character of the card. You can also try your hand at battling, using either a deck you’ve built or a preconstructed deck. There are new events and they are keeping it fresh! And our kids love it as well - its a great activity to do together (and the app is free!)
We hope these recommendations serve you well this holiday season! Hope Santa was good to all of you and we look forward to hearing your favorite games you get to play this winter!
Comments