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It’s that time of year again. Finding great gifts for people can be tough. Here are some of our Xbox One recommendations for the kids in your life!

No Man’s Sky: Beyond

You might have heard people talk about No Man’s Sky being a disappointment. You might have heard about it’s hideous pre-release marketing. Forget about all of that. No Man’s Sky is a completely new experience that takes the bones of the original release and builds on it so much that they could have just called it a sequel. 

No Man’s Sky is all about exploring the unknown. You fly spacecraft from planet to planet gathering resources, building bases, and discovering interesting alien creatures as you travel towards the center of the Galaxy. It even has a creative mode for spacefarers that want to build without restrictions. 

Kingdom Hearts 3

Kingdom Hearts 3 is the culmination of a story that has been being told since the PS2 era. The story doesn’t make much sense to anyone who hasn’t played all of the games, but that doesn’t really matter too much. The real draw is the opportunity to explore Disney worlds and battle evil alongside characters like Buzz Lightyear and Elsa. This is a complex game, and has its share of flaws, but the spectacle is worth the price of entry alone. 

Crash Team Racing: Nitro Fueled

Crash Team Racing: Nitro Fueled is a painstakingly crafted remaster of several Crash Team Racing games that were released on PS1 and PS2.

This is a challenging cart racer that will be a big hit with fans of Mario Kart 8 that are looking for more challenge. This a feature rich remaster with 31 tracks, numerous cosmetic items, and a full-fledged story mode. It’s definitely worth looking into for your family. 

FIFA 20

Soccer (Football for our international readers) is the most popular sport on Earth. It stands to reason then that the digital version would be wildly successful as well. If your kids play soccer, then they likely have this game on their wish lists every year. I can’t say that I blame them. FIFA does amazing work each year in crafting as authentic and fun of an experience that they can. This year’s biggest addition is the Volta football mode which celebrates the street soccer. Its wild, and exciting… everything a true fan would want to see. 

Madden 20

Time marches on. Years pass. Seasons come and go. New Madden games come out. This might sound like a complaint, but it’s not. Madden releases every year like clockwork to the delight of video game loving football fans. Madden 20 includes a new Face of the Franchise mode where you play a high school quarterback who is recruited into college, plays through the NCAA Football playoffs, and is drafted into the NFL. This replaced the Longshot mode from the last few years, but is a welcome addition. 

Yooka Laylee and the Impossible Lair

Playtonic is a studio made up of former Rare developers who worked on the legendary Banjo Kazooie franchise. They reunited a few years back to release Yooka Laylee thanks to a wildly successful Kickstarter campaign. The game itself was not very well received. But, the success of the crowdfunding campaign sent the message that people were hungry enough that they should try again. Fortunately, they did! Yooka Laylee and the Impossible Lair is wonderful new game that embraces the joy of the first game, but plays in 2D like a Donkey Kong Country game. This is a budget title so it is a wonderful gift idea for families looking so save some money (or get an extra game without paying for a full priced game).

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

EA has held the exclusive rights to make Star Wars games for years, but their efforts have been lackluster so far. This is especially true for fans who want to play single-player, story-focused games. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is just the panacea that those fans need. It features exciting lightsaber combat, a cute droid, multiple planets to explore, and a canonical story. This is definitely one to keep your eye on for the Star Wars fan in your house!

NBA 2K20

The NBA2k series may be part RPG and part basketball simulation, but it is all one big celebration of basketball culture. Every kilobyte of data built into this game is there to help basketball fans party together while experiencing their favorite sport. The music, the style, the storylines – they are all here. And they come included with a technical marvel of a basketball game that lets you take on the role of your favorite star, or beat them to the hoop with your own. 

Just Dance 2020

The Just Dance series is one of the most joyous games I have ever played.

Each year Ubisoft releases a new entry in the series with new songs and access to old hits. Every time they do that they entrance a new wave of fans. This year will grab a whole bunch of younger fans thanks to its inclusion of Pinkfong’s smash hit Baby Shark (Don’t lie. You started singing it, too.)

Plants Vs Zombies: Battle for Neighborville

Plants vs Zombies Garden Warfare has been a hit with kids for years. The two games in the series have given countless kids a chance to cut their chops in the competitive shooter space without having to play some of the more violence games out there. 

Fortnite Battle Royale may be an ever present threat to PvZ’s place in your living room. But, Battle for Neighborville fights back with a great sense of humor. It features goofy characters like a ninja mushroom and a football player zombie.


What do you think? Sound off in the comments and let us know your thoughts!

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By Stephen Duetzmann

Editor in Chief Founder/EiC EngagedFamilyGaming.com Blogger, Podcaster, Video Host RE: games that families can play together. Editor@engagedfamilygaming.com

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