These gaming hits belong under the Christmas tree

The festive season is just around the corner, but what should you get your loved ones for Christmas? Socks, sweaters or vouchers are the standard, but video games provide dozens of hours of movie-worthy entertainment under the Christmas tree. ntv.de presents five of the best titles of the year that guarantee plenty of gaming fun over the holidays.

"Hogwarts Legacy" (PS/Xbox/PC/Nintendo Switch)

Harry Potter films are popular in the Christmas program (including on RTL+), and with "Hogwarts Legacy" there is now for the first time a comprehensive video game adaptation that skillfully captures the magic of the stories. The school for apprentice wizards is recreated in every detail in an open-world setting, although the story takes place before Harry Potter, Dumbledore and co. The main story involves a plot by dark wizards and rebellious goblins, and there are all kinds of side quests to complete. Learning new spells, solving puzzles about the magician Merlin, magic duels with other students, collecting resources and objects.

The game even does a few things better than the movies, such as the battles. While the big highlight in the blockbuster flicks were two energy beams hitting each other, in "Hogwarts Legacy" you are equipped with a basic range of spells that can be used in battle. From the levitating spell "Wingardium Leviosa" and the disarming "Expelliarmus" to curses such as "Crucio", the player can assign a set of four spells to the speed dial buttons. This ensures dynamic battles with sometimes dozens of opponents. The graphical presentation of the world, the characters, the background music and the great attention to detail will make the hearts of fans of books and films beat faster. Because "Hogwarts Legacy" is so open to creating your very own character, the game is not just a great experience for hardcore fans .

"Star Wars Jedi: Survivor" (Playstation 5/Xbox X/S / PC)

The Force is strong in this game: we're talking about "Star Wars Jedi: Survivor", a spectacular spin-off of the lightsaber saga, because pretty much every moment feels like it was created by George Lucas himself. The player takes on the role of Jedi Knight Cal Castis, who wants to rebuild the Jedi Order and is looking for a safe home planet to do so. However, as one of the last Jedi, he is still being hunted by the Empire. The Inquisitors are always hot on his heels. For Cal, a journey to unexplored worlds across the galaxy begins.

In "Jedi Survivor", the balance is just right. Time and again, new gameplay elements that are unlocked during the course of the game manage to set fresh accents. New types of movement open up new areas. New fighting techniques help with initially too strong opponents. There is also a combat system that makes for incredibly dynamic lightsaber action. With well-timed parries, you reduce your opponent's defense and can then deal out powerful blows yourself. At the end, there is usually a finisher sequence that ends individual duels in spectacular fashion. In terms of storytelling, including sound effects and music, the developers provide goosebumps at many moments - especially for fans of the Star Wars universe. In this area, the game clearly outperforms many an expensively produced series.

"Marvel's Spider-Man 2" (Playstation 5)

One genre that is always exploited in films and series is the Marvel superhero cosmos. And here, too, there is light and shade in the video game sector. "Marvel's Spider-Man 2" is a real gem and the story is a real gem. The arc of suspense, action, drama and emotions are perfectly balanced by the developers, and after completing one chapter you actually want to jump straight into the next. As immortalized in the title, it's all about Spider-Man, or rather two Spider-Men. With Peter Parker and Miles Morales, the player has two main characters that they control alternately through the story.

The fact that two super spiders are needed is due to the new super villain Kraven the Hunter. The big game hunter with superhuman powers and an army of Crocodile Dundee-style henchmen has his sights set on other super villains in the city. Scorpion, Lizard or Sandman - no one is safe from him. Venom is also involved. The alien symbiote is initially a part of Peter's best friend Harry Osborn, but later on it ticks into the original Spider-Man and develops a life of its own. The fantastic New York backdrop can now be explored by wingsuit, and the battles are just like in the previous game: fast and peppered with cracking cutscenes. The end result is a firework display of spider action that will keep you entertained for countless hours.

"Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom" (Nintendo Switch)

If Nintendo has done anything right this year, it's "Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom". The puzzle-action adventure game easily surpasses the already high bar set by its predecessor. The Japanese developer once again impresses with its ingenuity in the story of Link, who sets off in search of Princess Zelda. Link is given completely new abilities to solve puzzles and tasks in Hyrule. Particularly interesting: the Ultra Hand. It can be used to move and merge things. This allows players to create vehicles, boats and even rockets. How the player crosses obstacles such as raging rivers, deep gorges or boiling lava lakes is up to them.

A large part of the game world is located in the sky, in the form of small floating islands. This alone significantly increases the scope for exploration. But it doesn't stop there. Deep below the earth lies the underworld, a huge, beautifully designed labyrinth of caves. "Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom" is for gamers who want to break new ground. While the industry continues to stick to checklists, Nintendo shows what else is out there beyond the familiar.

"Under the Waves" (PS/Xbox/PC)

Away from the big titles, there are of course also game gems to be found - in the case of "Under the Waves", it even goes diving. The story about diving engineer Stan includes elements such as environmental pollution, coping with grief and escapism in a gripping underwater world. "Under the Waves" achieves what many developers dream of: it captivates players. Anyone sitting at the controller is constantly wondering whether what is happening in the game is the result of the protagonist's imagination or whether supernatural things are happening.

"Under the Waves" is absolutely free of violence, but it is still not light fare. Anyone who likes calm and atmospheric stories in an underwater setting will get their money's worth here.

"Super Mario Bros. Wonder" (Nintendo Switch)

It's not an epochal story, nor well-written characters, nor a cinematic production that makes the "Mario" games so charming. It's the creative game mechanics, the brightly colored worlds and, of course, the iconic main character that make every single spin-off outstanding in its own way. And as usual, Nintendo blends series tradition with refreshing ideas in "Super Mario Bros. Wonder". In the Flower Kingdom, a wonderfully colorful idyll dotted with sunflowers, lilies of the valley and many other little plants, the aim is to put a stop to the arch-villain Bowser, this time as a fortress made flesh, well, to drive him away.

Several characters, such as Princess Peach, Mario and Luigi, are available for this purpose. Each equipped with individual special abilities, two of which even reduce the level of difficulty considerably. Child-friendly. Players roam across fields of flowers, glide over blocks of ice, float on clouds and can fall back on tried-and-tested power-ups (new: the elephant suit). To take the whole thing to the extreme in terms of creativity, there are always wonder flowers to discover, which give each level a little makeover (keyword: piranha concert). So why reinvent the wheel when the car runs? A fresh coat of paint and new parts will do the trick.