The holiday season is the most wonderful time of the year to sit by the fireplace, drink eggnog, reconnect with your family members and – of course – play video games.

And while several eagerly awaited titles (“Starcraft 2,” “God of War III”) were pushed back from release this year, there are still enough Triple-A titles on their way to thoroughly lighten any wallet.

Here’s a brief on nine games that are just begging to adorn your wish list:

Modern Warfare 2 (PC, PS3, X360)
First-person shooter
Competitive multiplayer
M for Mature
Releases Nov. 10

“Modern Warfare 2” is the direct followup to Infinity Ward’s 2007 first person shooter masterpiece “Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.”

It will put players in the boots of several soldiers involved in the fight against a terrorist regime inspired by today’s headlines.

The distinctively cinematic shooting gameplay the “Call of Duty” series is known for looks to be fully intact.

The diverse actions undertaken for each mission — which range from ice climbing to pulling out from an exploding building by a rope attached to a passing helicopter — will push gamers to their limits.

One of the few challengers to the Xbox Live domination of “Halo 3,” the distinct multiplayer is even more in-depth with several new modes and customizations.

“That one, I’m really looking forward to,” Reading sophomore Blake Jackson said.

Jackson said he is playing through the first “Modern Warfare” to get ready for the second.

"Left 4 Dead 2"

Left 4 Dead 2 (PC, X360)
First-person shooter
Cooperative/competitive multiplayer
M for Mature
Releases Nov. 17

The sequel to last year’s campy cooperative zombie shooter is promising to deliver a new setting, a more cohesive narrative, new weapons and more freakish ghouls to kill or be killed by.

Four new characters will be forced to stick together or get torn to bits as they make their way across the infected Deep South from Savannah, Georgia, to New Orleans.

“I like that they’re adding a lot of different melee weapons,” Jackson said.

The new melee combat will feature cricket bats, frying pans and the chainsaw.

While the basic structure of blitzing from safe house to safe house through zombie hordes is unchanged, new elements such as moving crescendo events and more cooperation between special infected old and new (the “boss” creatures) will keep players on their toes.

"Assassin's Creed 2"

Assassin’s Creed 2 (PS3, X360)
Action-adventure
Single player
M for Mature
Releases Nov. 17

Desmond Miles’ story of historical cloak-and-daggery continues in “Assassin’s Creed 2.”

In this iteration, Desmond, the main character, once again enters the Animus to relive another ancestor’s life as an assassin, this time as a noble in renaissance era Venice and Florence, Italy.

The first game’s intuitive but repetitive combat has been thoroughly reworked. Sword duels, as well as stealthy assassinations, were made more rewarding and more intuitively controlled.

Leonardo Da Vinci assists throughout the game as sort of Renaissance version of James Bond’s “Q,” providing wondrous gadgets and mechanisms to aid with the assassin’s quest.

“The graphics look good — what they do in the game looks good. It’s more open (and there’s) a lot more to do,” said Washington Township Victor Curtis.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii)

"New Super Mario Bros. Wii"

Platformer
Cooperative multiplayer
E for Everyone
Releases Nov. 15

Mario and his platforming pals go back to their roots in the sequel to 2006’s “New Super Mario Bros.” for Nintendo DS with a strong dose of competitive cooperation.

The “2.5d” (3D characters and levels on a side scrolling plane) environment move from left to right just like in the 1980s days of Super Mario Bros. Many homages are made to the gaming touchstone, but it also has several new features to draw in new and old fans alike.

Up to four players can join the game at any time and work together to overcome the stage’s obstacles, while competing to have the most lives and coins at the end of each level.

“It takes you back to the old days, then they upgraded what they had back then,” Curtis said.

"Uncharted 2: Among Thieves"

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3)
Action-adventure, 3rd person shooter
Competetive, cooperative multiplayer
M for mature
Now Available

One of the biggest action thrillers of this holiday season cannot be seen in theaters — even though it’s already on Blu-ray disc.

It also happens to be the sequel to 2007’s hit game “Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune.” Improvements to the control scheme and addictive multiplayer make this title not only an improvement on its predecessor, but also a must-have for any PS3 owner.

In a refreshing change from many other shoot-‘em-ups, the globetrotting narrative traverses diverse locales and highlights several well written and likable characters,

An effective and intuitive cover system, combined with high-flying platforming, make the game seem at times like a child of “Gears of War” and “Assassin’s Creed,” taking the best elements of both while maintaining a fast-paced and intriguing story.

"Brütal Legend"

Brütal Legend (PS3, X360)
Action-adventure, car combat, real time strategy
Competitive multiplayer
M for Mature
Now Available

For those that think games these days just aren’t nearly metal enough, Tim Schafer (the co-creator of gaming classics such as “The Secret of Monkey Island” and “Grim Fandango”) has the solution.

Brütal Legend is a mash-up of several different gaming genres — the protagonist (voiced by Jack Black) brawls like “God of War’s” Ares, drives like Sweet Tooth from “Twisted Metal” and commands his legions like Nod in “Command & Conquer.”

The game features more than a hundred classic metal tracks hand-picked by Schafer, as well as a star studded voice lineup enlisted to spout his notoriously hilarious witticisms including Tim Curry, Lemmy Kilmister and Ozzy Osbourne.

Don’t let this one slip by like another “Psychonauts.”

"Dragon Age Origins"

Dragon Age Origins (PC, PS3, X360)
Role-playing game
Single player
M for Mature
Now Available

The vaunted developers of classic swords-and-sorcery RPGs, as well as science fiction hits such as “Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic” and “Mass Effect,” is going back to its roots in “Dragon Age Origins.”

While “Dragon Age” is somewhat of a spiritual successor to Bioware’s Dungeons and Dragons based “Baldur’s Gate” series, it also employs several new themes the developer has explored since its maturation.

The game’s brutal and gritty world is full of lust, wrath and greed, and the decisions the player makes both when creating his or her character and during the game will have widespread consequences.

The combat system uses a classic pause-and-play tactical element, allowing the player to coordinate the attacks of party members from either a top-down or behind the shoulder perspective.

"Forza Motorsport 3"

Forza Motorsport 3 (X360)
Racing
Competitive multiplayer
E for Everyone
Now Available

“Forza” is the Xbox 360’s “Gran Turismo,” as well as one of the top contenders for simulation racing action.

The third edition looks to retain the series’ emphasis on performance tuning and customization while incorporating more than 400 cars, 100 tracks, and many newbie friendly features.

“I loved (“Forza Motorsport 2”) because you could customize the cars,” Jackson said.

The newly reworked season mode will automatically present the player with competitions based on previous performance and car choice.

Some of the new player concessions include automatic braking, as well as a replay feature which allows the player to “rewind” at any point and retry a botched turn or avoid a crash.

"Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City"

Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City (X360)

Action-adventure
Competitive multiplayer
M for Mature
Now Available

For those who wanted more adventures in Liberty City after they parted ways with “Grand Theft Auto IV,” Rockstar has assembled its Xbox Live exclusive downloadable content on one disc for $39.

The game contains the previously released “The Lost and the Damned,” which focuses on the biker gangs of Liberty, and the new “The Ballad of Gay Tony,” an exaggerated look into the jet set of the faux New York and the bizarre tasks its members ask of the player in order to maintain their lifestyles.

A copy of GTA IV is not required, though its protagonist, Niko Bellic, does make an appearance in the episodes as they interweave with his story.

The game also includes new multiplayer modes from both episodes, which encapsulate motorcycle gang wars as well as outrageous sky diving, rocket launching mayhem.

E-mail the author: Connor Sheridan