Shopping late? Skip Halo 2 and try these

Halo 2 and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas are the big titles that may get hard to find the closer you get to present-opening time. So here are some alternatives for the gamer on your gift list:

Feel the Magic: XY/XX

Rated: Teen for crude humor, mild violence, suggestive themes

Nintendo DS, $149.99. Game, $29.99. Available at most toy and electronics stores.

If the Nintendo DS is the Tickle Me Elmo of 2004, what’s left to put in the stocking?

The dual-screen hand-held game machine is the coolest new hardware this season, and it also plays one of the strangest, most intriguing and quirkiest games around, Feel the Magic: XY/XX.

Using the lower touch screen and stylus, players complete a variety of outlandish stunts in an effort to impress the girl. In one of these little mini-games, for instance, some guy has swallowed some live goldfish. The only way to save the day is to rub his tummy upward causing him to spit them out.

Yes, it is that bizarre and intoxicating.

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Ratchet and Clank:

Up Your Arsenal

PlayStation 2

Rated: Teen for crude humor and fantasy violence

$39.99. Available at most toy and electronics stores.

The name is adolescent, but this game is all grown up. It’s so complete, it’s as if the designers figured out how to squeeze twice as much game onto one of those shiny little disks.

This is the third outing of quirky, cartoonish adventures of the furry gunslinger and his little robot pal.

Besides an expansive and well-executed story mode, Arsenal also offers many detailed multiplayer modes: online, connected to another PlayStation or simply using a split screen for four players. The flawless graphics and imaginative choice of weapons add up to great gameplay.

But most importantly, Arsenal never loses its sense of humor.

And it all fits neatly on one disk.

Good for all ages: GameCube’s Donkey Konga with extra Bongo controllers. Beating the drums is a great outing for even the non-gamer.

Also try: The Incredibles (all platforms) and Dragonball Z Budokai 3 (PlayStation 2 only).

Sports fans on a budget will love ESPN’s line of games, including NBA 2K5 and NFL 2K5 for all platforms. They’ve got great graphics and cost less than a Dodgers ticket.