Despite the flailing economy, the Xbox 360 is selling better than ever in 2009. So what will be the hottest Xbox 360 related gifts this holiday season? Here is the 2009 holiday shopping guide for the Xbox 360.

Hardware
Although the Xbox 360 Arcade may be tempting at $199.99, you are better off getting the Xbox 360 Elite for a $100 more for the 120 GB hard drive, which is essential to the complete experience of the system. Better yet, you can try to find the Xbox 360 Modern Warfare 2 Limited Edition Console if you want the best value.

Accessories
HDMI Cable
Newer Xbox 360 units do not come with any component or HDMI cables. As a result, you won’t be able to play games in high-definition. Fortunately, there are plenty of cheap third-party HDMI cables (that work just as well as the expensive ones) to choose from.

Xbox 360 12 Month Live Gold Card
In order to play online on the Xbox 360, you have to pay a subscription fee. Instead of paying $49.99 a year, you can find a discounted 12 Month Live Gold Card this holiday season if you do a little bit of digging.

Xbox 360 Live Point Cards
Pretty much most of the content on the Xbox Live Marketplace requires Xbox 360 Live Points. You can get the cards in two varieties: 1600 or 4000 Points.

Games
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Easily the hottest video game on the Xbox 360in 2009, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 sports an even deeper online multiplayer in addition to a cinematic campaign and a new co-op mode.

Forza Motorsport 3
You won’t find a better racing game this holiday season on the Xbox 360 than the exclusive title, Forza Motorsport 3. It takes two discs to pack in numerous online multiplayer modes, dozens of exhilarating tracks and hundreds of customizable cars.

Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City
This compilation contains the two excellent expansions for Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony.

Other recommended Xbox 360 games released in 2009 for the holiday season:
Assassin's Creed II
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Battlefield 1943
BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger
Borderlands
Brutal Legend
Defense Grid: The Awakening
DJ Hero
Dragon Age: Origins
Halo 3: ODST
Halo Wars
Left 4 Dead 2
Marvel vs. Capcom 2
Pinball Hall of Fame - The Williams Collection
Red Faction: Guerrilla
Resident Evil 5
Rocket Riot
Shadow Complex
Space Invaders Extreme
Splosion Man
Street Fighter IV
Tekken 6
The Beatles: Rock Band
The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition
Trials HD
Trine
UFC 2009 Undisputed
Worms 2: Armageddon

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