A personal blog of Brent Z, with game reviews, news, and walkthroughs, as well as hardware reviews, PC guides, and, of course, game design concepts, art, and perhaps full releases!
Holidays for a Gamer
Hey all, Thanksgiving is only five days away! It’s incredible to think that so soon after that comes Finals, then the holidays everyone cares about.
The holiday season is a great and terrible time for gamers. Most of the big games have already hit. The only ones that haven’t will be coming over the weekend and through next week. Donkey kong Country returns will hit stores next week (release is Sunday) and Super Meat boy will hit the PC soon after (Pre-Orders start Tuesday on Steam) This is why the holidays are great. All the fun amazing games have just come out and you’re not too far behind if you use gift money to buy them, or anything like that. This, of course, mostly speaks to the younger generations who still get games or money for the holidays.
For the older generations, the holidays can mean a tough time on the gaming schedule. Multiplayer focused games, like Call of Duty: Black Ops will be the major focus for people for the next month or two. When the new year rolls around, we can begin to focus on the titles we may have missed. Epic RPGs like Fallout: New Vegas, lengthy action games like Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, and highly replayable games from classic franchises, like Kirby’s Epic Yarn and Donkey Kong Country: Returns all fall by the wayside until the summer when the adults have the time and money to play them. No one wants to miss out on a game, especially when all their friends are playing it, or the game is so big they have to remove themselves from the internet just to avoid spoilers. I’ve come up with a few tips to help these gamers get the most for their money and time this holiday season, as well as give the right gifts to fellow gamers.
Play with loved ones
This may seem fairly obvious, but you can’t get yelled at for playing with someone, now can you? Rock band 3 just came out, and from personal experience, letting the kit sit out in your living room during family gatherings can prevent the oh so common boredom and keep the photo albums at bay. During more intimate times, play a game you and your kids might enjoy. Kirby’s Epic Yarn is an adorable game the kids will enjoy, but fans of kirby from the NES/SNEs era will love it too. Donkey Kong Country: Returns is another franchise the kids would like, but the veterans from the SNES days will love. It also includes a co-op mode as well. If you’re like me and don’t live near your girlfriend or boyfriend and they enjoy games, boot up a co-op RPG, like Baldur’s Gate II (on GoG.com for $10 DRM Free) A game doesn’t have to be new to be fun, and older games, often are just as good as new titles, can be a great way to get some cheap quality time with a friend or significant other.
Shop Black Friday
This one is especially for the early birds, I’ve heard tell of some places selling Fallout: New Vegas and Halo: Reach for ridiculously low prices of $35-$40! look through the ads for your local stores, and make sure to get there during the early bird hours. Pay attention to these and save some major dough!
Choose the right gifts for yourself and others
by this I don’t mean give what you want to get, I mean get something both you and the person you’re buying it for will like. For example, I know my friend would really enjoy DKC: Retrns, and I would like to play it as well, so it may be a good thing to get him. If you can use a gift together, it often means more to those you give it to.
Give the Gift of old games
If you’re anything like me, you haven’t played every game in existence, but you have been playing for years. Classics like Myst don’t come along very often, and now you can give the gift of those good old games. They may not necessarily be pretty, but th experiences still stand. Even giving an older console, like your used Genesis can mean a lot to a new gamer. HD remakes are all fine and good, but there’s something about the cartridges themselves that is magical. I’ve found that if you bring younger gamers down in the dates gradually, they become more tolerant of older games. Especially when the games all tie into each other. Find games with strong story correlations, like the Myst series. Start them on the newer Myst games, like Myst V, then tell them the truth. The story has its roots in the previous games, and get them started on the 10th anniversary edition of Myst, Riven, and Exile.
Avoid the cliche
Not all game related gifts are a good thing. Make sure, if you’re going to buy them a controller, they want or need one, and no one else is getting them one. Also, avoid bi name games. if they asked for one game there’s a good chance someone else will get it for them. If they do only ask for one game, ask them what they enjoy playing, and find something they might like based on that. Think outside the box. If they say they love Torchlight, get them an older, deeper RPG title like Neverwinter Nights or Baldur’s Gate. You’re relatively safe with these because of how little known they are nowadays. Of course veterans to the genre know and love them, but newer players may not. Indie games are also always a good idea. they’re often cheaper than AAA titles, but offer just as much fun. If a person likes platformers, get them Trine or Super Meat Boy.
In short, just think before you buy this year. Take your time and browse, and for goodness sake, research the people you’re buying games fore before you just pick up a random title!
(Off topic from the article)
The podcast is indefinitely on hold as of this writing. Finals are coming up, so I may be ale to do it during the break, but I want a co-host. Without one it’d be really boring.
