WII
Special Christmas Movie Guest Appearance: The "I Can't Get Up" Kid from A Christmas Story
A Christmas Story is a true classic, and probably my favorite holiday film of all. Unforgettable moments abound, from the leg lamp (it's a major award!) to the tongue on the flagpole scene. Who could forget the little brother, though? From his hiding under the sink, to the eating dinner like a pig, he's too cool. And when he gets so bundled up he can't put his arms down, and then falls down outside, I crack up every time. For this kid, and any other who likes to spend a lot time in the great white outdoors, the best gift:
For The Cartoon Network Maniac:
This is the kid who eats, drinks, and breathes cartoons. They wear Spongebob pajamas. Each T-Shirt they own has a cartoon character on it, from the Fairly Odd Parents to Pokemon. They learned the days of the week when they were 2 years old, just so they knew when that next new episode of Justice League was on. Why not gift this kid with a video game based on what is arguably the most popular show on Cartoon Network? They'll go into awesomeness overload when you give them this baby:
For the Scary Rob Zombie Fan:
Admit it: White Zombie was pretty awesome back in the 90s. "Thunderkiss '65" is amazing, after all, and even their last album had some great stuff. Then, Rob went solo and got a bit... weirder. That's truly horrifying when you consider his name is ROB ZOMBIE. Some unholy metal/dance hybrid songs and some merely average horror movies by ol' Rob drove you away. But there's that one guy who is still a disciple. He keeps his hair in odd braids, is as pale as the moon, and always has a chicken bone in his beard. This fellow's tough to buy for, but we recommend this:
The Casual Puzzle Game Grandma
And you thought the last person was scary! Watching your dear old grandma spend hours and hours on the computer playing Solitaire is a strange experience. On the one hand, you are glad she's getting experienced at the computer. On the other hand, she's been on the computer more in the past year than you were during the height of your Everquest/WoW binge days. It might be time to get granny away from the keyboard for a bit and show her that newfangled PeePee, or whatever it's called, you know, the one with the white remote control. Grandma'd love this one:
NINTENDO DS
For The Superhero Fans Who Have a Long Ride Home
Their parents will thank you for this one. Those long trips in a car all over the country are tough on kids. Sure, there's Ipods and portable DVD players and the like, but it's still boring to be stuck in a car when you're seven years old. Especially when big/little brother/sister keeps pestering you all the time. As a wonderful relative, you can fix this by getting each kid a copy of the following game, and letting them co-op nicely all the way home:
For The Mildly Obsessive Japanese RPG Fan
This person is usually a creative type. They keep the DS within reach at all times, and at family gatherings, they are almost always playing some weird RPG with a long title. They likely own stock in Atlus and Square/Enix. This person is considering buying a PS3 to be able to play White Knight and/or Valkyria Chronicles. Their favorite game of all time is Chrono Trigger, and they actually played Secret of Mana in co-op mode. Here's a good co-op RPG with a name long enough to satisfy even this JPRG obsessed gamer:
For Anyone You Don't Want to Spend a Lot On
Times are rough. Your wallet is still likely hurting from the fall onslaught of awesome new co-op titles. Worry not, friend. There's still some quality co-op to be had for even a low price. Each of the following titles is a mere $20 and is easily worth that (well maybe not Barbie). They may not rewrite the playbook for great co-op, but you could certainly find a whole lot worse ways to spend an afternoon. Like baking a gingerbread house, for example.