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2007
Gift Guide
Stuff
My Virtual Stocking!
There
is no lack of worthy video games this year, so which one should
you get the gamer in your life?
The
line waiting is over and reality has set in: Any system you
want, from the Nintendo Wii, the PlayStation 3,
X-Box 360 Elite or even a Windows Vista equipped
super gaming computer is accessible as long as you’ve got
the cash. But the question remains after all the hype: “Was
there any reason to have shelled out for these gaming devices
in the first place?”
If my Christmas list is any indication, the answer in most
cases is an emphatic yes.
So listen up, anyone who has me, or any jacked-up gaming geek
age 10 to 99, on your Christmas list: We need help this year
keeping up with the best games out there, ’cause there are
just far too many for us to possibly afford on our own.
The most reliable gift of the season has to be Guitar Hero
III ($59.99). Available for all the major consoles,
this old standby rock & roll video game is back in
its third installment. Although little has truly changed in
the world of Guitar Hero, most gamers with a thirst for rock
glory will want to see this under their Christmas tree. This
year, wannabe rockers can jam along with Weezer, Smashing
Pumpkins and the Rolling Stones by themselves, or test their
rock skill against players around the world thanks to a new
online mode.
Things aren’t as clear-cut as they used to be in the world
of virtual rocking. Members of the original creative team
that assembled Guitar Hero have returned with Rock Band
($59.99, or $170 for special edition), a game that
thoroughly outdoes Guitar Hero in delivering a fun musical
gaming experience. Rock Band lets you rock out with a Fender
Stratocaster, instead of Guitar Hero’s Gibson SG, but besides
that you can also sing and drum along with all the biggest
bands. The game has a steep price tag of nearly $200 if you
want the guitar, microphone and drum set all at once, but
it changes the spirit of musical video gaming away from the
competition of Guitar Hero and more toward cooperation, as
three people can play different parts of the same song in
Rock Band. The drumming in Rock Band is so addictive
and in some ways realistic that a number of drummers I have
spoken to say they can’t help but jam on it. I even hope my
girlfriend—an aspiring drummer—might give it a try before
we acquire a nonvirtual kit for her.
So what is there for non-rock gamers this Christmas season?
Too much!
For those mature gamers who can be impressed with the scope
and artfulness of a video game, Assassins Creed (59.99,
available for Xbox 360 and PS3) will absolutely knock
their socks off. Assassins Creed puts gamers smack in the
middle of the vibrant virtual world of Damascus, where citizens
mull about involved in their daily routine while you eavesdrop
on them. As a trained assassin you dart about unseen, over
rooftops and through alleyways, while desperately trying to
stay unseen and unheard until you can finally complete your
assignment and dispatch your victim.
Again this year, the Xbox 360 has a lock on the market
of intelligent adult-themed video games, thanks, not only
to the vaunted Halo 3 (59.99), but also to two quirkier
titles. BioShock (59.99) is a first-person shooter
game with a twist unlike any other before it. Drawing heavily
from the writing and philosophy of Ayn Rand, BioShock introduces
the player to an underwater utopia ravaged by a lack of morality
that has left its population evil and deranged. Creepy and
disjointed, BioShock, like Assassins Creed, is a work of art.
Mass Effect (59.99) has been referred to by multiple
reviewers as a “space opera.” This role playing game delivers
a sense of adventure, drama and urgency that most story based
games can only hope to achieve. What is perhaps most interesting
about the game is that it forces players to make large moral
and tactical decisions.
For the most die-hard, no- nonsense, first-person-shooter
lover in your life, there is only one game that will truly
please them: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare ($59.99),
available for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. COD4 is the perfect guy’s
game, full of contemporary war scenarios and advanced weaponry
sure to get the blood pumping and wrists twitching. Shoot
through walls! Toss frag grenades! The kiddies should stay
farrrrr away from this one. (Mom, it’s OK to get this one—and
all of the aforementioned games—for me!)
—David
King
dking@metroland.net
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