Games for Christmas

One Hundred Ninety First Post: Games for Christmas

A lot of kids want the video games this Christmas. But before you buy them something expensive that they will play only once, you should consider what type of game they want and which ones they will actually like. If you are buying for the PC you are in luck, because games that have been out for a few months only cost around $10 to $30. There are a lot of great first person shooters such as Unreal 2004 and Far Cry below $20 at Amazon.

If you are buying for the consoles such as X box or Playstation there are still bargains, but it will be more of a search for a good game than the PC. I don’t like buying video games unless I know what the person I’m buying it for likes. Even then, the game still might not be fun and it cost $50.

Speaking of games, around my house we are playing “The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker.” It is a fun game, but you can’t compare it to “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.” Ocarina was better because you could play it without a guide. The were clues to where you were going and what you needed to find. Wind Waker requires a guide because the clues aren’t there. It has good puzzles, but is more of a scavenger hunt. In the next Zelda which isn’t yet released, Link, the main hero, turns into a wolf in some zones. I don’t know why. We’ll have to see how well it is designed.

But if you are going to get someone a game get them one they can spend some time one and have fun. If it is for the PC consider getting them some software instead of an old fashion action game. Get them software to edit their pictures, manage email, or just about anything imaginable.

Today a lot of games such as “Unreal” come with level design software. As I have blogged before PC games have more depth to them than the console ones. Some are the same, but there is more to a PC game. I mean more in a way that is involvement in a game. It is more than the side scroller fighters that I played as a child. Those games can be fun, but wouldn’t you rather the kids build there own roller coaster or solve puzzles or even design levels? The kids need to realize that a new system doesn’t mean better games and better gamming experience. And that is something they will learn 20 years from now when they have to spend a fortune to buy the latest game system for their kids.

Until you spend a $1000 on a X box 360 on Ebay.... May the Creative Force and Holiday Spirit be with You