As I strolled along the path by our home, with winter flakes drifting in torrents, my first thought was how much extra time I would need on my commute. But then a sense of wonder slipped into the moment and a song came to mind: "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas."
Yes, friends, that season of wonder is upon us. Just as crisp snow and sonorous songs greet us, so too does our annual gift guide arrive to help you shop for the gamer on your list. We'll start with a tasty appetizer of games, move on to main-course consoles and finish off with a deliciously subtle dessert of unique gaming gear.
Top five M-rated, sure-to-please blockbusters
1. Call of Duty: Black Ops 2
2. Assassin's Creed 3
3. Halo 4 (review coming soon)
4. Dishonored (see review Nov. 7)
5. Borderlands 2 (see review Oct. 10)
Top five tantalizing titles rated teen and under
1. Lego The Lord of the Rings
2. Need for Speed: Most Wanted Limited Edition
3. FIFA 2013
4. Forza Horizon
5. Just Dance 4 (Kinect required)
Any of the above titles are a must-have for the gamer in your life. However the sky's the limit when it comes to the video game industry. Feel free to go beyond games and dive into some of the best console bundles on the market. The big seller this year will be the Nintendo Wii U, the follow-up to 2006's Nintendo Wii (has it really been six years?). This sleek console has been upgraded with full HD graphics and handheld tablet that can act as a dual screen, controller, or combination of both. Personally, I love the idea of being able to game while my family watches TV, flipping it back to the main screen on commercials.
Top five consoles
1. Wii U console
2. Xbox 360 Halo 4 Limited Edition console
3. Sony PlayStation 3 500GB Assassin's Creed III bundle
4. Nintendo DSi XL portable gaming console
5. Xbox 360 Kinect bundle or PlayStation3 Move bundle
Don't have $350 lying around to blow on either the Nintendo Wii U or on the beautifully-crafted Halo 4 Xbox console? Or perhaps instead of placating consumerism with the same game everyone else is buying, you want to strike out on your own to find the unique gift for the gamer in your list. Well, there are some wonderfully unique gaming-inspired gifts that won't break the bank. You'll want to hop online and order these gifts fairly soon to ensure they arrive in time for Christmas.
Top five unique gaming gifts
1. The Retron 3 Gaming System with three slots to play NES, SNES, and Sega Genesis games (Amazon.ca)
2. My Perfect Day video gaming throw pillow or T-shirt (cafepress.com)
3. Video game controller soap (firebox.com)
4. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, brilliant sci-fi adventure novel rife with video game references (chapters.ca)
5. Never Forget original Nintendo poster, mug, or T-shirt (zazzle.ca)
One final gift idea on this year's list, apart from gift certificates to EB Games (always a favourite), is the gift of time. Appreciated the world over by gamers, an easy gift is for you to simply set aside some time for the gamer in your life to do what they do best, giving him or her the time they'll need either to delve into a new game or to catch up on games they didn't have time to play during the epic onslaught of goodness during 2012.
When he's not teaching high school, St. Albert Catholic High School alumnus Derek Mitchell can be found attached to a video game console.
