Christmas Cover Art Gallery

It's almost Xmas time. Let's take a look at some awesome and not so awesome Christmas themed box art.

Also Merry Christmas to my followers, I hope you all have a great holiday season.

Christmas Gifts for the Hardcore Gamer in Your Life

It is almost Christmas, that magical time of the year when we buy too much shit for the people we love to celebrate the birth of Jesus and the wonders of Capitalism. It can be hard shopping for geeks, we are very picky about gifts and most of us have the cynical attitude of the Comic Book Guy from the Simpsons when it comes to expressing our true wants and desires for Christmas ("Just give me a gift card, I know you haven't heard of Shin Megami Tensei: Persona or Battlestar Galactica...sigh.") Fear not, I am a geek, and I will help you make some great selections for that gaming guy or gal in your life.

Gaming Consoles

When I was kid the only people who could afford a Neo Geo console were the rich or the very rich. I really wanted arcade quality games at home but I had to settle for the Average Joe's choice, the SNES. However, SNK is giving us grown ups another chance to relive the dreams of our childhood, and it is slightly more affordable this time around. For $199, you can now buy the Neo Geo X, a portable Neo Geo that docks into a console shaped charger with a TV output. The system includes an original style Neo Geo arcade stick and the console is pre-loaded with 20 games. While you can get these games for much cheaper in other formats, this is a great collectible for SNK fans or people that love old arcade games without the budget for a vintage AES Neo Geo.

Another portable console to consider is the Nintendo 3DS XL. It is basically a bigger 3DS with a bigger screen, but that is good enough for an upgrade in my book. Also, if you were a Nintendo ambassador (aka 3DS early adopter) your free stuff transfers to the new system. The 3DS is a great system (even with it's region lock nonsense) and the library of games is getting better every week, so there is no reason not to invest in one of these. It is certainly doing better than the Vita (sorry Sony, but I am starting to regret my purchase.)

Games

Tekken Tag Tournament 2 is a fighting game packed with value and top quality production values. There are over 56 characters to choose from, a variety of play modes, customizable costumes, ending movies galore, and customizable music. This is the ultimate Tekken game with a great tag system and a fun online ranking hierarchy. A fighting game fan simply cannot go wrong with this one.

 Final Fantasy Theatrhythm for the 3DS exploits fans love for the classic music of the famed RPG series, but that is a good thing. If you know someone that is a Final Fantasy fanboy or fangirl, then they will pee their pants with joy over this game's playlist as they enjoy tapping to the beat of awesome songs like "One Winged Angel" and " Battle with the Four Fiends." This rhythm game has over 70 tracks, tons of unlockables, and a shitload of DLC songs if they somehow get bored with the existing track list.

Persona 4 Golden is an upgraded version of 2008's classic PS2 RPG for the PS Vita. This console quality RPG is amazingly deep and loaded with new content like social links with Adachi and a new chick from the Velvet Room, cool changeable costumes for dungeons, and a new town to explore with a freakin' scooter. RPG fans with a Vita cannot miss this game, especially since it is one of the few Vita games worth owning at the moment.

Assassin's Creed 3 combines American history, crazy science fiction, and beautiful graphics into one stunning package. The game concludes the story of Connor, so it maybe hard to understand the overall narrative if you haven't played the Assassin Creed series, but this game can be played without prior knowledge of the AC lore ( though I do recommend at least a primer on Youtube about the origins of the Templars and the Assassins.) If you have a graphics whore on your list, this game should whet their appetite.

Other Cool Stuff

Duke Togo from Fewture Models

Dark Knight Rises on Blu Ray

Hardcore Gaming 101 presents Sega Arcade Clasics Vol. 1

Gift Ideas for Christmas 2011

It's that time of year again. People flock in droves to buy gifts for Christmas and spend all their hard earned cash to please loved ones and friends. It can be tough to think of gifts for fellow nerds, but fear not, I will help a bit. Here some ideas for your beloved geek or geeks...

Console Games

  It is hard to imagine Skyrim being a bad pick for any gamer. It is one of the most beautiful and in-depth games ever made. Even the Japanese praised it with Famitsu giving a perfect score, a rare feat for a Western RPG. This game provides hundreds of hours on content and endless customization. If you get this for a spouse don't expect to see them for a few weeks after unwrapping Skyrim...the addiction is instant.

Catherine is one of the most unique games of 2011. The story is adult themed and very unusual. Aside from the sexy art and great story, the puzzles are challenging in a fun way. There are several endings and bonus puzzles for the hardcore. This is a must for Japanese gaming fans.

The King of Fighters XIII is the best fighting game of 2011. Top notch graphics, killer music, and a great fighting engine make this a treat to play. As a bonus, the game includes a music CD with 100 tracks spanning the entire series.

Portable Gaming

 Solatorobo is a beautiful looking RPG with tons of details. The world feels amazingly live and as charming as a Ghibli film. I would suggest grabbing this one before it becomes rare and expensive. It also includes a music CD. This could be the last hurrah for the old DS.

One of the greatest games ever made in portable form. Nuff said.

While the PSP is on life support in the US, XSeed saw fit to release one more awesome RPG for Westerners. Legend of Heroes Trails in the Sky comes from Falcom makers of Ys. Of course, this game has the trademark awesome music that Falcom is known for as well as a cool story with great writing. The limited edition includes a CD and map.


Other Gifts to Consider

Christmas Break...START!

My college exams will soon be over, and Christmas break will begin. I am looking forward to a vacation from school, and some time to see my family and friends. The holiday season will also bring some downtime to play the games I have been neglecting like Ys: Oath of Felghana and Fist of the Northstar. I will probably not update the blog for awhile due to my travel plan over the Christmas season; so everyone have a Merry Christmas. I also wish all the gamers a great new year.

Here are some great reasons to look forward to 2011:

Mass Effect 3

Marvel vs. Capcom 3

Elder Scrolls: Skyrim

Metal Gear Solid Rising

Devil May Cry 5

I can't wait to play these games, what about you?