We've said goodbye to a year with games. We're now heralding in a new year with our own unique gaming resolutions. It's quite the time to be alive, if we may say so. And, as we look forward to a new year of gaming with Nintendo's handheld, we wonder how we'll occupy our first weekend with some quality titles. There really isn't anything new for us this week, so we'll be checking our stack for something to play.
How about you, fine reader? Is the wide-eyed optimism we have for the new year a feeling you share? Do you look forward to getting your game on this weekend?
Well, this is the last weekend of 2007 and the last WRUP for this year, as well. And, sure enough, there isn't a single new release to discuss for the final WRUP of 2007. So, that means you'll have to resort to your gifts from the holiday to get you through this weekend, that is unless you have already gone through all of them. Knowing our readers and their enthusiasm, that is entirely likely. But, no need to fear, a few of you will be getting a truckload of new games to enjoy soon enough.
So, what will you be playing during the last weekend of 2007?
How sad we are to see the holiday come to an end. No more Christmas tunes and hot cocoa just doesn't taste the same to us anymore. If only we had a giant mural like the one above to visit for an instant jolt of that Christmas feeling. It's a HUGE mural, if we may say so, and came out looking fabulous.
When we were cruising around flickr today, looking at pictures of folks enjoying the holiday, we came across the picture above. We then began to wonder if you were enjoying some DS with your family. And what better way to find out then to toss up a poll? So, let us know how you're doing today and if the DS is making it better.
... or, more specifically, taking it with you to family gatherings over the holidays. As in, will you be carrying your DS around? For holiday travel, it's a real boon; the DS can help with the monotony of long plane trips or drives (so long as you're not actually driving), or help deal with jet lag or insomnia from changing time zones. It can also be fun to share the joy and wonder of the world's best handheld with the uneducated masses. Did you do that last winter? If so, you may not be the only one sporting a DS at this year's holiday gatherings. Hey, maybe you'll be able to get some download play in!
With Christmas approaching at breakneck speeds, many are scrambling to get all of their gifts secured and their task of wrapping them complete. Not to mention that many a home still need decorating in that timeless family tradition of tossing up lights (way too many if you're a Griswold). Or, you can do like these fine chaps did and toss out your star or angel that usually rests atop your tree and replace it with a Triforce. Pretty sweet, if we may say so.
This "tree" definitely puts the one at Rockefeller Center to shame.
Located at Nuevos Ministerios in downtown Madrid, this animated LED display features everyone's favorite power pellet abuser, Pac-Man himself.
You may notice that the cherries, pretzels, and other guzzle-able items have been replaced by a Christmas tree, holiday bells, ribbons, and stars. Nice touch.
To see a gargantuan picture of the Pac-Man tree (or at least a larger image than the one to your right) and some video action of it, jingle all the way past the break.
What with all the Nintendo-themedornaments we've seen lately, we can't help but wonder if fandom seeps into your celebrations. Has your love of games infiltrated your holiday decorations? Do you stash a Mario ornament on the back of the tree, where no one can see it -- but you know it's there? Or maybe you go all out and do a themed tree. If Nintendo pops up in your holiday decor, we want to know about it!
'Tis the season for asking for things, and the last time we checked, the DS is most definitely a thing. So who's asking for it? Sure, some of you may want one of the many new DS Lite colors or editions available, but what about the people who don't currently have a DS? Your parents, your siblings, people you know -- anyone hoping to be on the receiving end of a particular handheld this year? Lately, it seems like the DS is everywhere. Just today at the university, I overheard some people discussing the new Zelda-themed Lite. A few of the ladies at my mother's office -- all older than she is, and close to retirement -- have been discussing "that brain game" and have expressed a desire to get their math on. Have you heard anything similar?
The past few NPD sales charts have shown the Wii (and in one instance, even the Xbox 360) overtaking the Nintendo DS. If you believe in the powers of super-analyst Michael Pachter, though, the DS will reclaim the number one spot in the U.S. this holiday season. The Wii, he thinks, will follow as the second most sold piece of gaming hardware. If Pachter is right, it looks like Nintendo will be sitting pretty for the holidays.
We have to wonder, however, if he would predict that the Wii take the top spot if limited supply wasn't an issue.
Yesterday we asked what DS items were topping your list of items you would like loved ones to give you on (holiday or occasion that involves gift exchange). Today we'd like to talk about the opposite. No doubt, if your gaming habit is as obvious as ours is, your relatives know that you enjoy the video games. Is there anything you fear you'll get? Something so horrific you'll be ashamed to go return it?
We'd be afraid of getting something like Imagine Babyz, mostly because we'd be unable to mask the revulsion on our faces as we opened the game.
Much like the child above, we found ourselves completely ravaging all parts of our turkey, dining on its meat and eventually collapsing in our chair. It probably didn't help that we had some wine with dinner, since the two made us incredibly drowsy. We still can barely move, as we type this post out by using a long stick and slapping it against our keyboard while we lay on the couch. We're not sure if we're going to be able to move until Sunday, at least.
What about all of you who celebrated the holiday with us? How are you holding up? And, for our International readers who don't celebrate, what will you be playing this weekend
Yesterday, we talked about the Wall Street Journal's poll regarding most-wanted gifts, and today, we want to talk about yours. Specifically, DS games. Hoping for any as holiday gifts from friends and family? After all, there are quite a few that come out throughout the year that we never seem to manage to get through, so we always include a few on the year-end wishlists. How about you? What are you hoping for?
Nintendo dished out a press release this morning, declaring that the previous rumor of two new DS Lite bundles hitting in time for Black Friday is, in fact, a reality. These two new bundles (other pictured past the break) will greet eager shoppers looking for the perfect gaming gift. No word on how long they'll be around, but the press release did state that they're limited-edition units, so we wouldn't expect them to be around forever.
It's been a long, languorous look at Zelda (and we're not quite done yet!), but for the release of Phantom Hourglass, it was worth it. But for many of us, it's time to turn our gazes to the next sunny spot on the horizon. What's the next game you're waiting for? Are you marking your calendar? It's almost time for the holidays, after all, and you know what that means: release frenzy. Time to start saving those pennies, DS owners ... it may be a rough couple of months.
... or, more specifically, taking it with you to family gatherings over the holidays. As in, will you be carrying your DS around? For holiday travel, it's a real boon; the DS can help with the monotony of long plane trips or drives (so long as you're not actually driving), or help deal with jet lag or insomnia from changing time zones. It can also be fun to share the joy and wonder of the world's best handheld with the uneducated masses. Did you do that last winter? If so, you may not be the only one sporting a DS at this year's holiday gatherings. Hey, maybe you'll be able to get some download play in!
This "tree" definitely puts the one at Rockefeller Center to shame.
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