The Gamer
Christmas Gift Guide: Gaming gear for the console lover
Is your brother a Wii man, maybe your sister is a hardcore gamer, or your best friend is a PlayStation fan?
Whatever their passion, there's a gaming console they’d love to own. Plus if the person at the top of your gaming gift list has already upgraded, there are some great games and gaming peripherals that are perfect for the Christmas stockings under your tree.
According to the Interactive Entertainment Association of Australia's most recent report, the average age of Aussie gamers has risen from 28 to a mature 30, with plenty of fans on the other side of the hill. In other words, gaming is not just for the younger generation, there's a good chance your loved ones are fiddling with a joystick in their spare time (and loving it!).
Microsoft Xbox 360 Wireless N Networking Adapter
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Microsoft Xbox 360 Wireless N Networking Adapter
Xbox 360 owners who are yet to own a compatible wireless adapter or are having troubles with their existing one will find the Wireless N networking adapter a useful purchase. The dongle provides wire-free gaming and media streaming on the Xbox 360, albeit at an expensive outlay.
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Scene It? Twilight
Vampires. Vampires on our magazine covers, vampires in our books, vampires in our movies... we currently live in a vampire-crazed nation. Head of the blood-sucking pack is Stephanie Meyer's curiously popular Twilight series of melodramatic books, recently adapted into an equally popular series of melodramatic movies, and currently making its melodramatic video game debut with Scene It? Twilight.
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Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter
Long before Gears of Wars Horde Mode and Left 4 Dead's frantic army of the undead, there was Serious Sam and the unending hordes that he battled his way through. Serious Sam wasn't the best FPS ever created, but it was an unabashed celebration of ballistics and explosions that gave gamers a chance to just blow off some steam. It's been over four years since we last saw Sam and his deadly arsenal of weaponry, and though genre has become more and more sophisticated, this HD remake proves that there is still plenty of mindless fun to be had.
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Assassin's Creed 2
One of the most celebrated franchises of the current generation of consoles makes its triumphant return as master assassin Ezio sneaks and slays through the streets of 15th century Italy.
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Excitebike: World Rally
A timeless classic and a legendary remnant from Nintendo's glory days, this NES motocross classic sees new life on the WiiWare service with this revamped racer.
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Asus R.O.G Mars limited-edition graphics card
The limited-edition Asus R.O.G MARS is essentially porn for hardcore PC enthusiasts. With the possible exception of AMD's ATI Radeon HD 5890, it's the fastest graphics card money can buy. If you can afford it -- and are wily enough to track one down -- the MARS will not disappoint.
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Rabbids Go Home
Ubisoft's latest Rabbid-infested endeavour offers wacky gameplay and downright zany charm.
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The Sims 3: World Adventures
Overall, World Adventures adds so much new content and gameplay that it feels more like a sequel than an expansion pack.
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LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias
LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias offers a breath of fresh air from the typical "run-n-gun" offerings of many current-gen DLC titles. Terry found the WiiWare sequel to be a beautiful, inventive and charming title that, even with a few small controller quirks, is certainly worth picking up.
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New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Taking myself out of the equation allows me to see the game's positives -- it's a polished packaging of the Mario license that fits comfortably on the Wii-but my personal feelings are so inextricably linked to my thoughts on Mario that it's hard not to let my memories of what was and what should have been affect my judgement. It pains me to award it anything that might be seen as a negative score but it would also wound me to give the game a high rating just for old time's sake.
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Dragon Age: Origins
When we first saw Dragon Age at E3, we walked away sceptical, grumbling at the rough graphics and odd focus on character interactions that bordered on high school level drama. Compared to the butter smooth E3 demo for Mass Effect 2, Dragon Age looked like it would end up being the black sheep of the family. Well, shame on us for doubting the wizards at BioWare: they worked their magic and turned that early demo into another must-have masterpiece. Deep and engaging, it's sure to please any RPG fan looking for a long and satisfying adventure. Even better, it will keep us all busy until Mass Effect 2 comes out in 2010.
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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Infinity Ward returns with a follow-up to the critically acclaimed Modern Warfare that has already stirred up controversy over the now infamous airport level. But don't let that distract you from the real discussion: is the game any good? The game definitely has potential but its place in video game history will ultimately be decided by the fanatic online community who may take issue with some of the n00b friendly changes.
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Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City
Episodes From Liberty City is the same old GTA that we know and love. That means more missions, more activities and more crime. But it also means dealing with more of the same issues that have been around since the beginning.
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NVIDIA GeForce 3D Vision
The NVIDIA GeForce 3D Vision is expensive, yes, but for a hardcore gamer it will improve the depth, realism and immersion that good games provide.
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Logitech Wireless Drum Controller
If you're a serious rocker, Logitech's Wireless Drum Controller peripheral for the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 is an investment you can justify thanks to the good build quality, adjustability and ease of storage. Casual gamers may be happy with the significantly cheaper drum kit in the Rock Band or Guitar Hero game bundle.
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Tekken 6
Tekken fans have reasons to rejoice now that the latest instalment of the 3D fighting franchise has arrived but gamers who haven't closely followed the series may be wondering what Tekken 6 has to offer them.
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Wii Fit Plus
With a decent amount of fun new minigames and more intense exercises, Wii Fit Plus is worth paying $29.95 for. As far as fitness coaching goes, however, other titles have passed it by.
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Marvel vs. Capcom 2
Few games are still played as regularly (and viciously) as Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is in our office. This re-release of one of the zaniest, craziest and most addicting 2D fighters to date is a welcome treat for every fighter enthusiast.
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Wii Sports Resort
Though time will tell whether it achieves the same phenomenal success of the original, Wii Sports Resort has the great same mix of innovation and accessibility. Much like how you marvelled at the first swing of the bat in Wii Sports, tossing your first frisbee or shooting your first arrow will be just as fun as it is memorable. Andrew's right--it's not perfect, but it is an awesome tech showcase and a damned fun game.
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Little King's Story
Adorable, charming and an absolute blast, Little King's Story is more than worth your time — and weighing in at about 30 hours, it deserves every minute it can get! A surprising and enchanting experience, I think it's safe to say that Little King's Story is a must-own title that I certainly couldn't have expected, which only makes this hybrid RPG's success all the sweeter.
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Battlefield Heroes
Even with its faults this game is a great value. Other arcade titles with fun, solid gameplay, simple controls, and this many customisable features will run you between $15-$30, but lucky you, you get Battlefield Heroes for free.
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EA Sports Active
As a long-time Wii Fit user, it was going to take some serious effort to knock that game out of my fitness regimen. EA Sports Active, however, was up to the task, providing better exercises with an excellent user interface. I've been using Active pretty consistently since it came out, and I can say without reservation that it's the best workout game on the market right now. If you've got a Wii and want to shed some weight, it's definitely worth purchasing.
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Grand Slam Tennis
Grand Slam's a great package, especially for those who've grown bored with Wii Sports's comparatively casual take on tennis. The Wii MotionPlus-assisted play is nearly pitch-perfect, the modes brimming with features, and the visuals — while the weakest aspect of the title — offer some cartoony charm. As a quality tennis title and an impressive showcase of Nintendo's new tech, EA's ambitious first effort easily takes the cup.
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Fight Night Round 4
Fight Night Round 4 lacks some of the wow factor of its predecessor, but it builds upon the strengths of Round 3 and corrects most of its weaknesses. Three years is a long time to wait for a sports sequel, but Round 4 is an excellent and necessary upgrade for all Fight Night fans, and it reasserts the series as the (relatively) uncontested titleholder across all simulation-style boxing games.
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Let's Tap
I didn't quite know what to make of Let's Tap when it first showed up in the GP offices, and was even more surprised at the amount of attention it was drawing. When I finally sat in on a few rounds of Tap Runner, I'll admit — I was automatically intrigued. Interesting control mechanics meet surprisingly solid game design in this fun, if simple title.
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Ghostbusters: The Video Game
Though I was ultimately somewhat disappointed by the flawed and fundamentally repetitive nature of my time as a green recruit, Ghostbusters' tight online component renewed my long-term enthusiasm for slam-dunking slimers. Now I just need to figure out how to get Ray Parker, Jr.'s theme song out of my head.
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Fuel
An intriguing take on the classic arcade racer formula, there's no doubt that Fuel is an absolute blast as a racing game, but it won't make you forget other recent rubber-burning release from Burnout: Paradise to Pure.
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The Sims 3
The Sims 3 is a gentle evolution of the series that retains everything fans hold dear. While the improvements on offer aren't major, they're enough to make the upgrade worthwhile. Bring on the expansion packs!
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Punch-Out!!
There's no denying it: Punch-Out!! is some of the most fun I've had on the Wii in quite some time. A spectacular trip down memory lane, Punch-Out!! manages to capture the old-school essence that made the 1987 original such a success, all the while integrating just enough new material to help it hold its own. While Punch-Out!! is by no means perfect, it's undoubtedly one of the finest arcade-inspired titles to grace store shelves in this "next gen" era, and is without a doubt worth any hardcore fight-fan's hard-earned cash.
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Ubisoft Call of Juarez
Call of Juarez will entertain anyone who is tired of identikit FPS clones. However, the uneven gameplay often resembles a ghost town -- one for cowboy fans only.