Well folks, I know you might be tired of reading these, but here’s MY typical ‘what I got for Christmas’ blog. But since Christmas is about giving as well as receiving, I’m going to tell you what I got others as well. Also, some of my most memorable presents of years past, and a few short impressions of the games I’ve been playing lately.

White Christmas

First of all, we actually had a white Christmas this year! Which is MOST unusual, because I live in Texas and we hardly get any snow at all. MAYBE once or twice a year we’ll get snow, but it’s usually just a couple of inches and most of it is ice anyway. Unfortunately, and I hate to sound like a Scrooge, but I don’t really like snow. Which is why I live in Texas. I don’t like the cold weather, so I don’t enjoy getting out in it and playing in stuff that’s cold and wet. And it’s not fun when you have to get out in it, especially since everyone in Texas has no idea how to drive in the snow. Thanks to all the ice, I couldn’t visit my dad when I wanted to, so I had to cut my time with him and my other little brothers short. So while a white Christmas may look pretty, I’d much rather have a green one. Besides, green’s a better Christmas color anyway!

What did I get?

I guess this was kind of a lean Christmas this year, thanks to the economy. But that’s OK, I really have everything I want and need anyway. I got a couple of games: Family Game Night on 360 and Tales of Symphonia 2 on Wii. And I got enough pajama pants to supply a small country, some were even video game related and had characters like Paper Mario and Pac-Man on them! I got a Disney Scene It board game (I’m really good at Disney Scene It). Also, new video game chairs we got on sale during Black Friday. And an off-brand MP3 player which brother Jeff will have to show me how to use (I’ve never had an MP3 player before). Got some stuff to hang up and put on my desk at work. And other assorted little toys and whatsits, mostly video game related (like Mario Kart and Pac-Man candy tins). I even got a couple of things from online friends (thanks, you know who you are). And that was pretty much it for me.

What did I give?

I like giving presents just as much, if not more than, getting them. I gave my mom a Dyson vacuum cleaner, they’re very nice. And she got a book and a UT Longhorn snowman from me, too. My dad likes to bake monkey bread with my other brothers in Scouts, so I got him a monkey bread baking mold that we sell at work, as well as a Home Depot gift card. My stepmom got some potpourri and other girly stuff. All my little brothers got Best Buy gift certificates. I hated being so impersonal like that, but I don’t really know what they have already, and since I have 6 little brothers, it’s hard to buy every one of them something anyway. And I always give my grandmother some money, because it’s tough living on mostly Social Security (believe me, I know).

At Christmas time I like to do something charitable, so when shopping for presents I got some board games, gloves, coats, Barbies, and other toys and donated them at the local firehouse so they can give them out to kids who may not have much for Christmas at all. I think it’s important to do stuff like that at Christmas time and any time of the year.

I didn’t have to buy as many presents for friends this year, because unfortunately, I kind of lost touch with a few of them recently. Some were by choice, others just got too involved with their own lives and families. I’m not really mad at any of them, but I do hate it when that happens. So for the few friends I have left, I gave them Transformer lunch box tins that we sell at work, and filled them with goodies and stuff. And that’s all of that!

Memorable Christmas Gifts From Years Past

I thought I’d share with you also some of the most memorable gifts I’ve gotten in years past. When I was really little and was mostly into toys, I know one year I got a bunch of Star Wars ones (like that big four legged walker guy you see in the snow), and a Dukes of Hazzard bike with training wheels (I learned later that being blind in one eye affects my balance so I could never really ride a bike very well). I think my favorite Star Wars toy was the hover cycle from Return of the Jedi that would break into a million pieces. Later on when I was big into Transformers, I know one year for Christmas I got a giant one and I think its name was Omega Supreme. I’m sure all the Transformer experts know who that one is. One year, under the tree was a bunch of Pac-Man stuff, like a Pac-Man sleeping bag that I still have to this day!

Most of the new video game consoles I didn’t get for Christmas, I bought them with my own money. But one year I got an Atari 5200, and that was a total surprise because I didn’t even ask for one! I thought the game consoles back then were probably too expensive for my parents to afford, so I never asked. Granted, by the time they got the 5200, it was probably on its way out, but I was perfectly happy playing Pac-Man and Pengo on it that I didn’t even want a NES when it first came out.

The other big console that I got for Christmas was many years later. When I graduated college in December of 1999, I had a big Christmas waiting for me, as I got a Dreamcast that year! I didn’t even ask for it either! But I’m glad I got one because I was still high on the hog writing game reviews for a major newspaper, and I could really use a Dreamcast to review more games!

Speaking of games, a lot of my memorable Christmas presents were video games. There was the year I got NES Legend of Zelda, which turned out to be the game that made me want to buy a NES in the first place. One year I got SNES Pilotwings, and when we went to Alabama to visit family, I brought the SNES with me and my dad and uncles played Pilotwings all night, every night! And another year I got Super Mario Kart, which turned out to be one of my top 5 games of all time ever!

And that’s all of that. In the comments section, let me know what you got and gave for Christmas this year, as well as some of your most memorable gifts ever.

OK, so for the rest of this blog, I’ve got some short impressions of the games I’ve been playing lately.

Family Game Night (360)

This was one of the games I got for Christmas. We bought it at a Black Friday sale for 20 bucks, and I’m glad I didn’t have to pay more than that. It’s a fine game, but it’s just video game versions of popular simple board games, so I don’t think it was worth more than that. At least it’s better than what they used to do, make you download each game separately on LIVE. My favorites are Connect 4 and Boggle. Scrabble’s good, too, but takes a long time to play. Too bad Scattegories isn’t on here. My favorite board games usually involve words. Jeff LOVED Battleship when he was a kid, so hopefully I can get him to play it with me here again. I never really understood the point of Yahtzee or Sorry, they just didn’t seem as fun to me. A new game on here that I’ve never heard of is Sorry Sliders. It’s like a mini-version of shuffleboard and probably works better in an actual board game setting. You can unlock game themed furniture for your little room in the game, and Mr. Potato Head is there, so that’s cute. I only wish my favorite board game was on here, and that’s Hungry, Hungry Hippos!

Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World (Wii)

This was the other game I got for Christmas. Another Black Friday sale item at only 15 bucks. I haven’t had a chance to actually play it yet, as it’s always harder and harder for me to play long RPGs anymore. Hopefully I’ll get to it eventually. I’m glad I have it, at least.

Space Invaders Extreme 2 (DS)

The next few games aren’t presents, just games I’ve been playing lately that I’m too lazy to write an actual review for. Space Invaders Extreme 2 isn’t much different from the first game, but there are new ways to get bonus points and other little bits. And it’s cheap. So if you really liked the first game, you might want to check this one out, too. I wish they’d make an Xbox LIVE version of this like what they did with the first game.

Marvel vs. Capcom 2 (Xbox (LIVE)

Every day until New Years, Xbox LIVE has a sale on a downloadable game each day. One day it was Marvel vs. Capcom 2 at only 500 points, so I snagged that up real fast. It’s a rather button mashy game, and the achievements for it are ridiculous, but I like it anyway. It’s one of the few fighting games I can actually somewhat play. And Jeff and his friends like to play it, too. So now we don’t have to drag out the Dreamcast. My favorite team is Cammy, Mega Man, and Tron Bonne. Sometimes I’ll mix it up and use Jill Sandwich, Roll, or the Servebot. What’s your favorite Marvel vs. Capcom team?

The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition (Xbox LIVE)

This was another Xbox LIVE sale day item, at only 400 points! I should get some more points! I missed out on the first game, so I’m glad to play it again, especially after reviewing the new Tales of Monkey Island episodes. Playing the old game makes me appreciate TellTale’s episodes even more, as the old game isn’t as convenient. I can’t get my little brothers and their friends to play games with me much anymore. MAYBE Lego Rock Band sometimes. But mostly they just want to play Call of Duty or World of Warcraft. Not any of my games. But strangely enough, they’ll sit and watch me play point and click adventures like this one and Sam & Max! Can’t figure out why, but I don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. I wish they would play more games with me like they used to.

Cooking Mama 3: Shop & Chop (DS)

I like the Cooking Mama games, as they’re kind of relaxing and weird at the same time. This one’s not much different from the others, though. Just some new recipes. One new addition is a mini-game where you shop for food for Mama. I don’t know why it was worth putting it in the subtitle, as it’s not a major part of the game. You just guide your little girl around the store, picking up food items on the list and avoiding other roving shoppers. Just another version of Frogger, really, and not anywhere near as fun. But at least there’s plenty to cook, so if you like these games, this one’s also a good time waster.

A Boy and His Blob (Wii)

I loved the original game on the NES. Sure the game was full of bugs and other problems, but I liked the gameplay idea of feeding different flavor jelly beans to a blob so he could change into different items for the boy to use. I’m surprised Jelly Belly never hopped on to help market this game! The original NES game was basically another version of Pitfall 2, what with the giant cave maze and all. Which makes sense since both games were made by David Crane. I met David Crane at an E3 once, which was pretty cool. Anyway, the new game was done by WayForward, makers of Shantae for the GBC, and they did a great job here, too. It’s a little different, though. Instead of a giant maze, stages are broken up into short little puzzles, and you get limitless amounts of jelly beans and lives, so it’s not as frustrating. You can find hidden treasures and secret levels, too. There are a few control issues and inaccuracies here and there, but overall WayForward did a fantastic job. There’s even a level that makes reference to the original game! And I love the hand drawn animation of all the characters. And yes, there’s even a button that makes the boy hug the blob, which serves no purpose other than being cute. At any rate, I’ve been really, really enjoying this game and I highly recommend it to anyone with a Wii.

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (DS)

And last but not least, I finally beat this game! Yay! I tell you, Spirit Tracks, or as I call it: Chugga Chugga Zelda, has one of the toughest and longest final bosses of any Zelda game I’ve played! It’s pretty much Phantom Hourglass except you drive a train instead of a boat. Sure it’s a little silly, but it’s a video game, so who cares? It’s like having your own virtual train set, and I like trains! All the train sidequests where you ship freight and passengers were fun, too. And you don’t have that frustrating time-based tower like in the first DS Zelda game, so that’s good. Music is also better this time. I think my favorite thing is that Zelda’s spirit follows you throughout the game, and she can possess phantom knight armor to help you solve puzzles. So in a way, this Zelda game does what I’ve wanted for a long time: let you play as Princess Zelda herself! One of the year’s best DS games, so I highly recommend it, too!

Well, that’s all for now. Next time on my blog it’ll be my highly anticipated “Cary’s Best Video Games of 2009 Awards Show,” and you’re all invited to attend! So until next time, later! –Cary

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