Entertainment
Which alternate reality will take the cake?
Brett McKenzie
Mar 19, 2008 - 11:16:54 AM

Buying holiday gifts can be a grueling task for parents. With the constant bustle of the holiday season, parents can have a hard time keeping up with what presents their child desires for the holidays. When it comes to video games, a constant holiday gift staple, there is hope. Local game shops such as Game Stop offer advice to customers with a knowledgeable staff.
The games high school students desire the most in the world today are Halo 3, Assassins Creed, and Call of Duty 4. Most of the video games can be found at  the local mall or any electronic retailer.
 Halo 3, released by Microsoft in mid September, sold over 300 million copies during its first week of sales.
“For Christmas, Halo 3 will most likely sell better than the PS3,” said  Ryan Lynch (10).
Critics agree that the Halo series was  one of the greatest first person shooters of all time. In a review from Game Informer Magazine the review score was 9.75 out of 10.
Another anticipated game is Call of Duty 4.
This game is available on all of major  and computers but excluding  the Wii.  Call of Duty 4 is the last of the series. Some say its amazing graphics and game play will make it a hit this holiday. In the pervious Call of Duty games the developer Infinity Ward has a consistency of great graphics and game play.
 “I dont really like it because its too modern for me. I don’t like the whole aspect of modern warfare. I’m more into sci-fi shooters like Gears of War and Halo 3,”  said Adam Ball (11).
The release of Call of Duty 4 on Nov. 6  made some crazy  Halo 3 fans focus on the release of the game. No gamer can resist a good game with great graphics and game play. In the June edition of  Game Informer the cover story focused on the debut of  Call of Duty 4. Later issue review writers gave Call of Duty 4 a 10 out of 10.     The past 3 games took place during World War 2. Within the previous games players went inside the mind of a Us Marine or a British commander to lead troops to stop Germany and the Nazis. In Call of Duty 3 the game had just consisted just of the campaign of France and of how Us and British forces took back Paris.  In Call of Duty 4 a group of terrorists are trying to retake Russia and a terrorist leader of the Middle East tries to use a nuclear bomb to divert US forces from Russia.
The recently released Assassin’s Creed also shows promise, as it displays some of the best graphics ever seen on either the 360 or the PS3. With a 9.5 review from Game Informer. The game is getting good reviews from all the critics, and gamers agree that it’s a fantastic game.
“I think it will sell well because I read a glowing review and played the demo at GameStop,” said Nick Keeling (9).
Take last year’s best-seller, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. This game claims the title of one of the longest games of all time, clocking in at 50 hours of game play.  The complex maneuvers required via the Wii-mote and the dungeon-exploring, full-on fantasy action adventure set this apart from the preteen games that the Wii is criticized for. If the gamer prefers something newer, Super Mario Galaxy offers some of the best Wii controls and graphics, all with the name of everyone’s favorite plumber.  Coming in February is the highly-anticipated party game Super Smash Brothers: Brawl, which features all your favorite Nintendo characters duking it out in a four player free-for-all.
 Often, however, the best game gifts are multi-console. Party favorites like Rock Band and Guitar Hero 3 are available on multiple systems, though they do come at steeper prices than normal games ($170 and $90, respectively.)
Gamers have their own personal tastes  video game systems.  When it comes down to it, if one needs a gift for an old-school gamer, go with Wii.  If there’s someone with no DVD player, who only plays occasionally, go with the PS3.  If someone loves video games, go with the 360.  Again, if looking for variety, it’s the best way to go. Another bonus is that if the system breaks due to a technical error, Microsoft will replace it for free without shipping charges.
However, it’s not always easy to make a game system  selection. The Nintendo Wii is often seen as a system for little kids, but this is just simply not true.  Granted, the game library is often filled with cartoony, gimmicky schlock, there are quite a few gems in there that will really please the old-school, gamer.
“The Wii is the latest product continuing Nintendo’s long history of excellence.  It’s not kids’ stuff,” said Spencer Barrett (9).
Sony’s Playstation 3 has gotten a bad rep, but it is superior in media capabilities.   The PS3 does show promise, but it’s more for the casual gamer who wants great graphics and Blu-Ray.  That may change for the future, but it won’t redeem itself in time for the Holiday season.

            

      



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