Some may think it hard to figure out what to get that MMO fan in their life. Would they want cases of energy drinks? Maybe a grill so they can cook while raiding like Vork from The Guild? Well never fear as I’ve compiled a list of gifts that you can get for that MMO fan, and I’m not just talking about World of Warcraft! In this MMORPG Holiday Guide we also have ideas for gamers playing Aion, Lord of the Rings Online, Guildwars, Warhammer Online and Age of Conan. I’ll also go into some peripherals that any MMO gamer would love to have. To start off, I’ll focus on some of the other popular MMOs and gifts that you can snag for your friends or family.
An easy start is to get them something new to play! Aion ($46.99) is the newest MMO to be released and has been getting some rave reviews. Released by NCSoft in September 2009, there has been a steady buzz around the game, and I’ve known several people who have given up other MMOs to play this one. From all I’ve seen and read it’s a pretty solid game, and will appeal to most fans of the genre. And if they’re already playing Aion, why not snag them one of the cool shirts that Jinx just released?
If your friends or family are already playing another game, you can always buy them game time via cards or offer to pay for in game items to help them boost their characters or explore new regions. Blizzard sells pre-paid cards for game time in World of Warcraft ($29.99) and so does Warhammer Online($29.99), Age of Conan ($25.99),and Lord of the Rings Online ($29.99). These will give them 60 days of free time to play in their game of choice!
Tactx keyboard from Alienware
For the World of Warcraft fan, I found many things that one could buy, but I’ve narrowed it down to just a few products. First off, from the official store I have to recommend either Murky or Lurky ($15 each) plush dolls for either kids or for adults (My Murky sits on the top of my computer). Also along the kids line, if you have a guildmate or friend who just had a new baby or is expecting, I highly recommend the “My Other Stroller is [Epic]“ onesie from Jinx. For the more grown up WoW fan, you can also get a Horde or Alliance appropriate beanie so that they can show their pride throughout the winter! In general the majority of the WoW collection at Jinx is pretty awesome, and it’s all reasonably priced. There are also the new in game pets you can buy from the pet store: the Pandaren Monk and Lil’ KT who is the most adorable lich!
Now if you want to get your friends some new gaming peripherals, I recommend checking out the latest Alienware line which I have previously covered. The TactX mouse and keyboard are a little more pricey, but they’d be a great gift idea, especially if they’re in need of an upgrade. Also in November, Creative will be releasing special WoW themed headsets that look great and will help show your Horde or Alliance Pride! Another great item that you could get is the Xeno by Bigfoot networks. Cherithe recommended this in our gadget gift guide, and it’s definitely worth repeating! The Xeno is a great plug-and-play card that will prioritize gamng by bypassing your OS which enables smoother playing and voice chatting.
Now the other gift idea that you can do is for those fellow players who want to get something nice for an in-game friend or guildmate. You can save up to get them a vanity pet, money for a new mount, or some new armor. It’s thoughtful, and something that will surprise them to see in their mailbox or a trade window! There are also the new in game pets that Blizzard released which you can buy from the online pet store: the Pandaren Monk who does some impressive kung fu and Lil’ KT who is the most adorable little lich!
I hope that this guide can help you out with some ideas for that MMO fan in your life. Have a great holiday and spread some /cheer!
Shocking people in a game seems to be where companies want to go. Much in the way of the Airport scene in Modern Warfare 2, this Dutch campaign is created to invoke an emotional response. But just like the Airport scene in MW2, it doesn’t make much sense.
The Dutch game called, Hit the Bitch, is created by The NGO for Children exposed to Violence at Home. In the “game” players smack a female and watch the scale range from “pussy” to “100% gangster”. The swings translate to violence that you can see on the girl in the game. In the game, the female provokes you, using various words in Dutch.
The game ends with the girl lying on the ground crying and bleeding and then calls the player an idiot for playing.
While this did get us talking about the campaign, I can’t believe that a company against violence went so far as to create this. From the start of calling the female a “Bitch” you are led to almost believe that she deserves it or has done something wrong to deserve it.
Watch the video for yourself. I’m curious as to what you think of it. It offends the heck out of me. I couldn’t even get to the end because I was so put off at the increase in bruises as you hit her. Keep in mind the perspective audience for this “lesson” is young males.
Nintendo knows that pretty soon everyone will be in the malls trying to find that perfect gift. Unless you are like me and skipping gifts this year. But if you find yourself in a mall, then look for Nintendo at the 35 malls below. They’ll be there demoing brand new games from Nintendo for the holidays.
The mall tour starts November 23 and will be at the malls below through December 20.
“Using the Wii console’s popular motion controls, Nintendo Holiday Mall Experience participants can play activities like archery and basketball in Wii Sports Resort™, explore the four-person multiplayer excitement of New Super Mario Bros. ™ Wii, step onto the Wii Balance Board™ accessory to experience new activities and enhanced features in the fitness-themed Wii Fit™ Plus, and more. They can also pick up a Nintendo DSi system to sample hand-held games such as Style Savvy, which lets players manage their own virtual boutique, the puzzle-based Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box™ and the highly anticipated The Legend of Zelda™: Spirit Tracks after its launch on Dec. 7.”
Here are the malls they will be at:
The Nintendo Holiday Mall Experience runs Nov. 23 through Dec. 20 at the following locations:
Chandler Fashion Center in Chandler, Ariz.
Westfield Culver City in Culver City, Calif.
Westfield Parkway in El Cajon, Calif.
Ontario Mills in Ontario, Calif.
Westfield San Francisco Centre in San Francisco
Danbury Fair Mall in Danbury, Conn.
Orange Park Mall in Orange Park, Fla.
Florida Mall in Orlando, Fla.
Tyrone Square in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Lenox Square in Atlanta
River Oaks Center in Calumet City, Ill.
Greenwood Park in Greenwood, Ind.
Arundel Mills in Hanover, Md.
South Shore Plaza in Braintree, Mass.
Burlington Mall in Burlington, Mass.
Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn.
Southdale Center in Edina, Minn.
Deptford Mall in Deptford, N.J.
Queens Center in Elmhurst, N.Y.
Roosevelt Field in Garden City, N.Y.
Galleria of White Plains in White Plains, N.Y.
The Mall at Tuttle Crossing in Dublin, Ohio
Penn Square Mall in Oklahoma City
Franklin Mills in Philadelphia
Wolfchase Galleria in Memphis, Tenn.
Grapevine Mills in Grapevine, Texas
Irving Mall in Irving, Texas
Ingram Park Mall in San Antonio
Chesapeake Square in Chesapeake, Va.
Virginia Center Commons in Glen Allen, Va.
Tysons Corner Center in McLean, Va.
Potomac Mills in Prince William, Va.
Northgate Mall in Seattle
Westfield Southcenter in Seattle
Southridge Mall in Greendale, Wisc.
Over the weekend I had the chance to go and check out a big event that Nintendo held at their flagship Nintendo Store in Rockefeller center for the New Super Mario Bros. Wii game. And it was quite the event! They had taken over the area in front of the store and set up a few tented areas (the weather was cold and rainy unfortunately) which had an area that was a museum that you entered via warp pipe, a DJ playing music and a demo area set up with several Wii systems, TVs and allowing four people to play the game together at once. Inside of the store on the upper level they were holding a tournament to win some cool prizes.
The first thing I checked out was the museum. It was filled with all kinds of nostalgic memorabilia from previous Mario games. There were some pretty cool things there like an old Nintendo magazine, some Super Mario Bros. Super Show VHS tapes (still in the shrink wrap!!), bed sheets and comforter, costumes and a cassette tape holder among the collection. There were also two TVs set up at the end of the museum that were playing all of the commercials from the older ones to the one for this game. All in all it was a pretty cool trip down memory lane.
After that I played a bit with the game itself. I had a chance to play it at Big Apple Comic Con so I just played a different level than before. It’s a really fun game, and I have to say that the multiplayer is probably what will make this game so popular. Players one and two play as Mario and Luigi while players three and four play different colored Toads. You see all of the enemies and friendly characters you know from previous games, albeit as jazzed up 3-D versions. The general play style will be nothing new to players of previous games, but in general is pretty easy to pick up. One cool thing is if a team-mate dies they can be resurrected by a player still living as they fly by in a bubble. Once popped, the other player can jump back into the game. This can also lead to some funny and frustrating deaths if this is done in more precarious situations.
Afterwards I decided to go and warm up by going inside and checking out the festivities there. I got to take a picture with Mario, then headed upstairs to where all of the action was. The tournament was in full swing and getting near the end by the time I had arrived to the event but it was fun to watch all of the people who were really into the game. There were definitely some good players there!
For another fun activity to do, there was a photography area set up with a giant backdrop of one of the levels where you could take your picture with various props from the mushroom kingdom. I of course had to go and do this, and I dragged my guest with me to take the photo. Of course I claimed the Mario hat and we had fun posing for a picture!
All in all Nintendo did a great job yet again holding a fun event for the New Super Mario Bros. game. You can get the game now in stores and online! You can also check out all of the images from this event on the Gaming Angels Flickr page here.
Some may think it hard to figure out what to get that MMO fan in their life. Would they want cases of energy drinks? Maybe a grill so they can cook while raiding like Vork from The Guild? Well never fear as I’ve compiled a list of gifts that you can get for that MMO fan, and I’m not just talking about World of Warcraft! In this MMORPG Holiday Guide we also have ideas for gamers playing Aion, Lord of the Rings Online, Guildwars, Warhammer Online and Age of Conan. I’ll also go into some peripherals that any MMO gamer would love to have. To start off, I’ll focus on some of the other popular MMOs and gifts that you can snag for your friends or family.
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