No doubt, good old Saint Nick left plenty of gaming goodies under the world's Christmas trees last week. At my house, a new system (well, for me at least) and a mixed crop of great games brought much merriment, especially after a grueling semester of workplace stress and university classwork. To keep in the seasonal spirit, I've decided to share my holiday haul with the Game Informer blogging community. Not for the sake of bragging (I dislike blatant narcissistic displays as much as anyone), but out of a genuine interest in disclosing my current interests. Because sometimes you can learn the most about a man or woman from what ends up in their stocking.
For everyone's benefit, I'll skip over my heaps of new clothing.
To start off, let me present (no pun intended) the priciest gift I received: a Sony PlayStation 3 500GB console, bundled with Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham and a Sly Cooper Collection downloadable code. Now I know what many out there must think. Why would someone want a PS3 when every committed gamer worth their joysticks is upgrading to current-generation systems? Why not skip the PS3 altogether and write Santa for a PS4? Well, as a thrifty college student, I simply can't justify springing for a newer console yet, and I don't feel comfortable asking for something so expensive. Moreover, I just haven't seen many games out on the PS4 that catch my interest. My last-gen backlog can more than tide me over for the foreseeable future.
I largely have my brother to thank for providing me with my first Sony system. He helped purchase it with a 30 percent-off mobile coupon he and my mother cashed the night it was set to expire. The deal came at an opportune moment. I had wanted to jump on Sony's bandwagon for some time, partly due to my lack of interest in Microsoft's first-party lineup. Exclusive releases like Ni No Kuni, Journey and the Jak and Daxter Collection were enough to drive this Xbox 360 owner insane with envy. At the same time, the PS3's Blu-ray capabilities excite me just as much as its games. After subsisting on DVDs for years, the videophile in me is more than ready to geek out on full-HD movies and shows.
To go along with my PS3, I have a new TV, courtesy of my parents. Nothing too big, of course - just a 24-inch flat screen to replace the ancient (though still reliable) circa-1997 cubical TV in my room. I've personally never seen the appeal of massive television monitors, probably because I watch a ton of DVDs that would look terrible if blown up on a big screen. I'll stick with a modest-sized display; it fits my frugal personality.
As mentioned above, my particular PS3 model came packed with two titles: the latest entry in the Lego Batman series and the HD collection of the PS2-era Sly Cooper games. Although past Lego games and their bare-bones gameplay haven't gone over well with me, I look forward to seeing how much the series has evolved since the last one I played. Who knows, maybe I'll be surprised. From what I've seen and heard about them, I can already tell the Sly Cooper games and their mix of stealth and platforming will be right up my alley. To find out for sure, however, I first have to actually download them. Lizard Squad blocked my last attempt at logging onto Sony's network with their denial-of-service shenanigans. No doubt, preventing me from playing Sly Cooper was their top priority - the nefarious villains!
Along with the bundled titles, I am now a proud owner of Soul Calibur V and The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest. These two make for an odd pair. My mother and brother unashamedly admitted to fishing them out from a $10 bargain bin, and I can't think of a more fitting place to uncover such drastically dissimilar games. So far, Soul Calibur V has proven to be a blast. Its one-on-one weapon-based bouts allow for tense, stylish action, and the fighters show a lot of variety. From my brief foray into the singleplayer mode, I've already fallen in love with its sappy storytelling. The game's plot looks astoundingly stupid, fueled by hokey dialogue and hysterically clichéd writing. I don't know if the other Soul Calibur games are as narratively inept as the fifth one, but it definitely works in its favor. Fighting games, no matter how hard they try, routinely fail at delivering compelling plots. At least Soul Calibur V embraces the genre's shortcomings and pumps out plenty of fun, over-the-top stupidity. Aragorn's Quest also looks like harmless fun. I never would have picked it up myself, but sometimes the best gifts are the ones you least expect.
Although it fits the aesthetics of Halloween better, Dark Souls has received the most playtime at my house during the past week of holiday relaxation. Technically a gift for my brother, he and I have thoroughly enjoyed playing through its opening levels, mastering enemy patterns and overcoming obstacles with time-tested trial and error. The game deserves all the hype its die-hard following has piled on it, and I look forward to conquering its baddie-infested dungeons over the coming months. The game is dastardly fun, plain and simple.
Besides games, I added two animated shows to my home media library last week. I picked up the classic Superman: The Animated Series on DVD and Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood on Blu-ray. The first set adds to my growing collection of DC cartoons; the second gives me fluid Japanese animation to test drive my PS3's Blu-ray-capabilities. These gifts fall into the category of self-purchases, but I don't feel that diminishes them in any way. In an age of overbooked schedules and constant bustling, you have to award yourself every now and then.
With another holiday season behind us, I hope everyone can say they had their wishlists fulfilled this year. Now let us look forward to a new year, and the surprises it has in store for our shared hobby. Happy gaming.