If I Had $500 For Xmas

We're putting the question to the NZGamer.com staff.

In what will be a regular feature leading up to the big day itself, we're posing the $500 question to the NZGamer.com staff. This time, it's Sam Leitch!

Well it's my turn to decide what I'd buy if I had $500 to spend on myself guilt free this Christmas. There have been some interesting choices so far, with definite themes running through articles. Because I have the attention span of a three year old (too much gaming), my list is a bit more of a mash-up. A Christmas stocking full of odd sized gifts that don't stand alone, if you will. And some socks.

Forza 3

Simply put, I love a good driving game and Forza 3 has more than enough meat to keep the hardcore happy for months. Truth be told though, I'd be in trouble not having it at the top of my list after gushing over the game so much.

Seriously, this is the driving game I have been waiting years for; it has realistic cars and realistic roads to drive them on. Booting up the controller and going for a drive when you have no petrol in your real car has never been so satisfying.


New Super Mario Bros Wii

It's not often that you get to buy a quality game for the Nintendo Wii. So another Mario game is a welcome addition indeed.

New Super Mario Brothers for Wii is the same concept as the DS game released a while ago; take classic 2D Mario and make an old school platformer without old school hardware limitations. The Wii game looks to have more sinister level design than the DS game and also lets up to three other people play the game with you. Hopefully Sega's new Sonic game stays faithful to the original gameplay when it comes out next year too...

SNES Console

The Super Nintendo is my favourite console and the home of an enormous range of quality games. The console and controllers hold up well despite the age and if the system has been looked after, it will last you a good many more years.

I'll opt to include Super Mario All-Stars and Super Mario Land for the article as these games were the pinnacle (for me) of 2D gaming. Ingenious level design and sharp controls make these games a joy to play even today. It's not all nostalgia either, I know a good many people who only indulged in these games recently and loved them to bits.

Adult Swim DVD's

Of course even the hardcore need a break from gaming every now and again. Adult Swim cartoons are always popular with gamers; if you haven't come across them you definitely need to check them out. If you have seen them, I'm sure there will be a show you haven't seen yet,

My personal favourites include Frisky Dingo, Venture Bros, The Brak Show, Harvey Birdman and of course Sea Lab 2021. If you are a bit warped and irrelevant like me, you won't be able to get enough.

Smattering of XBLA titles

While very hard to wrap, XBOX Live titles represent fantastic value for money. You can pick up re-released games (I'll argue with Sam Prescott and say the original Banjo Games are unplayable blur-fests as opposed to the brilliant XBLA versions), or download entirely original games such as the captivating Braid, or challenging Trials HD.

Snacks

Gamers of course live off a smorgasbord of energy drinks and candy, so pop down to your local dairy and load up. You won't get through all these games and DVD's without a serious sugar hit!

Unhelpful alternative

Or I could have just set the money aside as a deposit on a Street Fighter Pinball cabinet. Mmmm Pinball perfection. Of course what normally happens is that I spend too much time browsing the 'Nintendo Other' category on a certain site and end up loaded up with useless trinkets. Oh well...

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