holidaze-2008
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A Very Gears of War Christmas
If you're smart enough to click and watch the video we've embedded for you just after the jump, you're going to doubt us at first. "I don't even see how this is video game related!" you'll think. "You're slipping in your old age, Joystiq." While it's true that we are, we implore you to hang in there until the end.Congratulations to "aplusjimages" for providing us with the most upsetting, NSFW imagery of the yuletide. By the way, we take back everything we've ever said about violent video games being harmless.[Via XBYA Podcast]
Warm yourself by the Xbox Live fireplace
Oh, hello friends! Please, come in, we've been waiting for you. Here, let us get your coat. Dear, look at you, you're frozen! Why don't you come over here and stand by the fire. ... Go on, it's really warm. ... Oh, buttons! You've figured us out! It's not really a fireplace at all, but rather a fake fireplace created in XNA for download on Xbox Live. Sorry, we just couldn't resist a little yuletide chicanery.... What? ... Oh, umm, 400 points. So -- so basically, yeah, five dollars. Huh? Oh, yes, we can watch the video after the break for free. ... No, you're right. That's probably ... no, you don't need to apologize. We're disappointed in us too.
Amazon Deal of the Day: Prince of Persia for $39.98
Sometimes, it's just hard not to love Amazon. The website has already helped us avoid the (sometimes deadly) hassle of holiday shopping. Nearly all our holiday gift purchases have been made online this year, which is great and in no way increases a blogger's natural predilection for agoraphobia. And now, today only, Amazon is offering Prince of Persia for a mere $39.98. That's $20 off the most "magical" game you'll play this year. Oh Amazon, you shouldn't have. We didn't give you anything. Oh, right, except the money.[Via Joystiq. Thanks, Josh]
Best Buy: Xbox 360 Pro and 42" HDTV for $899
If you're in the market for a new Xbox 360 Pro and a new HDTV -- and if you don't have to have 1080p compatibility -- Best Buy is currently running a pretty sweet promotion. Right now the store is offering both a 720p Samsung 42" plasma HDTV and an Xbox 360 for $899.98. If you'd prefer an LCD screen, is offering the same deal for an Xbox 360 and a Samsung 720p 37" LCD HDTV, which also runs $899. The plasma and LCD TVs typically run for $1,300 and $1,200, respectively, so the offer translates to a free Xbox 360 Pro either way (with an extra $100 off the plasma TV to boot). The Xbox 360 is part of the new holiday bundle, so you'll score free copies of LEGO Indiana Jones and Kung Fu Panda too.Granted, you'll have to give up your 1080p dreams, but it's still a mighty impressive deal.[Via Punch Jump]
Joyswag Holidaze: Joystiq Timbuk2 bag & Zune
Update: We've selected a winner! Congratulations to John Lee of Totowa, NJ. Thanks to everyone who participated in our week of Joyswag! We'll have more for you soon, so stay tuned.It's finally here, the end of our week-long Joyswag Holidaze. But, it's not over yet! We've saved the best for last. Just ask Faith, she loves herself a swanky bag. You know, the type of thing to carry your trusted intel -- gotta keep the resistance going! Or maybe you're tired of holstering your lightsaber on your hip? Look no further than this custom-made Joystiq Timbuk2 messenger bag! Just remember to keep it on your person at all times. Even a bag doesn't deserve to be left for dead ...Okay. Are we done shamelessly plugging our previous giveaways? Yes. But -- uh-huh, there's a but -- don't miss your chance to win the Joystiq Timbuk2 bag (suitable for toting a 15" laptop!) below. We'll even toss in a Zune! To enter this giveaway: Leave a comment suggesting the next random item that needs to be customized with a Joystiq theme You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec) Limit 1 entry per person per calendar day This entry period ends at 12:00pm ET on Friday, December 19th. We'll randomly select 1 winner at that time to receive one custom Timbuk2 Joystiq medium-sized messenger bag (ARV: $150.00) and one black 16 GB Zune (ARV: $199.99). Please check your e-mail! For a list of complete rules, click here Is the end of 2008 approaching already? In honor of another year of gaming gone by, Joystiq is hosting five straight days of Joyswag giveaways. Check out each giveaway here -- you've still got plenty of chances to win some prizes!
Joyswag Holidaze: Left 4 Dead (Xbox 360) & Turtle Beach Ear Force X3 Headphones
Update: We've selected a winner! Congratulations to Joshua Bowles of Tempe, AZ.Let's face it. If there's anything you've ever needed to hear on the Xbox 360, it's the sound of zombies creeping up behind you. If you haven't played Left 4 Dead, then you don't know about all of the creepy sounds: the gurgling of a Boomer, the wail of a Witch and the raspy sounds of a Smoker. It's all part of the game, and paying close attention can keep you alive. For awhile.If you're tired of your roommates, significant other or neighbors telling you to dial down the sound on your gaming rig, then you definitely need some high-quality cans that will keep you blissfully unaware while the rest of the world goes about its business. With that in mind, you need to get in on our Joyswag Holidaze Left 4 Dead and Turtle Beach Ear Force X3 wireless gaming headphones (with microphone!) giveaway: Leave a comment telling us why you need a pair of gaming headphones to help you kill zombies You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec) Limit 1 entry per person per calendar day This entry period ends at 12:00pm ET on Wednesday, December 17th. We'll randomly select 1 winner at that time to receive one copy of Left 4 Dead for Xbox 360 (ARV: $59.99), one pair of Turtle Beach X3 Headphones for the Xbox 360 (ARV: $119.99) For a list of complete rules, click here Is the end of 2008 approaching already? In honor of another year of gaming gone by, Joystiq is hosting five straight days of Joyswag giveaways. Check back every day for new prizes, new chances to win, and the possibility of keeping more money in your own pocket.
Joyswag Holidaze: Resistance 2 game, shirt and signed poster
Update: We've selected a winner! Congratulations to Liana Engie of Claremont, CA.A few weeks back we attended Insomniac Games' Resistance 2 open house in Los Angeles, where the developer literally opened its doors and let fans stream in to find out how the game was created. Insomniac showed films, talked gun design, and even fed everyone massive stacks of pizza. Pretty darned costly impressive. Can you imagine opening your doors to hordes of unwashed gamers?For Day 2 of the Joyswag Holidaze, we're giving away the Collector's Edition of Resistance 2, a Resistance 2 development team t-shirt (size large), and a Resistance 2 poster that's been signed by the entire development team. To enter the giveaway: Leave a comment telling us how you would resist an alien invasion You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec ... and Mars -- it's in Canada, right?) Limit 1 entry per person per calendar day This entry period ends at 12:00pm ET on Tuesday, December 16th. We'll randomly select 1 winner at that time to receive one copy of Resistance 2: Collector's Edition for PlayStation 3 (ARV: $79.99), one Resistance 2 development team t-shirt (ARV: $10.00), and one Resistance 2 Uncle Sam alien-themed signed poster (ARV: $10.00). Please check your e-mail! For a list of complete rules, click here Is the end of 2008 approaching already? In honor of another year of gaming gone by, Joystiq is hosting five straight days of Joyswag giveaways. Check back every day for new prizes, new chances to win, and the possibility of keeping more money in your own pocket.%Gallery-36572%
Surprise! Walmart sold a lot of Wii consoles yesterday [update]
Well now, who could've expected this? Surely not us! We're not being sarcastic at all. Walmart promotes a healthy supply of Wii stock and, sure enough, the retail giant has sold a lot of consoles. Tens of thousands by Monday afternoon, in fact.Spokesperson Ravi Jariwala said the company saw a "very strong response to the additional inventory" that Walmart sold online and that they blew through stock ranging in the "tens of thousands" by "early Monday afternoon." What's surprising, though, is that despite selling all of those consoles, they're still in stock on the retailer's site. If that sounds like something you'd be interested in, then hit up this linkage. Or, you know, just bash Walmart in the comments.Update: Looks like the consoles are out of stock now. Bummer.[Via Gamasutra]
XBLM Deal of the Week: Foo's 'Colour and the Shape' Rock Band DLC
Following up on last week's discounted Legendary Map Pack for Halo 3, Major Nelson recently announced the latest Xbox Live Marketplace "Holiday Deal of the Week". For the next seven days, you can pick up one of the best pieces of Rock Band DLC to drop this year (in our most humble, Grohl-worshiping opinion) on the cheap. The full Foo Fighters album, The Colour and the Shape, is on sale for 1200 ($15), a discount of 400 ($5).Asian Xbox Live territories have their own unique discounts this week -- Japan's popular rhythm title The iDOLM@STER: Live For You knocked a few points off the price of one of its songs, while Hong Kong, Korea and Taiwan can pick up the Guitar Hero III Foo Fighters Track Pack for 375. It's a global Foo-nomenon!
Joyswag Holidaze: Mirror's Edge game, album and messenger bag
Update: We've selected a winner! Congratulations to Peter van Daalen of Dallas, Texas!Play it. Hear it. Wear it. Thanks to today's Joystwag giveaway, not only could you win the PlayStation 3 version of Mirror's Edge and the Still Alive: The Remixes album (more on this after the break), you could also win a swanky runner's bag to carry them in. It's modeled after Faith's bag in the game, has multiple pockets, features Faith's funky eye tattoo (the game logo) on the other side, and is perfect for lugging around a laptop, a console, or top-secret intel.To enter the giveaway: Leave a comment telling us what you'd carry around in a bright yellow messenger bag (paying special attention to those multiple little pockets, of course) You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec) Limit 1 entry per person per calendar day This entry period ends at 12:00pm ET on Monday, December 15th. We'll randomly select 1 winner at that time to receive one copy of Mirror's Edge for the PlayStation 3 (ARV: $59.99), one Mirror's Edge runner's bag, (ARV: $10.00), and one Mirror's Edge Still Alive: The Remixes CD (ARV: $5.99). Please check your e-mail! For a list of complete rules, click here Is the end of 2008 approaching already? In honor of another year of gaming gone by, Joystiq is hosting five straight days (that's a full work week!) of Joyswag giveaways. Check back every day for new prizes, new chances to win, and the possibility of keeping more money in your own pocket.
Free online multiplayer for SFII HD, UNO and others for the holidays
Microsoft has announced a special deal for the holidays. In addition to the XBLM Deal of the Week -- the Legendary Map Pack is still on sale for Gold members, by the way -- Microsoft is also running the Friendship is Free promotion. Until the end of December, a select group of Xbox Live Arcade games will not require a Gold membership for online play. In other words, Silver members will be able to try online play in these games for free. The Friendship is Free promotion is active right now for the following Xbox Live Arcade games: A Kingdom for Keflings Aegis Wing Bomberman Live Hardwood Hearts Hardwood Spades UNO Small Arms Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix Remember, Friendship is Free only lasts until the end of December, so get playing. [Image: ICHC]
Holiday profiling: Xbox 360 is perfect gift for Hispanics, Microsoft survey finds
The results of the first-ever Xbox 360 Hispanic Holiday Entertainment Survey are in! And wouldn't you know, Xbox 360 is the perfect fit for the Hispanic persuasion1. Did you know: More Hispanics want a gift that brings their family together (89% vs. 64% of general population) More Hispanics are looking for gifts that people can enjoy throughout the year (95% vs. 85% of general population) More Hispanics are looking for affordable ways to entertain their family over the holidays (85% vs. 81% of general population) Many more Hispanics would rather buy one gift for their whole family than spend money on lots of individual gifts (83 % vs. 52% of general population) Lips en Español features 17 songs in Spanish by artists such as Alejandro Sanz, Belanova, Fanny Lu, La Factoria, Luis Miguel, Pimpinela and Selena (42.5% less songs than the all-English version!) How do these compelling figures all add up? We're glad you asked! You see, Xbox 360 is the one, affordable gift that brings the family together throughout the year. In short, not buying an Xbox 360 this holiday season is simply Un-Hispanic.
Analyst: World Tour demand still high, supplies still down
Cowen Group analyst Doug Creutz knows the public and, according to him, they want Guitar Hero: World Tour. Even though the guitar bundle for the game has been discounted like crazy over the last week (and selling just as crazy, we assume), he says that most folks are looking for the full band kit, which is difficult to find on store shelves."Supply of the full band kit version at all retail locations was very tight, with the title selling out quickly," Creutz said, even pointing to online resellers who continue to resell the full band kit SKU for ridiculous sums of money. "This picture of high demand and tight supply remains consistent with our previous channel checks."If these supplies were higher, Activision would be making a lot more money off the title. As it is, however, the company must mostly rely on sales of the game itself and the other guitar bundle SKU.%Gallery-23491%
WoW Insider's 2008 holiday gift guide
Yes, it's that time of year again -- the lights are up around town, the weather is cold and snowy, and you've got a long list of nice (and maybe even some naughty) people who will need gifts this year. But what will you get? If anyone on your list is a Warcraft player, worry not: WoW Insider has compiled a list of ten Nintendo Sixtyfoooooooour-level gifts for the Warcraft player in your life, five out-of-game and five in-game.Whether they're level 10 or level 80, odds are that they'll love any of this stuff, and whether you've got just a little bit of time and/or money to put in or want no expense spared, there's something on this list for you. Click into the gallery below to check out all of the gifts, and be sure to have a happy holiday season -- here's hoping there will be a little something more exciting than coal in that stocking!Looking for non-Warcraft related gamer gifts? Joystiq has up-to-the-minute news on the best holiday deals and tips around for Holidaze 2008. And our friends at Big Download have a nice set of guides up as well, featuring anything and everything you might need for a PC gamer.%Gallery-38276%Winter's Veil is almost here. Watch the 12 Days again, wonder what might be new this year, or settle down with some cocoa and some tasty... bark?
Black Friday: Wii crowned, economy still down
Black Friday 2008 will be remembered as a slight, but pleasant bump in a rocky road for retail this holiday. Fitting, then, that Wii and its equally scarce sidekick, Wii Fit, were the top search items on the day. As it turns out, folks wanted to shop (172 million to be exact!), they just couldn't always buy what they were searching for. With Wii in short supply at retail, eBay merchants continued to turn profits on resales of the console with an average selling price of $349. Overall, online shopping totals grew modestly relative to last year. Meanwhile, a stack of Xbox 360s caused a brawl at Walmart, and, in a macabre turn of events, an employee was trampled to death by a frenzied mob at the Green Acres Mall in Valley Stream, New York. In California, two men killed each other in a gunfight that erupted at the Palm Desert Toys R Us. All convincing examples of why we prefer to pay it safe from our keyboards: Hellooo Cyber Monday![Image credit: Bruce On Games, Dec. 2007 -- same tune again this year, eh?]
Best of Cyber Monday deals: Wii
If you're looking to get something for that Wii gamer this year, there's plenty of deals going down right now as part of Cyber Monday, the online equivalent to Black Friday. Notable sales around the net include Okami for only $20 at Amazon, Tomb Raider: Underworld for $30 and $10 off Shaun White Snowboarding at Gamestop, Umbrella Chronicles for $25 at Toys R Us (along with a bunch of other discounted titles) and some specific Wii bundles at Buy.com.Head on over and check out the page here.
$99 DS Lite kicks off Amazon's Cyber Monday
Remember that Pink Ribbon DS Lite that Nintendo unveiled a few months back? Well, Amazon is offering that DS Lite model for the reduced price of $99.95, as part of its Cyber Monday sales event. It's like Black Friday, except you can shop without your pants on.What else is up for grabs? Nothing really for the DS lovers out there, but if you are looking to upgrade to a DS Lite or introduce someone else to the wonders of Nintendo's handheld, there are plenty of other deals going on around the net. We suggest you hit up Joystiq's deal guide right here.
Holidaze 2008: The Best of Cyber Monday
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/The_Best_Video_Game_Deals_of_Cyber_Monday_2008'; Nothing quite like being packed into a frenzied shopping mob, is there? It's why we wait for hours in the cold dark with nothing more than the lingering memory of ... wait a second, it's Cyber Monday! Now we can spend money on reduced-price games without leaving the comforts of our keyboards! Here's our picks for the best deals out there today. Amazon Toys 'R' Us GameStop Wal-Mart Best Buy Newegg Target Dell Sears Buy.com
Amazon's 2008 Cyber Monday deals
In case your wallet isn't hurting enough from this weekend (or you simply decided to take the frugal route with Black Friday shopping), Amazon has unveiled their Cyber Monday deals, which starts tomorrow at 3:00AM ET. While no way as exhaustive as its weekend specials (which, like the new deals, last until Tuesday, December 2 at 2:59AM ET), there are a few steep discounts worth noting. Fable 2 and LittleBigPlanet are $40 each, and Spore is being offered for only $20. We've posted the full list after the break. Be sure to also keep an eye on GameStop, who has its own specials starting at midnight ET tonight.
Holiday Game and Rating Guide: Rated M for Mature
Today marks the final day of our four-part Holiday Game and Rating Guide, co-developed by parent-focused site What They Play. In today's list we recommend five must own titles rated "M" for "Mature." Jump in for chainsaws and zombies and find out what you should be asking for this holiday season.Developed by X3F and What They Play president John Davison -- you may also know him from the 1UP Yours Podcast -- the Holiday Game and Rating Guide hopes to showcase the best of each rating while helping to inform your loved ones what kind of content each game includes. It isn't meant to scare them away, in fact think of it as a walk through of what's really found in each game to help everyone make an intelligent decision this holiday season. Click the banner below to check out our picks for titles rated "M" for "Mature."
