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DS Fanswag: End of the Year Blowout!
It's been a good year, but sadly, like all those other years, it must come to an end. Before we roll out the red carpet for 2008, however, we wanted to give 2007 the send-off it deserves -- and what better way to do that than by offering up huge prize packs for our loyal readers? All you have to do is leave a comment on this very post telling us which DS model(s) you own, between now and December 26. The giveaway closes that night at 11:59 p.m. EST, and we'll announce the winners, chosen in a random drawing, on December 27. You may only enter once per day, and as usual, entries are limited to legal U.S. residents age 18 and older. Please check the official rules for any other questions.But enough of the details -- let's get to the prize packages!DS Fanboy's End of Year Fanswag BlowoutGrand Prize Limited Edition Gold DS Lite + The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (bundle) ($149.99) Nintendo DS headset ($9.99) Custom Robo ($29.99) Dementium ($29.99) Drawn to Life ($29.99) Fullmetal Alchemist: Trading Card Game ($19.99) John Deere: Harvest in the Heartland ($29.99) Mega Man ZX ($29.99) Pokémon Diamond ($34.99) The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night (GBA) ($19.99) Geometry Wars: Galaxies swag Dementium skin Pokémon Diamond stylus Cruise on past the break to see the rest of the prizes!
Engadget's Holiday Gift Guide: for dad
If your dad's anything like ours, he probably doesn't need as much help with his gadgets as you think. But he still needs someone to buy him the damn things, and that's where you and your strapping young wallet come into play. Maybe you've got some ideas in mind already for the latest additions to his power tool collection, but we've got a few selections to help you help him get his geek on, Engadget style.
Rock out with your block out: i am 8-bit guitar straps
You're a rebel. You don't listen intently for thoughtful gift ideas before hitting the mall months ahead of the holiday shopping season. No, you march to your own tune – a tune, which we should add, is more than likely generated by clicking brightly colored plastic buttons on a plastic guitar – and you wait until the last minute to get your gift ideas from a blog, a video game blog, of all places. Relax, you're amongst peers. Which is why we just had to show you these vinyl guitar straps with that i am 8-bit aesthetic we know you're so crazy about. Yeah, it's really a Christmas present for yourself, but you've been good this year, right? We thought so.[Thanks, Kevin]
Cases shaped like things that aren't cases at all
Gaming sites are inundated with holiday gift guides at the end of the year, listing the best and most popular games that everyone pretty much already has (or knows about). Well, we're not going in for that this year. Our gift guide will help you find the best gifts in categories the other sites won't cover -- because we just made them up.If you have a DS of any sort, you probably also look for something to carry it around in. Sure, you could drop it into a purse or pocket, but what if -- gasp -- it gets damaged? The best way to avoid that nightmare scenario is with a case, and during the holiday season, a time for giving, you can give the gift of security to a friend or loved one. And if you're going to do that, why go with something bland and boring? Take the extra step and give 'em something unique.Most of the cases we'll be featuring here are the more creative sort ... which also means you may have to break out a crochet hook, a sewing needle, or raw brain power to put one together yourself. But we have faith in you, dear reader. We're certain that you're creative and handy as well as brilliant, attractive, and totally cool. You're here, right? Yeah. High fives all around.
Five gifts that are Contra 4
Gaming sites are inundated with holiday gift guides at the end of the year, listing the best and most popular games that everyone pretty much already has (or knows about). Well, we're not going in for that this year. Our gift guide will help you find the best gifts in categories the other sites won't cover -- because we just made them up. All year, we held out vain hope that the American-developed DS Contra sequel wouldn't be terrible. We tried to put our memories of Appaloosa Interactive's two PlayStation failures out of our minds and have faith in WayForward. We did our best to believe that a new 2D Contra had the potential not to be a crushing disappointment. We were rewarded with one of the best games on the DS, and possibly the best game in the Contra series. It's hard to think of a better DS game than Konami's mind-blowingly manly Contra 4. So we didn't try. We've put together this guide to five of the best gifts you can give this holiday season, all of which are Contra 4. While it would most certainly be enough to list Contra 4 five times, we thought we would break it up by listing five different ways to package the gift of Contra.
Gifts for the City dwellers
Whatever you celebrate this time of year, December seems to be when the majority of gifts are exchanged among friends and family. Everyone has their own idea of what is and isn't appropriate in a gift-giving manner, and it's difficult to decide what's best to give, and what we most want to receive. Well, that's where we come in.We have the good fortune of having two of the fae here -- one from the Rogue Isles, and one from Paragon City -- to share with us their views of appropriate gifts for those of you who are playing in NCsoft's realms this holiday season. Their selections range from cost-free, in-game offerings up to something you can tuck under the tree ... or the computer desk, as the case may be.
Five games to buy for people you hate
Gaming sites are inundated with holiday gift guides at the end of the year, listing the best and most popular games that everyone pretty much already has (or knows about). Well, we're not going in for that this year. Our gift guide will help you find the best gifts in categories the other sites won't cover -- because we just made them up.Do you just love handing out the most horrific holiday gifts? If you're the kind of person who actually tucks sticks and coal into the stocking of a loved one on Christmas Eve, then this list is for you. It's all about the worst of the worst, the bottom of the barrel -- the games you would shudder to find on your own shelf, or worse, tainting your DS. Before you ask -- yes, we do love to see you cringe and suffer at the horrors we spring on you. Aren't we sweet?
Unusual holiday gifts for LotRO players
We'll bet good money that the Lord of the Rings Online player in your life already has the Platinum Series Special Extended Edition Boxed DVD set ($65) and the 50th Anniversary Edition Leather Bound trilogy book set ($54). So we delved into the depths of the Internet to find some unusual gifts that will surprise and delight. Let's start with the funny. Cartoon Stock allows you to order any of their many licensed drawings on mouse pads ($25), t-shirts ($30), even sun-screens for the car ($28 for a pair). Check out all their humorous LotR images. Personally, we're waiting for the customized laptop iron on.Since LotR movie posters are a common gift, you may want to consider a wall scroll instead. For the same price as a standard poster, you can get a "Return of the King" Aragon poster art print ($20) or "Return of the King" montage poster art print ($15) on a 31" x 42" tapestry. It's printed on a "soft silk-like material." We don't know what that means exactly, but if it's more tapestry and less velvet Elvis, it will look very cool on the wall.
Second Life holiday shopping guide - December 8th edition
I probably had something witty to say when I started this list, but that was 7 solid hours ago, and I'm not even sure I want to look at another Second Life ad listing again! However, I've found more amazing listings from 89 incredible designers for your shopping enjoyment. If you followed along with last week's guide, you'll notice that the list more than doubled! Keep in mind that some of the deals from the December 1st edition are still going on.With that said, I structured this week's guide differently because of the sheer size of it. The categories are: Freebies, Cheapies, Free to group members, Sales, Regular-priced, For men, and Home and Garden. Once again, they are listed with the shop name linking to a store SLURL and what they're selling, with a link to their blog or forum post about the item. If you release something in the coming week, let me know, or leave a comment here, and I'll include it in next week's guide. Happy shopping!Freebies: Adam n Eve - Free men's boxers, lingerie in red or green ADIMU - Freebie Xmas boots Alchemy - Free dress in gold or silver [Via Mui Mukerji] ANIMAH - Freebie animations Chicanery - Three freebie santa hats to choose from, including traditional, dirty, and black and red Corduroy - Freebie green-striped wrist warmers Gnomenclature - Freebie Christmas Jester Hat Immortelle - Freebie Silver Felicity Top Ingenue - Weekly Christmas gifts on Mondays until Christmas Kess Creations - Free Christmas ornament necklace Rave Nation - Free Sexy Christmas, Merry Mistletoe, and Candycane Bitch outfits Reaction - Daily freebies under the tree until Christmas eve! Sy Designs - Free red tucked sweater Sylfie's Prim Seduction - Merry Xmas 2007 Stilettos [Via Alienbear Gupte] Talisman Designs - Ornament Necklace and Nixon animation Tres Beau - Free Diamond Slippers and earrings Read on for cheapies, group members only, sales, regular-priced items, menswear, and home and garden items ...
TUAW Buyers Guide: mobile Mac
Next in our series of TUAW Buyer's Guides are some suggestions for the mobile Mac users on your gift list. Whether its a MacBook, MacBook Pro, or an older Mac portable we've got some ideas that should delight the road warrior or notebook aficionado. Speaking personally I often think that some of the best gifts are things that are really useful, but I'm disinclined to buy for myself for whatever reason. A number of items in this guide meet that description.
Manage your holiday mailing list with Address Book
There's something about hand writing the names and address of each of your holiday card and gift recipients. That "something special" is frustration! Hand cramps, errors, wasted envelopes. How pleasant.Forget all that and let Apple's Address Book take care of it for you.First, create a new Smart Group. I went through my list of contacts and identified the lucky few who will receive cards from me this year (jealous?). In the note field of each, I added the keyword "holiday."Next, I selected "New smart group..." from the File menu and set the criteria to be "Note contains 'holiday'." Next, I named the Smart Group "Holiday" and presto! My list was complete. In the future, I can add new contacts to the list by simply typing "holiday" in their notes field.Now to print. Address Book prints directly to standard Avery labels. With your new Smart Group selected, simply select "Print." The print dialog box appears. First, set the "Style" menu to "Mailing Labels." Then, click the "Layout" tab and select the labels you're using. Then click print and you're all done!
Christmas gifts for your Second Life resident
Oh Gods of Yummy Things ... it's that time of year again, isn't it? Love it or loathe it, it's Christmas trotting toward you, antlered head held high and the glint of consumer-related malice in its eye. Regardless of your personal belief system, chances are you'll have to buy at least one gift for someone simply because it's traditional. Well, if that someone also happens to be a Second Life resident, then let this post help you in deciding what to get someone who has everything -- virtually.The Casual/Work AcquaintanceMaybe you have a supervisor or boss that spends time in SL, but you don't know their tastes well enough to know what they'd like as a gift (and consequently feel warm and fuzzy toward you enough to give you a raise). I suggest one of the fine guides to Second Life to be had on Amazon.com. In fact, one of them was co-authored by Our Aimee Weber! And if you can't trust a Massively blogger, who can you trust?
J!nx has Warcraft gifts and paper for the holidays
If you find yourself wondering what to get a World of Warcraft fan this year for the holiday (or have family wondering the same thing), J!nx has the page for you-- they've set up both men's and women's pages for Warcraft gamers. Unfortunately all I see up front are the t-shirts (not that those aren't cool), but there are also links on the side to all the other stuff they offer.And they've even got Horde and Alliance wrapping paper for any gift you choose to grab. Most of the people giving me gifts are pretty utilitarian at this point, so all I'm expecting from Greatfather Winter is a coffeemaker, not a mega-pack of stickers, pins, and patches. But then again, anything wrapped up in official Horde paper is 100% cooler. Blood, thunder, and holiday cheer![Via Wonderland]
Engadget's Holiday Gift Guide: for daughter
If she's already got a slightly more sophisticated taste in technology you may have already found something for your daughter in our for her gift guide. But for the rest of us with pre-pre-teens, pre-teens, and teens, finding a decently gadgety gift can pose a challenge -- one even vexing to the likes of us wizened, cranky Engadget editors. We did our best putting together what we hear are some choice picks for the little lady set, but if you want to help out your fellow parents and family members with suggestions of your own, hit us up in comments!
Holideals: Tabula Rasa stocking stuffers
When it comes to established games like World of Warcraft or City of Heroes, finding holiday goodies for dedicated gamers is a simple matter of hitting Google and seeing what manner of strange and extravagant goods rise to the surface. For a game like Tabula Rasa, which has only just now starting to sink into the hearts and minds of MMO nuts, simply getting people to consider playing the game is a difficult prospect in and of itself. With this in mind, we scoured the internet to find the best deals on Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa and came away pleasantly surprised.The pickings are a little sparse, but definitely worthy of your holiday dollar: Gamestop is running a promotion where you can get a free Tabula Rasa keyset with the purchase of a Zboard, a $20 value. The Zboard is a keyboard specifically designed to give you easy and quick keyboard access to chat features, emotes, and menu commands. The deal runs through the end of the year, so now is the time to jump on it if you were planning on springing for a Zboard anyway. Amazon has both the regular and collector's editions of Tabula Rasa on sale for $25 and $30, respectively. This puts them well under the impulse purchase threshold. Heck, at that price, you could afford to buy the CE for yourself and a good buddy and set aside some holiday time to blast some Bane over a glass of eggnog. Being a Tabula Rasa player myself, I can tell you that this it is the perfect "gateway game" for getting traditionally casual or console gamers into the MMO genre. There's something about shooting aliens with a rocket launcher that seems to transcend the normal social boundaries. For the new, reduced price of entry, you cant argue.
iYule.tv
The holidays are a time for frivolity, are they not? They are also a time for rhetorical questions, but that is neither here nor there. Today's bit of Christmas cheer comes from iYule.tv. The idea is simple: take that corny old burning fire that some tv stations broadcast for the benefit of apartment dwellers, non-fireplace owners, the aged, and the lonely and put it on your iPod, iPhone, Apple TV, Mac, PC, XBox, or Zune (hey, it is Christmas, so we have to include everyone). iYule offers up several high quality downloadable versions of this roaring fire (with music, without music, widescreen, and so on) for a reasonable price ($5 - $10) and no DRM.Some of the proceeds will go to charity, so think about that before you fill the comments with things like, 'Why would I pay for that!' or 'I would buy that if it cost $2 and came with a free Mac.' Also keep in mind that a similar, though free, yule log is available.
Everyone has a price, even Santa
var digg_url = 'http://www.digg.com/nintendo/Everyone_has_a_price_even_Santa'; Even Santa has mouths to feed. So, he's offering up his unique services, along with 2007's most-desired item, the Nintendo Wii, to the highest bidder. We guess milk and cookies just aren't enough for old Saint Nick anymore. Via an eBay listing, the fat man has agreed to personally arrive at the household, completely in uniform, and hand deliver the console to the lucky recipient anywhere in the continental United States, making their Christmas one "he/she will never forget." The auction has a ridiculous Buy It Now price of $9,995, but bids are starting at $3,995. Of course, we don't have to tell you how ridiculous this whole thing is, as we're laughing thinking that someone would actually shell out the money for this.[Thanks, Derek!; via GameRush]
Gifts for us (or people like us)
Gaming sites are inundated with holiday gift guides at the end of the year, listing the best and most popular games that everyone pretty much already has (or knows about). Well, we're not going in for that this year. Our gift guide will help you find the best gifts in categories the other sites won't cover -- because we just made them up. Of course we recommend buying DS games and accessories for everyone on your shopping list -- whether they want them or not. But, ironically, the hardest people to give the gift of DS are the people who love the DS the most -- people who live the DS. In a word, us. Game bloggers. Well, not us specifically, but people like us who are far too enthusiastic about the Nintendo DS. We're so nuts about the DS that we devote most of our lives to talking about it. We know pretty much everything out there, and we spend entirely too much time building our collections. We're emblematic of exactly the kind of brutally insane people for whom it's nearly impossible to shop. That's why we've put together this handy guide to the kind of stuff we would love, but wouldn't necessarily think to buy ourselves. Not because we want you to buy gifts for us, although we certainly won't stop you if you think we deserve a little token of appreciation. See what we did there? We've given you the gift of an obvious opening through which to insult us! 'Tis the season!
TUAW Buyers Guide: Spend that $100 iPhone credit
You might recall that Apple issued $100 store credits to iPhone early adopters. While the deadline for getting your $100 store credit has passed, the credit itself never expires (sweet). Why not use that 'free' money to buy friends or family a lovely gift from the Apple store? We've compiled a few suggestions to get you started.Please note that all of the product links in this post point to the online Apple store, since that is where you can use your credit. These items might be found cheaper elsewhere.
TUAW Buyers Guide: 5 little iPhone gifts
If your honey already bought himself or herself an iPhone or iPod touch, you can still brighten the holidays with these sweet little stocking stuffers. Here are a few inexpensive accessories for your iPhone-owning special someone.
