xmas
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Send Santa your Christmas gift requests on Link’s WiFi kiosks
For the second year running, LinkNYC is giving you a direct line to Father Christmas. Just track down a WiFi kiosk (there's over 1,200 scattered across all five New York boroughs, so it shouldn't be hard), and use the new app on the built-in tablet to get in touch with the big man himself. Of course, Santa's too busy to reach the phone (what with Christmas a week away), so you'll have to settle for his answering machine. But, maybe one of the minions he has manning the phone lines will pass along your last minute gift request. The Santa hotline is open to Brits this year, too, via the InLink kiosks in London and Leeds. And, if the kids want to monitor their inbound gifts, there's always Google's Santa Tracker app -- that's if you can tear them away from snapping elfies.
Netflix tries out a Christmas movie with Kurt Russell as Santa
Netflix is handing Kurt Russell the role he was born to play: Santa Claus. The streaming giant is about to start rolling cameras on a festive flick, according to The Hollywood Reporter, with filmmaker Chris Columbus (of Harry Potter and Home Alone fame) producing. Child actors Judah Lewis (last seen on Netflix's The Babysitter) and Big Little Lies' resident DJ Darby Camp will round out the cast of the as-yet untitled project.
Sound Shapes Holiday Sound Pack is a free gift to you
Sound Shapes developer Queasy Games wrapped up a present for everyone this holiday season, and this package is simply stunning. Look at the care that went into that tape, the love in the creases, the compassion in the folds – oh, fine, rip it apart. Just tear it open. You animal.The Holiday Sound Pack has five new, Christmas-themed instruments from classic carols, and it's an automatic addition to all Sound Shapes games, whether on Vita or PS3, that are connected to the internet. If you're so overwhelmed by this act of kindness, you can give back to the Queasy team by uploading your own holiday level with the tag #XMAS for them to play over the break.That will almost make up for your treatment of the wrapping paper. Almost.
Crytek rhythm minigame spreads charitable Xmas cheer
In festive news, Crytek published a free Christmas-themed minigame on its website today. Hop over there and you'll find 'A Very Crytek Christmas' on the front page, the game mixing scrolling rhythm play with a couple of Xmas classics. The Crysis developer says it's giving the money it would normally spend on Xmas cards to charity, instead choosing to spread some holiday love this way.Not that the game itself is particularly charitable. You can either try Silent Night on normal difficulty, which is tricky enough on its own, or you can get your butt rhythmically kicked by the expert-rated Jingle Bells. At least you'll have a few familiar Crysis faces to festively cheer you on, or in our case tell us we're hurting their ears.
Star Supremacy needs space-men to help Santa find his space-sleigh!
Fun fact about Santa: Not only does he have to visit all of the houses across the world in the span of a single night, but apparently he's on galaxy duty as well. Jolly St. Nick will be making the rounds in Star Supremacy during the game's Xmas event, during which he'll be making appearances on the neutral planets twice a day. He's not there for pleasantries, however; Santa needs players to help him find his sleigh, and he's prepared to dish out Christmas stocking bounties as rewards. Barbily Games is also preparing to roll out its Gemini update, which will bring back three PvP systems for players to conquer. The update will also include a helping hand to lowbies' energy regeneration, new equipment, improved construction, and the ability to retreat. You can get a good look at the update in our new Star Supremacy gallery below! %Gallery-142298%
Super Hero Squad Online wishes you a merry X-Men Month
If you're gearing up for Xmas, then why not invite the X-Men over for some casual MMO gaming? Gazillion has declared that December is "X-Men Month" in Super Hero Squad Online, as the title turns its attention to Professor X's extraordinary students and their action-packed outings. Enrollment is open for the School for Gifted Youngsters, and signing up for superhero mayhem are several brand-new heroes for the game. The MMO is also unleashing four new quests -- two for Wolverine and two for Rogue -- to go with its signature card battles. Vice President Jay Minn is (sorry) super-psyched for the theme month: "X-Men month has been a long time coming since the launch of our game. Nightcrawler, Phoenix, Angel, Iceman and Shadowcat have always topped our list of most-requested Marvel heroes. We are very excited that our fans will finally be able to show off and fight evil as the X-Men! Happy holidays everyone and Hero Up!" [Source: Gazillion press release]
So, what'd you get?
Let's just call it what it is: the best Christmas ever. Why? Well, for starters, it's December 25th. Secondly, it's a Saturday in much of the world. How often does that happen? The technology outfits 'round the globe have managed to deliver a rather insane stack of wares to consider this year -- from terrifically desirable goods to rubbish that we wouldn't wish on our worst enemy's enemies -- and now it's our turn to pry into your business and find out what Santa Claus dumped (or didn't dump) under your tree overnight. Hit us up with your scores in comments below, and be sure to cast your vote as to whether or not the kid on the right is feigning excitement over his newfound laptop. Oh, the kid in the video just past the break -- that's probably useful information. When you're done, check out what people got jazzed about in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009.
Gameloft Advent Calendar offers free iPhone, Android games until Christmas
Deals on iPhone and Android games aren't exactly hard to come by at this time of the year, but the folks at Gameloft have cooked up something a little extra special for the month of December. They've just kicked off an Advent Calendar on Twitter, which promises to reveal a free iPhone games, Android games, and a few other surprises every day until December 25th -- plus "a little bit more in the end." While there may be a few duds in there, things have gotten off to a pretty good start -- you can now grab the updated version of the classic PlayStation game Driver for the iPhone and iPod touch.
Ablegamers releases shopping list for disabled players
If you are a disabled player or know one, you might need some help with your gift shopping. Well, worry no more: Ablegamers.com has compiled a pretty nice list of items for your loved ones! Let's say you want a great iPad mount -- well someone has made one. Perhaps you're really needing an old-fashioned joystick controller, complete with extenders and customizable buttons? Well, there's one of those too! There are literally millions upon millions of disabled people in North America alone. Of those, a good percentage are gamers -- or want to be gamers but have issues connecting to and participating in these wonderful games that we all love. Why not buy one of these items for the disabled person in your life? Or perhaps you could locate a stranger who needs the item -- just ask your gaming buddies. Don't be surprised when someone knows somebody else who could use something that appears on this list! Thanks to Ablegamers.com, some players will not be left out of the game!
'8-bit Xmas' breathes new life into your 'Bah! Humbug!' NES
Is there still room in your heart for eight more unassuming bits of Xmas? We hoped you'd say yes. See, 8-bit Xmas 2009 is an all-new NES cart full of festive LEDs and an original multiplayer snowball fight NES game. It sells for $43, but for $5 more you can get a personalized title screen -- which seems like a relatively cheap fulfillment of that decades long dream of yours to have your name up in pixelated lights on the home console that defined the home console. The cart should be compatible with all real NES systems and hopefully many fake ones, and while it can't help you forgive your Aunt Samantha for giving you that Sudoku quilt, it might just do the insignificant task of teaching you the true meaning of Xmas.
This '8-bit Xmas' NES cart makes your heart, NES glow
We apparently missed one release in our Now Playing list for this week: 8-bit Xmas 2009 for the NES. The cart was apparently constructed entirely from new parts and -- aside from incorporating the festive light display you see above -- is actually a fully functional NES game. The best part: you can totally buy it. RetroZone is selling the cart up until tomorrow for $43 and there's even a demo you can try out right in your browser. If you forgot someone on your gift-giving list, you can throw down $5 more and get a personalized title screen added along with a nice Christmas card. If there ever was a way to make up for being such a Procrastinating Pete, this is probably it. [Via Video Games Blogger]
The Mobile Mobile is a magnificent and melodious module of merriment
Faced with an agency-wide phone upgrade that left fifty older HTC devices homeless, UK-based Lost Boys International decided to act on instinct in the most natural of ways: by turning each device into a cog in a musical mobile that hangs just inside the entrance of its Brick Lane studio. Even better, all those phones are connected in a way that turns each one into a member of some crazy techno orchestra, the results of which can be seen after the break in an unbelievably fun rendition of a Christmas song you're bound to hear a dozen more times today. If that's not enough, you can also control it live, thanks to a webcam and a flash interface that accepts keyboard commands. LBi Creative Director James Théophane has the project chronicled if you want the full details, but more importantly, just make sure you experience the holiday choral after the break.
Apple posts new holiday iPhone ad
Apple has begun brodcasting a new holiday ad: 12 Apps of Xmas. Though it's not nearly as cool as past Christmas ads, it does spotlight some interesting apps, including one app (Schlage LiNK) that can light up a Christmas tree, at least when it's paired with the appropriate Z-Wave home automation module and the $12.99 monthly service plan [iTunes link]. Here's the lyrics to the new ad, so you can all sing along to the video below. On the twelfth day of Christmas my iPhone gave to me: 12 cookies cooking 11 cards a sending 10 gifts for giving 9 songs for singing 8 bells for ringing 7 slopes for skiing 6 games for playing 5 gold rings 4 hot lattes 3 flights home 2 feet of snow And an app that can light up the tree Apple has thoughtfully compiled an App Store page where you can see all the apps in the TV ads, although it may not be completely up to date. If you've identified one of your favorite apps in this ad, tell us about it in the comments below.
Merry Consumermas ... so what didja get?
Christmas, Xmas, Consumermas, Christmahanakwanza, Ludachristmas. If you celebrated any of these holidays, or if you had to cower in fear as robot Santa flew overhead looking for easy prey, we want to hear about it. More importantly, we want to know what presents you got, too -- game-related mostly, but if you want to tell us about your other presents, we'll sit here politely and listen. Our gift to you is after the break -- trust us, if you haven't seen Santa Claus Conquers the Martians before, you're really missing out. For a trip down memory lane, check out our Consumermas posts from 2006 and 2007.
LittleBigPlanet and PAIN getting free Xmas-themed costumes
'Tis the season to be jolly ... and get free costumes. This week's free LittleBigPlanet costume is themed for the holidays. Everyone, meet Santa Sackboy. He'll be available for download on the PlayStation Store -- in two parts. But that's not the only free costume you'll be finding this holiday season.PAIN players will discover a new character unlocked in the next game patch: Reindeer Ed (see him after the break). The next PAIN update will not only add a free character, but it will offer YouTube integration as well (something the game always needed!). No date on the PAIN patch, but we doubt it'll take too long.
Kid gets phone book instead of PS3 for Xmas
It's certainly not the first time we've seen someone open the box to a pricey gadget only to find their hopes and dreams dashed by some unscrupulous individual that's swiped the device and replaced it by something similarly weighted but decidedly cheaper, but it just wouldn't be the holidays if we didn't bring you another account of the same wrong-doings happening again. This latest one comes to us from Thousand Oaks, California where one kid opened the box to the PlayStation 3 he got for Christmas and found a phone book in its place of his desired console. What's more, the PS3 wasn't bought on eBay or out of someone's trunk as you might expect, but at the local EB Games, where the kid's parents are apparently now doing their best to get things sorted out.[Via Digg]
Wii helps Amazon reign supreme this holiday season
Nintendo did some good things for popular online retailer Amazon.com this holiday season, as its Wii console sold at a rate of 17 consoles per second. Of course, this only pertains to when the console was actually available for purchase, which wasn't all that often. This all contributed to a very lucrative holiday season for the retailer, which experienced its strongest sales on December 10th. Then, it sold 5.4 million items, which comes to about 62.5 items per second.
Today's most 'dah' holiday video: a Raving Rabbids Christmas
It's been about 363 days since we last highlighted this video, but it's Christmas and we feel it's best to be festive, and Michel Ancel's Raving Rabbids are terrific way to celebrate the holidays. It's time to get into the egg nog with the most eloquent lagomorphs around.For the holiday lovers out there, here's our cheap gift to you. Enjoy the video after the break.
WoW Insider Weekly
This week's WoW Insider Weekly is a little late, and I apologize-- seeing as it's nearly Christmas, I was winging my way home for the holidays yesterday, and the flight attendants seemed to have a problem with me operating my laptop during takeoff and landing. But better late than never-- just ask Santa. Here's all our weekly features, wrapped up in one post with a big bow.Sunday Morning Funnies: Hi DonaldA weekly WoW-related comics wrapup.Two Bosses Enter: Ragnaros vs. OssirianFire and rock against air and sand.All the World's a Stage: RP-PvP - Killing in characterYou're not just killing-- you're killing with a story behind it.Arcane Brilliance: Statistical battle of the clothiesMages do it with spells.Officer's Quarters: Two heads > oneUnfortunately, this article is only tangentially about two-headed ogres. I don't think I'm alone when I say we need more two-headed ogre-focused content here at WoW Insider.WoW Rookie: Quest wrangling 101Gotta kill some rats? Make sure you do it with a little organization.Shifting Perspectives: Your first steps as a DruidFirst step: get used to shedding hair, and lots of it.The Light and How to Swing It: The Paladin Epic Mount quest for AllianceHow to hook yourself up with some wheels... er, legs.Build Shop: Warrior 8/5/48Prot warrior build FTW.Raid Rx: Transitioning to 25-man raidingMarcie Knox starts up a new weekly column about healing in raids.Guildwatch: Holiday wishesOur weekly column of guild news wishes for lots of juicy drama next year-- something tells us the guilds of Azeroth won't disappoint.Blood Pact: Locked and loadedBeing 70 and a 'lock is barrels of impish fun.Tales from the Lion's Pride Inn: The warehouseOur graphic novel series continues.Encrypted Text: Upcoming Rogue changesWhat's in store for those who stealth.World of WarCrafts: Healing Potion PunchJust in time for the holidays, a bit of potion (and put some vodka in there for a punch).Totem Talk: So you're still playing that shaman...Taking that totem-tosser from 40 onward.Well Fed Buff: Night Dragon's Breath DipWho knew a dragon's breath could be so tasty?Blood Sport: Know thy groundScouting the terrain for arena matches.WoW, Casually: December 21 to 27: Alterac Valley and the Feast of Winter's VeilTips for casual players on what you can do with just a little bit of time this week.The Care and Feeding of Warriors: HeresiesWhy do we do certain things? Because.Insider Trader: Some disenchanted eveningIT looks at turning items into dust with a little magic.Phat Loot Phriday: The Unbreakable WillA big sword that's meant just for your main tank.
No better way to decorate than with wisdom, power and courage
With Christmas approaching at breakneck speeds, many are scrambling to get all of their gifts secured and their task of wrapping them complete. Not to mention that many a home still need decorating in that timeless family tradition of tossing up lights (way too many if you're a Griswold). Or, you can do like these fine chaps did and toss out your star or angel that usually rests atop your tree and replace it with a Triforce. Pretty sweet, if we may say so.[Thanks, Nick!]
