A Minor Plethora: X-Mas Edition Vol. 2

And so the list of XMas gifts grows! Well, sort of. Only 3 items left to list out and only twenty two more days to go until "Old Saint Nick" visits my chimney and supports my video game habit! Until then, enjoy the remainder of....THE LIST!

The number four slot goes to a video game that's been on pretty much all my friend's (who play games) list: Left For Dead! Ever wonder what it would be like if Zombies plagued the Earth one day? Ever wonder what brains taste like? Play Left For Dead and you can have both of those burning questions answered! You can play as one of four survivors of the zombie apocalypse in the single player campaign or play with up to three other friends in the multiplayer campaign mode. Not satisfied? Get your zombie fix by actually playing as one of the many different zombie types that you encounter through out the game when playing competitively in the new 8v8 mode. Play as:

1. The Boomer: A morbidly obese boss that vomits a bile that attracts ordinary Infected to the targeted player(s).
2. The Hunter: A type of boss, Hunters are much faster than average Infected. They can jump large distances and close in on survivors with extreme speed.
3. The Smoker: A special type of Infected, the Smoker possesses a long tongue he can use to strangle survivors
4. The Tank: A special type of Infected, the Tank uses his inhuman strength to pummel survivors and throw heavy objects.
5. The Witch: A special class of Infected, the Witch lays dormant and only attacks when alerted to the presence of survivors (most powerful in game).

All in all, LFD is one hell of a good time. Having played through the campaign almost twice and still wanting it for Christmas speaks for itself. Graphics are nice, game play is solid, the zombies are fast and frantic and the momentum of the game is simply brilliant; you'll know exactly what I mean within the first five seconds of the first mission. Left for Dead is a 'no brainer' (see what I did there) and a great pick up for any one with an itchy trigger finger.

Rolling in at the number five spot on my list is The Wii Zapper bundled with Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles. Ok Ok, I know its two things in one but the Zapper's only nineteen bucks and the Umbrella Chronicles is only twenty-nine doll-hairs. But, when was the last time you played an on rails shooter with a gun peripheral at home that was actually good? Did you happen to say, "since Duck Hunt?" Umbrella Chronicles has garnered an astounding 8.5 Meta Critic review as well as an 8.7 user generated review and for a light gun shooter...That's frigging amazing! I can remember having an absolute blast putting in hours at the arcade playing House of the Dead and Time Crisis and all the other assorted light gun shooters that were stock piled back in the late 90's, those were the days! It's been a while since I've played a Resident Evil game and what better way to get amped up for Resident Evil 5 (on the XB360 due out march 5th of next year) than to go back and play this one?

[wiki]Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles, known in Japan as Biohazard: Umbrella Chronicles (バイオハザード アンブレラ・クロニクルズ, Baiohazādo Anburera Kuronikuruzu?), is an on-rails shooting game and the seventh main installment in Capcom's Resident Evil series. The game exposes the Umbrella Corporation's meddling throughout the Resident Evil series through narration from Albert Wesker, a former Umbrella Corporation scientist, and hidden documents pertaining to the organization's secret motives and actions. The game is composed of five scenarios that recapitulate the events of Resident Evil Zero, Resident Evil and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, as well as new material pertaining to the Umbrella Corporation's downfall. The game features many characters from previous Resident Evil games.

Last but certainly not least is yet again another XBox 360 title. It took me a while to narrow down my game choices that I would be asking Santa for, but it was all worth while! The pivotal sixth spot goes to: Prince of Persia. Having just been released, Prince of Persia has turned some peoples heads, including mine. Having only played the old PC versions of this series as well as The Sands of Time for the XBox360 my knowledge of the series and where it's at right now is a little fuzzy. However, developer Ubisoft (which happens to be my second favorite developer) has promised an all new story arch as well as visual style that will surely separate this installment from previous ones.

[wiki] Prince of Persia is an action-adventure and platforming video game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It was released on December 2, 2008 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, the Microsoft Windows version will be released on December 9, 2008. Prince of Persia is a completely new chapter in the series, with a different story than the previous installments, as well as a new graphic style and game play elements.

The player assumes the role of the Prince, who, despite his name, is not royalty. The Prince is accompanied by a girl named Elika, whom he met after a large sandstorm diverted him from his course, and he ended up in a mysterious land. Players traverse many different environments, using the Prince's acrobatic abilities to scale walls, and even crawl on the ceilings. Throughout the journey, players combat various different enemies as they attempt to clean the land of corruption.

This holiday season has the makings to be one of the most epic in gaming history. So many titles to choose from and so much hardware to indulge in. I know my list will leave me gaming for quite some time and in no way leave me unsatisfied. Hell, Fallout III will give me something to do for the following sixth months after XMas alone! To all you gamers out there, be mindful and thankful for what you have, for what you get and most of all for what you give. Enjoy the Holidays and always................

-GAME HARD-