Since today's generation has been old enough to hold a joystick, the annual Christmas list has been filled with countless video games and the consoles they require. While the once popular Nintendo 64 and Playstation were at the top of those lists, they have long since faded away to make room for newer consoles like Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. As technology has evolved, these systems have only improved the experience of gamers everywhere with greatly detailed games as well as high-tech ways in which they can play them. This holiday season will mark another stage in video game history with the release of several new titles and introduction of some new gaming tools.
If there is one element of gaming that holds true for the people that play them, it is that there are certain characters and series that gamers just cannot get enough of. This is true for all genres of gaming that range from Super Mario to Metal Gear Solid. This is also true for the Call of Duty series, as it has been at the top of the list in the First Person Shooter (FPS) category for the past decade. This holiday season will introduce another addition to its well-known series with the release of Call of Duty: Black Ops. Unlike its predecessors, which take place in WWII or modern day, this game takes a new direction by exploring the Cold War. Even though it was released on Nov. 9, sales are still booming after making $650 million worldwide after only five days.
Another game to look out for is Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, the most recent addition to the newly popular Assassin's Creed series. Continuing right where its forerunner left off, this games continues the story of Ezio Auditore da Firenze and his quest to restore order to medieval Italy. This release has become especially popular since its release on Nov. 16 because of the large scale online multiplayer system included. Needless to say, this has sparked the interest of the online community and gamers in general. A word of advice: get one as soon as possible.
While these games are only two of the hottest releases this season, the real moneymakers are the motion sensing units sold for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. Following the craze created by the Nintendo Wii, both companies have distributed their own versions, the Playstation Move and the Kinect for Xbox 360. Since there release this fall, both console packages have received positive reviews from sources in the gaming community like IGN and Game Informer.
Although they may seem expensive with prices at $99 for Move and $149.99 for Kinect, these two bundle packs are still at the top of Christmas list for anyone who does not have them. It looks like gamers everywhere will be digging deeper into their pockets for the electronic entertainment that has become so popular. In the end, the final sales bill will tell the real story.
Christopher Spall can be reached at christopher.spall@student.shu.edu.
