Twelve Days of Christmas, Holiday Gift Ideas: Games

The holidays are upon us. Black Friday and Cyber Monday are both over, and the December rush has begun. Whether you're shopping online, through retailers like Amazon.com, Overstock.com, or offline in retail outlets such as Wal*Mart or Target you can be a smart consumer. By using sites like PriceGrabber or Google Product Search or mobile applications like ShopSavvy (Android & iPhone) you can be sure you're getting a good deal.

Of course, the best place to start is to look at who you're buying for, and how much you're willing to spend on them. But to get you started, I've thrown together a list of some of the bigger consumer products of the year. Ranging from the cheaper stocking stuffers, to the more expensive presents this list has a little bit of everything, although it's definitely for the geekier folk.

Toys & Games

Mindflex $184

I have no idea what this is to be honest, but it's the most wished for gift on Amazon and looks amazing. It uses a headset for something with brain waves (whether it really works is up for you to see) and the goal seems to be to create something to move the ball through, without touching it. Sounds cool, but 180 bucks is a bit much for something that will undoubtedly be collecting dust a few months after Christmas.

LEGO Star Wars: Motorized AT-AT $199.99

AT-ATs are awesome. LEGOs are awesome. What could possibly be more awesome about a LEGO AT-AT? A motorized one of course! I have a LEGO AT-AT from back in the day (sadly, not motorized) and it's an amazing model and this one looks even better. Who said toys are for kids?

LEGO Make & Create Café Corner $175

This model is a part of a larger LEGO theme of a classic style city street, which currently also includes Green Grocer ($145). Both buildings are level independent, meaning you can remove parts of the building to see inside, or extend them yourself. Both sets are very well designed, and great fun to build.

Risk by Hasbro $22.99

The classic war strategy game Risk is pretty much the father of RTS (Real Time Strategy) games popular on the PC. If you haven't played Risk, the goal is simple (like in RTS'): Take over. Also available (which is the version I have actually is The Lord of the Rings Risk ($155) which is the full trilogy in Risk form, complete with an accurate map of Middle-Earth.

Blokus by Mattel $19.99

Blokus is another strategy game, although in a much more approachable (and shorter!) way. The premise of the game is to have the least number of squares leftover at the end of the game. Sound easy? Blokus requires evaluating the current placements of all the pieces, and planning ahead in case your options are filled by your opponents. Overall this game is fun for both the young and old, and is a great way to fill time, or just to have fun with each other.

Copag Poker Size Playing Cards $13.95
and
Fat Cat Hold'em Poker Chip Set (500ct) $39.49

Poker is a great game for parties, everyone knows it in some form. My favorite is Texas Hold'em, but the type doesn't matter. All you need are some nice cards and some poker chips, and you're set.

Nintendo Wii $199.99

The perfect console for anyone, the Wii is great for old and new gamers, and is especially great at parties. While it seemed a bit gimmicky to me at first, the motion control is actually pretty fun, especially with other people.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 $59.99

The game of the year. On Xbox 360. Right now.
No seriously, this game is amazing, and while I may not have a 360 of my own to play it on, just playing it on a friends' was a thrill. Definitely should be the top choice for anyone who likes FPS games, but doesn't already have MW2 (for whatever crazy reason).

This is the day eight of our Twelve Days of Christmas, Holiday Shopping Ideas from Maverick Revolution.