Nintendo Okie

We’re getting very close to the holiday shopping season.  What do I think you should buy?  Well, that’s not really my choice now, is it?  In the end it’s up to you what you buy.  I just want to throw my two cents out there and let you know what I would buy this holiday.  These are just some tips and ideas. 

#1 If the box says New Super Mario Bros. Wii on the cover,  Buy it!  There should be no hesitation even considering this one.  Chances are you already have it, but if you don’t you should.  Put it on a Christmas list, sell your dog for money.  I don’t care.  You should own New Super Mario Bros.

#2  Recharge station for your Wii Remote.  There are a number of charging solutions out there and many of them are very good.  There’s no reason to be changing batteries every few days, especially if you don’t use rechargeable ones.  The Wii Remote can suck up batteries if you like to play for extended periods of time.  Nyko’s Charge Base IC will even charge the batteries with the remote’s jacket on meaning you don’t have to take it off to charge the batteries. 

#3  Just ask your kid what they want.  Kids are smarter than many people give them credit for.  They know good when they see it, especially if they’re getting older.  If you play games with them on a regular basis then you have an idea what they like, but just ask them. 

#4  Nintendo Points Cards  The WiiWare service has grown a lot over the last year and a half and there are a ton of really quality titles out there with a few on the way in the next few weeks.  If you haven’t taken advantage of the service yet you really should check it out.  Here are just a few of the better games on the service that came out this year; Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, Tales of Monkey Island, Swords & Soldiers, LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias, ExciteBike: World Rally, and NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits.  There are more on their way: Bit.Trip Void, Castlevania: The Adventure Rebirth, Max & The Magic Marker and Phoenix Wright.

#5  Look for the following words: MySims, Mario, Rabbid, Lego  With a few exceptions like MySims Party these words all mean there is a quality product behind them.  Each of these developers has put a lot of time, effort and hard work into these games and it shows.  You can’t go wrong with any of the games with those words included. 

#6  Avoid the word Petz at all cost.  I have played a number of these games and even bought a couple for my children.  They quickly realized these games are terrible and will not even think about asking for another one.  They’re all essentially the same game with no cohesive story and terrible game play.  They play off the cuteness factor on the cover, but once the case is opened, not so much.

#7  Get active.  There are a couple of fitness games out there that aside from being decent for your health are a lot of fun as well.  Wii Fit Plus and EA Sports Active stand out among the crowd and are the ones that should be looked at.  Neither claims to be a replacement for exercise and in reality they shouldn’t be.  They are supplements that get you thinking about your posture, your eating habits and just get your off your couch and moving.  While you’re at it, if you have young girls that like Disney pop stars We Cheer 2 is another great alternative and will make them work off some of that holiday turkey.

#8  If the box says New Super Mario Bros. Wii on the cover, buy it!  I don’t think this could be stressed enough.  The new Mario game is the next classic.  An upgraded look, four player co-operative play, the Koopa Kids; it’s all there and it’s amazingly fun.  Quit reading, get in your car and go buy it. 

There you go.  A few things from me that I think you should keep in mind when you’re doing some shopping on Black Friday.  Whether your shopping for yourself or your kids you can’t go wrong with any of this advice.  If you’ve got any holiday shopping tips, leave us a comment and let us know.