Friday, December 13, 2013

All I want after Christmas is ...

One of my blogging buds, Minee, recently published her holiday wish list on her site, Vast Sea of Games, and then asked her readers to share theirs in its comments section. I liked the idea and thought it might be nice to do something similar here--and then I realized I'm not really asking for anything gaming-related for Christmas.

I'm sure that sounds kind of strange given my usual proclivities, but there's a good reason for it: the only people in my life who give me Christmas presents at this point are my parents, and they tend to give me (along with my brother and our spouses) small gifts and a nice amount of cash rather than larger gifts such as game systems and the like.

Will I be buying any systems or games with this impending holiday haul? Of course! In fact, I've already got my eyes on a few potential purchases, including the following:


Zoo Keeper 3D--I have a feeling I'm a member of a very small (and, let's face it, very odd) club of gamers thanks to my interest in this Japan-only 3DS title. What can I say? I love the GameBoy Advance version of the game (called Zooo, strangely enough) and also quite like the DS iteration, so I'd like to try this one, too.


Possibly one or more import-only DS games--Which ones, you ask? 7th Dragon (above) is one. Nora to Koku no Koubou: Kiri no Mori no Majo (aka Noora and the Time Studio: The Witch of the Misty Forest) is another. Oh, and Maestro! Jump in Music, too--which is a Europe-only DS release, strangely enough.


Definitely an obscure GameBoy title or two--In fact, it's extremely possible I'll forego all of the above and blow my entire wad on obscure (and mostly Japanese) GameBoy titles, like the one pictured above. That is how obsessed I am with this 24-year-old handheld at the moment.

Although there's a chance I'll spend my Christmas cash on something else--don't be too shocked if a Game Gear, Neo Geo Pocket Color or PSP game enter the fray, for example--the best bet is that you'll see a few posts focused on one or more of the above once the holidays are over.

Now that I've had my say, what gaming-related presents are all of you hoping to receive from your loved ones (or, like me, buy for yourself) this gift-giving season?

15 comments:

Zaphod65 said...

My PS3 died a few weeks ago, and I finally replaced it today with a newer model that lacks PS2 backwards compatibility. That sews up my gaming budget awhile, but I'm getting Grand Theft Auto 5 as a gift from a friend. If my parents send cash my way, I'll probably buy Tearaway for the Vita.

thegaygamer.com said...

Oh, that sucks, Terry! That your PS3 died, I mean, not that you replaced it. Also, I've heard only wonderful things about Tearaway, so I hope you do get it--and like it!

Zach said...

Last year I scored a European copy of Tingle's Rosy Ruppeeland, so this year Tingle's Balloon Trip of Fun is sitting at the top along with the fancy new Zelda (hopefully the carrot and stick I need to begin my independent Japanese studies). I actually got an early gift in the form of Xenoblade, so mine's already off to a wonderful start! :)

Monster_Hunter2882 said...

My gaming Christmas wish list from most to least wanted is The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, Donkey Kong Country: Returns 3D, Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, and Sonic Lost World 3DS version. I was tempted to ask for a Wii U or PS3 but I remained strong and didn't. I also thought about asking for New Super Mario Bros. 2 but I decide I'll wait till my birthday since it's in the summer and that's usually when game releases seem to be a bit slower compared to the rest of the year.

thegaygamer.com said...

Oh, that sounds great, Zach! I really want Tingle's Balloon Trip of Fun, too, but I'm not going to get it until I know more Japanese myself (and that's going to take some time).


As for Xenoblade: I hope you like it! I've played a bit and liked it well enough, although I'm not entirely sure the battle system is for me :|

thegaygamer.com said...

Sounds like a good list to me, Sam! I haven't bought NSMB2 myself yet. Not sure I ever will. Of course, it's going to be some time before I play NBMBU, so maybe I should get it while I still have a hankering for some 2D Mario action?

Zach said...

Yeah, Tingle will be a long-term investment. And yeah, the battle system is really whacky! But it really satisfies my desire for another Final Fantasy XII. It's complex enough to keep me on my toes and requires me to be invested in combat, which is something I've found in recent years to be difficult for me to do with JRPG's like the older FF's. I love them, but I think games like XII and Vagrant Story are wonderful evolutions from the genre that need more... attention, I think is what I want to say?

thegaygamer.com said...

I know I'm a dying breed, but I still prefer turn-based battles in RPGs. Always have, always will. As such, I'm sad that pretty much every RPG made/released these days ditches turn-based battles for ones that are more "active." BTW, you've reminded me that I've never played Vagrant Story and really have to do so in 2014...

Zach said...

DUDE Vagrant Story is so good. I pick it up every couple years or so to remind myself! It's also a pretty quick play if you don't worry about all the weaponry smithing too much (which scared me away from beating it several times). I would love to see a revamp for that if only to figure out a better interface. The story is wonderful, and it's hard to believe that so many people don't know about it. :(

And I respect your ability to enjoy those! I'm able to do it when there's plenty of charm (DQIX was the goshdarnbest, and Bravely Default looks like it's going to be wonderful!), it just gets hard when (with games like FF) it feels like it's a lot of copy pasta.

thegaygamer.com said...

Oh, I've known about Vagrant Story for ages, Zach, just haven't bought it yet for all sorts of reasons.


Also, I understand people not liking turn-based battles in RPGs. For whatever reason, though, I've always liked them. And grinding!

Justin Difazzio said...

Super Mario 3D World. Only that.

thegaygamer.com said...

Ah, yes, of course! I hope you get it, Justin--and love the hell out of it :)

thegaygamer.com said...

This bad gaming karma's going to come back at you someday, Igor :P

Mineeva said...

Ooooo! A lovely list! :3 I'll have to look into these. I need an excuse to get my import groove on more ;)

Any many thanks for the plug! Very sweet of ya! :D

thegaygamer.com said...

Thanks, Minee! And you're very welcome RE: the plug :)