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Playing the game [Telegraph-Herald (Dubuque, IA)](Telegraph-Herald (Dubuque, IA) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) The baby boomers had music: The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Who, Aretha Franklin, Woodstock. These groups and ideals captured the imagination of a generation and were integral voices they chose to pass on to their children and children's children. Millennials and Generation Z have their brand of music, too. But when it comes to passing along the most transcendent slice of the pop culture pie, it might well be through consoles and video game controllers. "Mario," "Tetris," "Golden Eye," "Super Mario," "Sonic," "Zelda," "Madden," "Mario Kart," "Final Fantasy," "Grand Theft Auto," "Angry Birds": names that many future parents will pass along to their kids, no matter what the future of gaming technology holds. The Associated Press recently reported that sales of new video game hardware, software and accessories fell 25 percent in October, the 11th straight month of declining sales for physical game products. Those numbers are about to change, as some huge game titles have been released, just in time for the holidays. The long-awaited and widely acclaimed "Halo 4" video game was released Nov. 6, and the sci-fi first-person shooter game has not disappointed. Other major gaming items on this year's wish lists include "Assassin's Creed III" and "Call of Duty: Black Ops II." Nintendo's new Wii U console hit stores Nov. 18. Dan Reinert, manager at Video Games Etc. in Dubuque, said this year's crop includes some of the most visually stunning games ever. Here is his list for shoppers: "Halo 4" $60, available on Xbox 360 "It's one of the games that really pushes the system the most. It's received some of the best reviews of all the Halo games in this series. It's the most advanced as far as storytelling on the system." "Assassin's Creed III: Liberation" $60, available on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC, Wii U, PlayStation Vita "This is one of the big Christmas games this year " We continuously sell out of this game." "Call of Duty: Black Ops II" $60, available on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U, PC, PlayStation Vita "Pretty much more of the same; people are really excited about it. It gives you a lot of different games for your dollar. In addition to the single player and multi-player game, they brought back the fan favorite zombie mode. Zombies are so popular right now. You see zombies in almost everything." Wii U Basic - $300, deluxe - $350 "It's more powerful than the Wii is. It's also aimed more at adults. The Wii was very well known for being a family system, and some hardcore gamers thought it was kiddish. This is more of a well- rounded system. The controller is similar to a tablet." "Super Mario Bros. U" $60, available on Wii U "It's basically a sequel to 'New Mario Bros.' - kind of a throwback to the original 'Mario Brothers.' " "LEGO Lord of the Rings" Cost varies, available on Wii, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, PC, PlayStation Vita "This is just the second game LEGO has used actual voice actors from the actual series. It's pretty funny to see them spouting their lines in the LEGO universe. It's a great family game." "Hitman: Absolution" $60, available on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC "It really pushes the system's boundaries visually. It uses the muscle of the new machines, what they are able to do in terms of the game world. It's kind of like finding your way through those old 'choose your own adventure' books - they don't force you down a path." "Pokemon Black 2 and White 2" $35 apiece, available on Nintendo DS "Each one has hundreds of different monsters in it. If you have Black 2, you can hook up with a friend who has White 2 and you can trade monsters back and forth, as well as, of course, play against each other." Xbox Live Free to $8 per month, Xbox 360 "There's been a tremendous amount of interest in Xbox Live. You can watch TV shows, surf the Internet, play movies, do Netflix - video game machines are becoming more and more of that total entertainment hub." (c) 2012 ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved. |