The Ultimate Holiday Video Game Gift Guide

Justin Dennis jdennis@tribdem.com

When it comes to gift shopping, the wide world of electronic entertainment can be daunting at best, paralyzingly indecipherable at worst. This guide is a comprehensive list of can’t-miss gifts for the gamers on your holiday shopping list along with online-only deals that will save you some scratch.

THE ULTIMATE HOLIDAY VIDEO GAME GIFT GUIDE | PART 1 Prices were gathered via PriceGrabber.com and Google Shopping. All deals are accurate as of publication. Part 1 | For the older kids Part 2 | For the younger crowd Part 3 | Handheld games and digital stocking stuffers ($20 and under) ______________________ Missed out on some of these savings? Plenty of online retailers will be running price drops and sales through December. Check out some of these reputable sites: Amazon.com Newegg.com TigerDirect.com Overstock.com Buy.com JR.com Frys.com ValleySeek.com CompSource.com   ZombiU | Wii U First-person survival horror Rating: M 17+ MSRP: $59.99 One of the Nintendo Wii U’s exemplary launch titles, ZombiU promises an immersive survival horror experience. Making full use of the new Wii U gamepad, players must perform context-specific tasks like aiming a gun or unlocking a door via the pad’s inlaid touchscreen, as well as manage their inventory. This creates a new sense of tension as your eyes aren’t always watching for the zombie that could be sneaking up behind you. Perfect for the “Walking Dead” fan on your list or the gamer who has been stockpiling for the inevitable undead apocalypse. Diablo 3 | PC/Mac Action/RPG Rating: M 17+ MSRP: $59.99 Amazon.com: $27.99/free shipping, no tax TigerDirect.com: $49.99/free shipping, no tax Newegg.com: $50.64/free shipping, no tax   XCOM: Enemy Unknown | XB360/PS3/PC Turn-based strategy Amazon.com: $39.99/free shipping, no tax (XB360) (PS3) (PC) Buy.com: $55.99/free shipping, no tax (XB360) (PS3) Overstock.com: $56.59/no tax (XB360) (PS3) Rating: M 17+ MSRP: $59.99 A reboot of the classic mid-90s “XCOM” franchise, much has changed since gamers’ last visit to its wacky, comic book-kitsch world. Players control Earth’s defense forces from a top-down perspective as they clash with an encroaching alien threat. What XCOM lacks in originality it makes up for with its tactical combat mechanics and sheer depth. Between sorties, players must manage finances, expand their war base and research alien equipment for use in the field. “XCOM” is perfect for the calculating gamer or the one who's always beating you at chess. Borderlands 2 | XB360/PS3/PC/Mac First-person shooter/RPG Rating: M 17+ MSRP: $59.99 Newegg: $39.99/free shipping, no tax (PC) Buy.com: $54.50 - $54.99/no tax (XB360) (PS3) Overstock.com: $55.26 - $54.30/no tax (XB360) (PS3)   Assassin's Creed 3 | XB360/PS3/Wii U/PC Action/Adventure Frys.com: $49.99/no tax (XB360) Newegg.com: $51.99 - $53.99/free shipping, no tax (XB360) (PS3) Amazon.com: $57.10/free shipping, no tax (XB360) Overstock.com: $50.56 - $54.74/no tax (PS3) (Wii U) Rating: M 17+ MSRP: $59.99 Ubisoft’s flagship franchise about the ancient war between an assassin’s guild and the Knights Templar is pulling out all the stops for their second proper sequel. The series has taken players to Crusades-era Jerusalem and 15th century Italy — now players will rub elbows with George Washington on the Delaware River as they assume the role of Connor, a Native American assassin that has a hand to play in the American Revolution. Those looking for a blockbuster experience won’t be disappointed. Hitman: Absolution | XB360/PS3/PC Action/Adventure Rating: M 17+ MSRP: $59.99 Overstock.com: $55.48 - $56.44/no tax (XB360) (PS3) Newegg.com: $59.99/free shipping, no tax (XB360) (PS3)   Halo 4 | XB360 First-person shooter Rating: 17+ MSRP: $59.99 Picking up right where “Halo 3” left off, players once again assume control of Spartan-117, Master Chief, as he awakens from cryosleep to meet a new Covenant threat. Multiplayer is bigger than ever, expanding on the arsenal and gameplay additions from “Halo: Reach.” The new game mode, “Spartan Ops,” takes the player and a buddy through a season’s worth of episodic, story-driven missions where cooperation and teamwork are the key to success. Any “Halo” fan — or space marine aficionado — will be onboard. Mass Effect 3 | XB360/PS3/PC Action/RPG Rating: M 17+ MSRP: $29.99 Newegg.com: $19.99/free shipping, no tax (XB360) (PS3) Buy.com: $19.99/no tax (XB360) Fry’s Electronics: $25/no tax (XB360) (PS3)   Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 | XB360/PS3/Wii U/PC First-person shooter BestSKU.com: $46.99/no tax (XB360) (PS3) Geeks.com: $50.99/no tax (XB360) (PS3) Overstock.com: $55.83 - $56.32/no tax (XB360) (PS3) Rating: M 17+ MSRP: $59.99 “Call of Duty: Black Ops” was a sideways take on the military FPS genre, being set during the espionage-laden Cold War era. Its follow-up skews ahead roughly 10 years and instead of 60s-era tech like RC car bombs, players will have access to modern military gear like unmanned drones and concept technology that hasn’t seen real-life combat — yet. With an experience-based multiplayer system and the return of much-beloved zombie survival mode, there’s plenty here at which shooter fans or military buffs will take aim. CONTINUE? 9... 8... 7... Check out the other two parts of our Ultimate Holiday Video Game Gift Guide here: Part 2 | For the younger crowd Part 3 | Handheld games and digital stocking stuffers ($20 and under) Text Only | Photo Reprints

Tribune-Democrat News Slideshow

Latest News

• IRS official: 'I did nothing wrong'

  The Internal Revenue Service official at the center of the storm over the agency’s targeting of conservative groups told Congress on Wednesday that she had done nothing wrong in the episode, and then invoked her constitutional right to refuse to answer lawmakers’ questions.

  May 22, 2013 1 Photo

• FBI: Man fatally shot in Boston bombing probe

  A Chechen immigrant was shot to death by authorities while being questioned in the Boston Marathon bombing case early Wednesday after he lunged at an FBI agent with a knife, officials said.

  May 22, 2013 1 Photo

• Sisters ejected from mall over cancer hats

  Three sisters say they were kicked out of a suburban Philadelphia mall after refusing to remove profanity-laden hats expressing their hatred of breast cancer.

  May 22, 2013

• Pittsburgh jitney driver charged in passenger rape

  Pittsburgh police have charged a jitney driver with raping a female passenger and say his pants were still loose from the alleged attack and fell down when they stopped him and made him get out of the vehicle.

  May 22, 2013

• Route 219 expansion gets final approval

  The final permit for the long awaited Route 219 four-lane extension from Somerset to Meyersdale has been approved. Construction of the approximate 11-mile project is set to begin late this summer.
   

  May 22, 2013

Local News

• Game, humane groups offer $5K in bald eagle death

  The Pennsylvania Game Commission and The Humane Society of the United States are offering more than $5,000 for information on whoever fatally shot a bald eagle in Cambria County earlier this month.

  May 22, 2013

• School, council, supervisors races draw voters

  Area voters took to the polls Tuesday to cast their ballots, with many saying school board and council or supervisors races were the driving force that brought them out.

  May 22, 2013

• Incumbents advance: 5 candidates in city cross-file for victory

  Five incumbents cross-filed, as Democrats and Republicans, and entered races for both four- and two-year seats on the Greater Johnstown school board.
  Nobody else appeared on any ballot.

  May 22, 2013 1 Photo

• Patton will get another mayor

  Patton, in a resounding upset, will have a new mayor, and all four incumbents in the Penn Cambria school board race will remain at their posts.

  May 22, 2013

• Split decision: Each group has two winners on City Council

  Democratic Party voters offered a split decision between the two groups of Johnstown City Council candidates that campaigned against each other in this year’s primary.

  May 22, 2013 1 Photo

Sports

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, left, talks with teammate Evgeni Malkin during the team's practice ahead of Game 5 in their NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Eastern Conference semifinal against the Ottawa Senators in Ottawa, Ontario, on Tuesday, May 21, 2013. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Patrick Doyle)

• Senators relish chance to even series with Penguins

  After a win in Game 3, the Ottawa Senators are confident they can tie their series against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

  May 21, 2013 1 Photo

• Snider’s grand slam lifts Bucs over Cubs

  Travis Snider took a pregame pep talk from his manager to heart. Relaxed and with a clear head, he delivered a crucial sixth-inning home run for the second time in five games.

  May 21, 2013

• Humbled Steelers ready to forget offseason

  Troy Polamalu walked off the Pittsburgh Steelers’ practice field on Tuesday with rookie safety Shamarko Thomas hanging on the veteran safety’s every word.

  May 21, 2013 1 Photo

• Palmer to leave UPJ women’s position

  Sasha Palmer will embark on a new chapter as a women’s basketball coach next month.

  May 21, 2013 1 Photo

• Sumney added to SFU men’s coaching staff

  St. Francis men’s basketball coach Rob Krimmel filled a vacancy on his coaching staff Monday with the hiring of Mike Sumney as an associate head coach.

  May 21, 2013

Features

• Toe-tapping music | Jazz Along the River kicks off Friday at St. Mary’s in Cambria City

  Jazz Along the River will be back again this summer. The monthly jazz event has become a fixture at St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Church pavilion, Fifth Avenue and Power Street in the Cambria City section of Johnstown. The series of concerts will feature a different jazz group on the fourth Friday of each month through September.

  May 20, 2013

• Events | Whitewater bash
• Tribute to women | YWCA will honor seven for community contributions

Lifestyles

• Pa. Turnpike to install electric car charging stations

  The Pennsylvania Turnpike will take a "leap of faith" with its new electric-vehicle charging stations.

  April 26, 2013

• ACLU threatens legal action against Red Lion School District in transgender case
• Baseball, ice cream make winning combination

Multimedia

• VIDEO | Sci-Fi expo connects with fans

  The Force is strong with Casey Bassett.
  In two years of feverish planning and laborious love, the 24-year-old has roughly tripled the size of his homegrown geek convention, Sci-Fi Valley Con, being held this year at the Jaffa Shrine in Altoona. Today is the 2013 convention’s final day.

  May 18, 2013 1 Photo

• VIDEO | Deer gets on, off city bus
• VIDEO | Bards behind bars

Contact Us

Newsroom

814-532-5050

Advertising

814-532-5102

Circulation

814-532-5000

All Departments

814-532-5000