Holiday Gift Guide 2009

The (drunken) festivities have come around once more, and while we would like to recommend sending packages of alcohol to random people in Belgium before we destroy it... wait, no, we've done this before.

Well, I guess you can still send alcohol to random countries on our map of targets, we're not going to complain. But it's a better idea just to drink the alcohol yourselves (or send it to us).

Times are achangin' and you'll see that the PS2 section has now disappeared into the pixelated ether known as irrelevance. Yes, harsh, but it had to go sometime, and I don't think anyone is going to get too excited about unfurling three layers of candy-cane wrapping paper to get DJ Hero for the PS2... while turning slowly to look at their Xbox 360.

This year, the Wii is at the egregiously low price of $199.99 with the Xbox 360 and PS3 not too far behind (Xbox 360 Arcade at $249.99 and 120 GB PS3 at $299.99). It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the Wii probably isn't going to make any grown-up teenager happy and that the Xbox 360 and PS3 probably isn't a good idea for a kid who doesn't even know what "mature" even means. Surprisingly, with the exception of New Super Mario Bros. Wii and The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, the Wii, DS, and PSP don't have that much going on this holiday season... though that means many of its best titles are at a lower gift-ready price.

And if you're unsure about what to get your video game savvy friends, especially if you don't know what games they already own, points cards are always the good way to go. No one can complain about getting more Xbox Live points, and if they do, give them to someone else who deserves it: you.