Action Figures
These are excellent choices, especially considering their relatively cheap price. Game makers, with dollar signs in their eyes, have rushed to take their properties into the realm of polyvinylchloride and it's possible to find figures for game characters such as Mario, Luigi, Sonic the Hedgehog, Master Chief, and Lara Croft. With the boom in action figure popularity, items from the obscure (American McGee's Oz) to the megapopular (World of WarCraft) can now be found in most major toy stores, with figures ranging from around $9 to $20. Our favorites? Try the supercute Animal Crossing: Wild World figure set from Yujin ($15.99), or NECA's highly detailed Ada Wong figure from Resident Evil 4 ($19.99).
Books
For the more literary minded, try a paperback based on the Halo, Mass Effect, Resident Evil, or Splinter Cell franchises. Granted, none of these is what anyone would consider a contender for the Nobel Prize in Literature, but some are actually quite agreeable. Try Eric Nylund's The Fall of Reach, a pretty intriguing little work that serves as a prequel to Microsoft's monster first-person shooter, Halo. Here, Nylund reveals the origin of the iconic Master Chief and, in rather fine fashion, sets the stage for the video game to follow. Mass Effect: Revelation might also be a nice choice this holiday season; Mass Effect is an excellent space-based role-playing game available for Xbox 360 and PC. Revelation offers insight into the Mass Effect universe, taking place some 18 years before the events of the game.
The less literary-minded might appreciate a comic book, and video games have expanded into this medium, too. Udon Entertainment produces one hell of a stocking stuffer with its monthly Street Fighter II comics. Archie Comics' Sonic The Hedgehog is a more kid-friendly choice, and the Halo graphic novel by Marvel Comics features excellent artwork by Jean "Mobius" Giraud, Geof Darrow, Simon Bisley, and Phil Hale, but is decidedly not for kids. Marvel is continuing the saga with Halo: Uprising, but its publication has been sporadic. It is meant for adults.
Miscellaneous
Seek and it's possible to find a wealth of video game-related stuff for the holidays: Nintendo Monopoly ($29.95); or the goofy Stubbs the Zombie game soundtrack (with artists such as The Dandy Warhols and Death Cab for Cutie doing covers of 1950s hits such as Mr. Sandman and Tears on My Pillow). This holiday season, going beyond the box is not only exceedingly easy, but also a very smart tactic.
Posted: 18 Nov 2008
