Holiday Break

By Ryan Treit

The holiday season is such a blissful time of year. When I wasn't standing in line at a store trying my darndest not to scream out loud in frustration at the ridiculous waits, I could be found sitting comfortably with a homemade eggnog latte and a pile of games at my feet. Microsoft® tends to shut down when the holidays arrive, and I took that break from work and ran with it. Yes, I cover games for a living, but that doesn't mean I always get to play what I want, and having time to dive into my personal favorites was a tremendous treat. So much so that I put off going down to my parents (I don't take any consoles down in an effort to be at least a little respectful to the family) for an extra couple days so I could soak up every second possible with my Xbox®.

Oddly, I didn't find myself playing a lot of the blockbuster titles. I didn't play much Halo® 2 online or off, I didn't find myself going back for another round of Star Wars® Knights of the Old Republic® II: The Sith Lords™ (though I intend to shortly), and I hadn't even picked up MechAssault® 2: Lone Wolf yet. Instead, I was called back by some old favorites, and I picked a couple titles that you may call obscure. It was a cornucopia of gaming. As I tired of one, I just picked up another. I haven't played so many games and eaten so poorly in years. I felt like a kid again, as I soaked up every moment, but what exactly did I play over the holiday break? Well, it may be March, but is it ever too late to reminisce about a really great gaming vacation? I think not.

I can't get enough.

Spies vs. Mercs
I admit it. I have no power over Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell® Pandora Tomorrow™'s multiplayer. I can deny it for brief periods, but its seductive call is too much for me to resist for any length of time. I have a dedicated teammate, and when he gets home from work and I hear the phone ring, chances are I'll pick up and hear only "get on." Click. Five minutes later I'm in a lobby and I'm hoping I won't have to wait too long to get a ranked match going. It's a never-ending cycle, and the only game that will break it is Pandora Tomorrow's successor, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell® Chaos Theory™. Good luck getting me to play anything else when that bad boy comes out.

Hack and Slash
Demon Stone™ kind of slipped between the cracks. I haven't heard much about it, and I don't know anyone else that's played it, but it's one heck of a well-crafted hack-and-slash RPG. It fits right in between the Baldur's Gate™: Dark Alliance™ games and the recent Dungeons & Dragons®: Heroes™. The action is fast and in real time, so there's no turn-based lethargy here. The characters are more interesting than I would have thought, and the story is penned by Faerun favorite R.A. Salvatore. Plus, we've got Patrick Stewart doing some voiceover work. Hack and slash with a great story and a great voice cast? Count me in.

Love me a lightning spell.

Bubbles and Puzzles
A friend of mine recently downloaded Bejeweled off of Xbox Live® Arcade. I've since lost contact with him, as he's been consumed by the glittering, revolving jewels. I can relate. I picked up Ultra Bust-A-Move and I can barely remember what I was playing before it. In fact, many games that sat on my holiday break play list were left untouched as I continually came back to this title. For a proper explanation of the game itself, check out the First Encounter. I'll tell you this, though: If you want a game that's simple, addictive, and will take a lifetime to master, a la Tetris and even the newly released Revolved, you can hardly beat Ultra Bust a Move. It reminds me why simpler is almost always better when it comes to games. It doesn't need to be fancy; it just needs to be fun.

More fun than you'd think.

Paintball
Here's another gem that I probably wouldn’t have been aware of had I not had a copy dropped on the conference table in front of me at work. I admit it, I didn't run home and pop it in right away, but I wish I had. For anyone who played paintball growing up, this is a must. Greg Hastings' Tournament Paintball creates a completely authentic paintball experience, especially for those that have played in local tournaments. From customizing your gear, participating in tournaments, pitting your tactics against real life paintball pros, and playing online via Xbox Live, Tournament Paintball is pure FPS fun with a paintball twist.

Of course, I played more than these four games over the holiday break, but these are my most prized holiday gaming experiences. With good games coming out nearly every week, it's tough sometimes to give an unheralded game a try, or even go back to an old favorite, but often that's where the best in gaming is to be had.

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