Granted, “find something good and give it” works in theory but, when it comes to buying for tabletop gamers, there’s a hidden risk: You might have to actually play the game.

This year’s lineup focuses on stuff that you can be comfortable giving, and if asked to play, you stand a real chance of having fun whether you’re a gamer or not:

Pathfinder Beginner Box

Provided the recipient doesn’t already play Pathfinder, this beginner box is an awesome deal. It has everything you need to play the spiritual successor to Dungeons and Dragons, and it’s set up in a way that a whole group can start hacking monsters within minutes of opening the box. Check out the Gamertell review for more. ($35)

Munchkin

Not every card game needs to be serious and Munchkin is as non-serious as it gets. Each player is a fantasy hero out to smash monsters and gain loot, eager to prevent the other heroes from doing the same. A hand can take 15 minutes or so, and makes great filler for when you’re waiting for that last guy to show up for ‘real’ game for the evening. Not many games make it to the 19th printing, so check it out. ($25 for basic game, many expansions available)

Risk: Legacy

Risk is the ultimate wargame, as much a gateway to wargaming as milk is to drinking alcohol. There are many versions but Legacy takes the game to a unique leve for a boardgamel: actions in one game influence what happens in the next. Various envelopes and ‘secret documents’ get opened as the game progresses, permanently changing the map and other aspects of the game, and making the game at your house different than at anyone else’s. Yes, it’s still basically Risk, but these rules put a crazy spin on a classic. ($65, but it pays to shop around).

Graveborn foil deck

Intimidation is a major factor of black magic, as true in real folklore as it is in Magic: The Gathering. When a guy sitting across from you plunks down a deck filled with hard-to-get foil cards, that’s intimidating, too. So it’s only natural that an all-foil deck based around black cards is as intimidating as it can get in a card game. Even if you don’t play the game, the deck is pretty viable as-is, and completely built for you. After play, the foil cards, especially the lands, will still see much use in other decks, so this is a better deal than usual for collector cards. ($35)

Game of Thrones card game

Assuming you’ve read the epic books or awesome HBO series, you’ve got the basic knowledge to know what’s going on in this game. You’ll need it, since the games here are bit more involved than in other card games mentioned here but the many expansions means the game stays fresh longer than usual for non-collectible games..($40, not counting the many expansions)

Site [Gamertell's 2011 Holiday Gift Guide]

As with the previous gift guide on Warhammer 40,000 eBundles, there might be some steep looking costs. If, however, you’re into these kinds of stories, these bundles are pretty fair considering how much you get in each.

• Christmas Gotrek & Felix eBundle. This is the best line in the Warhammer Fantasy universe. What makes it as good as it is would probably be its writing style and the two main characters. The writing style for parts of the early books is something akin the medieval romances and/or Scandinavian sagas. The main characters, even though a considerable amount of the secondary characters are also quite memorable, are also written in ways that they really strike a chord with the reader. Gotrek is a dwarven trollslayer, a class of dwarf that is usually reserved for either the insane or disgraced. Their entire purpose is to go out and try to redeem themselves through battle and be redeemed through finding the one truly epic opponent that is able to kill them. Felix is a human scholar, namely a poet, who was commissioned to write the saga of Gotrek’s quest for a great and worthy doom. Having been the son of a noble, Felix was also trained to a certain extent in marital arts, though he would prefer to not have to fight. The bundle includes 12 novels, an audio drama and a short story that makes up most, if not, all of the saga far. The cost of the bundle is $116.86.
• Christmas Darkblade eBundle: This series is pretty cool, if only for the fact that you’re following one of the sides that is typically thought of as evil. It’s strange that it can get you to empathize with a villain. The general storyline is that Malus Darkblade, a dark elf, is trying to find something in Chaos Wastes that would allow him to further not only himself and his family, but also his race within the realm. He finds a demon who curses him as part of a game. The game is that he has to find certain lost relics in the Chaos wastes. If he does not find the relics, he dies. If he does find them, he gets power that was previously unknown to him. It’s an intriguing plot line that anyone who enjoys fantasy tales that deal a lot with politics and treasure hunting will probably love. The bundle includes all five novels in the series and costs $39.95.
• Christmas Legend of Sigmar: The Legend of Sigmar tells the story of three things that are constantly being referred to in the stories of the human Empire. The first story is being told is that of the growth of the Warrior King Sigmar. The growth of Sigmar starts to show him as a bit of a Christ-figure. The second is the formation of the Empire under Sigmar through unifying the tribes of man in a conflict against the Greenskins/Orks. The third deals with the incursions of Chaos and the undead. The incursions end up showing Sigmar’s unrelenting courage in such a way that we actually see Sigmar start to ascend to the ranks of a God King, which is impressive. This bundle, probably the best of the three, includes three books and an unabridged audiobook version of God King by Graham McNeill for $53.97.
• Christmas Rise of Nagash eBundle: This story is one that shows a lot of things that even tie into the Sigmar trilogy. It is also the one that takes the most cues from non-British influences, though it is somewhere that many European groups have worked in many times. The Nagash trilogy follows a pseudo-Ancient Egyptian culture as it wars within itself. It also follows Nagash, a humble priest with no so humble aspirations at power over everything including life and death. We see Nagash deal with other tribes of the region, the Skaven and other groups that play a prominent role in current-era Warhammer Fantasy. This trilogy eBundle costs $23.97.
• Christmas Horus Heresy Complete Works: The Horus Heresy series is essentially the Warhammer 40,000 equivalent to Paradise Lost. It’s full of memorable characters and sights. It is the story of the civil war that brings the Imperium of Mankind to its knees as some of the legions of Space Marines, better known as the Emperor’s angels of death, fall into Chaos and rebellion against their father, the God-Emperor. With this bundle, as the title of the bundle implies, you get everything that the series has to offer. That means you get 17 novels, four audio dramas and seven audiobooks. The cost is $388.33
• Christmas Horus Heresy audio bundle: This is pretty much just the audio side of the Complete Works bundle. You get four audio dramas and seven audiobooks. Four of the audiobooks are abridged. Three are unabridged. The cost of this bundle is $252.50
• Christmas Horus Heresy eBundle: This bundle is the e-print side of the Complete Works bundle. You get 17 books new for a surprisingly low cost. This bundle will set you back $135.83.

Site [Black Library]

These do sell out and the deals will expire at midnight. Make certain you get the right coupon code for the item(s) you want and expect a week or so for delivery. The site also likes to have daily deals so check back throughout the month to scoop up other decent items.

I’ve had excellent luck with most everything I’ve bought from that site. Only one or two items have taken longer than 2 weeks to ship but they’ve all worked just fine.

Some of the best deals include:

• Belkin AC wall charger for $16.95 (reg. $19.99) with free shipping

• Red Komodo KMD-6579 Nunchuck and Remote Controller for Wii pack
• Mini paper shredder pen with LED light for $3.99 (save $2)
• USB car charger with IC protection and insurance management for $1.99 (reg. $6.59)
• USB fiberoptic Christmas tree for $5.99 (save $2)
• Wii MotionPlus for Wiimote for $9.99 (save $2)
• 6 in. high-speed HDMI gold-plated cable for $3.99 (save $1)
• Mini Bluetooth keyboard for $14.99 (save $3)
• 10 in. neoprene bag with handle for $9.99 (save $1)
• Asus USB BT211 Bluetooth v2.1 min adapter with $5 mail-in rebate for $8.99 (reg. $14.99)
• Red Logitech wireless laser mouse for $11.99 (save $4)
• Kodak portable USB battery charger for $6.95 (save $7)
• Logitech Harmony 650 universal remote for $41.95 (save $13)
• iPhone USB power adapter for $1.99 (reg. $2.49)

Site [Meritline]

For the Toy R Us Cyber Monday sale, the online store offers several deals including free games or accessories with console purchase, cheap accessories, buy-one-get-one games and learning system bundles.

There’s also free shipping when you spend $49 or more (which is easy because, let’s face it, it’s Toys R Us and they charge retail). Some of the highlights include, by category:

Featured Game Deals

• HINT: For some you need to check the individual game.

• Free Skylander Spyro’s Adventure Starter Pack ($69.99 value) when you buy a Nintendo 3DS Holiday Bundle with Super Mario 3D Land for $200.
• Free game or accessory when you buy a 250 GB Xbox 360 Kinect
• Free Super Hero Squad (Xbox 360, $39.99 value)) when you buy Xbox 360 uDraw Tablet ($79.99)
• 50% off Wii Game when buy Skylander or Mario & Sonic London
• Buy 1 Get 1 Free on select Games
• Buy 1 Get 1 60% off on sleect games
• Buy 1 Get 1 60% off ALL Power A Video Game Accessories
• Save $35 on this Hot Wii Bundle
• FREE Gift when you buy Skylanders Kit for Xbox 360 or PS3
• 50% off ANY Xbox 360 or PS3 Game with Qualifying Purchase
• Save 25% on Sonic Generations + Free Shipping
• Save 25% on EA 12 Sports Titles + Free Shipping
• Save 25% on Mario & Sonic at London Games + Free Shipping

Game Accessories Deals

• HINT: Look for the red “ONLINE PRICE ONLY” in red for each item/

• Pokemon Legendary Kit for Nintendo DS for $5.98 (reg. $9.98)
• LevelUp Gaming Storage Tray for Nintendo DS – Black for $9.98 (save $5)
• Nintendo zipper pulls (mini Mario plushies) for $2.98 each (reg. $9.99)
• Pokemon Black and White Hard Case Kit for Nintendo DS/DSi/DSi XL for $11.98 (save $8)
• Centipede TV/Gaming Hub for $29.98 (save $50)
• Grey WiiMote for $19.99 (save $10)
• Sonic, Pac-Man, call of Duty and Atari gift sets for $4.98 each (reg. $9.98) that include a wallet and key chain or a wrist band and belt buckle pack.
• LevelUp Universal Gaming Storage Ottoman – Black for $17.98 (save $12)
• Move Blaster Combo Pack for Sony PS3 Move for $9.98 (reg. $24.99)
• Foam Sword for Nintendo Wii for $1.98 (reg. $4.98)
• $1 off PSP car adapter ($6.98)

Learning System Deals

• Vtech MobiGo Value Bundle – Blue and Pink – for $89.99 (reg. $114.99) includes system, case, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Cars 2 games.

• LeapFrog Explorer Learning Game Value Pack – Disney Pixar Toy Story 3 and Cars 2 for $34.99 ($10 off)
• LeapFrog Explorer Learning Game Value Pack – Disney Tangled and Pet Pals 2: Best of Friends for $34.99 ($10 off)
• Vtech InnoTab Learning Game Cartridge Value Bundle for $49.99 ($25 off) includes Cars 2, Spongebob and Scooby-Doo games.
• LeapFrog Leapster Explorer Value Bundle – Girls for $109.99 (save $50) includes system, carrying case and three games (Tinker Bell: Lost Treasure, Dora the Explorer and Disney’s The Princess and the Frog)
• LeapFrog Leapster Explorer Value Bundle – Boys for $109.99 ($50 off) which includes a case and three games (Star Wars: Jedi Reading, SpongeBob: Fists of Foam and Scooby-Doo: Pirates Ghost of the Barbary Coast)

Electronics Deals

• Save 20% on really pink electronics including a Victorious video camera for $31.99 (reg. $39.99)

• 16 GB Galaxy Tab for $469.99 (reg. $499.99)
• 32 GB Galaxy Tab for $569.99 (reg. $599.99)
• Maxell Juicy Tunes ear buds for $4.98 (save $1) and $5.98 (save $4)
• SMS Text Messenger – Purple for $7.98 (save $10)
• Discounted iPd Touch, iPad and iPhone skins (save $2 to $10)
• iCarly netbook Sleeve (10.2 in.) for $5.98 (save $2)
• Elmo and Big Bird 2 GB Flash drives for $16.98 each (reg. $24.99 each)

Site [Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals @ Gamertell]

Image Credit: The image above is a screen shot of the Toys R Us web site from November 28, 2011.

For those who don’t know and haven’t guessed, Black Library are the publishers behind the Warhammer, Warhammer 40,000, Horus Heresy and Age of Legends sets of book series. Some of the books published by this company, even though they appeal to a very niche group of not only readers but also gamers, have even ended up important lists like the New York Times’ Bestseller list. That being said, Black Library is offering multiple eBundles of its products for fans. Some have admittedly pretty steep costs but, once you see what you can get with the bundles, you’ll see that the prices are usually pretty fair.

Look for other bundles for specific lines in future posts.

• Christmas Space Marine eBundle: Space Marines are always fun. This collection takes the best novels and novellas highlighting specific famous Space Marine battle. In total, you get seven novels and four novellas for $75.89.
• Christmas Gaunt’s Ghosts eBundle: Here is a pretty good bundle to look at. Dan Abnett is one of the best writers in the Black Library stable of writers. He’s also the only one who writes the Gaunt’s Ghosts stories. What you get with this bundle is 13 novels, one anthology and one audiobook going back to the start of this specific line. For fans of Ibram Gaunt and the Tanith First and Only, you could buy the bundle for $141.86.
• Christmas Ultramarines eBundle: This one might be of interest to some people though it is by no means one of the best lines that Black Library has sold. It’s good, but there is a matter of consistency that isn’t always Graham McNeill’s strong point. Still, there is a lot in the six books and four short stories that should grab someone’s attention. It’s also another bundle where things are pretty fairly priced at $59.90.
• Christmas Night Lords eBundle: When in doubt, Chaos Marines will fix everything. Sure, by fix I mean utterly destroy. But then again, they never really were good at following instructions. This bundle is made up of two novels, one novella, one short story and one audio drama. As the name of the bundle implies, the stories follow the Night Lords chapter of the Chaos Marines. Learn about them and their history as they go to war against the Imperium they originally fought to create. The cost is $36.96.
• Christmas Salamanders eBundle: Much like the Ultramarines bundle, this highlights some of the adventures of some of the important heroes with a specific Chapter. In this case, it’s the Salamanders chapter of Space Marines. The bundle includes the three “Tome of Fire” trilogy, as well as three short stories, an audio drama and an audio short for $50.93. The “Tomes of Fire” trilogy is actually good enough to warrant buying the bundle.
• Christmas Ciaphas Cain eBundle: Much like Gaunt’s Ghosts, this series follows a Commissar as he builds his career largely off of being lucky to be in the wrong place at the right to do his duty. Ciaphas is a dangerous military political leader. However, the thing that makes him dangerous is fact that he is willing to try to do the right thing for his troops to try to keep their morale up. Anyway, this bundle has six novels, five short stories and an audio drama for $61.94.
• Christmas Eisenhorn and Ravenor eBundle: The two lines that make up this bundle are both Black Library and Dan Abnett at the top of their game. They do very well with defining the duties of the Inquisition. They also have memorable characters that just make it an enjoyable reading experience. Even though there will soon be a set of audio drama in specifically the Eisenhorn line, those aren’t in the bundle. The bundle has six books and four short stories for $59.90

You have to admit, 2011 hasn’t exactly been an ample year for Wii owners. There were quite a few games released, but not many were high quality adventures worth actually picking up and buying. Of course, that’s what happens as a console ages. And it isn’t like it was a total wash. There are still 10 very good, perhaps even awesome, games to consider buying as gifts for Wii owners this holiday season. Just make sure you get a gift receipt, in case the recipient already bought the game for his or herself.

On the other hand, now is a pretty good time to take advantage of the situation and buy a Wii for someone. Some stores are having awesome deals this Black Friday. For example, Meijer will have a Wii for $99 and Walmart will have one for $99.96, and the Meijer one looks like it’s the good, backwards compatible Wii! Quite a few other stores will also have Wiis on sale, but be careful. If the Wii is shown lying horizontally on the box as is the case with the exclusive blue Wii at Walmart, that means it is a model that isn’t backwards compatible with GameCube games and accessories.

Moving on, let’s look at some of the games you could get for your loved ones!

Bit.Trip Complete
Price: $39.99
Genre: Action/Arcade/Shooter
ESRB Rating: Everyone
Description: Bit.Trip Complete is actually a compilation of WiiWare games released for the first time on a disc. You get Bit.Trip Beat, Bit.Trip Core, Bit.Trip Void, Bit.Trip Runner, Bit.Trip Fate and Bit.Trip Flux, which follows Commander Video’s adventures throughout the galaxy.
Perfect For: Older Wii owners who appreciate retro-chic games.

Fortune Street
Price: $49.99
Genre: Board Game
ESRB Rating: Everyone
Description: Now, I know Fortune Street isn’t out yet, but as someone who has played the PSP and DS incarnations I feel safe in recommending this Monopoly-style board game with the Super Mario and Dragon Quest characters competing against one another for fortune and fame. It also has some mini-games, but it’s mainly about being more wealthy than your opponents.
Perfect For: Families or friends who want a board game to enjoy on their Wii.

Just Dance 3
Price: $39.99
Genre: Music
ESRB Rating: Everyone 10+
Description: It’s another incarnation of Just Dance, only with more songs and a few additional game modes. You hold the Wii remote in your hand and follow the motions of the figure on the screen to successfully dance through songs.
Perfect For: Wii owners envious of Dance Central. People who might want to lose weight, but want to do so in a fun way.

Kirby’s Return to Dreamland
Price: $49.99
Genre: Action
ESRB Rating: Everyone 10+
Description: Kirby, Meta Knight, King Dedede and Waddle Dee must help their new spacefaring friend repair his broken space ship by visiting different areas of Pop Star to recover the missing gears and pieces by exploring levels and beating bosses. There are new powers for Kirby and up to four people can play at once.
Perfect For: People who have been Nintendo fans for years or who know and love classic Kirby adventures. Or, someone who enjoys having friends over for co-op gaming.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Price: $49.99
Genre: Action RPG
ESRB Rating: Everyone 10+
Description: The latest Legend of Zelda casts Link and Zelda as two young people living on a floating island. Zelda is abducted and Link must go after her to save not only her, but the kingdom as well. There are tons of dungeons, interesting motion controls and it just looks gorgeous.
Perfect For: Anyone who has owned a Wii ever. Okay, maybe not really young kids under the age of eight. But everyone else will want this game. Just make sure the recipient has a MotionPlus peripheral or Wii Remote Plus, since the game can’t be played with a standard Wii remote.

Lost in Shadow
Price: $29.99
Genre: Action
ESRB Rating: Everyone 10+
Description: Lost in Shadow begins with a strange soldier cutting away a boy’s shadow and throwing it off of a tower. The boy’s shadow then gets up on its own and must traverse trials, climbing the tower to be reunited with its owner. Since the boy is a shadow, he can only interact with the shadow world of the tower.
Perfect For: More mature Wii owners who like artsy, experimental and unusual games.

Mario Sports Mix
Price: $49.99
Genre: Sports
ESRB Rating: Everyone
Description: Okay, so Mario Sports Mix isn’t the pinnacle of Mario spin-offs. Still, it’ll do in a pinch for younger gamers, and give them an opportunity to play basketball, dodgeball, hockey and volleyball with their favorite characters.
Perfect For: Kids who’ll have their friends over often. Try and see if you can find it on sale for under $25 though, since it’s really not worth the $50 price tag.

Rayman Origins
Price: $49.99
Genre: Action
ESRB Rating: Everyone 10+
Description: Darktoons have taken over the Glade of Dreams and now Rayman, accompanied by Globox and the Teensies, have to do everything they can to save their world from these unusual invaders. Up to four people can play cooperatively at a time.
Perfect For: Wii owners in general should like it. Older gamers will dig the nostalgia factor of playing a new Rayman game, while younger gamers will like the vibrant characters and environments.

Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny
Price: $39.99
Genre: Action RPG/Simulation
ESRB Rating: Everyone 10+
Description: Aden and Sonia are living their lives on Fenith Island when something extraordinary happens. They’re sucked into some kind of portal and awake on what seems to be a different variation of Fenith Isle and both of their souls are trapped inside of Aden’s body. It’s time to dungeon crawl, farm, ranch, craft and befriend villagers to find out what’s going on and how to set things right.
Perfect For: Someone who loves RPGs and simulation games. Harvest Moon fans would also adore it, even though this entry is rather light on farming elements.

Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventures Starter Pack
Price: $69.99
Genre: Action
ESRB Rating: Everyone 10+
Description: Players scan figures into their game with the portal peripheral, and can then use those characters to fight in action-RPG style battles against monsters to save the Skylands from being taken over by an evil portal master. The figures are compatible with other version of the game and if you level up a character in this Wii version, you can scan it into the 3DS, PS3 or Xbox 360 version and have it retain its stats and abilities. The console versions even offer multiplayer support.
Perfect For: While it’s meant for younger gamers, probably under 13, I’ve actually had the chance to play it and it’s really pretty awesome. (I sampled the 3DS version though, which is more of an action/platformer than straightforward action game like the Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360 versions.) There are 37 figures to collect, so you could always get figure packs for the recipient as a supplemental gift later on.

As always, if there’s an awesome Wii game that came out in 2011, wasn’t on the list and would make a good gift, let us know in the comments!

Site [Gamertell]

Mobile gaming is huge. For the price of one normally priced console game, you can download dozens of Android games in return. Giving Android games from the Android Market as gifts isn’t as easy as it should be. Unlike the Amazon Appstore, the Android Market doesn’t have gift cards or an option to gift apps. One way to get around this is to give someone a prepaid debit card and suggest some games to them. That’s what this guide is for. We’re going to tell you what are some of the most worthwhile Android games available right now.

Game Dev Story
Price: $4.99 (Android Market)
Rated: Everyone
Description: This is by far the best game developing simulator available on any mobile device. As the chief decision maker of your own game development studio, it’s your job to dictate the market and create the best videogames ever.

GRave Defense HD
Price: $2.88 (Android Market) $2.85 (Amazon Appstore)
Rated: Medium Maturity
Description: This is another tower defense game, but with zombies and monsters. It doesn’t have as many variables as Sentinel 3: Homeworld, but it’s still a really good tower defense game.

Treasures of Montezuma 2
Price: $1.99 (Amazon Appstore) $3.00 (Android Market)
Rated: All Ages
Description: This is simple match-3 game, although you can match more than three gems at once. What makes Treasures of Montezuma 2 unique are the various idols you acquire from progressing through the stages. These idols have special abilities that can be activated by doing certain things. For example, if you match three red games twice in a row, one idol release fireballs that destroys other gems on the board. Later stages require more matches to progress, so patience is required.

Plants vs. Zombies
Price: $2.99 (Amazon Appstore)
Rated: All Ages
Description: Zombies are invading your lawn and you have to use an assorted bunch of plants to stop them. PvZ is one of the best games PopCap has ever made. It has a ton of replay value and can easily take several hours of your time to complete the main campaign. This game is a no-brainer (no pun intended).

Sentinel 3: Homeworld
Price: $1.99 (Amazon Appstore) $2.99 (Android Market)
Rated: 9 and older
Description: This is tower defense game. A horde of monsters will walk along pre-determined paths and you have to set up various turrets to take them down before they get too far. You’ll start with machine gun turrets, but you’ll be working your way up to lasers in no time. You also have control of a giant mech that acts as the last line of defense. Sentinel 3: Homeworld‘s mech commander can also be controlled in real-time. It’s quite good.

Spirit HD
Price: $1.99 (Android Market)
Rated: Everyone
Description: In Spirit HD, you play as a ghost that can make vortexes that suck down anything within its radius. The object is to move the ghost around with your finger, and draw circles around the enemies you want to eliminate. Vortexes can be small or very large. It really just depends on how large you draw the circles. It has three modes called classic, extreme and pulse. Extreme mode throws a bunch of enemies at once, and pulse mode doesn’t require you to draw vortexes. You only have to touch pink-ish circles to activate vortexes.

Shadowgun
Price: $4.99 (Android Market)
Rated: Medium Maturity
Description: Shadowgun is a game that shows off the graphical capabilities of high-end Android devices. It takes a lot of inspiration from Gears of War with its cover system and over-the-shoulder shooting. Don’t expect an engaging story from this one. Shadowgun also has support for the Xperia Play which means you can play with actual buttons.

Minecraft: Pocket Edition
Price: $6.99 (Android Market)
Rated: Everyone
Description: It’s Minecraft, but in your pocket. At $6.99, Minecraft isn’t the type of game you gamble on. If you know what it is and experienced it on PC, it’ll be easier to pick up the Pocket Edition. If not, you’ll be better off trying the demo first. Minecraft is all about building and community growth. To enjoy this game, you really need to know what you’re doing.

Corona Indie Bundle
Price: $0.99 (Amazon Appstore)
Rated: All Ages
Description: The Corona Indie Bundle is comprised of five games – Grisly Manor, Robot 99, Walkabout, Float and Chickens Quest. I wouldn’t say any of these games are exceptionally great, but they aren’t bad. Besides,you get five of them for less than a dollar.

Spectrum Puzzles
Price: $1.49 (Amazon Appstore, Android Market)
Rated: All Ages
Description: We’ll close out this list with a puzzle game. Spectrum Puzzles is comprised of jigsaw puzzles of varying difficulty. You simply have to move the pieces around to restore the original picture. You can also turn your own photos into jigsaw puzzles. The menus aren’t elegant, but it’s a good palette cleanser.

Of course, there are only so many gift cards you can give. I mean, they’re quite practical and will nicely feed the recipient’s habit, but they’re hardly personal. That’s where general goodies can help. You could find a really awesome and unique gift that’s somehow related to the hobby, but could be hard to find or the kind of item someone wouldn’t normally buy for him or herself.

So, Gamertell’s here to help. I’ve scoured stores and the internet to find the best unisex gamer gifts that aren’t actually games that are under $50. That way you can make someone happy without having to worry about getting them something they already own!

Angry Birds Toss Game
Price: $14.99 at Toys R Us
Description: As much as I think this Angry Birds fad just needs to end, a number of people are still enamored with these birds. So, here’s a game to get them away from their handheld device. It’s a beanbag toss game that’s Angry Bird-themed.
Perfect For: Little kids. Or, older, more mature people who may or may not use the Angry Bird beanbags to pelt one another in fits of silliness.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Messenger Bag
Price: $39.50 at Hot Topic
Description: This is a rather nice bag for gamers. It’s 15″ x 12″ and black, so it goes with everything. Plus, it has the CoD: MW3 logo front and center. Inside, there’s a black, white and grey camoflage print.
Perfect For: A Call of Duty fan. Everyone needs messenger tote style bags for carrying stuff, and this is one gamers would be proud to carry.

LittleBigPlanet Sackboy with four t-shirts
Price: $19.99 at Hot Topic
Description: This is an awesome toy. It’s a soft, stuffed Sackboy from LittleBigPlanet. He’s not like the other, smaller Sackboy toys you’ve seen in stores before though. This one comes with four t-shirts he can wear and he’s 10 inches tall.
Perfect For: A PS3 owner or LittleBigPlanet fan.

Mass Effect 2 SR2 Joker Cap
Price: $24 at BioWare Store
Description: It’s the baseball cap Joker wore in Mass Effect 2! How cool is that?
Perfect For: Mass Effect fans who can’t wait until March 2011 for Mass Effect 3. Or Seth Green. Actually, cancel the Seth Green part – I’m sure he already has one.

Minecraft Foam Pickaxe
Price: $19.99 at ThinkGeek
Description: It’s a foam toy that looks just like the pixelated pickaxe from Minecraft.
Perfect For: If you know a gamer who likes to dress up, it’d be a great gift. It’d also work well for a general computer gamer who happens to enjoy Minecraft.

Pokemon Reversible Tepig/Snivy/Pansage
Price:$15.99 at Toys R Us
Description: This is kind of cool. It’s a pokemon plush toy that can transform from the animal, into a pokeball. There are three varieties from Pokemon Black/White available. I’d recommend Tepig, just because he looks the best. Only go with Snivy as a last resort or if it’s the recipient’s favorite pokemon, since it doesn’t look as good in this plushie incarnation.
Perfect For: A pokemon fan. It’d be good for one of any age as well, since the animal could be turned into the less embarassing pokeball at any time.

Portal 2 Turret LED Flashlight
Price: $24.99 at ThinkGeek
Description: Since the Portal 2 plush turret will probably be sold out, this is a good alternative. It’s a flashlight shaped like a turret from Valve’s Portal series that also happens to sound like the turrets from the game and come in an Aperture Science box.
Perfect For: Gamers with a sense of humor and loved either Portal game. Which means pretty much everyone would love it.

Super Mario Bros. Wii Plush Koopa Shell
Price: $16.50 at Hot Topic, check your local Toys R Us though because even though it isn’t listed online I have seen it in stores.
Description: This is a soft, plush Koopa shell. If you hit the top of the shell, it makes a noise like an in-game Koopa shell would make as it hit an enemy or item. Hit it enough times, and you hear the one-up sound effect.
Perfect For: Any Super Mario fan, especially since it’s kind of subtle. Just make sure the person promises not to use it as a weapon.

Tom Riddle’s Blank Diary from Harry Potter
Price: $39.99 at ThinkGeek
Description: It’s a blank diary, but it also is an almost exact replica of the Tom Riddie Diary that appeared in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Yes, it’s a bit expensive for a blank book, but it’ll make a Harry Potter fan happy.
Perfect For: Harry Potter fans. It’ll be especially good for someone who’s fond of dressing up as Ginny Weasley or a young Voldemort for conventions or events.

World of Warcraft Alliance or Horde banner
Price: $39.99 at ThinkGeek, though it’s currently on sale for $24.99.
Description: It’s a banner with either the Alliance or Horde logo on there that can be displayed anywhere.
Perfect For: Any WoW junkie. Just make sure you get the right banner! If you bought a Horde banner for an Alliance player, it could get really embarassing.

So, what do you think? If you have any other gamer gift suggestions, let us know in the comments.

Site [Gamertell]

Sometimes, import games and consoles aren’t the right gift. I mean, the language barrier could be too much to overcome. Plus, they’re usually twice as expensive as a game from North America. That doesn’t mean you have to settle for easy to find items though. There are tons of fun little gadgets and goodies from Japan that don’t need any translation to love! And, so you don’t have to sift through all of them, I did!

So here we go, with a pretty brief look at six different items that would work as gifts for the picky people on your list who won’t be satisfied with a gift that’s easy to find and from their own country!

Final Fantasy XIV Kuplu Kopo
Price: $29.90 at Play-Asia, $29.99 at Japan Video Games
Description: It’s a 32cm tall stuffed moogle, from the Final Fantasy series. This one is specifically from FFXIV, but since all moogles look pretty much the same, it doesn’t matter.
Who’d Want It? Final Fantasy fanatics of any age.

Ningen Gakki
Price: $32.45 at AmiAmi, $36 at Japan Trend Shop, $43.60 at Strapya World
Description: This toys is both strange and awesome. It’s kind of a game for between two and four people, but it’s more of a fun timesink. Each person holds one of the arms/legs of the device, then the play button is pushed. As long as you hold the device in one hand, you can use the other to touch the other people also holding the Ningen Gakki to make noises. So, you play songs by tapping, touching and perhaps even smacking the other people.
Who’d Want It? Everybody. Primarily kids, but I could see adults wanting and having fun with it too. Hey, I want one!

Rilakkuma Nohohon Mascot
Price: $19.90 at Play-Asia, $34.99 at YesAsia
Description: Nohohons are little window-sitter mascots you set in the sunlight, and they’ll bob their heads back and forth. They’re quite relaxing. Now, there are currently two different style Rilakkuma solar-powered mascots available. The one at YesAsia is rather plain and a standard version of Rilakkuma. The Play-Asia isn’t an official Nohohon-zoku, but it is cheaper, does the same thing and puts headphones on the cute bear.
Who’d Want It? Someone who likes little novelty items that look cute and sit there, but don’t really do anything constructive.

Studio Ghibli Music Box
Price: $62.90 – $65.40 at Strapya World
Description: Now these are a whole new kind of awesome. There are three different music boxes, representing My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service and Ponyo. Each one plays a song from the movie and, once wound, has moving parts and characters. They’re precious. For some reason though, the Totoro music box is about $3 cheaper than the other two.
Who’d Want It? Fans of anime, or just animated movies in general.

Super Mario Bros. Wii Turtle Air Hockey
Price: $14.20 at Strapya World
Description: This is a air hockey Koopa shell. You put it on a smooth surface, like a table, and voila! Instant air hockey!
Who’d Want It? I’d say this is a definite stocking stuffer for kids under the age of 13.

Tuttuki Bako
Price: $64.99 at YesAsia, $86 at Japan Trend Shop
Description: Tuttuki Bako is actually kind of neat. It’s a block with a whole in the side and five game modes. You stick your finger in the hole to interact with the character on the screen. So you can reach in and tap a face, a lman, a panda, sea creatures or a slime.
Who’d Want It? Children. It could be something fun to have on their desks to play with when they get bored. I guess it could also be a good gag gift for a coworker, though it seems to expensive for a casual acquaintance.

So there you go, seven interesting little novelties that could easily be given as gifts to pretty much everyone on your wishlist. I’m especially fond of the Ningen Gakki, what about you?

COMING THE WEEK AFTER NEXT: Important Importables talks about the Fate/ series.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Last week Important Importables had a 2011 console game gift guide.

Site [Gamertell] Site [AmiAmi] Site [Play-Asia] Site [YesAsia] Site [NCSX] Site [Himeya Shop] Site [Strapya World]

Now, before he actually go into the games there’s a DS bundle you may want to keep in mind while shopping. Yes, this late in the game Nintendo has decided to release a new, holiday 2011 DSi XL bundle. It’s $169.99, the same price as a 3DS, and includes a blue or pink DSi XL and copy of Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini Land Mayhem, a fantastic puzzle game. Keep it in mind if you’re getting someone a gift this year and you know they want something that can play DS games, but for some unknown reason doesn’t want a 3DS.

Okay, now let’s look at the games!

999: 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors
Price: $24.99
Genre: Adventure
ESRB Rating: Mature
Description: Junpei and eight other people find themselves on a boat, trapped, with bracelets on their wrists that have a number on them. An unknown figure named Zero has kidnapped them all and is forcing them to play the Nonary Game. If they refuse to participate in the puzzles to escape, they’ll all be killed.
Perfect For: Mature gamers who love puzzles and using their heads to figure out solutions to problems. It’s also a great choice for people who grew up reading Choose Your Own Adventure novels. It also has multiple endings, so there’s plenty of replay value.

Aliens: Infestation
Price: $29.99
Genre: Action
ESRB Rating: Teen
Description: You must create a squad with up to 20 Colonial Marines in order to try and stop the aliens from taking over. There are action and stealth missions and the story will change depending on who you recruit.
Perfect For: Older gamers who like 2D action games with a run-and-gun element.

Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation
Price: $34.99
Genre: RPG
ESRB Rating: Teen
Description: Players must guide a party of characters through both the Real World and a Dream World to stop a villainous tyrant named Murdaw from controlling the entire world. There are multiple character classes to unlock and you can even recruit monsters.
Perfect For: Again, older gamers. Specifically, ones who enjoy classic RPGs since this is an enhanced remake/port. But then again, general JRPG fans will probably enjoy it as well.

Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective
Price: $29.99
Genre: Adventure
ESRB Rating: Teen
Description: A man named Sissel wakes up with no memories to find he’s a ghost. He has the ability to save other people and investigate now that he’s in this undead state. By altering other people’s destinies, he may be able to find out who he was and why he was killed so he doesn’t just float around aimlessly and disappear.
Perfect For: Gamers who like to think their way through adventures and enjoy well written, funny stories.

Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns
Price: $29.99
Genre: Simulation
ESRB Rating: Everyone
Description: Players are the newest farmer to arrive in either Bluebell or Konohana Village. Each one has a different focus, be it ranching or farming. The goal is to become a success, while also befriending villagers and healing the rift between the two towns.
Perfect For: People who like farming Facebook games or who would enjoy a casual life simulation where you manage a farm and make virtual friends. This version is said to have fewer glitches than the 3DS version, so it may be a good choice for DS or 3DS owners.

Kirby: Mass Attack
Price: $29.99
Genre: Action
ESRB Rating: Everyone
Description: Kirby has been split into Kirbies by a magical villain, and so you have to use the stylus to guide 10 Kirbies through each level to try and beat the bad guy so he can pull himself together. There are also a few mini-games included on the cartridge.
Perfect For: Anyone. Kirby is an all ages character and, though the games he stars in may be sometimes simple, gamers of all ages enjoy them.

Pokemon Black/White
Price: $34.99
Genre: RPG
ESRB Rating: Everyone
Description: Get ready for an all new adventure with pokemon. In Pokemon Black or White players get to explore an entirely new region, find new pokemon, fight new bad guys, take part in new online activities and just enjoy the general Pokemon experience.
Perfect For: This is another one of those games any DS or 3DS owner would want. Pokemon is a classic and Pokemon Black/White is considered to be one of the best entries in the series.

Professor Layton and the Last Specter
Price: $29.99
Genre: Adventure / Puzzle / RPG
ESRB Rating: Everyone 10+
Description: In this prequel to the previous Professor Layton games, Professor Layton and his new assistant Emmy head to Misthallery to investigate reports that a specter that used to defend the town is now attacking it. The mayor of Misthallery’s son, Luke, acts as their guide. The game also includes a huge RPG called Professor Layton’s London Life.
Perfect For: People who want to give someone a game gift that’s also educational, since it’s filled with puzzles that will make people think.

Radiant Historia
Price: $39.99
Genre: RPG
ESRB Rating: Everyone 10+
Description: In a world where everything is turning to dust and dying, Stocke is an unknown, amnesiac soldier for Alistel. Before departing on a mission, his commander gives him a strange book called the White Chronicle. It turns out the White Chronicle allows Stocke to travel through time and between two timelines to try and set the world on a course that won’t lead to destruction.
Perfect For: People who love well thought out RPGs with a great story and multiple endings.

Solatorobo: Red the Hunter
Price: $34.99
Genre: Action RPG
ESRB Rating: Everyone 10+
Description: Red the dog is a Hunter who uses his mecha DAHAK and help from his little sister Chocolat to complete missions around the world. Once he meets up with Elh the cat though, he gets caught up in an adventure to save the world. There are over 70 quests to undertake, as well as a single and multiplayer racing game.
Perfect For: I’d say it’s a pretty good, all ages adventure. It’s especially good for on the go gaming, since each mission is fairly short.

And that’s all folks! If you have any recent DS games you’d also like to recommend, let us know in the comments.

Site [Gamertell]