Click It Here For PART 1 Of The Guide, Featuring DVDs and Toys! And Click It Here For PART 2 Of The Guide, Featuring Books, Music/CDs and Art!!!

VIDEO GAMES

Moderate ($25.00-$70.99)

Keeping the Zombie theme of this Holiday Guide going, this is the crazy DEAD RISING where you're a photographer stuck in a mall (familiar?) during a zombie infestation. This is a crazy game, but one that was a little harder than average. I'd suggest pairing up and buying the Strategy Guide if you're going to pick this one up or buy it for someone close to you. The game is $53.99 and the Guide is $10.87.

Gears of War is the best Next Gen game put out this Holiday Season... at least that I've played. I'll link to some PS3 and Wii games that I haven't played yet below, but Gears of War I can vouch for 100%. The graphics are great, the play is tight and fun. The above image is for the Collector's Edition, which has a disc of documentaries and a hardcover book on the art of the game. It's $69.99. The regular edition is $59.99

I was going to have played this game a bit by now, but I found it hard to find at the local stores... Target, Best Buy, Wal-Mart. I've played a demo at X06 and found it a ton of fun and have watched friends play the XBOX LIVE demo, a completely different level and it just seems like a ton of fun, the first real SUPERMAN game that was fun to play, at least for me. Can't wait to give it the full run-though whenever I can find it.

If the reviews are to be believed, this is one of the best games of all time, standing toe to toe with the best Zelda games ever. Due to its popularity it's a bit tough to find right now, online or in store. Retails for $49.99.

If you were one of the few lucky enough (or rich enough) to get your hands on the PS3, this is the game I'm most interested in for the system... Combine CALL OF DUTY 2 with DOOM and you have this game. But then I'm a sucker for a good shooter, especially when I can shoot Nazi monsters. Retails for $59.99, but you can get it for under $40 in the used and new section of Amazon if you're quick.

I haven't played this one yet, but people love the hell out of it. I saw it played at X06 and it looked like it could be as cool as it promises to be. Play damn near any Marvel character... $59.99.

Mortal Kombat: Armageddon is a pretty fun ride. They have an interesting campaign mode that has you going through the game in 3rd person, kind of like GOD OF WAR, getting into little scraps here and there, avoiding traps, solving puzzles, and then at each stage of the game you fight a MK character in the traditional arcade style. It also has a plain arcade VS mode, the ability to create a character, create a fatality and every damn character that has ever been in any Mortal Kombat Game ever. Very cool. $39.95.

The Lego Star Wars games have been a lot of fun and incredibly addicting. How is it that the Lego game is more entertaining and nostalgic than the regular, high end Star Wars games? The original trilogy all the way and it's great fun, for the whole family no less. $49.95 for the 360 version or $39.95 for the regular Xbox or PS2 version. The graphics on this one aren't so important as to make you HAVE to have the next gen version.

Expensive ($71.00-$499.99)

So, I saw my little brother, who's a sophomore in High School, playing this with his friends and laughed. "That's DDR for lazy people," I said. Cut to the next day when I was whipping up on Freebird, feeling like I've accomplished something. Yes, it's fun. If you don't mind looking a little ridiculous. $79.82 for the game and guitar controller.

Of the new consoles, this is the one I'm most excited about. There's something really geeky cool to me about having a new Nintendo system out to be excited about around the Holidays. These are about as hard to find as PS3s, unfortunately, but I'm told that Wal-Mart, Target and Toys R Us are expecting new shipments before Christmas. The console retails at the affordable $249.99 if you can find it.

If you want Nintendo, but don't want to have to run around the globe, blow on the conch shell to summon the Cyclops who will tell you of a cave of undiscovered Wiis, then you can always dip onto the trust hand-held DS Lite. I'm a late bloomer... I played one for the first time this year and found it more fun than I expected. $129.99

The 360s sold out under 10 minutes... yikes... Congrats to anybody that nabbed one of the 1,000 units!

Update!!! Amazon will release 1,000 360 Core systems at 11am PST (that's in 45 minutes) for only $100!!! (If that page doesn't reflect the deal, click on "Amazon Customer's Vote Page" from that link). Brand new and $100! Sure, its just a core system, but after you drop another $100 for the hard drive you've still got an extra $200 in your pocket!!!

If you held out last year, not wanting to go on an epic quest to find this system, well it's easily had now. In stock damn near everywhere. The only next gen console you can just click and order for this holiday season. I've had mine for nearly 9 months now and it gets a lot of play. Love the wireless controllers and the graphics look great on my HD TV. $399.99.

For The Super Rich Only ($500 and up)

In the interest of fairness, here's the PS3. I personally think it's over-priced and isn't substantially better than 360 in terms of graphics. I've only briefly played at a display, but until they drop the insane price I'm gonna pass. But then again, I'm a cheap bastard. $599.99.

COLLECTIBLES

Cheap ($24.99 and under)

This was a suggestion and one I found to be really great. I know the pic is a little small, but for you Peanuts fans out there, you can pick up Charlie Brown's Pathetic Christmas Tree. This should make the kids smile. $24.00 at UrbanOutfitters.com.

Our own Scorekeeper turned me on to this site and their run of autographed prints of original sheet music. If you click the picture above you'll go to the site and see different pieces of sheet music from THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON, THIS ISLAND EARTH, THE MOLE PEOPLE and IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE, autographed by Herman Stein or Irving Gertz. They come in either Large or Small prints, the Large prints $20 (11"X13") and the small prints $15 (8.5"X11"), each autographed by the composer. I have already ordered my Conductor's score for the Main Title from CREATURE OF THE BLACK LAGOON. In my opinion, this is one of the best items on the Guide this year for price, uniqueness and overall coolness.

For obvious reasons, this thing rocks my world. Very cool product from McFarlane, who is putting out a whole series of these posters. The above picture give you a decent idea of how cool this looks, but it really takes seeing it in person. It's like a sculpture, so cool. I have one hanging on the ol' wall right now and I'm dying for the NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET one... JAWS is in stores now, retails for $24.99, but at Toys R Us' website you can pick one up for $19.99

One of the other in-stock 3-D posters from McFarlane, FRIDAY THE 13TH. I haven't seen this one with my own eyes, yet, but if it's half as cool as the JAWS poster it's totally worth a buy for the horror geek in your house... these things aren't very well known yet, so they'll make great surprise gifts. Found this one for $19.99 at ToyWiz.com.

There are a lot of Bad Motherfuckers out there, but this is the best reproduction I've seen of Sam Jackson's classic wallet from Pulp Fiction. Real leather, stitched by professional leather craftsmen and about as close to the real thing you're going to get unless you can pick Tarantino's pocket. $24.99.

Moderate ($25.00-$70.99)

I have an unhealthy fascination with Tim Curry's work and his work in LEGEND is amazing. In the film he's coupled with Rob Bottin's amazing make-up, perhaps some of the best prosthetic work ever done on a single character. Darkness is an iconic figure and this 6" bust from Sota is priced right. Retails for $39.99 on Sota's website, but a little digging and I found a comic book store website selling them for $33.99. I've never dealt with CornerStoreComics, so I can't vouch for 'em, but they're cheaper. That same page links to the following two busts.

How cool is that? What a world... LEGEND and AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON busts? Get your David werewolf, complete with pentangle wall, safely at Sota's site for full retail $39.99 or at CornerStoreComics for $33.99. As cool as the last two busts are, I think the next one is even better.

What a beautiful piece from Carpenter's THE THING. I love the stretched skin around the eye-socket... great touch. This is one of the coolest things ever. Same deal as above. $39.99 at Sota's site and $33.99 at CornerStoreComics.

I love Gentle Giant's mini-busts. I have a few of the Star Wars ones (I still really need to pick up a Grand Moff Tarkin) and I can't wait for the LOTR mini-busts next year. But they also have these great Harry Potter mini-busts at $50 each. Above is Snape (and who doesn't want Alan Rickman on their mantle?), but they also have really good likenesses of Ron, Hermione, Potter (at a cheaper $45) and Sirius.

Dynamic Forces are putting out some limited Sin City mini-busts, based on Frank Miller's comic more than the film. The above is their limited to 250 pieces Bloody Marv. They released a regular Marv and it sold out. $59.99. Look below for a companion piece.

I like this one a little more, even though the Bloody Marv is badass. Love the look of that Yellow Bastard. It really pops. And it's cheaper, too. $49.99

Ahhhhh!!!!! Creepy! Perfect for the little ones who need someone to play with or expectant mothers. It's Alive baby puppet with apparently incredibly realistic movement. If someone gets this, please email me a picture of it underneath your Christmas tree... Please please please. $60 and a lifetime of nightmares.

Expensive ($71.00-$499.99)

Limited to 2000 pieces, made of wood by Neca, hand painted and 20" tall (22" long), this Black Pearl replica is the bomb. Plus the price isn't crazy. $125.00 and you can Captain the Black Pearl! You won't even have to owe your soul to Davy Jones!!!

I'm not going to say it. We all know who shot first. This collectible bookend is about as geeky as you can get. Han on one side, Greedo on the other. Another great piece by Gentle Giant. Retails for $125.00, but I found it online for $109.95.

This one's going to make a lot of very lonely geeks very happy. Slave Leia isn't released until April '07, so this one'd have to be a pre-order, but how could I not give it a little love here? Ah... 1980s Carrie Fisher...

Alright. This is awesome. So, you have your regular Force FX sabers... really cool, make noise, are heavy, light up and power down like they should... The above is Darth Maul's double-bladed Force FX saber, lights up on both ends. Retails for $199.99, but at Master Replicas' website it's $169.99 and at Amazon you can get it "new and used" for Under $150.

Dead or Alive, you are coming with me. Murphy had to get his hand shot off in order to get this badass gun, but all you have to do is drop $59.99 thanks to the good folks at Neca. I love me some prop replicas and this is a good one to put on the wall. This item is over $90 about everywhere else, so snap that up while you can.

I know, I know. I still haven't picked a winner of the Weta Superman contest I ran a few months ago... to be honest, I've been so busy that there always seemed to be something more pressing and time sensitive and it kept getting pushed into the background. I will pick one very shortly, I promise. In the mean time, here's a Weta piece, the most impressive design-wise of the SUPERMAN RETURNS figures. It's been nicknamed the Chili Bowl... I love it, though. Somewhere between $330 and $340.

Another great Star Wars piece from Gentle Giant, this time the Rancor and, my favorite part, his human keeper. I was always sad when the Rancor bites it in JEDI and felt the pain of the blubbering Keeper. But both are alive and well here. 16"X17"X11". Retails at $295.99, but I found it at AlterEgoComics.com for $250.75.

Sideshow has put out another Quarter Scale statue like they've done on some Star Wars characters, but this time they've gone after Lurtz from FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING. This piece looks incredible. Over 22 inches tall, limited to 1250 pieces. A bit pricey at $349.99 but worth every penny.

If this one made you sit up and take notice, then you and I are the same wavelength. Bubo the Owl from CLASH OF THE TITANS is awesome and this prop replica, by Stelter Creative, clocks in at $350 completely finished. Which is not on their website, but a quick phone call got me the price, which I figured was going to be higher than that... Kind of like the unpriced items on a menu... you know if you have to ask it's probably more than you're willing to spend, but $350 is very reasonable.

For The Super Rich Only ($500 and up)

Holy God is this thing amazing. I saw it up close at Comic-Con and it took my breath away. And that was before I found out it cost $2,199.00. That took my breath away, too, but in a different way. Make sure to click on the above image and look at all the pictures to see the different angles on this thing. It's truly a thing of beauty. 32"X24"X6", an exact copy of the filming miniature. The cockpit, headlights and engine light up. Limited to 1500 pieces. Released sometime December. If you lean more towards the pointed ears side of space then the below is another thing of beauty.

Considerably cheaper at $1199.00, but a little less complex than the Falcon. However, if you're going to drop $1199.00 on this, might as well kick in the extra $300 and go for the Signature Edition. At $1499.00 you get the same model (complete with light up interior and warp drive and modeled off the existing studio model) signed by both Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner, limited to 500 pieces, also shipping sometime December.

GADGETS

Moderate ($25.00-$70.99)

So, this thing is a scale that does not tell you your weight in pounds or stones... but in pop culture characters. I can only make out the names on to the right (Gizmo) and left (Mr. Ed) of the 0 mark... It's a bit expensive for a gag gift... plus it's an import... so 50 Euros, but it was definitely worth a mention.

Expensive ($71.00-$499.99)

If you're really into having a next-gen DVD player for your next-gen console, but can't find or afford the PS3 and its Blu-Ray player, then this is for you. It's an Xbox 360 accessory... HD DVD player is only $199.99 and the first batch comes with Peter Jackson's KING KONG, a $40 HD-DVD. Great if you have a 360 already and want an HD DVD player, but don't want to drop $500 on one.

For The Super Rich Only ($500 and up)

This was a Harry suggestion... If you click on that curiosity above you'll find a few odd people endorsing this monster: Dale Earnhardt Jr. and The Fat Peter Jackson. The object is an Automated Ragtime Band machine, that comes complete with every instrument you need and the ability for them to play thousands of different songs. If you click the picture and scroll down you can see some of the different pieces in action. Peter Jackson's listens to A DAY IN THE LIFE by the Beatles in Quicktime. As for price... there are so many different things with different prices, but I was seeing prices over $100,000 in the catalog. So, seriously For The Super Rich Only.

I think I have this thing figured out... These guys at ArcadeInABox make you your own real arcade machine that plugs into your TV for the monitor... kind of like the Atari Flashback, but on a much larger scale. The monster you see above is the tip of the top, cream of the crop. $1,799.00 and you get the two-player joystick and trackball. Comes with a 160 Gig harddrive and CD/DVD Rom Drive, 3.2ghz CPU, 512mb memory, S-Video and VGA Outputs, 2 USB ports, audio jacks and two games packages: Midway Arcade Treasures (Jaust, Rampage, Spy Hunter, etc) and Atari Anniversary Collection (Asteroid, Pong, Millipede, Missile Command, etc). You can purchase more game packages (Taito Legends, Namco Museum 50th Anniversary and Midway Arcade Treasures 2) for $20 or $25 each. And you can even buy a built-from-scratch Cabinet Kit to have a real deal stand-up machine. The cabinet is $495.00 more, but you can easily insert the above and hook it up as well as remove it when you want to plug it into a big screen or take it a buddies' house. Pretty, neat eh?.

Yes, you too can have a machine-gun equipped robotic sentry to protect your home, family and your awesome Millenium Falcon Master Replicas piece. It comes equipped with 2 cameras, one for day time and one with infrared night vision. It has pattern recognition AI that tell the difference between humans and trees. It also has a speaker that'll alert the trespasser that he/she will get capped in the head with the 5.5mm machine-gun if it doesn't haul ass away from your shit (which is kind of funny because the thing is even shaped like ED-209). Samsung will sell them next year, so now's the time to get your pre-order in! Only $200,000. Special thanks to the North and South Koreans who started the demand for these to protect their boarders! Mexico and Canada better watch out... I think Dubya might be reading this Gift Guide. Be sure to click the pic above and watch the video of this thing in action!

And now we've finally reached the end... Exhausting isn't it? Thanks for sticking with me all the way through. I hope to have turned you on to some really cool shit. Or at least window shopped with ya' for a few minutes. If you have any further suggestions, feel free to use the talkbacks below and let the world know about what you're desperately hoping will end up in your greasy little hands this Holiday season. Happy Thanksgiving to my American brothers and Happy Holidays to all!

Click It Here For PART 1 Of The Guide, Featuring DVDs and Toys! And Click It Here For PART 2 Of The Guide, Featuring Books, Music/CDs and Art!!!

-Quint quint@aintitcool.com