PixlBit

Honestly, I've never really experienced any of the games I mentioned beyond renting the original Animal Crossing from Blockbuster, but not having enough space on my memory card for it and finding the voices irritating, and watching female co-workers obsess over their Sims games at the front desks of college dorms I worked at. I just think they all seem to share a similar core premise in that they are meant to be virtual life simulators of some variety. Like I said, they do have their differences, and I can agree about Nintendo's charm being a huge factor. I think Animal Crossing on a handheld would be my top choice in this genre for the same reason. 

Third that surprise, now I'm curious what number one was. lol 

I wish Steam had Sly Cooper, I'd definitely jump on any of those games.They do have Rayman Legends, but I'm not really looking at anything too far above $10 right now. Which sucks, because I didn't even think about missing out on the SRIV sale yesterday. Oh well. Might buy the GTA bundle still. 

I really wish I could play Infinite, GTAV, Revengeance, and a Link Between Worlds as well. Those are games that really made me wish I had a new console/handheld or higher-end gaming PC this year, and of course I still need to play a Phoenix Wright game. SMW 3D and X&Y look good as well, though I'm not sure what Tearaway is about exactly. I know Chris just got it and mentioned its awesomeness on his blog. 

Urizen sounds like a great live experience. I don't know if I'd listen to them regularly, but I appreciate humor and theatricality in live music as well. What was going on with the box men and the eye monster, I wonder?

I liked the classical guitar guys as well. Classical guitar is one of the main reasons "Gerudo Valley" is one of my favorite songs from a video game. Sounds like it suits that Chrono Trigger song they were doing as well. 

I couldn't get the first video to work, and when I tried watching on Youtube, it took me to youtube.com/?, so I couldn't see that one, but I bet MAGFest looks awesome. I'd love to run into Todd in the Shadows there. 

I have been bleeding Google Play dry with all the free music, and even got a free Elf movie from them, but I might need to download iTunes on my computer once again and see what I can get out of them. I should also find my old iTunes gift card, which may have something on it. Then there's the Steam sales. Man, I didn't think so much of my holiday would be spent shopping electronically!

Like you, I mostly relaxed and ate with family; I got a 360/PC controller, some money, and stocking stuffers for Christmas. I think they were right to deny you the Avengers scene, because that Santa on a dinosaur one looks awesome! By the way, I saw a trailer for The Winter Soldier when I saw Desolation of Smaug today, and it looks amazing. Love that Hulk ornament, too.

Nice gets on the gift cards, video games, and hoody, and that's cool your uncle and cousins are enjoying the games as well. 

I dug the songs you posted, too. Hope you have a great New Year, Chris!

Ok, that's what I figured was going on with Battlefield 4, but for some reason, wasn't quite sure. I sometimes read blogs in a very tired state. 

And yeah, ME2 gets a lot of praise from a lot of people, hence why I downloaded the demo, but I just couldn't get into it. If it offered controller support, I may have felt differently, but what can you do? I'm just not a keyboard and mouse person, unless it's a simple platformer. I know that sounds odd, since people swear by that set up for shooters, but I just don't find it as comfortable. 

I don't think I'd have my laptop if it weren't on sale this summer, but I'm glad I got it, and I was also mad at myself for not gaming on it, which the sale is also fixing. lol Thanks for mentioning that combo pack, by the way. I saw that, but figured I may only want Bioshock for myself, but I might reconsider. 

I got in shape this past year, but now I do feel like I need to get back in the habit after the holidays. Things that helped me are Noom Coach (Android app), ZuzkaLight, DavidtsFitness (Youtube trainers), and my friends used myfitnesspal.com when they were dieting for a competition, if you want to check that out. 

I still live like a bit of a hermit, but I do enjoy getting out. Only problem is I like getting out mainly to eat and spend money. lol 

I still haven't finished Mockingjay, which is the one book I said I would read and finish this year, so I am right there with you as far as needing to read more books. My excuse is all the reading I had to do for graduate school. 

And I bought a new laptop this year, an ASUS K55N-DB81 that was on sale this summer on newegg.com. I'd recommend them for deals on laptops; of course, you may have already heard of them, since they are a fairly popular name, but I hadn't used them before my purchase or since, so just in case, I figured I'd give that information to you. 

I hope you have a happy new year as well, and hope you have a good time achieving all your goals!

I hope everyone involved ends up alright. I've been sharing the info on my Facebook about free AAA tows on New Year's Eve. 

And I already planned for 2014 to be a fresh start, but it looks like there's even more reason to believe it will be now. Thanks for sharing that information, I did not know that.

Thinking back on your blogs, as well as a lot of others' when this game was being beta tested and released, I really should have guessed this would be your number one. 

I should get into an MMO some time. Then again, maybe not, I need to use free time more wisely as it is. lol 

I'd put this in the same category as Sims, Second Life, Farmville, etc. as a life simulator. Obviously, there are key differences between those franchises, but to me, they all appear to have a lot of the same core gameplay concepts and elements. 

If I had a 3DS, I'd likely be addicted to this game as well. Being a fictional mayor sounds like fun. Look forward to your #1 PICK

I love the Mario RPGs for the same reasons as well. Those timed-presses added in with the combat make it a lot more tolerable and enjoyable for an action-game type like myself. 

I'm interested in that theory about Microsoft. Although, I don't think they needed to enter the console marketplace to acheive that goal, necessarily, but hey, more power to them. I still don't think I'll buy an XBONE, but I do like playing games on my Windows laptop, so whatever. And maybe once I bite the bullet and download Windows 8.1, the OS will be better, too. 

And yeah, DKC has canopies, but that's a limited side scroller, I was thinking something more epic in scope. Like a Squirrel Skyrim where you never touch the ground.

And yeah, I don't know what ticket prices are like, since I got in for free, but if they're too steep, I'll have to stay at home myself.