RealTown's RealTalk

12/10/2008 @ 7:59 AM HST

Aloha RTers:

I need some assistance on a topic I know absolutely nothing about. I would like to purchase an electronic game for Christmas for a nephew (teenager), but don't have a clue where to start or what the difference is.

Any help on/offlist is greatly appreciated. TIA.

 
With Warmest Aloha,

The first thing to determine is what kind of gaming system he has. Wii, ps3, ps2, psp, ninetendo ds or xbox. Without that info you can't buy the right game. Maybee just buy a gift card to best Buy or something, I know it is impersonal. But kids like gift cards too!

Hi Ruth,

Would love to help, but that's a broad question :) Being a hard core
gamer myself, I would recommend that you find out the following:

1.) What type of gaming system does your nephew have? Is it a Wii?
Xbox360? or Playstation3? Or some other? This is the most important
question as this is the hardware that will be playing the game you are
looking for, and will sometimes dictate what titles of games are
available to choose from.

2.) What type of games does he already have? Are they fighting games?
Role Playing? Etc. If you can get a list of titles, that would be
best, since the gamers here could decipher what he's into.

3.) How old is he? Since there are age restrictions, best to stay
within whatever his parents are cool with. Again, this may not be
important a question if you can get the answer to #2, as there will be
age examples already attached to the titles he owns.

Since I imagine you are trying to keep it on the down low, just get the
information from his parents, and have them email it to you. I would be
happy to provide recommendations for some games based on the above, as
I'm sure some of the other gamers here would. If you prefer to take it
offline, let me know and I'll get you my email address or if you would
like me to call one of the numbers below I can do that too.

Kind Regards,

Alex Wingeier, Head Geek
http://www.clrsearch.com

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Aloha RTers:

I need some assistance on a topic I know absolutely nothing about. I
would like to purchase an electronic game for Christmas for a nephew
(teenager), but don't have a clue where to start or what the difference
is.

Any help on/offlist is greatly appreciated. TIA.

With Warmest Aloha,

Ruth A. Gabbard (R), CRB, CRS, SRES, PB
Gabbard Hawaii Properties | Honolulu, Hawaii
808-534-1850 | 877-ALOHA HI (256-4244) Toll Free

If you are looking to buy just a game, make sure you find out which system they have so you get one that is compatible with just their system.

If you were looking at getting a whole game system, you are an awesome aunt!  :)  I'm a big gamer nerd... so here is my opinion of each of the three newest systems...

Wii is the newest Nintendo system.  Nintendo has always made the most kid and family friendly game systems.  Typically the games are less violent and more cartoon-y.  The Wii has some newer technology involved too, it tracks movement.  When you are playing a baseball game, instead of using arrow keys to move things, you actually physically swing the controller.  I think it's awesome, and if I had the money, this is what I presonally would buy ;) This is a very social system, meaning it is extra fun to get friends and family to play with you.  One downside to note is that the other two systems will play DVD's straight out of the box, but the Wii does not.

XBOX360 is the newest gameing system from Microsoft.  One thing you do want to keep in mind is that a good percentage of people have problems with theirs and have to mail it back to Microsoft for service.  Microsoft pays for all that including shipping, but it's just something you ought to be aware of.  I own one of these and I haven't had ANY problems, but I do have a friend who has had to send his in twice for service.  This game system is similar to the PS3 in the sense that pretty much all the same games will be available for each, both systems can be setup to talk to your computer and access music and pictures, and you can take both systems online to play with people over the internet.  For online play, the xbox is a little more popular.  The XBOX360 also has a neat feature called XBOXArcade where users can buy point cards and download games straight to their XBOX.

PS3 (PlayStation3) is similar to the XBOX, the big bonus the PS3 offers is BlueRay.  If that's something that matters to you, go for a PS3 :) 

I hope this helped a little... Have a good day!

In answer to Ruth's request for info on Xbox and Wii......

I don't typically respond to these just read through them daily but this is one topic I am familiar with.  Sad that it is gaming platforms and not real estate!!!!

I have 20, 19, 13 year old boys and 11 year old girl - 2 college, 7th & 6th grade.  We have or have had every gaming platform out there.  I don't know what age your "teenager" is but I would definitely recommend the Xbox 360 platform for a boy.  My boys (including the 13 yr old) prefer that over the Wii and always have.  My daugther loves the Wii.  The graphics capability on Xbox are far superior to those of the Wii - it just isn't the same.  The majority of the games my boys prefer to play are the shoot em up - Gears of War, Call of Duty type games while my daughter prefers the more subdued games of Wii.  Wii does offer the shoot em up type games like Gears of War but again the graphics are far superior on the Xbox 360 so they prefer it.  The Xbox 360 platform is readily available.  It comes in different bundles for the holidays.  You can purchase the arcade bundle for $199 - this package does not come with a hard drive but you can go to www.xboxstorageupgrade.com and purchase a 20GB hard drive from microsoft for $29.99 and it comes with 3 months of Xbox Live - Gold.  This brings your total to $230 versus paying for the bundle that comes with a 60GB hard drive for $300.  Yes, they need a hard drive but it definitely doesn't need to be 60 or 120GB.  Then you can get another wireless controller on Amazon.com for roughly $37.00 - free shipping.  They are $50 in stores. Each Xbox 360 package/bundle only comes with one controller. 

If you purchase an Xbox that was manufactured in August or later you shouldn't have any problems with functionality.  The website stores don't always advertise the date but after doing lots of research it appears any large vendor only stocks the platforms manufactured after August.  We have never had any problem with ours but I was researching the hard drive situation for another Xbox 360 purchase for a friend who couldn't afford the "holiday bundle" and during my research I learned of these "defects".  The recommendation was to purchase only those manufactured after August. 

With that being said, my 11 year old daughter's favorite platform is Wii & our family gets together often to play on Wii.  Wii Sports, which comes with the platform, is AWESOME - for all ages - bowling, tennis, boxing, baseball.  Wii Play is awesome.  The Wii comes with 2 Wiimotes (remotes).  It is recommended to get 2 more remotes for a total of four along with two nunchucks - $20 each.  Wii Play is a great game.  It is $50 and it comes with a remote.  A remote purchased alone is $40. , Wii Fit ($90) is awesome and they are publishing more games that are compatible with Wii Fit board.  The Wii gaming platform is NOT hard to get this year.  It was hard to get last year.  I was in line at 5am on Black Friday.  The Wii Fit is, however, harder to get but they are out there.  You just have to call Best Buy, Target or whatever your local electronics store is to find out what day they are receiving shipments and be there first thing. 

We have Guitar Hero on both platforms and the kids like it on either system.  I have only played it on Wii and failed miserably!!  My potential music career is over!  We have not invested in Rock Band for either system yet.

The choice depends on the teenager - his age (the older teen definitely desires Xbox), his interests and whether the family is willing or desiring to get involved.  My husband and I like the Wii because it gives us an opportunity to interact with the kids - all ages (we have a range) and we all have fun.  Nobody is "too cool" to play it. 

Amazon.com is also a great place to go to get real reviews from real people.  I also search on Cnet but always check Amazon too.  Have done alot of purchasing with them and have been very happy, especially with their free shipping. 

Feel free to contact me offline and I would be happy to help.  Erica@EricaWagner.com

12/13/2008 @ 2:17 PM HST

Aloha All!

Thanks SO MUCH to everyone who responded on and offlist. I'm so sorry for this late response. We've had a full day of no power due to stormy weather (and flooding) and we've had power outages since. And, happy to say, during it all, closings! :-)

There were many wonderful tips and I'm leaning towards a xbox. Also, I guess I didn't explain myself too clearly. My nephew doesn't have anything, so I need to buy the hardware (?) and the games.

There were also suggestions to buy a gift card which is what I would normally do. However with the current financial situation, I'm hesitant to give gift cards. I've read that if a company goes bankrupt, the company does not have to honor gift cards. During the holidays (also for client closing gifts) I send a ton of gift cards. But this year, I'm not sure what to do.

One of our local TV stations had a report specifically about this with the company that owns/runs the largest shopping center in the state (Ala Moana) as well as other shopping centers. They are on the verge of filing bankruptcy and shoppers are hesitant to buy gift cards.

http://www.kitv.com/news/18250793/detail.html

<<

The director of the State office of consumer protection said don't worry. If you look on the back of Ala Moana gift cards you'll see an American Express logo. That means the card is backed by American Express.

>>

I disagree somewhat. What happens if Amex files bankruptcy???

Checks/cash, in some cases might be OK, but I've already had a small problem. One of my former (retired) escrow officers (we keep in touch on birthdays, holidays, etc.) called me today. She got my card and check, but refuses to cash the check ('too much, etc.") ...but she wanted me to stop by for her home made patele (we will!!! :-). 

Thanks again everyone! Mahalo Nui Nui!!!

With Warmest Aloha,