Microsoft X-Box 360 Holiday Present Ideas for Video Game Enthusiasts

Video games sales have soared since the creation of "Pong" and other games that started the movement towards interactive gaming. This holiday season is no different, and there are various new toys that every video game enthusiast would love to play and tinker with. This article will deal with the system that I personally know the best out of the three - Microsoft's X-Box 360.

The X-Box 360 has been known for it's renound online experience. Although it costs money ($59.99 a year as of right now) to play online on the X-Box, it has a large player base and more competition than it's adversary, the Playstation 3 . Also, one of the largest games that renders online competition is the favored Halo series, in which a new game came out recently. But I'll get to that in a bit later in this article.

X-Box 360 Games
The factor that clearly makes or breaks a console are in fact the games. Luckily, X-Box 360 has a wide variety of great games, many of which have just recently come out onto the market.

Halo Reach - The latest installment in the Halo series. Halo originally started on the X-Box, and was titled " Halo: Combat Evolved ". From there the series took off coming out with a wide array of games, Reach being the newest. The story for this game is great overall, the graphics push the console to it's limits, and, of course, online multiplayer will keep any avid gamer who enjoys first person shooters satisfied. Also, Bungie.net is a website where players can link their accounts and view their stats which include earned medals, their kill and death count, compare stats with friends, review recent matches and their stats, and even upload screenshots and video clips. A new map pack actually just came out for Halo Reach, too.

Halo Reach can be found for about $60 at a local GameStop, Best Buy, or other retail store.

Call of Duty : Black Ops - The Call of Duty series has spewed out another game, and it's good - real good. This game was created by Treyarch, the makers of Call of Duty: World at War , the first person shooter set in the World War II era. This game, however, is in the Cold War era. While I've heard complaints about the campaign, the multiplayer in this game (the reason most people even buy into the Call of Duty series) is excellent. And, of course, there's the return of the now-famous zombie mode, which pits up to four players against a horde of zombies. Other goodies include a new theater mode, incredibly deep customization for online multiplayer, a mode where players can practice against bots, and the new Dead Ops arcade game (which also holds up to four players as well).

New downloadable content is still in the works for Black Ops. Black Ops can be found at a local video game retailer for $60.

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood - The new Assassin's Creed game has gotten nothing but good-to-great reviews all around. In this game you play as Ezio, a master assassin, and fight against the forces of the Templar Order. This time around you get to recruit other computer-controlled characters, and there is even an online mode, unlike the first Assassin's Creed.

This game is set to have downloadable come out in December, 2010, and it has been stated that it will be free. This game is also $60.

X-Box 360 Hardware
The new big thing in the world of video games on any console is the invention of motion sensory hardware, and the X-Box 360 is no different.

X-Box Kinect - You've probably seen commercials (given the chance that most people do watch television these days) for Burger King stating that they're giving these away like hotcakes. I've never personally used it, but I've heard good things about it's accuracy - the area in which I was most skeptical about due to bad experience with the Nintendo Wii .

Turtle Beach Headset - These headsets have been all the rave lately, especially when it comes to their usefulness in certain first person shooter games such as Call of Duty : Modern Warfare 2. What they are is a basic headset, like the ones given to players when they purchase X-Box Live, or it also comes with the console. But they're also surround sound built into your headset, allowing you to hear people's footsteps much easier, allowing you to play better. Some people swear by these, saying they make online gaming much easier. However, these headsets can run around $100 or more, depending on models and where you purchase them.

Misc.
Games and hardware aren't everything - there's buyable software, too, as well as subscription fees. Here's a couple of ideas pertaining to those areas.

X-Box Live! Subscription Card(s) - X-Box Live! recently jumped their price from $50 a year to $60 a year for a yearly subscription, which threw some gamers into a rage. The fact of the matter is the X-Box Live is cheap when looked at from a day-to-day basis (it's about 16 to 17 cents a day) when it comes to entertainment value. But when it's that one day in the year to renew your subscription, it may feel like a large dent in your wallet. If you or the person that you're buying a present for is an avid online player, it's definitely worth it.

You can find these cards at local video game retail stores. If you don't want to buy a whole year, there are other options available that go by months.

X-Box Live! Points Card(s) - There is basically a huge virtual store on X-Box Live! where gamers can purchase an array of goodies that range from games to movies. Games available include arcade hits such as Plants Vs. Zombies and Castle Crashers. Downloadable content is also available over the X-Box Live marketplace as well, such as expansions for pre-existing games and map packs for games such as Halo Reach, Call of Duty: World at War , and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. These items can add up to a lot of money, so point cards are definitely worth the buy. Plus, it's a good time going on a virtual shopping spree.