Christmas Haul 2017

I received several gaming-related gifts this Christmas, and I thought I’d talk a bit about each one.

Doom

Doom for Nintendo Switch was the only actual game I received for Christmas. I’ve been a big fan of the Doom series, and I thoroughly enjoyed the old Jaguar/PlayStation/N64 games. But admittedly, it has been a very long time since I’ve tried a new one.

I haven’t played much of it yet much, so it’s too early even to post my first impressions. I was a bit turned off by the fact that I needed to download an hour-long update before I could even play it–despite the fact that I was playing the physical (cartridge) version.

And then once that was done, I found that it doesn’t allow you to invert the controller’s horizontal axis (only vertical). So without a control method I like, it’s going to take me a while just to get the hang of moving around. 😛

Pixel Pals – Raccoon Mario

Pixel Pals Raccoon MarioThis thing is really cool. It’s a pixelated figure of raccoon Mario (from Super Mario Bros. 3). It’s about 5 inches (13cm) tall, and it lights up (using two AAA batteries). It looks great, especially in a dark room. It makes me want to buy more of these Pixel Pals.

64 GB MicroSDXC Memory Card

This provides me with some storage for my Nintendo Switch. Even though I almost always buy physical games when possible, it’s always good to have some extra storage available for pics, videos, or digital-only games like Stardew Valley.

Now that I can get these files off of my Switch (without posting to social media), here are a few pictures I’ve taken this year.

Sunrise in Breath of the Wild.
Sunrise in Breath of the Wild.
The moon in Super Mario Odyssey.
The moon in Super Mario Odyssey.
There's no X in Expresso.
“There’s no X in Expresso.”
Splatted in Splatoon 2.
Accidental picture I took after being splatted in Splatoon 2.
Splatoon Amiibos

Three Splatoon Amiibos: Girl, squid, and boy.

I got the Splatoon Amiibo 3-pack, with the inkling girl, boy, and squid. Amiibos aren’t something I would normally buy with my own money, but they’re not a bad thing to receive as a gift. I can use them to unlock features in Splatoon and Splatoon 2, and I can also use them to get Splatoon-themed items in Animal Crossing: New Leaf. There’s even a Splatoon-based villager named Inkwell I could get to move into my town. I might not do that right away, but it’s a possibility for the future.

Tanooki Mario Figure

Tanooki Mario collectible figure.This one is just a small collectible figure that doesn’t really do anything, but it would look nice on a shelf with other Nintendo items and figures. The interesting thing (to me, at least) is that I got two gifts based on power-ups from Super Mario Bros. 3, from two different people! And neither of them knew about the other gift. 😛

Did you get any good games, accessories, or merch for Christmas? Feel free to comment what you got, and how you like it! 🙂