Merry Christmas, Happy Haul-idays

It's the most wonderful time of the year. Well, unless you're one of those people who can't wait until school starts again, then the most wonderful time of the year probably won't be for a while. But for those who happen to observe a certain holiday in December, it probably has been a wonderful time of the year.

Whether you gather around a Christmas tree and sing all those good old songs or heck, even if you wrestle around an unadorned aluminum pole, it's a pretty good time of year for all you serious gamers (although you may not feel much like gaming after that bout around the pole). I know it always has been for me.

Every Christmas, my lists would typically consist of two things - LEGO sets and games. Hey, even a serious gamer like myself needs something else to do. Well, eventually the LEGO sets got too out of control. Let's just say I don't have enough shelves to support my building habit. Now, I collect LEGO boxes. At least the games don't take up as much room. But I digress.

I could go on and on about how the holidays were great as a gamer, but I'm not going to waste too much of your time. So, basically, I thought I'd tell you about my holiday haul this year. Of course, there was more than just games under my tree, but I did get some good ones. I now sit around, eating homemade waffles, watching either DVDs of a Western series I like that shall remain nameless (Gunsmoke), and play some pretty cool games.

So, without further ado, here is my gaming haul for Christmas 2014 and what prompted me to drop some subtle hints at why I wanted it:

1. Sid Meier's Civilization III & IV Complete Edition - Originally, I just wanted IV. It was listed as one of the 1001 games you must play before you die after all. Still, a bonus isn't that bad. I'm big on Tycoon games and games like them. So far, I've tried to manage my own zoo, theme park, cities, and shopping malls. But there was one thing I never thought about managing before: my own empire. The idea got me thinking, and so I happened to drop the hint that I wanted this. Plus, it's time for me to get back into PC gaming.

2. Star Fox - As I've once said in another post, I didn't grow up with a Super NES, but after playing Star Fox 64, I always did wonder what the original was like. Thank goodness for Amazon.

3. Mario Golf: World Tour - After a few rounds of Tennis, I decided to try golf, Mario style. Well, I've already tried baseball, so why not golf. Funny story, do you know why they called it golf? If anyone knows the rest of that bit, I'll be amazed.

4. Pokemon Omega Ruby - I'm a sucker, that's why. Seriously, it's the same game just with new lands and new creatures. Doesn't that sound like a sucker to you?

5. Super Mario Strikers - See number 3 for the full explanation. My reasons were the same in wanting to try Mario's version of soccer.

6. Super Smash Bros. for 3DS - I wanted this for two reasons: Reason number 1: I don't have a Wii U, so I had to ask for this version. Reason number 2: Nintendo cut all their old Wi-Fi services, and I missed playing Smash Bros. online.

7. NBA Jam - No, it's not a new copy of the Genesis game. I heard they made this game for the PS3, so after playing the Genesis game and enjoying it so much, I wanted to see how it would look in 3D. So, I happened to mention how I'd like this.

I hope to add a few of these to my list of wins for the contest, and some have already been added. But even if I don't, at least I'll still have them. It's not a bad haul, if I do say so myself.

So, what about you? Were there any games in your holiday haul?

P.S. Merry Christmas.