The Ghost of Christmas Past

Posted 10 years ago by Stuff

Every year we’re going to take a look back at the best Christmas posts from days of old. Hold on to your top hat, grab your robe, and get kidnapped by this year’s Ghost of Christmas Past.

By the way, like the new mascot illustration? That was done by our very own John Justice. Expect to see that guy around here a lot more.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from Top Hat Sasquatch (and The Muppets)

Posted 10 years ago by Stuff

A Muppet Family Christmas
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

Everyone here at Top Hat Sasquatch hopes you have a wonderful December 25th no matter what your traditions are. This has been a great holiday and a huge year for the site, but I’m looking forward to some very big things in 2011. So, spend some quality time with your family, eat some great food, play some games, and watch your favorite movies or television specials.

If you’re like me and can’t even peel yourself away from the computer on Christmas, look up some classic holiday specials on YouTube, there’s a lot there. If you’ve never seen A Muppet Family Christmas, you should watch it, it’s one of my favorites.

We’ll get back to our normal posting schedule on Monday. Have a great weekend!

Holiday Gift Guide for Geeks, Gamers, and the General Population

Posted 10 years ago by Games

Holiday Game Guide

Looking for a last minute gift or stocking stuffer for someone? Get them a game. While board and card games might not top many wish lists; excellent games can be found for recipients of all ages and price ranges. Find the right one and it just might be your recipient’s unexpected favorite.

Picking out a game that does more than collect dust on a shelf can be difficult. Don’t assume any game will do. With so many games out there, it can be difficult to tell the good from the bad. On top of that, some people can be turned off from an otherwise good game if they feel production value is too low, the rules appear too complex, or the genre is not to their liking.

To match the right game to the right gamer, resist the urge to immediately look for the right title. Instead think in broad categories. What situations do you see them using the game? Do they enjoy complex problems? Are they visual thinker? Maybe they are obsessed with a particular genre. Use the categories below as a starting point. Once you have a category or two in mind start looking at titles; we have seeded a few of those too.

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Holiday Gift Guide: iPhone App Edition

Posted 10 years ago by Games

I love gifting apps to friends and family. Give someone an iTunes gift card and they could blow it on Neil Diamond albums or TV episodes, but gift them an app and chances are they’ll at least give it a try. It helps that they’re super cheap and have enormous value (Angry Birds updates, anyone?), so think of them as digital stocking stuffers. I’m addicted to quite a few iPhone apps at the moment, so here are some of my recommendations that would make great gifts for other iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch owners.

Angry Birds Seasons

Angry Birds is the biggest iPhone addiction of me and a whole lot of other people, and for good reason. The gameplay is easy to pick up on, but the endless levels can be very tough and take you quite a few tries to master. Angry Birds is the original classic, but Angry Birds Seasons might make a little more sense to gift. It’s like an advent calendar, and each day until Christmas a new level unlocks. Both are 99¢.

The Incident

My second favorite iPhone game (at the moment) is The Incident by Neven Morgan and Matt Comi, an 8-bit styled game where you try to dodge an endless array of falling objects. You control the main character by tilting your iPhone, and the combination of the gameplay, graphics, and music makes it one of my top picks. It’s $1.99.

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Peanuts Deluxe Holiday Collection on Blu-ray

Posted 10 years ago by Television

If there’s a product I’ve bought more times than any other, it has to be the Peanuts Holiday collection. I’ve owned these classics on VHS, twice on DVD (someone borrowed and never returned), and now on Blu-ray. In twenty years, if movies are downloaded directly into chips in our brains, I’ll be sure to make room for these. The Peanuts holiday specials are like comfort food for your TV.

The Blu-ray box set contains the previously released Remastered, Deluxe Editions in a special slip-cover. (I previously reviewed the Charlie Brown Christmas Blu-ray by itself). Each disc contains it’s own bonus episodes and features. Here’s the rundown:

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