Post by Vicki B. "Vixen" Jacobson

You could say the holiday season arrived early at PC Magazine. Well, it did for those that love games. As part of our annual holiday coverage, we decided (well, I decided) it might be fun to review a bunch of games for the new Nintendo Wii and Sony PlayStation 3 (PS3) consoles, as well as every other platform. Soon games were arriving in droves, piling up all over my office. Thankfully, I had no shortage of volunteers to test them.

Little did I know what would ensue over the course of the last few weeks--people arriving early to get in some game time, people staying late to get in some game time, and, well, people disappearing during the day to get in--you guessed it--some game time.

Oh, and did I mention the crazed behavior, injuries, competitiveness, foul language, and smack talk? I watched my own team (I affectionately call them my "kids") fall prey to the power of the almighty game. Each time a box was delivered, it was as if they could smell it. I'd soon hear, "Is that my game?" or "Can I play with that one?" As I write this, a total of 66 games have been reviewed, and yes, there are more to come (did I mention they just keep coming?).

A few weeks ago, I decided it would be fun to put together a gaming tournament for the staff. Three games were chosen for the competition: Nintendo Wii Bowling and Boxing and Mortal Kombat on the PS3. Yes, there were brackets. Yes, nicknames were given (well, most folks got nicknames...I'm still waiting for mine). [[How about Vixen??]] And yes, a significant amount of trash talk ensued. Here are some snippets and snapshots of the festivities. Call it my early gift to you...

Early Rounds of Wii Bowling:
Dan "Chocolate Thunder" Evans vs. Brian "Supercuts" Bennett
Dan to Brian: "Conditioning becomes a factor in later frames."
Dan wins

Whitney "Semi-Final Fantasy" Reynolds vs. Robyn "Blind Rage" Peterson
Robyn: "Don't choke!"
Whitney: "I invite you to bite me."
Whitney wins

Gary "Bearded Fury" Berline vs. Whitney "Semi-Final Fantasy" Reynolds
Gary: "I've been practicing."
Whitney: "I beat Robyn's ass before I had breakfast."
Gary pulls ahead in frame 10...
Gary: "Do I have any Whitney on my shoes, yet."
Gary wins

Yun "Folgers Pistols" Tsai vs. Kyle "Big Love" Monson
Kyle bowls second spare and says: "Usually I charge for this, but you can see it for free."
Yun wins

Early Rounds of Wii Boxing:
Gary "Bearded Fury" Berline vs. Whitney "Semi-Final Fantasy" Reynolds
Gary: "When I was playing last night, there wasn't a practice round."
Whitney: "I guess you don't get one when you're playing with yourself."
Gary wins

Gary "Bearded Fury" Berline vs. Kyle "Big Love" Monson
Gary: "I hope you've got a towel in your corner."
Kyle: "I hope you've got a bucket in your corner to spit your teeth in."
Kyle knocks down Gary
Kyle: "Spit your teeth out and get back up!"
Gary wins

When all was said and done, only three were left standing...
Our Champions
Wii Bowling - Renee Lightner
Wii Boxing - Gary Berline
Mortal Kombat - Cisco Cheng

Check out "Games! Games! Games!" and "We've Got Game(s)" for all of our game reviews. And be sure to check out our play-by-play smackdown slideshow.

Post by Vicki B. "Vixen" Jacobson