Introduction

As often happens in the family, many of the gifts this year involved games and gaming. I purchased an Atari 7800+ for myself that Christine suggested that I put aside for Christmas. I wondered if the boys would even care about it. Surprisingly, they all said, “Cool!” when they saw it. However, it remains in the box. That’s because Aiden went above and beyond this Christmas. He bought us all a PS5 with the Spider-Man games and Minecraft. While we start there, those aren’t the only gaming gifts 2024.

Atari 7800+

I finally caved to the pressure and nostalgia a few months ago. I saw that Atari advertised the 7800+ with a new game and controllers for a good price. I thought, why the hell not? I bought all those cartridges when I bought the Retron emulator. Plus, the 2600 and 7800 have a robust homebrew scene. And, we all know how I feel about the guys over at Audacity games. It felt like a no brainer. I played some of the Bentley’s game to test it out but, like I said, it remains in the box for now still under the tree.

Sony Playstation 5

I wanted to play these games since they released 6 years ago. Then, Insomniac came out with a second one and that reignited the fire. I guess it finally registered with Aiden because he purchased a Playstation 5 for all of us for Christmas with these games. We have all been taking turns playing through the game and watching each other play the game. Numerous times, we’ve said, I love playing this game. Aiden, the other day, said, I’m obsessed with this game. It truly is remarkable. The same way that the Arkham games made you feel like Batman, this one puts you in the Spider Suit and that’s something I’ve wanted my whole life. This one is going to get a ton of play. Hell, I even invited Chris over for some Madden or NHL soon.

Retroid Pocket

I can’t remember how I discovered this little gem. But, it immediately caught my eye and I ordered one. I played it a few times, even using it to capture game play footage for the YouTube channel and some articles. Then, I showed Liam that it emulated GameCube games. He more or less commandeered it. But, that’s okay. Because I have a problem, I just ordered another one for myself that should be arriving sometime this week. I also, for some reason, threw in one of the minis to my order. Hey, I told you. I have a problem.

Nintendo Switch Lite

Probably the console that received the most play from me during this vacation is my Switch. I swapped out Hades a couple of weeks ago for Pikmin 3. I played that up to the final level in the game this week and hope to beat it in the next day or two. After that, I plan to focus on Hades to finish that one out.

The Verdict

Some great gaming gifts 2024 for the 2 Generations Gaming family. Plenty to take me into January and the “New Year, New Games” theme. I hope you all received the gifts you wanted this year and that they bring much joy in the year to come. We will be here multiple times a week to talk about the games we enjoy.