They’re slam-packed with in-game memes — Pyro’s speechlessness, Demo-Man getting lit on egg nog and Spy romancing Scout’s mum under the mistletoe. Each set is $US15.95 — a steep price to confuse your family, or a bargain to wow your friends. Your choice.

2009 Holiday Card Collection [Steam via VG247]

Parents desperately searching for a way to connect with their children over the Christmas holidays need look no further than We Wish You a Merry Christmas, due out October 27th for the Nintendo Wii from Destineer and developer Panic Button. Six holiday mini-games will help parents and children bond during those long, awkward winter days, and the included Advent Calendar will ensure that the title stays poignant for one month out of the year.

At least the mini-games sound exciting? Just look at these descriptions:

* Santa’s Sleigh: Collect presents with the Wii Remote™ and help deliver them to houses.
* Hot Chocolate: A memory game in which you keep the elves warm by quickly pouring and delivering mugs of hot chocolate.
* Candy Cane Lanes: As Santa, you bowl down a lane towards funny elves.
* Present Catch: Play as an elf, catching all the bouncing presents and avoiding obstacles with the Wii Remote™.
* Reindeer Games: Santa’s reindeer hold a special flying contest to see who can lead Santa’s sleigh each year.
* Deck The Halls: Match 3 and win!

The excitement never stops! Well until Christmas is over. I have to admire the guts of a publisher that releases a title that revolves around one specific annual event. It reminds me of the Christmas stores that pop up all over Atlanta for three months out of the year and then go into hibernation in January. Both are bright and cheerful and exist only to capitalise on a beloved celebration.

September’s NPD numbers drop next week, and more than one analyst is predicting that the PlayStation 3 will finally come out on top for the first time since its 2006 launch. Wedbush Morgan’s Michael Pachter predicts that the PS3 sold 410K units in September compared to 390K for the Wii and 350K for the 360. Furthermore, he thinks the PS3 over 360 trend could continue until at least the end of the year.

“We believe that the recent round of price cuts may benefit the PS3 the most in coming months, given that unit sales last year were only 1.5 million for the September – December 2008 period. The Xbox 360 has outsold the PS3 for the past 13 months, likely due to a higher perceived value proposition (the Xbox 360 “core” model was priced $US100 lower than the PS3). We think that the PS3 will outsell the Xbox 360 in September, and may continue to do so for the rest of the year,”

Pachter goes on to predict a 250GB version of the Xbox 360 in 2010 to help combat Sony’s increase in market share, and a potential price cut for the Nintendo DS Lite to $US99 should the PSP and PSPgo start taking a larger percentage of the handheld market.

Of course Pachter predicts a lot of things. We’ll see how accurate he is once the NPD numbers are published next week.

PS3 to Dominate as September Game Sales Expected to See Double Digit Growth [Industry Gamers]

Massachusetts Governor Deval L. Patrick has proclaimed today, 9 September 2009, to be Video Game Innovation Day, celebrating the state’s long history of gaming innovation. The official proclamation cites both Spacewar! and Harmonix, as well as companies and universities currently working on technology that will support the growth of the industry.

Now, Therefore, I, Deval L. Patrick, Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, do hereby proclaim September 9th, 2009 to be, Video Game Innovation Day And urge all the citizens of the Commonwealth to take cognizance of this event and participate fittingly in its observance.

How does one fittingly observe Video Game Innovation Day? Perhaps the answer to that explains why the governor didn’t proclaim this yesterday.

Governor Declares 09.09.09 Video Game Innovation Day in Massachusetts [Mass.gov]

Yet when you get to your destination, either in your parents’ basement or your uncle’s old room at your grandparents, inevitably there’s some underpowered relic PC that still manages to work. Rather than suffer with Minesweeper or Solitaire when you can’t sleep on Christmas Eve, GiantRealm put together a handy list of six good PC titles that will work on most any machine still in service today. Some of these are available via digital distribution channels. Others, you might have to do a little advance planning and snake a copy from an Amazon or half.com reseller.

Six Titles That’ll Work on Nearly Any Machine [GiantRealm]

There are five titles on the list right now, and all of them are relatively safe choices. Kung-Fu Panda, Lego Indiana Jones, and We Ski certainly fit the bill nicely. Guitar Hero On Tour for the DS is a bit of an odd choice, seeing as the inclusion of Skid Row’s “Youth Gone Wild” could possibly make youth go wild, but I suppose as long as parents are willing to take the risk. Rounding out the list is NCAA Football 2009, because every list of family-friendly games needs a football title for some odd reason, perhaps in hopes that children will drop this video game nonsense and become multi-millionaire pro athletes.

I’d list my personal choices for games to be included in the list, but let’s face it – if you’re on Kotaku looking for shopping ideas for your child, someone has played a horrible prank on you.

The Best Kid-Friendly Video Games of 2008 Holiday V, Toys of the Season

—(BUSINESS WIRE)—By Mike Bruno, Parents.com Contributor

We played until our fingers ached, but it was all worth it — we found five of the best kid-friendly video games (no violence or mature themes here). Whatever your kid’s age or interest, you’ll find the perfect gift for this holiday season.

We Ski- Wii

Age: 5+

Finally, a second game that uses the Balance Board you bought to use on Wii. We Ski uses the device to navigate the game’s snow-covered mountain playground.

Why We Like It

“We Ski does an admirable job mimicking the arm movements (pull the numchuk and remote toward your body to tuck poles and increase speed) and balance techniques you actually use on the slopes,” says Bruno contributor, for Parents.com. “Plus, it supports up to four players with a split-screen multiplayer mode.”

Kung Fu Panda- Wii, Nintendo DS, Xbox 360, PS3, PS2

Age: 6-12

Po, the imaginative young panda from the computer-animated movie, takes you along on his daydream journey in which he is a kung fu warrior wielding “mad skills.”

Why We Like It

A fighting game without violence, if you can believe it. Detailed graphics aptly reproduce the fanciful world that was so beautifully rendered in the film. And the Jack Black imitator is pretty spot on, too.

LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures- Wii, Nintendo DS, PS2, PS3, Xbox 360

Age: 10+

Our favourite archaeologist — in LEGO form! — runs through adventures from the first three Indy movies. Why We Like It

Once you’ve racked your brain figuring out the decently challenging puzzles, you’re rewarded with humorous asides from the movies, like a cocky Dr. Jones reaching back for his fedora, nearly being crushed by a giant stone door in the process.

Guitar Hero on Tour- Nintendo DS

Age: 10+

The Guitar Hero franchise hits Nintendo’s portable DS console without sacrificing too much of the fun game play that made the original game.

What We Like About It

The appeal is definitely in part the novelty of a shrunken-down Guitar Hero you can pull out of your pocket. The hand-sized strap-on Guitar Grip controller slips right into the DS console, enabling you engage in the same challenging rock-alongs as the original.

NCAA Football 2009- Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii, PSP

Age: 7+

Just like fans of real-life football, there are gamers who insist EA Sports’ college pigskin game is superior to their pro-football Madden franchise.

What We Like About It

In addition to some very cool additions to game play, ‘09 has also made some nice tweaks to the Dynasty mode, including an ability to enter a dynasty online and compete with up to 12 other players for the same pool of prospective students for over 60 seasons.

For more helpful tips on picking the right video game for your kids this holiday season, visit Parents.com.

Sony Computer Entertainment is not responsible for any damage done to your PS3 console by Dion’s powerful fore claws.

Get into the Christmas Spirit with a Festive Fun SongPack from SingStar! [ThreeSpeech]

The holiday games market is under threat this year from actual, proper Somali pirates who are preying upon cargo ships off the Horn of Africa and beyond. Sadly, this lot seem to be eschewing Cornish accents and peg legs in favour of AK-47s and huge ex-Soviet trawler ships.

Shipping firms are now faced with the choice of braving pirate-infested waters or taking costly detours that can delay goods by several weeks.

“Despite all the publicity over piracy it will really hit home when consumers in the West find they haven’t got their Nintendo gifts this Christmas,” said Sam Dawson of the International Transport Workers’ Federation.

No Nintendo Game This Xmas? Blame Somali Pirates

If only there were some kind of entertainment product on the market that could address these simple, human needs!

Cynicism aside, the survey – into people’s holiday entertainment activities, behaviours and trends – does turn up a few interesting nuggets. On average, those surveyed plan to spend around 16% less on gifts this year and 64% of parents would like to play more games as a shared family activity.

Check after the jump for some more numbers.

XBox 360 Holiday Entertainment Survey 2008

60% plan to stay at or close to home to save money

71% are looking for one gift to bring the family together

89% hunt for gifts that keep on giving

81% of adults in households with children are looking for gifts that provide entertainment in the home

86% of young adults hope for at least one video game

40% of adults will visit movie theatres less than last year

23% plan to watch more films at home

[Thanks, Adam]

January: Nightopians ring in the New Year by setting off fireworks once every hour beginning at midnight on January 1.

February: Nightopians revisit the New Year theme to celebrate the Chinese New Year. This time you can catch them holding a giant dragon and throwing firecrackers.

March: March is the month of carnivals, and as such many Nightopians will don a mask for the occasion.

April: For this month the Nightopians show off their passion by wearing a Flamenco-inspired rose.

May: The Japanese celebrate the Boys’ Festival on May 5, and so do your Nightopians. This month they can be seen flying a carp streamer.

June: Acknowledging the tradition of June weddings, Nightopians will appear with a boquet or flower basket.

July: Nightopians equip themselves with bull armor and a red cape to celebrate the Bull-Running Festival.

August: Nightopians turn to music, performing with various instruments during this month.

September: The Nightopians transition into fall with full moon paper fans.

October: Nightopians will dress up as witches for Halloween and will also carry pumpkin lanterns throughout this month.

November: Autumn leaves and fruit make for a perfectly nationality-free Thanksgiving for the Nightopians.

December: Here’s where the Nightopians really go nuts. Throughout December, the Nightopians will dress as Santa and join together under a Christmas tree. They can also be seen carrying around cake, wearing a tricorn, and letting off fireworks. On December 24 and 25 specifically the Nightopians will sing a special Christmas song.