There is one sure fire way that you can save a bundle over this holiday season. Tell everyone that you have converted to be Jewish or a Muslim…hahaha. Now back to reality. Since this is not an option here are a few simple things you could try before breaking the bank.
1) Make a list of how much money you plan to spend in total and then divide that money up between the amount of people that you need to buy for.
2) Pay for everything in cash. It is way too easy to swipe the card and run over budget. Dont be an idiot and buy now and worry later.
3) Ease up on the booze. No need to drink tons and hurt your wallet while getting fat.
4) Do a secret Santa. My friends and I tried this a few years back and it worked great since we could end up spending more on one person and buy things that were really cool. Instead of getting everyone something small. Lets be honest would you rather have some crappy shirt from the GAP or PS3. Case closed.
5) Shop online. Not only do you get to avoid all the hassles with crowds, parking and the dreaded mall. Most online retailers have incentives like free shipping or even discounted prices. Since their overhead tends to be lower they end up passing the savings to you the consumer.
Best of luck to all with your Christmas shopping. And if you do end up splurging and spending more then you wanted…dont worry you can always file for bankruptcy.
I am a fan of NHL and hockey, but only on TV until I started hearing about NHL 09 - EA Sports‘ masterpiece art work.
I recently played this game on XBOX 360 at a friends’ house and since have been hooked on it. The game play is extremely smooth and the motion/action of players is kept very natural.
Here are some of the key features of the game:
Be a Pro
Similar to “road to the show” in the MLB series, be a pro allows the gamer to start off as a player on the 3rd line of an AHL team. This is the only player on the ice that you control in 3rd person perspective. The in-game “performance tracker” will rate the player’s play in 3 categories, Position score, Team play and Stats. You will also be able to choose what type of a pro you want to be, these classes include sniper, playmaker, grinder, dangler, power forward, offensive defenseman, defensive defenseman and goalie. You will also have the choice of playing as an existing player on a current NHL team.
Breakouts
This feature allows the player to completely control how the team goes from their own zone into their opponent’s. Last year, players could only set up a play in the neutral zone, or in the offensive zone.
Defensive skill stick
NHL 09 expands on the “skill stick” of NHL 08 by adding the power to stop offensive attacks. It allows you to block passes and to raise an opposing player’s stick just before he is about to receive a pass.
New checking/fighting
More than 300 animations of fighting and checking will be added along with a new physics-based checking and a fighting engine which simplifies all fights into one punch KO’s. The euphoria engine is not being used in NHL 09. However, it was used to capture the 300 animations that are seen in NHL 09.
EASHL
The new online league on NHL 09 will let players form teams of up to 50 players. Although games can only hold up to 6 players per team, each game will be recorded for the organization and will represent an online rank compared to other organizations, once EA straightens out all of the problems they are encountering with their servers. At the end of a certain amount of decided games the top teams will battle in the playoffs and receive prizes and other rewards from EA. Players will also be recognized by statistics that will keep track of points and display the top players with their real names instead of their Gamertags.
NHL 94 controls
In order to compensate how complicated the NHL games have become, EA Sports have added an option to use a simplified style of controls to help new players get used to the game. These controls will use the face buttons to do most of the work, such as A being pass and B being shoot (X and O on the PS3), instead of using the right-analog stick. This is an option.
New Moves
One handed dekes: A new type of deking, this allows the user to hold the stick while controlling the puck in one hand.
Flip Dump: Allows players to flip the puck up into the air in any direction.
Lift Stick: Allows players to lift the stick of opponents to gain control of the puck.
Protect Puck: Allows players to protect the puck with their body from opponents.
Centennial Tournament Mode
Commemorating the Montreal Canadiens 100th “birthday” NHL 09 will feature a team of all-time Canadien greats, such as Maurice “Rocket” Richard, Jean Beliveau, Guy “The Flower” Lafleur, Larry Robinson, Serge Savard, Guy Lapointe, Bernard “Boom Boom” Geoffrion, Toe Blake, Dickie Moore, Bob Gainey, Yvan Cournoyer, Steve Shutt, Henri “Pocket Rocket” Richard, Howie Morenz, Jacques Lemaire, Jacques Laperriere, Doug Harvey, and Emile “Butch” Bouchard. Also lacing them up for the Centennial “Habs” in net will be Patrick Roy, Jacques Plante, and Ken Dryden. In addition to gamers being able to play as the team, they are also able to enter “The Centennial Tournament”, in which they will have to go through an eight-team bracket for a chance to play against these all time greats.
