A Console Gaming Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving. Not only does it mean the beginning of the fast track to the end of the year (and the other major December holidays), but it means that the best products in the console market for '98 have already been released or are about to be. With that in mind, we've chosen five things that console gamers should be thankful for this Thanksgiving weekend.

5. Star Wars Episode I TrailerOK, so it's not directly related to video games, but c'mon…most video game players are into Star Wars. This year, we've got that just-over-2-minute glimpse of exactly what we'll be seeing next spring to tide us over. How many times have you watched the trailer? Once? Ten Times? Twenty? Fifty? To tie this into video games, LucasArts is creating multiple titles based around Episode I for 1999. That alone is enough to keep any die-hard fan on the edge of his/her seat and thank his/her lucky stars that the wait is almost over.

4. Lara Hype Is OverProbably the most over-exposed video game character ever, Lara Croft and Tomb Raider III are finally out and that means that soon the Lara hype will calm down for another year. The game may be good, but Her Crofty-ness needs a rest. Thankfully, the Tomb Raider III commercials don't go ga-ga over Lara, instead focusing on the new points of the game in a Bond-esque manner. Sure, she's video gaming's most visible sex symbol, but c'mon…enough's enough. Next year: Tomb Raider IV - Lara Takes A Vacation.

3. Game Boy Is Finally ColorTook long enough, eh? After 10 years of the Game Boy being pea-soup green, Nintendo has finally come around and made the Game Boy Color. No more long car trips or flights straining your eyes trying to see that screen (I blame Nintendo for my bad eyesight). Well, wait… it's still not backlit! NOOOO! There go my eyes again. But with a clearer screen than ever before, Game Boy Color is definitely something to be thankful for.

2. Faster US Translations of Japanese GamesIn the past, gamers were lucky if they got to play a US translation of a Japanese title within a year of its release. Nowadays, companies are jumping on the bandwagon and picking up the rights to not only mainstream Japanese games (excluding dating or life sims), but also obscure Japanese shooters that only us fans really care about. It almost makes importing almost worthless, as games are coming out faster and faster (Zelda came out in both Japan and the US within 2 days of each other). It's not just Working Designs porting these games, either. It's mainstream companies like THQ, Activision, Jaleco, Atlus, Ascii and others.

1. Zelda in 1998After years of waiting, Miyamoto's masterpiece has landed in the hands of many (but not all) gamers just prior to the Thanksgiving weekend so we can have about 4 days of nonstop Turkey and Zelda. Worth the wait? Definitely. Therefore, the number one thing that all console gamers should be thankful for this Thursday is Zelda. Thanks Nintendo, thanks Shigeru Miyamoto.

Honorable mention: Dreamcast In '99While it's not one of the top five, we looked deep into our crystal ball and came up with something we know we'll be thankful for next year - DREAMCAST. Just think, by this time next year we'll all be playing Sonic Adventure, Virtua Fighter 3tb and all of Sega's launch games. Of course, if you're in Japan or are importing a Dreamcast, you have that stuff to be thankful for this year. But for those who aren't, time to hibernate 'til next Fall.