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Posted on Nov 22, 2010 in Stuff We Like

Holiday Shopping Guide 2010: Games, Books, and More

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DVDs

The Pacific [HistoryNet.com Review]. Okay, let’s unwrap the big present first—all 10 episodes of it. Viewers who were expecting "Band of Brothers Goes to the Pacific" were disappointed, but fighting in the PTO was a very different experience than fighting in Western Europe. Based primarily on well-known books by or about individual Marines who fought in the "green hell"—John Basilone, Eugene Sledge and Robert Leckie—this miniseries started out kind of slow but long before the end it had edge-of-the-seat intensity in its battle scenes. [$79.95 DVD/free shipping] Buy The Pacific (HBO Miniseries)

The Great War in the Air: Aces of the Western Front [HistoryNet.com Interview]. This two-DVD set not only tells the story of the Western Front aces, it is the story of how technology and tactics developed over the course of the war. A labor of love that originally was not intended for sale, it became a YouTube hit. Read an interview with it creator Jan Goldstein. [$22.00, DVD] Buy The Great War In The Air: Aces Of The Western Front

The Americans on Hell’s Highway [Armchair General Review]. A one-hour tour of the American portion of Operation Market Garden, supplemented with period photos and film, modern reenactments and some computer-generated graphics. Best of all, though, are the interviews with two American Airborne veterans and a German Fallshirmjager. [$23.95, DVD] Buy The Americans on Hell’s Highway

Secrets of the Dead: Stalingrad, the Deadliest Battle [HistoryNet.com Interview]. This episode of the PBS series Secrets of the Dead utilized the new research work of Col. David M. Glance and Col. Jonathan M. House to reexamine this pivotal battle, using archival footage and on-camera commentary, including an interview with Nikita Khrushchev’s son, Sergei. [$24.99, DVD] Buy Deadliest Battle

American Experience: Wyatt Earp [HistoryNet.com Interview]. The subtitle of this American Experience episode is "Hero. Outlaw. Legend." That pretty much sums up the complex, contradictory, controversial Old West lawman, and this documentary examines all sides. Much of it was shot at Mescal and Old Tucson in Arizona. [$24.99, DVD] Buy Wyatt Earp

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2 Comments

  1. Civilization V is a thoroughly buggy game, and thoroughly lacking in any sort of viable mechanics. It’s as if the developers forgot the basic foundations of their series, since every mechanic, when traced back to the heart of the game, is ultimately unstable and poorly thought out.

    Even the one unit per tile mechanic is, while not obviously at first, a fundamentally broken and poorly implemented idea.

    If you still want a superb empire-building game, you’re better off getting Civilization IV, which possesses decent graphics and perfect, varied, balanced mechanics. Plus it has the best theme song for a game, ever.

    I’d pass on Civ V. Starcraft II, however, is a triple platinum title, and worth every dime.

  2. You missed a very good book- Caroline Princess Of Wales & Other Forgotten People of History by Strategic Publishing,USA.
    Similar to Skulldugery.

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