It’s Figure Friday, the holidays are lurking right around the corner, are you prepared? ARE YOU?
Well, even if you’re not, I’m here with a potpourri of gifts for you, the discerning shopper. This year, I’m going rogue, too! While they’re not exactly action figures, they’re still very much in this column’s wheelhouse.
GAME NIGHT!
In my ongoing effort to keep it real with you, the discerning shopper and reader of this piece, I’ve always longed to have a small coterie of gaming friends. Not video games, mind you, I prefer those to be a solitary experience. Plus, I don’t need to go online to have a teenager yell slurs at me…that happens on my walks to the post office.
I’m writing about tabletop gaming! Everything old is new again, and board games are once again sweeping the nation. Before 2020, when I was travelling a fair bit, I picked up a couple of card games that I brought back to my circle of friends, and I was hoping for a new social activity to while away the hours. We managed one game before one member of our party was too inebriated to continue (or remember the rules).
For my most recent birthday, I got a neat Lovecraftian tabletop game, and one of my goals for my upcoming time off is to get in a couple of sessions. I don’t plan on going full “Wil Wheaton” with it, but it’s an interest I’m looking to pursue.
To that end, here are a couple of upcoming games you can order for that dork, dweeb, or nerd in your life.
For the Trekkie, there’s Destination: Star Trek: The Next Generation, which is up for preorder now!
Challenge your friends to a race through seven years of Star Trek: The Next Generation with this brand new board game. Players draw cards that send them on missions from famous episodes of TNG. Then race around the board trying to complete them first. Along the way you’ll face hazards from an intron virus that de-evolves the crew, to a visit from Q.
The game is designed for up to eight players but only the best Starfleet officer will win!
I still have my ST: TNG game that came with a VHS tape that was integral to playing it, so I’m due for an upgrade. I am curious if this game will allow you to “experience bij”?
Remember Mystery Science Theater 3000? Well, it’s back in board game form!
The iconic crew of the Satellite of Love is back in Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Game! The Game! Help them make the best of their imprisonment in this all-new riff-tastic party game for 3-8 players.
Impress the Mads with your best riffs and compete to be the favorite of the bunch in this exciting new way to experience the Mystery Science Theater 3000 universe.
How does this differ from you and your friends getting plastered and making fun of the new Neil Breen movie? For starters, this has rules, a cool game board, and neat add-ons! This project is live on Kickstarter right now, AND it wraps up on Christmas Eve-eve. It’s also fully funded as of this writing, so get pledging!
Physical Media!
2025 was the year I cancelled all of my streaming services, and it was truly eye-opening how little it impacted my day-to-day life. I could easily go for another 500 words about how ridiculous it is to pay a monthly fee to not own stuff and how troubling it is that a few companies are holding it all hostage right now. But I digress.
As it stands, I have a pretty respectable library of DVDs and Blu-rays, and I’m always on the lookout for more. I’ve been known to do some damage during the Criterion sales. Boutique disc companies are where it’s at right now, all your weird favourites can be yours forever…just like this!
Arrow Video is releasing this absolutely gorgeous Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles trilogy box set, completely restored in 4K! Check this out:
3-DISC LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY CONTENTS
- Brand new 4K restorations of all three films by Arrow Films
- High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentations of all three films
- Perfect bound collector’s booklet in the style of a Roy’s Pizza menu, featuring new writing on the films by Simon Ward, John Torrani and John Walsh
- Reversible sleeves featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Florey
- Double-sided foldout poster featuring original artwork from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the “Map of the Kappa Realm”, a stylised re-creation of the ancient scroll that appears in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III
- Two additional double-sided foldout posters featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Florey
- Eight character trading cards
- Roy’s Pizza loyalty card
- Four character stickers
DISC 1 – TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES
- 4K restoration of the film from the original camera negative by Arrow Films approved by director Steve Barron
- Two lossless stereo mixes (original theatrical mix and alternate “warrior” mix) plus newly remixed Dolby Atmos audio
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Brand new commentary with director Steve Barron
- Brand new commentary with comic book expert and podcast host Dave Baxter
- Rising When We Fall, a newly filmed interview with director Steve Barron
- Turtle Talk, a newly filmed interview with actors Robbie Rist, Brian Tochi, Ernie Reyes Jr and Kenn Scott
- O’Neil on the Beat, a newly filmed interview with actor Judith Hoag
- Wet Behind the Shells, a newly filmed interview with producer Simon Fields
- Beneath the Shell, a newly filmed interview with puppet coordinator and second unit director Brian Henson, and Rob Tygner, puppeteer for both Splinter and Leonardo
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turf, a newly filmed featurette exploring the film’s locations in New York City and North Carolina
- Alternate UK version with unique footage prepared for censorship reasons, presented in 4K via seamless branching
- Alternate ending from VHS workprint
- Alternate Korean footage
- Theatrical trailers
- Image gallery
DISC 2 – TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES II: THE SECRET OF THE OOZE
- 4K restoration of the film from the 35mm interpositive by Arrow Films
- Original lossless stereo audio and optional DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround audio
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Brand new commentary with director Michael Pressman moderated by filmmaker Gillian Wallace Horvat
- John Du Prez to the Rescue, a newly filmed interview with composer of the trilogy John Du Prez
- Hard Cores, a newly filmed interview with Kenny Wilson, mould shop supervisor at Jim Henson’s Creature Shop
- The Secret of the Edit, a newly filmed interview with editor Steve Mirkovich
- Behind the Shells, an archive featurette from 1991
- Theatrical trailer
- Image gallery
DISC 3 – TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES III
- 4K restoration of the film from the 35mm interpositive by Arrow Films
- Original lossless stereo audio and optional DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround audio
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Brand new commentary with director Stuart Gillard
- Daimyos & Demons, a newly filmed interview with actor Sab Shimono
- Rebel Rebel, a newly filmed interview with actor Vivian Wu
- Alternate UK opening
- Theatrical trailer
- Image gallery
That about does it for this gift guide entry! Josh and I will be back on the 26th to wrap up the year in toys for 2025!