Some babies are born head first....others feet first...but only one was born beard first. 68 years ago today in Oklahoma a legend was born. Carlos Ray Norris was once a shy, non-athletic boy, who was often tormented by his classmates for his mixed native-American heritage, but he used his lust for revenge to help him become the most powerful being on the face of the earth. As an Air Policeman (I'd assume sans plane, just flying round and arresting people) in the US Air Force he would earn the nickname Chuck and started studying the martial arts so hard that he had to create his own - Chun Kuk Do - because nothing else was good enough. Actor, ass kicker, inventor of the roundhouse kick, and star of the Atari 2600 game Chuck Norris Superkicks, without Chuck's influence the video game industry would just be a bunch of cutesy pet sims. Let it ring across Barrens chat on every server - Happy Birthday Chuck Norris! He might be 68-years-old, but he could still kick all of our asses at once without even blinking.

Special thanks to Kevin for reminding us of this special day!

GameStop Holiday Sales Up 35%

"Driven by robust domestic and international sales, GameStop achieved the most successful holiday season results ever," said company chairman and CEO Richard Fontaine. "Video game software sales grew by 45%, while the next generation installed base is now triple last year's base and a very positive leading indicator for future sales growth."

Twas the month before Christmas and all through the land,
Not a single retailer had one Wii on hand...

More like the year before Christmas, actually. An entire year where not a day went by that hundreds of electronic and gaming retail employees didn't have to negatively answer the same nagging question. "Do you have any Wiis in stock?" Even though the console sold relatively briskly in the year following its launch, getting your hands on one meant you either won a contest, knew someone who worked for a retailer, shadowed UPS trucks or were just plain lucky.

As the holidays season started heating up, things looked bleak for parents and gamers looking to get their hands on Nintendo's tiny, motion-controlled console. Rumors of chip shortages ran rampant, and I personally was certain that the eBay grey market price for the hot gift item would far meet if not surpass the highest numbers seen during the initial late 2006 release window.

Miraculously that never happened. At the very last moment, in a series of moves that gained them criticism from fans, Nintendo managed to pull together enough supply to curb the often ridiculously inflated eBay demand before it was too late.

GameStop Stock Is Smokin' Hot

If you are interested in getting in on a little hot GameStop stock action and were waiting for a good time to sink some money into the company, between now and January 10th would be ideal, according to two industry analysts. Both Arvind Bhatia of Stern Agee and Leach, and Mike Hickey of Janco Partners believe that trends indicate a strong holiday earning period for the Texas-based company, and that means that purchasing before the company announces said earnings next week.

Hickey said the GameStop's holiday period typically represents 75 percent of Q4 reported sales, which means that "the street is looking for $2.027 billion in holiday sales, or +17 percent year-on-year."

Analysts: Buy GameStop Shares Now [Next Gen]

What Are Your Gaming Resolutions For 2008?

Some of the Kotaku staff, those who live in the future, have already rung in 2008. But many of us in the tower are anxiously awaiting a thrilling night in of TV watching, complete with copious amounts of sparkling, non-alcoholic cider enjoyed in our footie pajamas. Fifteen minutes of partying, then we head off to bed around 12:01 AM and wait for the sun to rise to get started on our chores. While we wait for New Year's Eve festivities, resolutions are being made—get that third nipple removed, finally cancel our subscription to Grit magazine, and spend more time gaming!

Personally, I'm going to make the effort to play more with my friends, wherever they may be. A multi-hour session of Team Fortress 2 that's due to happen as you read this with two of my best friends will make sticking to that one a bit easier. I'm also planning on spending less, buying only exactly what I plan to play and leaving nothing in the shrinkwrap. There will be more downloadable gaming in my future, more online gaming and more attention paid to indie and homebrew wares.

Let us know what you've got planned for a self-improved 2008, whether it's less fanboyism, more time with your SNES or even the shedding of that unsightly 80 pounds gained at college.

On Christmas morning Mark Wilson posted our off-beat, out-of-tune electronic Christmas Card to you our readers. If you missed reading it make sure to check it out here. If you can sing better than we can, and that's more than likely a given, hit the jump for the full lyrics with annotations to the stories that inspired them.

Shadow the Hedgehog Steals Christmas

Wii Wins the Amazon Christmas

Amazon is just giddy with excitement. The holidays are over and they are bursting at the seams with money spent on presents. Their annual "We made a shitton of money during the holidays" press release went out this morning and in it the the Wii as their top selling console and Call of Duty 4 as their top game.

While they don't release any specific numbers for their video game sales, they do say that Amazon sold Wii system "at approximately 17 per second when they were in stock."

Here's the top ten current lists of video game and hardware sales on Amazon:

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare for the Xbox 360
Super Mario Galaxy
Wii Nunchuk control
Wii Play with Remote
Wii Remote
Wii Charging Station
Wii
Assassin's Creed for the Xbox 360
Wii Zapper with Link's Crossbow Training
Playstation 3 Wireless Sixaxis Controller

The PSP 2K, in the number 12 spot, was the next best-selling platform after the Wii

Amazon.Com Best Sellers [Amazon]

A Sleigh is so Old Fashioned...

A World in Conflict Christmas

Wow, those folks over at Massive Entertainment have issues, Christmas issues! But who doesn't. I mean who hasn't wanted to take out the neighborhood with a flood or tanks and barrage of mortar fire?

Alright Ashcraft teased everyone last week with the announcement that we would be giving away a special present to one luck Kotakuite. We've got $2,000 in Kotaku Kash that we are dying to part with. Better still, you don't have to lift more than ten fingers to spend it. That's right, we will do one lucky winner's shopping, spending up to $2,000 on video game-related presents. And yes, we'll even send the presents to that winner! Some parameters the winner must take into account:

• Including sales tax and shipping, we will only spend up to $2,000 KK. One KK equals exactly one US dollar.
• The winner will be asked to draw up a shopping wish list. All items on that list must be directly video game related.
• We will only go to one store on one day and purchase your presents there. This contest is one-stop shopping!
• Once the winner draws up his or her shopping wish list, it's final. That means if a game, a console or whatever is sold out, tough crap. ( Don't worry we'll try to figure out a way to let you spend every last penny, like maybe a back-up list.)

Ash was kind enough to come up with the soulless idea of making one of us brave the snow and ice around the holidays to do someone else's shopping, and then promptly flee to Texas where he thinks he will be free of having to fulfill the wishlist.

Fortunately, I'm not the vengeful type, so I'll probably be doing your shopping for you. Since it's the holidays, and I love you all so much, I'm going to make this contest super-duper easy. Hit the jump for the rules.

Here's an idea you still have time to steal. Nick and Will of the Gnatline podcast created their very own lighted Triforce, fashioned from "fairy lights", ran it up to the top of a fifty foot tree and took pics to prove it happened. The results (and making of) are the subject of massive gallery at their site. It's totally the tops.

The Triforce Tree [GnatOnline via MAKE]

LotRO Gets Cheaper For The Holidays

With Blizzard adding a cold pack to their Burning Crusade and NCsoft giving Guild Wars players five hours of marketing, what does Lord of the Rings Online have to offer MMO players this Holiday season? Low, low prices! From now until January 31st, new and existing subscribers to LotRO can pay only $9.99 month, $5 off their normal $14.99 rate. You'll have to pay $29.97 for three months at a time in order to take advantage of the special offer, but 33% off is nothing to scoff at. Of course had you known you'd be so addicted you would have just dropped $200 at launch for the lifetime subscription. Hindsight, huh?

LotRO Holiday Promo [Lord Of The Rings Online via FiringSquad]

Guild Wars Holidays In The North

Miracle Child Gives Wii To Foster Kids

In the eyes of Nintendo fans everywhere still desperately trying to get their hands on Nintendo's latest console, 9 year-old Brandyn Waterford just made the ultimate sacrifice. When he found out his father was helping with the Agape Villages Foster Family Services toy drive in California, he donated his Wii to the cause.

"I wanted to donate it to the foster care so other kids could have a really special Christmas," Brandyn Waterford said. "My teacher said foster kids don't really get toys."

Child Sacrifices To Make Holiday Merry For Foster Kids [KQCA Sacremento]

Day Of The Ninja Silently Kills You

It's December 5th, and if you don't know what that means you may already be dead and just not know it. The Annual Day of the Ninja (or alternately "Die Like A Pirate Day") tends to sneak up on you, whispering "boo" into your ear, only you just hear the very beginning of the "b" sound, your imagination filling in the rest as you slide lifelessly to the floor. Fun! Today is a fine day to whip out your favorite ninja-themed video game, throw it in deadly frisbee fashion into your game machine of choice, and harness the very power of the wind to power on your console, playing all day whilst steadfastly refusing to remove the black t-shirt from around your head, even to eat. Whether you prefer the hack and slash frenzy of Ninja Gaiden, the more whimsical adventures of I-Ninja or Goemon, the stealth action of Tenchu or even the complete and total suckage of Red Ninja, this day is for you. Actually, admitting you like Red Ninja pretty much signs your death order, but you know, have fun!

December 5 - Annual Day of the Ninja [Official Page]