So, good turkey day? Not being one to celebrate such a thing, today I gave thanks for the kebab I ate for lunch and played some FIFA.

You must be off to Australia in, what, a day or two? Should be a hoot. Weather's much nicer down here this time of year...

Here's what you missed:

An Old Friend Returns In New Mass Effect 2 Videos, Screens
Next Zelda Game To Feature Flight?
Sony Boss Takes A Swing Or Two At The Wii
Street Fighter IV's New Guys In Action
Red Dead Redemption Gets A Proper Release Date
Square Enix Anticipating The Death of Consoles

Happy thanksgiving! Not that I even really get what that means, but hey, any day where eating giant birds is a national holiday is cool with me.

Here's what you missed:

Capcom Side-Scrollers Coming To Xbox Live, PSN
Custom Bayonetta "Figure" Gets The Outfit Right
New Afterburner Game Coming To Home Consoles?
Red Dead Redemption Moseys On Into April 2010
All Of EA's PC Games, 30% Off
So, When's Modern Warfare 2's DLC Due?

I've had it about two years, now. And it's on all damn day long. It's been locking up more and more recently. Pin wheeling. Some programs just stop working. Dunno what the deal is.

How long do computers last anyway?

What you missed last night
New Final Fantasy XIII Trailer Does Not Skimp On The Cinematics
Tekken 6 PSP Is Out, And This Is What It Looks Like
Miyamoto Wanted To Patent "Jumping"
DSi LL Unboxing
Is The DSi LL Bigger Than Uncharted 2, Nolan Ryan's Autograph, A Can of Beer?

Man, presents are a gianormous pain when we go the States for the holidays. Mini-Bash wrote his list to Santa yesterday. He wants a kickboard (I think it's called a "razor" scooter in English — not sure) and Beyblade spinning tops. Not sure if we are going to (SANTA SPOILER) buy the Beyblades here and take them or try to find the ones he wants there. We'll have to coordinate the scooter some how — maybe leave it here in the living room for when he gets back. Then, of course, we have to explain why Santa visits him in two places. He's six now and has started asking things, like if Santa is real. I told him to see what happens if he doesn't believe in Santa. See how that turns out. Wonder until what age he'll believe in Santa.

Gotta give the kid this: His list was short — man, my lists to Santa were pages.

What you missed last night
Then vs Now: Infinity Ward On Dedicated Servers, Mods In 2007
Shigeru Miyamoto Couldn't Get A Job At Nintendo Today
Aion Bans Many, Many, Many Players
Watch Obama Talk Math, Science, Education & Video Games
Here's the Maxim Bayonetta Model Winner

Mrs. Bashcraft has had it, baby got it, I'm still taking meds for it — but Mini-Bash didn't get it.

What you missed last night
Teen Calls 911 After Parents Take Away Xbox 360
Wii Gets Downloadable TV, Movies
Rumor: Uncharted Movie Changing Screenwriter
All Crysis Needed Was A Flux Capacitor
DSi LL Goes On Sale In Japan

I'm back in the Carolinas with family for the Thanksgiving holiday, so the note will be short and sweet. Swung back through South Carolina to see my grandfather in the retirement community where I lived with him this spring. I never thought I'd think of that place as coming back to an old neighborhood, but it did feel like that, especially seeing everyone I met in my time there.

It felt like coming back to campus after graduating, actually. Except the freshmen are my senior.

Some highlights:

Swiss Study Documents War Crimes Committed in 19 Games
'Modern Warfare 2 in 60 Seconds' is 1:15 Long
NCAA Basketball 10 Review: Some Shining Moments
The One About the Guy Who Married a Video Game
The NIMF is No More
No Less of a Memory - The Human Drama of Video Game Sports

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Reader Phillip was kind enough to send some photos in of the big do last night. Looked like a blast! Hope you kids all had a good time.

Me, well, it hit 40 degrees here (over 100 American degrees) then rained dust. I know where I'd rather have been.

Here's what you missed while drinking drinks and raising money:

The Mortal Kombat That Should Have Been
Modern Warfare 2 Could Have Had Aliens, Zombies
Google's New OS Runs On Metal Gear
Xbox Live Bannings Summon Class Action Lawsuit
NY Testing Emergency Broadcasts Over Gaming Networks
Make Preparations For More Shadow Complex

Funny you mention that. I got home from my honeymoon to find my third Xbox 360's power supply had died while I was away. When it wasn't even being used. The machine itself still works, but the power supply just...gave up the ghost.

Good times. Less good times are in store for the Ashcraft household, sadly, with Brian struck down by a bout of the ol' Swine Flu.

GET BETTER BRIAN!

Anyway, here's what you missed:

No More Heroes on 360, PS3
Mario In Assassin's Creed II
Square Enix Makes Promises
Phoenix Wright Goes WiiWare
Evony Ads Are Just Awesome

So, today, I went in and got a car loan. Having just got a home loan. I must be out of my god-damned mind.

Funniest/saddest part? I've never got a car loan before. And figured if I ever did, it'd be for something special. Something fast. Instead? It's for a new Toyota Corolla. Go figure.

Here's what you missed while the world was spinning...

Voice Actor Says MW2's Ghost Might Get a Game
A Look at the Zombie Island of Dr. Ned
PS3: It Only Catches a Predator
Rumor: New DS Is Better Than The Zune
Call Of Duty Does Private Ryan
Forza 3 Car Art Needs More Cowbell
How 2010 Is Actually Christmas 2009 (In Disguise)

Bear, my cat, has been behaving a little weird lately. I think the crap weather here in Oregon is getting to her, because it's darker than California and the wet weather means she's indoors more often. Bear usually would hang out in a kitty bed behind the TV, or in one of my dresser drawers. But this week, she's taken to hanging in the tool closet, up on the towel rack over the commode and, all of today, in front of my keyboard. It's like trying to type around a furry meatloaf.

So if there were any typos, misspellings, errors or libel this week, blame the cat.

Some of what you missed:

Leaked Survey Tips Off MLB 2K10 Cover Athlete
Odd And Odder Mario Sightings In New York
Laser Engraver Blasts Out Super Mario Theme
New Super Mario Bros. Wii In-Game Tips
Nintendo's Temporary Mario Museum, The Video Tour
PS3: It Only Does Kidnapping ...
Jersey GameStops Break Street for Assassin's Creed II, L4D2
Stick Jockey: Maybe the Greatest of All Time, but not In Its Time

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I think Stephen needs a good lie down...

So! Yes, I am back. First week back of proper work since my wedding and honeymoon, which incidentally was the first long holiday I'd taken in years. It's strange settling back into things, not because I missed the work or had forgotten how to love video games, but because I'd gone an entire month without them.

Can you remember the last time you'd gone a month without games? And not just playing them, but reading about them as well? I couldn't. It was both strange and liberating at the same time. Strange because, well, they're my passion in life. Hence my gig here.

But liberating as well, because it gives you a chance to take a step back, and put this medium in perspective. So many people get so caught up in it, in all the fanboy wars, the importance of dedicated servers, of framerate counts, that it's easy to forget this is a pastime. A hobby. A leisure pursuit, a form of entertainment.

It's not life and death, and it's not til I got back to work that I remembered too many people treat it as such. Relax, guys. Games are for fun.

New Zune Game Revue, Coming Right At You
So, How Different Does Modern Warfare Wii Look?
Meet Final Fantasy XIV's Gladiator & Pugilist
Rumor: Here's Some Possible New PSPgo Colors
Modern Warfare 2 Sells 1.2 Million, In One Day, In One Country
Borderlands Sequel A "No-Brainer"
This Is About As Sexy As Ultima Gets
Aliens vs Predator vs Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle
The Mario Suits That Were, Are And Should Be

And now, because I have received requests, I shall bore you all with a holiday slideshow consisting of two photographs.

[HERE]

What you missed last night
Modern Warfare 2 On Fox & Friends
Father Of PlayStation Makes New Company
Rumor: Project Natal Launches November 2010, 14 Games, Might Be Cheap
Measuring The Hype: Modern Warfare 2
Gold-Dipped PS3 Does Not Include 250GB Hard Drive

Oh yeah, I care. I'd like to play it, but I haven't gotten it yet... Quite enjoy Infinity Ward previous Call of Duty games.

And if you did get it, well, whaddaya think?

What you missed last night
Modern Warfare 2: 360 vs PS3 (Part II)
Square Enix Makes FF XIII Announcement Announcement Official
Welcome To Modern Warfare 2, Everyone

What you missed last night
Here's What Final Fantasy XIII Chocobos Look Like
First Pictures From Resident Evil: Afterlife Set
Uncharted: Drake's Pinball Adventures
Minesweeper Becoming An Adventure Game

I'm happy to report that tomorrow I'll finally get my car registered, my Oregon license plates, and complete my emigration from California. Believe me, I feel the eyeballs on me every time I drive to the Safeway. Californians have fled north in droves ever since the collapse of the economy, and are largely blamed for taking away jobs, or at least driving up the competition for them. I take pains to explain I brought mine with me. But then, nobody believes me when I say I write about video games, regardless of where I come from.

Some of what you missed:

Northeast U.S. GameStops Selling Modern Warfare 2 Early - Update
Plumbing? You Want-a Aisle 7
Bleszinski: Borderlands is Diablo for a New Generation
Gearbox Boss: Valve is Behaving Like Fanboys
Visually Impaired Gamer Sues Sony
Valve's Multiplayer Calculus: (360 = PC) > PS3
NCAA Football, and the Science of Subjectivity

Confused about commenting on Kotaku? Read our FAQ.

Here's how it works: We ask a question, you answer it. Simple and no strings attached! This isn't some marketing survey or whatever. It's an emotional investment in you. Yes, we're interested in knowing you, Kotaku reader person.

You probably know oodles about us - more than you even want to, we're sure. But, hey, we'd like to know about you. That way you won't be some faceless blob - and we might feel a tinge of guilt when we ban ya. Or not, because really we're incapable of human emotion.

Question: Some games are easy. Some are hard. Really, really, really hard. Why is that?

Now. Sometimes it's great living in Japan, and sometimes, when you want a burrito, it's not so great.

What you missed last night
Nintendo: There Is No Wii HD
Fresh Mass Effect 2 Trailers Show The Darker, Boozier Side Of The Galaxy
Mass Effect 2 Impressions: Looks Better, Shoots Differently, Doesn't Overheat
Two Minutes Of God Of War III Gameplay
Street Fighter IV: Smash Car, Smash Barrels

Recently opened college savings accounts for Mini and Micro-Bash. Japanese universities can get expensive, but not crazy expensive like American universities. US schools are over priced — how can tuition keep going up year after year?

What you missed last night
I Clothe Gamers
Valve: British People Are Quiet
Let's Compare Tekken 6 Load Times
Test Audiences Love Prince of Persia Movie
PS3 Lawsuits Upgraded To Version 3.01

Next up, WALKING.

What you missed last night
Five New PSP Bundles For Japan
Modern Warfare 2 Breaks Pre-Order Records
KFC Madden NFL Box Unboxing and Review
GameStop: PS3, Borderlands & Scribblenauts Sales Are "Strong"
Infinity Ward: Wii Can't Deliver Our Multi-Platform Experience

Long rough weekend with brief and traumatic baby scare, but the tyke seems fine now. Went to the doctor and hasn't had any further breathing issues. Doctor said it was something we should keep an eye on because it could happen again...

Halloween was great — the kids in the neighborhood went trick or treating, which is the first time I've ever seen it in Japan. I do think the holiday is getting bigger and bigger each year. Hey, candy and cosplaying, that's an easy sell for Japan.

There were some bright spots, too! Like, when Mrs. Bashcraft asked me why Yoda and the other "monsters" in Star Wars were on the same "team" and out to "kill" Luke Skywalker.

She's never seen Star Wars! But I can tell you right now: That plot like is far more interesting than any of the newer films Lucas made... She started asking me about the robots, the gold one and the one who "looks like a garbage bin". She's heard their names, but didn't know what they were really.

During the course of the conversation, she came up with a laundry list of names she thought were correct, but sadly are not.

For C3PO:
C2AL, CPR, CUP, CPU, CPA2, C3O3, C323, CCO2 and CO2.

For R2-D2
APC, APL, AP-AM, AM-PM, AL2 and A2-B2.

Yes, in my wife's head, Star Wars is about a small green monster who teams up with other monsters to take on the humans who are friends with the robots CUP and AM-PM. Awesome.

What you missed last night
Here Are Some More King of Fighters Promo Images
TF2's Mann Co. Responds to Its Customers Once More
Microsoft Starts Xbox LIVE Pilot Program
The Bayonetta That Could Have Been...
Heroes' Hiro On Relationships, Filtered Through Chrono Trigger