Here's the Wal-Mart center page on video games (all of these scans will boldly embiggen if you click them.)

 

Wii, DS, 360, PS2. As if the PS3 doesn't even exist. Is there any planet where this wouldn't be a colossal mistake?

Speaking of mistakes, Wal-Mart still hasn't forwarded the memo that Smash Bros was delayed. "Available 12/3," right right.

And wasn't the Wii version of Guitar Hero III supposed to be cheaper than the 360/PS3 version?

Rock Band 360 doesn't even have a price listed. It's like they printed this material back in August.

I was going to praise Buzz (PS2) and Scene It (360) for having the chutzpah to bring something different to the racks, what with the custom game show style controllers... but then I remembered that these were both announced AFTER the Wii was proven to be a blockbuster. These are "mad scramble to counteract the competition" games. $40 is a pretty sweet price for Buzz; I bet the game is absolutely horrid, although I must confess some fleeting interest in the concept. Where's Nintendo's version? I already have the controllers, after all.

There's that ridiculous Xbox 360 Arcade edition, a hard drive-less mistake masquerading as an actual useable 360. Fooled ya, Grandma.

And Halo 3 doesn't exist either.

Target is running three and a half pages for holiday gaming, starting with a mis-priced 360 Rock Band:

$200? "Special Edition"? At least Target has the sense to push a real 360, not the hobbled Arcade.

Not even a fine print "also available on playstation3."

I like how Target shows the 360 Rock Band USB hub... necessary since the 360 only has two USB ports. PS3 FTW.

The half page that I didn't scan shows a pyramid of 360 games. Excuse me, "software." Some wordsmith at Target decided that all video games are to be titled software. Just as with Wal-Mart, you'll find no M-rated games listed in the ad. We'll see if their desire for family friendliness will conflict with their lust for money once GTA4 and Metal Gear 4 come out, sometime in 2011.

 

The Nintendo page comes to us from a land before time, when New Super Mario Bros was hot. Seriously, how about some new games in there? Metroid Prime 3? Zack & Wiki? Super Mario Galaxy? At least Target isn't offering up some fictional Smash-Bros-In-December; but that probably just means they haven't even heard of it.

And bringing up the rear, the once-mighty PS2. How sad that in the year 2007 we have to witness a holiday catalog still shilling memory cards. (And overpriced just like they've always been!)

Singstar is a nice surprise. Buzz again. That two guitar Guitar Hero III bundle is damn nice. Only $110 for two guitars? At this point I'm sure this applies to no one, but if you don't already have Guitar Hero and you do have a PS2, this is the one to get. Assuming you don't care about DLC and don't mind both of your guitars being wired.

What's up with the Simpsons Game PS2 box art? Is Ralph Wiggum chewing on Homer's shoulder? Every time I turn around I find a new reason to forget about that game.

So, anybody still considering a PS3 gift this year? You'd never know it to look at these catalogs.