For some game fans, it realy is all about the game. The game is what they enjoy and they really couldn’t care less about anything else surrounding it. For many other our there though, finding and acquiring cool merch for your favorite franchise is a big part of the fun. These days I belong to the former category than Ido the latter, but there was a time not too terribly long ago where I was all about Halo stuff.

It mostly came out in T-shirts, guides and collector’s editions of the games since there wasn’t all that much out there at the time (I think). That’s not the case now though, so for my portion of this week’s Listmas installment, I’m listing out some of the coolest Halo stuff I’ve come across. I may no longer feel a need for it, but maybe you (or someone you know) can get quite a lot out of some of these.

(I’m staying away from things like the books and movies for this list, as I don’t really think those are “merch” and they can be real hit-or-miss kinds of things depending on who you’re buying for.)

Master Chief Helmet Mask (Amazon.com)

At about $60, its likely that this helmet isn’t on the top shelf for replica helmets. However, I have to say that it’d still be fun to through on a Master Chief helmet and have throw awesome quotes at anyone you come across! I can picture it now. Uh, excuse me. What are you doing? “Sir! Finishing this fight!”… Uh, sir? This is a Wendy’s. 😀

Cortana Chip Necklace (Etsy.com)

The relationship between Cortana and the Master Chief was one of the major story pillars of the original trilogy (and Halo 4 too, I guess). We saw them team up for the first time in Halo: CE, forced to part in Halo 2 and saw their reunion in Halo 3. Things weren’t neary so melodramatic in the first three games as they were in Halo 4, but we still got a strong sense of their comraderie and how much the two relied on each other both in and outside of combat.

So, here we have an awesome replica of Cortana’s chip. It might be a bit bulky to actually wear around, but it would definitely look cool displayed in the Halo corner of your entertainment center and would definitely be a fun reminder of how good the stories of the original games were.

Plasma Grenade Plush (Amazon.com)

This one just looks fun. I mean, the plasma (aka “sticky”) grenade is just a flat out fun concept. You stick it to the enemy, watch them freak out, and then watch both them and the grenade disappear in a big, blue blast! Even more fun was pranking your friends and teammates with them in custom games! I mean, it was the ultimate surprise! Annoying for your buddy, but an absolute blast (ha!) for you! So, who would’t want a Plasma Grenade Plush to tag their friends with in real life? Sure, you can’t stick it to them, but you’ll both know that they’ve been got. (As will you when they inevitably tag you back!)

Halo Energy Sword (Etsy.com)

Much like the Plasma Grenade plush toy, an Sangheili energy sword would just be awesome to have. These here look to be a lot more realistic and study than the official foam ones, so it probably wouldn’t be a great idea to actually try to have a sword fight with them. Then again though, I think it’d be plenty cool to put one of these on a wall somewhere. It might be hard to create a room/space in which it makes sense, but I think any Halo fan who gets one of these is up to the task.

Halo Game Keychains (Etsy.com)

Even though this is the smallest and cheapest of the things listed here, it’s arguably one of the most desirable, I’d say. I mean, it can be difficult to figure out what exactly to do with specific items like those above, but a keychain is nice and easy. You just clip it on your keys, and there you go! You’ve got a cool little reminder of some of your favorite games that you can check out at any time, and it’s something likely to catch fellow fans’ eyes when you’re out and about! For anyone with fond multiplayer memories of any of these games, I’d say it’s a slam dunk!

Not too surprisingly, most of the best items I found were fan-made things on Etsy. Official or not, there are those out there who are willing to put in a lot more care into their creations than most companies are into their mass produced products. Regardless of whose making them though, I’m sure any Halo fans you know would absolutely love to get any of these. As for me, I think I’d like a Halo 3 keychain more than anything else. I just don’t have the space for anything bigger and it’d be nice to have a little reminder of all the fun times I had online with my old friends.

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How about you? Did any of these grab your attention? Do you know of any other really cool Halo items out there? If you do, let us know below and then check back in next week for more Listmas fun!

Image by flickr user: Corrinne Yu (cc)