Gamestation presents games-themed "21st century nativity"

Always keen to teeter on the brink of risqu, retailer Gamestation has unleashed the latest element of its Christmas marketing drive – the 21st century gaming nativity”.

Following a poll of 30,000 customers, Gamestation has swapped out the classic characters of the nativity and replaced them with a handful of gaming icons.

So, instead of the baby Jesus we have LittleBigPlanet’s Sackboy while Princess Zelda assumes the role of Mary. Joseph is portrayed by Gears of War’s Marcus Fenix (obviously) and the three wise men by Mario, Metal Gear Solid’s Solid Snake and bearded Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Sonic and Yoshi get a look-in, too, though only as stand-ins for stable animals.

For gamers, Christmas is a time of great excitement and anticipation as they rush to the tree to find out what games they will be playing while everyone else watches re-runs of boring old films and shows on the TV,” Gamestation PR boss Neil Ashurst stated.

The Gamestation nativity scene celebrates Christmas in a way that is relevant to the gaming generation."