One step ahead

CRChair *NEEDS* to play this level of Quake III

Part 2 of the Star Wars Video Game Retrospective

Most of these games were in the time of the SNES which was mostly a black hole for my video game career. I came back into it with the original Playstation. But now I am itching to dig out an SNES to play some of these!

Crayon Physics

Crayon Physics is a new game produced at the Independent Games Show this year that looks very interesting. If that background music doesn't drive you mad, then I could see playing with this for hour after hour!

Retrospective of Star Wars video games

I remember most of these, but there are a number of surprises even for a Star Wars fanatic like me.

Rock Band vs. Real Band

I love music, all sorts of music. I used to play many different instruments and sincerely appreciate the skill it takes to play an instrument with skill as well as the skill required to compose and spontaneously create music. For some reason the video game marketers decided that we needed a way of imitating all the things about music that I love. First there was Guitar Hero and now EA is releasing Rock Band. The guitarist for Sleater-Kinney (a band I know only by reputation) has taken on the challenge of comparing Rock Band to what it's like to be in a real band. It's an interesting article that makes some good points for the music aficionados amongst us. (Note: there is one instance of crude language). It's worth a read.

And, really, if you are going to play the game with a group of friends for more than a night, shouldn't you just form a real band? There is something sad about the thought of four teenagers getting Rock Band for Christmas and spending all of their after-school time pretending to know how to play.

Cowbell Hero?

Nomad gets the sign of the beast

Nomad was playing a game on the boardwalk in Wildwood, New Jersey and got an interesting score.

Video Games and Child Neglect

Wired News has up a sad story of a Nevada couple who have neglected their two children (11 months old and 22 months old) because they were too busy playing video games. Like most things in life, moderation is the key. Having had to stop playing some games (or at least take a break) because I got too involved, I understand how addictive games can be. Still, we are responsible to have the self-control to stop when they get to be too much.

Yes, we have a Wii...

...and if you own a Nintendo Wii, you know what that means. If you don't, you probably think it means hours of lost sleep. Nope. It means I am sleeping like a BABE, because I am so exhausted from playing this console! I read about the recent diagnosis of "Wii Elbow", and laughed at the out-of-shape people exhausted by playing video games. But, I can tell you that playing even NON-sports games, is EXHAUSTING. But I must say it has been GREAT for my health, as I am now exercising regularly and can really feel the difference as I am more flexible, stronger, and my back has not felt this good since I had surgery years ago. A quick review of the games I have played so far:

Wii Sports: This comes free with the console, but is also EASILY the most fun game I own. And this is not a dig on the other games. But Wii sports - which is a fairly simple set of sports-themed games like tennis, boxing, golf, and bowling - IS simple which means you can start playing on day 1, and have some serious fun. And it is also the most aerobic of the games, which means playing it for 1/2 hour each day counts as exercise.

Wii Play: This game comes free with an extra controller (or is available without, by why bother?) and is focussed on showing what kinds of things you can with the Nintendo Wii's innovative control methods. You race cows, play air hockey, ping pong, and play something like Duck Hunt among other games. Quite fun, but not nearly as fun as Wii Sports. It is worth the extra $10 with a controller, but definitely not worth buying on its own.

Red Steel: This is one of the first First-Person-Shooters for the Wii, and takes advantage of the unique controls to not only shoot guns, but also fight with a sword in each hand. It is a blast to play, although exhausting because you turn and aim by pointing your arm at the screen. However, while is rated "teen", parents should be aware that the weapons include not only bullets and swords, but also every curse word in the book. It is recommended if you are in a house with children (or like me, in a 3-family house with children in a different apartment) that you turn the volume WAY down... or get a different game.

Spider-Man 3: Spider-Man has not only been among the most successful of the super hero adaptions on the big screen, but also among the most successful video game adaptions out there. Spider-Man 1 was fun because you actually got to be the Wall-Crawler. Spider-Man 2 was GREAT because you could swing free-style around the city - I spent hours just exploring for the pure zen peace of it. Spider-Man 3 takes it one more step by allowing you to actually spin webs by flicking your wrists, which gets VERY tiring very quickly. It may actually be MORE tiring than Wii Sports, which is really saying something.

Overall, I have no regrets with buying this system, aside from waking up sore almost every day. But it is that good kind of soreness after a mildly strenuous sports (or marching band) activity, which means you will be stronger tomorrow. And if you want to share your Wii friend code with me, let me know.

Playstation 3 destroys Xbox 360 in real life

No, this is not another reviews comparison. A video games columnist learned about the comparative cooling systems of the two units when his sons accidentally turned on both inside of a tightly-packed, closed entertainment center. As the two systems ran, the heat built up inside the unfortunate piece of furniture and fans audibly kicked in for both systems. The children who caused the battle were blissfully unaware until suddenly... the XBox 260 showed up the "red ring of death" which indicates it needs to go back to the shop for repairs. The PS3 remained functional and relatively happy.

Lesson learned? Apparently, Sony is prepared for Global Warming with their new console, while Microsoft is depending on air conditioning to sustain their units.