Ok I totally admit it. I am a 80's whore. Ask, and you shalll know.

Was beautiful.

This game is a must buy if you own a DS. No, it isn't the same game repackaged with a new name either really. While the game play has evolved a little bit and there are new enemies to fight, the basic premise is still the same. What makes this game so fun to me, along with the different versions out there on other systems is how straight forward of a game it is.

No story line.
No quests.
No special moves.
No particular way to do things.

What's different and the most noticeable in this game is what the name implies, different levels (or planets and systems). The scoring system has also been changed to rely on collecting geoms (little yellow fragments of the enemies). Last but not least, you have a drone ship, which can be assigned different offensive and defensive tactics.

The music is A+, featuring previous music and new tracks. This gives the game a very upbeat fast paced feel, and at some points makes it hard to just stay still.

With the addition of new levels, the game designers got really creative, some featuring wormholes and some being mazes, and some simply being impossible to pick a corner and hide in. With the addition of certain new enemy types like the huge ones that break down 3 times into multiplied amounts of that particular enemy, and black holes that move and spew tons of enemies gives this game the much needed extra replay value lacking from previous version of the game.

You know... foam pillows are nothing new. What with the advent of memory foam, seems like everyone is trying to hock the stuff. In fact, most top of the line manufacturers are using the stuff in padding for luxury mattresses too, on top of the coil systems.

I don't like the Tempurpedic mattresses, sure they are comfortable as hell, but I don't like to have to 'roll out' of bed. But man oh man, their pillows are fucking amazing.

I bought four pillows, two different types. The Symphony and the Comfort queen size. They really are worth the money they charge for them.

The Symphony is the smaller one with curved edges, and the Comfort is the large regular pillow looking one. The Symphony is for side sleepers and the Comfort is for back or stomach sleepers, but I bought both because I sleep on my side, but I like for my head to be higher, and also sleep with my hand under the pillow. Which usually means I wake up with a numb arm.

No more, is the case now. They are both so comfortable I fall asleep faster now.

I usually make no well wishing on New Years, but this year has a been a great one for me. So in light of all the great things from 2007, a leap year, here's to 2008!

Ya'll be safe out there on the roads and please, take advantage of the free taxi service tonight.

I feel like I have less and less time with each passing day, not to do the things that I want when I want to do them, but to make the most of what I have.

I had the enjoyment last weekend to play both of these games over friday, saturday, and sunday. I've been meaning to get this blog up since then, but haven't had the chance to write everything out. So first, we'll start with the game on all three major consoles...

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Guitar Hero III - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

GH3 is a solid piece, some of the songs though make me think they are running out of tunes to play. (ex: Knights of Cydonia (by Muse)) On the same note however, the playlist is fucking amazing. I think this is by far the best out of the series to date. Some changes to the game have made it a bit more annoying though, like the star power coloring of the notes AND the neck being the same fucking COLOR making it a bit more difficult to see clearly. Thankfully I played on a 42' LCD, so I didn't have to squint too much. The battles are a great addition to the game, in my opinion, giving it a much needed new feel to a 3rd game in a series that didn't change hardly at all from the first. Another thing that caught my attention, and that I never heard about till AFTER I heard the songs, is the Master Recordings of the majority of songs(51 of 71). This is a godsend. If you're familiar with the first two games, oh my lord there were some horribly bad covers vocal wise, and a few tone wise with the notes being played. I'm also sad to see they have done nothing to increase the attractiveness of the controller - though they did make it collapsable (which is great for taking it on the road). The controller still feels and looks like a toy, and is almost too small for people with long arms and big hands like the previous two stock versions. The addition of the Wii console version is fantastic though, making it a more accessible game to people who are sick of Sony's bullshit, and people who simply can't justify paying $350+ for a 360.

Guitar Hero III Set List

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Rock Band - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Rock Band is the love child that grew out of Harmonix and Red Octane's divorce after Guitar Hero II. And as much, it looks and feels like the same game! GO FIGURE. But it isn't really that simply. RB has a more polished feel to it entirely - including the peripherals, not to mention you don't just play simplistic faux notes on a guitar. RB is as the names states, the full monty, two guitars, drums, and vocals. The game's appeal is both positive and negative in that it gives a more 'karaoke' feel (pun intended) to this burgeoning game genre. Not only do you have the chance to completely butcher a guitar solo, you can butcher the song completely! This game is a riot to watch with a full band playing in house, as opposed to online. The playlist is a bit hit and miss, more so than GH3, but also includes Master Recordings like GH3 (51 of 58) and even goes so far to have some of the same songs like Mississippi Queen.

Rock Band Set List

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Synopsis - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

A lot of people who haven't seen anything for these games ask the same question "How do they play and are they similar?" Well the answer is simple. RB is almost a carbon copy of GH, minus the exceptions made for the drums and vocals. Instead of colored round nipple notes, you have colored bars that are slightly smaller. Instead of the star power making you feel blind, you have a nice gold psychedelic effect on the neck and no change in color. Instead of rocking out only when half full you can rock out anytime in RB.

Similarities end there however. In RB you are responsible for saving your band mates if they fail a song, by sacrificing rock juice, or whatever the fuck they want to call it. There is also the matter of peripherals being noticeably different for each game. RB gives you a student sized fender to play on, with double sets of keys! The ones at the top require a strum bar hit and the ones at the bottom of the neck require nothing. The strum bar is also quite as well are the buttons, which is a HUGE improvement. Not just that, but the controller can easily be mistaken for a real guitar. All the details added make this a more enjoyable game with just the guitar controllers. The game also comes with a microphone (which is an actual mic, not some stupid toy looking crap) and a drum set to boot. No waiting to buy all the pieces to play with friends, the game comes with drums mic and guitar controllers. A double bonus is that the GH2 console specific controller is compatible with RB console specific version of the game. Have GH2? Just bought RB? Congrats you have a complete set if it's for the same console. (2 guitars, mic, drums - PS2&PS3 not verified)

Overall both have the pro's and cons to make each a balanced game. If you own a 360 or a PS3 and want to just rock it on the guitar, skip RB. If not, RB is for you.

Pic says it all.

Thanks to 7C's for the idea.

The most accurate game review I have seen in years.

Granted I like this game overall, it really does come off exactly how this review throws it. After sitting on the game - unopened, for eight days, I decided to open it anyway. Despite my total lack of enthusiasm for the LOZ series, and feeling maybe I should return it for a gift card since it was a present.

It is a good game, but it's horribly hacked up in areas that make you realize it's intended for 10 year olds with an attention span. Sadly, they do not exist, and it misses it's target audience by far and away with the amount of patience you need to have for it.

Pros:
-great puzzles
-stylus controls that are actually natural, and usable
-time waster
-music

Cons:
-sequel
-mind numbing sailing
-graphics fit for a 3 year old on Prozac
-re-dungeon-ing

Conclusion:

Worth a try if you need a break from the small pool of adult/teen worthy DS games. Skip it if you don't like rpg's or are not a LOZ fan at all. It brings out the worst in both. While generally entertaining, I wouldn't really suggest this game. If you are a LOZ fan, I'm sure this is right up your alley. The good and the bad are on even keel here, making this game to me a cubic zirconia in the rough.

Move along, nothing to see here...

Also, Happy Halloween.