The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Zelda is my mistress.

I haven't finished all of the Legend of Zelda games. I never owned a Nintendo console until the Nintendo 64 came out, so Ocarina of Time was the first game in the franchise that I owned and finished.

The expansion into 3D was a real eye opener for me. Until Ocarina of Time I had only played Legend of Zelda games in the top down game format, and only on a friend's console. So my experience was limited to brief periods of play, usually the game was just demoed for me on the way to play something more multi-player oriented: Like Tecmo Bowl, or Donkey Kong Country. Once I owned Ocarina I was hooked, and I've owned every Zelda game since. I have not finished them all, and I haven't loved them all equally. I still harbor a huge grudge towards Wind Waker. I got stuck on one puzzle after days of game play. Finally after repeated attempts to solve it (I even resorted to a walk through) I gave up. I still would have not changed a thing, because up until that point I was really enjoying the game.

All of this should help to support my credibility when I say that The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, is the best Zelda game since Ocarina of Time. It might be the best game on the Wii, to date!

A lot of hardcore gamers laugh at the lack of hi def graphics on the Wii, but even if the graphics are not on the same level of a PS3 or XBox360, who cares! It's should be about gameplay, and Skyward has the best game mechanics using the Wii MotionPlus that I've ever experienced. You can't just "waggle" the wiimote and hope for the best or you will fail...miserably. You must show determination when wielding your sword. Deliberately using the visual cues on the screen to hack and slash away at your enemies. I'ts not easy to get used to, but when you get it, the payoff is awesome.

There are some things that are definitely different this time around. You aren't limited to the opening world as long as in other games. The last Legend of Zelda, Twilight Princess, if felt like it took forever to actually get out on a quest! Not in Skyward Sword. After 30 minutes of gameplay I was on a quest. There is a tutorial, but after you complete it, you are in a cave attempting to complete your first mission.
The game is not easy, but it's one of those experiences that makes it totally worthwhile.

If you own a Nintendo Wii, this game is a must have.

And don't tell my wife that I have a mistress, although I suspect she already knows.

RAGE Review

Let me just start out by saying that RAGE is not a great game. It's a good game, that could have been great.

The setting is similar to lots of other games out there. You are trapped in a post apocalyptic wasteland. Yada, yada, yada. If you've played Bioshock, Fallout, Borderlands, Resident Evil, Half-Life 2, Portal 2 etc. You know the score. Lots of decrepit buildings, roads, and machinery. Of course you have good guys, that look like humans, and bad guys that look like horribly deformed mutants/armored thugs.

Various inhabitants of the towns that you visit give you tasks to do. They usually require you to visit an area, make your way through it to a particular item (maybe defeat a boss), fight your way out of the area, and then take the item back to whoever asked you to retrieve it. The story progresses in mostly a linear fashion. There are some side quests that are pretty entertaining. The first few I did were sniper missions, which is always a nice change of pace after killing things in close quarters.

There's a racing component that is a nice addition. Winning races allows you to earn certificates to upgrade your vehicle. The racing is not great, this is no substitute for a good racing game, but it's a nice change of pace from the first person shooter part of the game. It's also a nice way to let you upgrade your vehicle besides dropping a lot of your hard earned cash.

There are also some mini games thrown in. The one I like the best is a game show. Set in a series of treacherous arenas, you have to fight wave after wave of bad guys managing your ammo along the way. If you make it to the end, you are awarded a very nice prize.

While working your way through all of these quests, you can visit Outfitters. These stores allow you to purchase ammo, armor upgrades, and schematics to build things with items that you have found along the way. I won't go into too much detail here, but one of these build-able items is REALLY cool.

It's a Pipe Bender...and it hurts.

A lot of reviews that I read before I bought the game said that it was not a very original concept, and I can see why people would say that. Luckily I hadn't been playing alot of this type of game, so that didn't really effect me.

Most importantly the Game LOOKS amazing.

ID Software has created a new engine, id Tech 5 that allows developers to really utilize the horsepower blah blah blah. It looks awesome!!! Just like the 4 versions before it, this is going to be the best in class gaming engine going forward, and RAGE is the first showcase for it. I can't wait to see what developers do with it going forward!

This is a good game, that looks amazing.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 - Review

Let me get this out of the way. I LOVED Super Mario Galaxy. I thought it was an all around great game. Great play control, great visuals, amazing soundtrack, and the second player co-op was great for my five year-old (four when we started it). We had so much fun. We still play it occasionally, revisiting levels that we enjoyed. I sort of thought that the sequel would just be more of the same, but pre-ordered it anyway because I thought it would be fun for he and I to play some new levels.

I was really wrong.

Galaxy 2 is not just more of the same. It adds more suits to Mario's wardrobe, including the cloud suit, which I've only used on one level so far, but really adds a new dimension to navigating around the map. The second player can do MORE. They can once again hold back moving objects helping Mario move through the area unimpeded, they can break apart crystals containing the much coveted "star bits"and they can even grab an enemy incapacitating it. Mario still has to deliver the knock out punch, but the feeling of involvement of that second player is so much more. Of course they can still collect star bits, something that my son does with great joy, but now they can also grab hard to reach coins. That is REALLY helpful.

All I really need to say for any die hard Mario Fan was one word. "Yoshi"

Check out this Trailer

If you like platformers, you need this game.

New Super Mario Bros Wii

It's the perfect storm of gaming at my home right now. I'm playing the recently released Left 4 Dead 2, which is a very well done sequel. It is actually a more complete game than the original. More on that one after I have been able to put in some more time with the game.

I also have the new Super Mario Bros Wii. I've had the opportunity to play the game for a couple hours, and it is EXACTLY what Nintendo needed to do for the holiday season. I should qualify this all by saying that I got the game for $7.50 with some credits I got from Amazon for trading in some games, etc. But I don't think that is coloring my opinion too much.

Some of the reviews I have read so far have really beaten the game up for it's perceived high level of difficulty. Nintendo has really made an attempt to appeal to a wider array of gamers. In particular the casual gamer. Obviously this has been a great idea for them since they continue to experience great sales of wii systems. I think that 3rd party developers will continue to make some great games that everyone can play.

I think that this game, being that it's from the Big "N" directly, is meant to be a return to where Mario came from. Yeah, it's a side scrolling 2D platform game (although the graphics really are in 3D if you look at them closely) but that is what originally made Mario awesome. It's almost like a middle finger, directed at those casual gamers they want to appeal to, from Nintendo right in the middle of the Holiday lineup for Wii...and I love it.

Yes it's more difficult, but I chuckle every time I lose a life in some novel way. It takes good old fashioned manual dexterity, timing, skill, and practice. You can still play the game with someone that is more inexperienced with the concept of an old school platformer. I've played with my 5 year old, his timing and dexterity can not equal mine (yet), but Nintendo has built in a feature to let a second player continue as long as one player lives. It's pretty fun for a 5 year old, and actually makes it more interesting for me too!

I really think that if you enjoy the original Mario Bros games (especially SMB 3) you will like this game. Don't just take my word for it.

IGN

NY TIMES (I guess this review is intended for those casual gamers I talked about)

Van Halen - Guitar Hero for Wii review.

I have spent some time playing this game now. I purchased Guitar Hero 5 and they threw in Guitar Hero Van Halen, if you completed an online form, and mailed in a certificate with proof of purchase. Knowing what I do now, that little amount of work almost makes it not worth it. Almost.

The game uses the old Guitar Hero interface. If you haven't played GH5 yet, one of the biggest improvements in the game is in the interface. The graphics look a little better too. Not in the Van Halen add on! Luckily it was free.

I was a big Van Halen fan in high school, had every album, up until OU812, and don't get me wrong it's fun to play along with the songs I sort of grew up with, but it's only the current lineup of Van Halen. David Lee Roth, Eddie and Alex Van Halen, and Wolfgang Van Halen. WOLFGANG VAN HALEN. That's Eddie's son. His avatar in the game looks awkward, and uncomfortable. I hadn't heard, but apparently Michael Anthony has been touring with Sammy Hagar, and "Wah my vagina hurts" wasn't included in the making of the game. Without him playing that silly Jack Daniels guitar and jumping around the stage like a 20 year old, the ACTUAL 20 YEAR OLD sucks. He sort of sways from side to side, like he's at his first Cure concert. AWFUL. Plus they must have had to cut Anthony's vocals from the older tracks. That high pitched harmonizing he used to do...gone.

Anyway, I'm sure Wolfgang Van Halen is incredibly talented, but it's a shame they couldn't have included Michael Anthony. I can easily live without Sammy Hagar, Gary Cherone, Mitch Malloy(?), and whoever else filled in for David Lee Roth and his ego.

Of course maybe Activision realizes that it didn't have a winner with this game and that's why they were giving it away.

Getting to play some Van Halen Songs, is worth it, but overall...Meh.

By the way, Michael Anthony, seems like he may be "the nice one".