No Business Naming Things

We picked up Boom Blox the other day and it hadn’t occurred to me just how much we’ve been playing it. Reflecting on that, it occurs to me that I Really Like It.  It looks like kaka, but it’s just so bloody fun.  But then, how could exploding Jenga with cute cows NOT be fun?

In yet another example of our fiscal responsibility we purchased Zack and Wiki the other day.  It was inevitable - I spent a lot of time extolling its virtues and I was starting to feel like a hypocrite for not buying it.   When we saw it at EB Games and Lexy suggested we buy it I couldn’t help but agree.

We put about 5 hours into it yesterday, getting roughly 2/3rds of the way through.  My review is unabashedly positive.  It’s an excellent game that really shows off the potential of the Wii.  The art direction is great (making up for the lackluster horesepower of the Wii), it’s funny, the puzzles are intuitive but satisfying, and the controls are spot on with the exception of the difficult rhythm game.  If it doesn’t spawn a sequel I hope that it at least spawns some quality imitators.

This has been another awesome Christmas.  No stress, no fuss, just good eating, great company, and a crazy amount of presents.

First, the presents.  I wont enumerate them completely but the items relevant to what I talk about here include three video games (Super Mario Galaxy, Assassins Creed, and Folklore), Wii remotes and Sixaxis controllers (shared), and a Hello Kitty Stratocaster with practice amp and numerous Hello Kitty branded accessories(!).

First, the games.

After about 3-4 hours of playtime I feel the negative reviews of Assassins Creed are unfair.  It’s not the second coming of video games but I find it quite enjoyable, particularly jumping from rooftop to rooftop like a medieval Batman.  For nothing else I’d stick with it just to experience the story, which in my opinion, is probably the freshest new game IP in years.

In the past three days Lexy and I have put in about 21 hours of Mario Galaxy.  It’s my opinion that this is indeed the best game ever made.  Despite being on the Wii I have to say it’s probably the prettiest game on the current generation of consoles (not accounting pixels of course - but design).  It is a bit on the easy side, but I do not consider this a fault.  I’ve yet to think to myself “this game isn’t fair.”  When it does become difficult you feel that with just a few more tries you can accomplish what’s vexing you.  This is SO unlike Mario Sunshine.   If I had one complaint it would be that the hub area (the Starship) isn’t as rich as Delfino Plaza in Sunshine.  You could spend hours just tooling around Delfino sniffing out secrets.   The secrets that are in the Starship, such as they are, are quite shallow in comparison.

I can’t yet comment on Folklore - I haven’t had time to put it in yet.  But from the demos I’ve played I’m going to enjoy it quite a bit.

Now, the guitar.  I’ve been keen to take up an instrument again lately.  My last foray into music (despite being limited) was great if only for one thing - it really helped boost the self esteem.  On a lark I suggested that I might want a Hello Kitty instrument and lo - there it was on Christmas morning!  I haven’t managed to learn a thing so far but I suppose it’s early yet.

This is a good time to be a gamer but a bad time to have a job and a fiancee. I forgot all about Assassin’s Creed, Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga, Umbrella Chronicles… and those are just the ones for the consoles I own.
*whimper*

I have to be honest - the Wii has been a bit of a disappointment for me. As a diehard Nintendo fan this is impossibly difficult for me to say. I cannot believe I live in a world where not only do I own a Playstation but it sees at least 5x the use that my Wii does. It pains me. I’ve cried myself to sleep at night.

With that in mind I’m pretty excited about the Wii right now. I had the fortune of playing two games on the weekend that have resparked my interest - Guitar Hero III and Zack and Wiki.

Guitar Hero III, while being multiplatform, feels at home on the Wii (notwithstanding the totally unacceptable mono bug that’s been exposed).  This was my first experience with any of the Guitar Hero games and despite my skepticism it had me from the first song.  Even though I probablly looked like a dumbass I felt like a total pro.  Acing a song in that game gives you a real sense of accomplishment.  I almost regret buying Eye of Judgment now - if I knew how much I enjoyed Guitar Hero I would’ve chosen it instead.

Zack and Wiki and the Wii were made for one another.  Modern(ish) graphics and oldschool LucasArts-style adventure gameplay.  I played through a few of the initial levels and felt like I had a smile on my face the entire time.  I particularly like how additional players can help along via additional Wiimotes - it lends itself so well to cooperative gameplay by nature that this small touch was a real win for me.  I sincerely hope that it becomes a commercial success - the Wii needs more A class ORIGINAL games like this.

Tomorrow of course brings us Super Mario Galaxy.  My anticipation for this can best be summed up by gurgling and a cross-eyed stare.  Unfortunately for me I can’t buy it - it’s on my Christmas List which means I have a month and a half of agony ahead of me provided I get it at all.