Megaman Revival!

Outside of the Super Mario series, the best console game of all time is Megaman 2. I downloaded this classic for the Wii a few days ago, and it is still awesome. The Megaman series has good replay value because you can complete the starter levels in any order. The best feature is the vast array of weapons and gadgets to choose from, allowing you to complete the level in many different ways. To top it off, it has a pretty good soundtrack. (Seriously... for an 8-bit video game, it has to be one of the best soundtracks ever.)

Capcom released a newly designed Megaman 9 for the Wii and other consoles. It's tongue-in-cheek retro design pays homage it it's origins. The play mechanics and graphics are similar to Megaman 2 and Megaman 3, which I owned the original NES versions of. It's good retro fun. Download it now! That's right... now!

Adventures in the World of Goo

I've been an outspoken advocate of the flu vaccine, but this year it failed me. I spent the last week of 2008 in a feverish delirium, with an illness that was suspiciously similar to the flu. For those 7 days, my body was adept at producing massive amounts of phlegm and sweat.

It was not a complete loss though. Once I recovered, I hit the swimming pool again. My body had adapted to breathing with phlegm filled-lungs.... so my phlegm-free lungs now give me the breathing capacity of Michael Phelps! It is SO good to breathe without the constant sensation of drowning in your own phlegm. It makes inhaling chlorinated water look like a walk in the park.


I also downloaded "World of Goo" on my Wii in my feverish delirium. World of Goo is a conceptually original game made primarily by 2 dedicated programmers. The concept is simple, but the levels and story are very quirky and unique. As the name describes, you find yourself in a world of goo, and your task is to create goo-based structures to accomplish a variety of tasks. There is a sandbox mode where you can complete against other players to create the tallest tower of goo. I managed to build mine up to 12 meters before it all came crashing down. If you have a Wii, I strong suggest you get this game.

Joe the Plumber: Reach for the stars!!!

Joe Wurzelbacher (aka "Joe the Plumber") became an instant star during the final U.S. presidential debate. Unfortunately, Joe's new found fame gave him unwanted attention from the media. Thrust into the public spotlight, it was discovered that Joe has been cheating on his taxes and Joe isn't even a licensed plumber!

Like the Barack Obama and John McCain, I want to speak to you directly, Joe. Times are tough, but you need to be strong, my friend. Through adversity, men like you will become the heroes of tomorrow. In fact, one of my personal heroes started out as a common plumber. But through courage and determination, he became a symbol of hope for a generation. Do you know who that hero was? That hero... was MARIO of the Mario Brothers!

From his humble beginnings as an Italian plumber from Brooklyn, Mario was faced with many challenges... flying turtles, killer mushrooms, bottomless pits, and giant primates that throw barrels. Normal plumbers would fold under the stress... but extraordinary plumbers rise to the occasion.

With his new found confidence, Mario went back to school to study medicine. Mario finished at the top of his class, and gave the valedictorian speech during his graduation. Dr. Mario would later reflect that his career in medicine was one of his greatest personal accomplishments. "I've punched more blocks and killed more goombas than I can remember. But throwing pills to cure the sick... that is something I will never forget."

By challenging his personal limits, Mario became more than simply "Mario the Plumber". He became "Mario the Super" and "Mario the Invincible" and "Mario the Flying Raccoon". You can do it too, Joe the Plumber. Challenge yourself... and one day you become Joe the Flying Raccoon! As you have to do is reach for the stars... or the mushrooms... or whatever power items you happen to find.

Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero: World Tour resolved... sorta

I've been reading up about both games, and I've come up with the following conclusions:

• In terms of songs, Rock Band 2 wins. The folks at IGN believe the RB2 song list is superior. There is also a bigger repository of existing songs thanks to RB1. Rock Band 2 is also giving away 20 free downloadable songs.
• In terms of instruments, Guitar Hero: World Tour wins. Wii Blog About It does a good summary (though it's a comparision of GH:TW vs RB1). That drum set is really the key difference between the franchises.
• In terms of game play, I can't make a call on that until both are out in stores... which is unfortunate because it's really a central issue. Some people say that RB2 game play is a lot like RB1... which may not be a bad thing. Some people hope that GH3 was just growing pains for NeverSoft, and they will tweak the gameplay right for GH:WT... but it's still a gamble.

UPDATE: The instruments are cross-compatible for both games.... EXCEPT for the Wii. There are some sources that say that the drum sets on the Wii will not be compatible because GH:WT drums require a WiiMote, while RB2 drums are standalone. Damn it, can somebody confirm this for me... because it sounds pretty dumb to me. It pretty much means that if Wii owners want to play the snazzy 3-pad drums with the cymbals... they won't be able to use them on RB2. Further to this, I've looked at the song lists and I like the RB2 song list a lot more. I don't see the point in GH:WT having 3 songs by Tool... no offense to Tool fans. This has me swaying heavily towards RB2, because the worst thing in the world is to be stuck singing vocals on a song that you don't like.

Rock Band 2... or Guitar Hero: World Tour???

I'm sure you've had your fill with talk about the global financial crisis. Let's about about something a little closer to home... my own crisis of whether to buy Rock Band 2 OR Guitar Hero: World Tour! I've held off buying the original games of either franchise, so I could wait for a more refined version of the virtual band experience... and because the Wii versions were damn hard to find.

I'll talk about RB2 first. The first time I played the original Rock Band, I was in a suit and tie. It was in between the ceremony and reception of my best friend's wedding. It was a hoot to play, though the drums are still challenging for me. I'm sure that would change with a little more practice. Overall, I thought the game was more teamwork focused, and the songs were more diverse.

In Rock Band 2, they've improved the quality of the drums, since the foot pedals tended to break. The drums are also responsive to how hard you hit them (and hopefully they won't make that terrible plastic clacking noise when you hit them). RB2 excels in terms of the song list. The song list is more diverse, and they have a large library of songs for download (RB1 downloads are compatible with RB2). Obviously, if you own the first Rock Band and have downloaded songs... then it makes more sense to go with Rock Band 2.


Now Guitar Hero was first on the scene with guitar controller games. It boasts a rock and heavy metal attitude that Rock Band couldn't quite capture. Guitar Hero was more challenging than Rock Band in terms of the guitar work... and it was more competitive. Guitar Hero 3 introduced elements to make the game more complex and challenging... targeting "hardcore fake guitar players".*

Well Guitar Hero: World Tour is a venture into new waters for this franchise. They've never done drums and vocals before. They're off to a good start though, because they've amped up their guitar with a slide bar and they have a cooler drum configuration with 3 drum pads and 2 cymbals. (I'll have a photo of the drum sets at the end of this post.) This benefits me, because I don't have a Rock Band instrument set. If you have Rock Band already, you can probably use your existing gear instead. The song list is more diverse than previous Guitar Heroes, but I'm told that they still focus on songs that are good for the guitar, and maybe not so much on drums and vocals.

I'd like to hear your opinion on this matter, because I sure as hell am not buying both games. It looks like GH:WT has better instruments and GH:WT is released a month earlier than RB2 on the Wii. That's 2 points for Guitar Hero: World Tour. Assuming that the instruments are cross-compatible, I could always pick up the Rock Band 2 (game only) to get their songs... but apparently they share 15% of the same songs. Yes, that's kinda lame. So let me know which of the two you like the best. I need to make a choice in the coming weeks... and I am easily persuaded.

Rock Band (original) drum set for the Wii. I couldn't find a photo of the Rock Band 2 drum set, but it follows this configuration, though the pedal is stronger and the pads are "velocity-sensitive".

Guitar Hero: World Tour drum set. The most noticeable difference is that it has 3 drum pads, instead of 4... and it has 2 cymbals. Now you can buy cymbal attachments for the RB2 set... but why pay extra if GH:WT has them by default?

* Yes, these games hone your skills in playing a FAKE guitar. Ask a real guitar player, and they will tell you the same. If you hone your skills on drums or vocals, then that's another matter.

Console Gaming + YouTube = Good

A comparison between the PS3 and Wii.

I'm using T&A to increase traffic to my blog. I have to admit that the above PS3 vs. Wii video did catch my eye. On a serious note, it seems that Wii does seem to be kicking PS3's butt. I don't know how reliable this opinion is, since neither console seems to be available anywhere I've seen except for E-bay. For the sake of console and gender equality, I'm also providing a link to "I'm Bringing Xbox Back". It's a catchy tune.