A few weeks ago we asked you what five games you would play right now if you could play anything, regardless of release status. You came out and answered in droves, so did you really think we wouldn’t be asking again?

Three weeks can change an awful lot. Here’s my five as I’m feeling it this morning;

1. Doshin the Giant (N64 DD Import — put it on the VC already, dammit!)
2. ToeJam & Earl III: Mission to Earth
3. Bully
4. Okami
5. Cash Guns Chaos

Doshin’s a first party god game for the N64 that despite two incarnations never made it’s way to the west. We’re seeing some imports pop up on the Virtual Console, so maybe Nintendo will see fit to answer my cry and finally let me get my damned hands on it.

I was just reminded of ToeJam & Earl III when I was looking up some info on that god awful children’s program Choo-Choo Soul. Turns out the broad from that did the voice of Latisha. I had wanted to try TJ&E3 back in the day but never got around to it. Sadly, it’s not backwards compatible yet.

The next two, Bully and Okami, are pretty self-explanatory. I didn’t get around to playing them when they first hit, and now that they’re seeing re-releases on new consoles I really want to pick them up. That being sai, I don’t know whether to pick up the new ones or the originals. Bully looks cleaner on the 360, but it also seems a little too colorful. Wasn’t some of the appeal to the game found in it’s drab, washed-out color scheme?

You’ve probably never heard of Cash Guns Chaos. Don’t worry, few have. It was a PSN launch title. I can’t really find many reviews on it. Mostly I want to play it to satiate my curiosity.

That’s it for me. How about you?

Just some random silliness for a Friday afternoon. If you could play any 5 games right now that you haven’t before — current, classic, or upcoming — what would they be? I’ll kick things off;

1. Little Big Planet
2. Arkanoid DS
3. Pinball Hall of Fame: Williams Edition (Wii version)
4. Metal Gear Solid 4
5. Cave Story

So there you have it. What’s on your list? Have you played anything on mine? Let the Friday comment-o-thon commence!

Ronald McDonald + DDR = head explode. ‘Nuff said.

Last time, on “Let’s Talk About: Rock Band”… (in other words here’s a link to part 1)

…And now, the exciting conclusion of “Let’s Talk About: Rock Band”

It’s hard to say, my instincts stay with Rock Band, but I wouldn’t have been nearly as excited for it if Guitar Hero I & II didn’t exist. You know that both Dan and I were Day 1 adopters for the original PS2 Guitar Hero and have been playing almost non-stop since. Dan, you were HUGE into Amplitude and Frequency before that. Heidi, you were a drummer back in high school so you got at least some rhythm…well, for a white girl! Any way you take it we’re no stranger to rhythm games. I think they’re an essential part of my collection since they mix my absolute passion for music with a chance to be in some way a part of it. The short answer is that there’s room in my life for both. For at least the time being I’ll be leaning heavily on Rock Band, especially with the weekly downloads.

Guitar Hero shouldn’t try to add anything to compete with Rock Band, they’re two different beasts. In fact Guitar Hero could stand to drop the boss battles and power up crap since they don’t add anything to the game. Honestly, Rock Band still has a few issues to iron out. The fact is if you’re going to be playing by yourself than Guitar Hero is the way to go, but if you game with friends a lot than you NEED Rock Band.

I wasn’t sure how I’d fair with the drums but I gotta admit that they’ve been a blast. Easily the most fun in the game. The freestyle fill-in sections of the songs make you feel more like you’re playing a real instrument than anything else so far, and you pretty much are. I can see myself going through the solo drums tour and practicing to get better.

What’s been your favorite experience so far? Also, is there anything you’re looking forward to that you haven’t accomplished yet?

Kevin

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“Let’s talk about” is a new review format we tried out with Assassin’s Creed and I think turned out pretty well. What you end up with is a review that reads more like a conversation and you hear a few people’s opinion, instead of just one. Part one today, part two on Monday.

So, let’s talk about Rock Band!

There’s a few timeless moments I’ve had playing video games, and last Wednesday night was one of them. Getting a room full of people together to play Rock Band was immensely enjoyable and when everyone was into it, euphoric even. I think we played closed to 4 hours and in NO WAY did it feel like it. I’d occasionally worry about the noise we were creating, but my caring quickly went out the window when it came time to pick another song. Hell, I loved playing this game in a group so much I didn’t even mind singing! The game succeeds in the sense that I felt like a damn rock star. It’s still solid as a stand alone game, but it really does pale in comparison to the co-op.

But one of the reasons the single player campaign game can’t compete is because the deep “Band Tour Mode” is unavailable if you’re playing alone. This is truly a shame since it’s essentially where the game lies. Band names, multi-song setlists, different locales, tour buses and all the other things that make up a tour. Single player is pretty much just playing one song after another, which is cool…. but not as cool as the whole Tour thing. I understand what they were going for, but not all of us are going to have people around to join in all the time and it seems unfair for those of us out there to miss out on such a HUGE part of the game. Would it really have been so difficult to let people play through the Tour mode in single player?

Do you feel a bit cheated by the lack of single-player game modes, or is it just me?

DanZ

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New feature time! Instead of taking the standard “review” route for Assassin’s Creed Xav and I decided to have a little conversation about the game via email, and them post the ensuing mayhem up for the world. If you enjoy it, you might just see it pop up from time to time!

We’ve split it into two parts, one last Friday and the other today. So start with part one first then come back!

And buyer beware, there’s a minor “spoiler” in here… but it’s something that happens 5 minutes into the game so we’re not really spoiling anything… And if you’re on the fence about the game, you probably oughta know this ahead of time to help make a decision. Either way, tell us what YOU think and I hope you enjoy! Continue Reading »

New feature time! Instead of taking the standard “review” route for Assassin’s Creed Xav and I decided to have a little conversation about the game via email, and them post the ensuing mayhem up for the world. If you enjoy it, you might just see it pop up from time to time!

We’ve split it into two parts, one today and the other on Monday. And buyer beware, there’s a minor “spoiler” in here… but it’s something that happens 5 minutes into the game so we’re not really spoiling anything… And if you’re on the fence about the game, you probably oughta know this ahead of time to help make a decision.

Either way, tell us what YOU think and I hope you enjoy! Continue Reading »