http://www.gamespot.com/news/6165647.html?sid=6165...

Guitar Hero headed to Wii/DS. Hope it turns out well, sounds like Activision isn't having the best of times with the former parties who made the first two Guitar Hero games happen.

I got Zelda today. I don't usually manage to play them for very long so I wasn't really gonna bother with this, but today I caved because I just needed a new damn Wii game. (There's only so much waving at nothingness you can do before your mental health deteriorates)

Well it started out the way it usually does. Help the old lady get her cat back in order to buy a slingshot because the kids want one, and in order to do all that you need to run around catching fish, spanking monkeys, et cetera. In other words, the exact things that made me think "oh right, this is why I always give up on these things."

Well then it fucking freaks right fucking out and goes all fucked up and awesome.

Yeah Bloodforge, without spoiling anything for anyone else, things have happened and stuff has been introduced all of which is sure to keep me coming back. Wii controls mean I have an innate will to play it too. :)


In other Wii news, SSX Blur will have a Junkie XL penned soundtrack! WOO! It needs to be pointed out again, also, that the music changes dynamically to how well you are doing, semi-Lumines style.

http://music.ign.com/articles/764/764513p1.html

Lots of Sonic and The Secret Rings talk and footage in the latest 1up show. They've got me pretty hyped to be honest.

Sonic's on the comeback trail they reckon! :O

I'll believe that one when I see it. The Secret Rings does look pretty promising though, the on rails thing makes perfect sense here. Haven't played a confined, forward moving platformer since uhm, the original Crash Bandicoot series :P

Crash...what a lame mascot.

The advertising was pretty good--but the concept itself? It's like, lets take 1 part Sonic, and 1 part hedgehog, and play madlibs with the name and see if we can't come up with our own mascot!

Could have been worse I guess--they could have called him "Crash the Bandicoot." :P

I had a saturn when crash came out so I hated it by default. I've been a fanboy like you wouldn't believe back in the day, but now I'm reformed and using my experience to FIGHT the evil that is fanboyism!


Bottom line is Crash sucked. Or that's what my distorted view of reality had me believe anyhoo. :D

I should clarify about the comeback trail statement - they're saying this ISN'T his comeback game, but it's better than any of the 3D Sonics since the first adventure, and he's "on his comback trail". ie. this isn't the "Tomb Raider: Legend" for Sonic, but I don't think anyone expected it to be anyway.

Excite Truck starts out wobbly and weird, but it gets awesome! Well worth checking out.

Update: Excitetruck is the most fun racing game I've played since Burnout 2. Easily. Wow.

As a racing fan, I am at a loss for words. Okay, so you're only really into crazy arcade racing games--even still--woah! Excite Truck?! I'll give it a fair shot when I get a chance, but I'm more interested in Motorstorm, even.

You know what is a great atypical racer? SSX3--sure, we're not even talking about cars anymore--but it has the same sort of risk vs. reward thing going for it that has always apealed to me w/ the burnout series. Great game.

One of these days, someone I know will finally get a Wii.

Well maybe he only likes arcade racing games. Still a bold statement :)

Thing is, it starts out really crap. There's this wobbly half screen tear thing that immediately gets to you. The music is so bad I ran out and got an SD card for its custom soundtrack support.

But then you start getting into its many different ways to get a boost. Landing perfectly, using boost right after a jump, using tons of boost in the water where it cools down right away.

Then you get going on the insaaane shortcuts and incredible jumps (like.. Far Cry flyby style jumps) and doing tricks (1080s and more before you land) to rack up the stars.. Then you start noticing the shortcuts you can take between trees - or with the help of a scarcely placed powerup through them. Suddenly it's all just so in your face and you wiggle and wobble in your chair and the controls just... work! I mean of course it's thanks in large part to the controls, but the Excitebike style way of handling jumps just wrap so nicely around the tilting back and forth and all over the place.

Then there's the terrain morphs you can trigger to make insane stuff happens. Inexplicably there's suddenly a fucking mountain or.. a valley or something in front of you, morphing that way in realtime, throwing whatever cars that were driving there all over the place. There are instances where you're just about to overheat and suddenly you trigger a terrain morph and there's a river in front of you because of it.. zip through it to cool off and you're still in the game.

People complain that it's too short, and yes there should've been 4 player split screen not just 2, and possibly even online play, but what's here just feels so fresh and insane and new and exciting it's just dumb to pass on it.

Beware though, it takes some getting used to, because it might feel hopelessly wobbly to begin with.

I'm really interested in Motorstorm aswell, but it's an injustice to them both to compare them.

Sonic and The Secret Rings grabbed a 7.6 on Gamespot, a B+ on gaming age and a positive review (albeit with a 6.9 final score that was explained to be some principle thingy or summat) over at IGN.

The game at the time of writing holds a 76% average on gamerankings, and it's safe to say it's already the most successful 3D entry since the Sonic Adventures.

Pre-order is firmly in place, and forgiving arms are waiting for Sonic. :)

(Of course, my arms are always waiting for Sonic.. I'm like a stupid abused wife that don't know what's best for me)