My time lately hasn’t allowed for much in the way of video games, but I finally got around to starting a campaign in Mass Effect.

I’d tried the game once before and got discouraged when I realized how much it played like a first person shooter. Fortunately, a friend told me not to worry too much and that the combat gets easier as you go along.

So far, and for the most part, I’m enjoying the game. I really like the style of RPGs that Bioware has made over the years (both Knights of the Old Republic games and Jade Empire). The idea that your character changes based on how you treat the others around you is very fascinating to me. Of course, if there’s an option to be mean I’ll pick in 99.9% of the time.

I’m still not very far into the game yet. (I’ve made it through all of the quests in the Citadel and through the planet Feros.) Everything in the game was fairly smooth until I hit Feros. Actually, Feros would have been okay had it not been for the use of the MAKO.

The MAKO is essentially an armoured tank used to cover wider swaths of terrain and supposedly to mow down enemies. They got the covering of terrain right, but for the life of me I couldn’t get it to effectively kill all the Geth attacking me. I tried the cannon, I tried the machine gun, nada. I finally got so tired of dying that I just rolled over the enemies and gave them the finger as I drove past.

I was also finding some of the tasks particularly tedious. The planet map is so expansive that you can muck about for a while without anything interesting happening. Even when there is action it can be extremely repetitive. (Those who have taken down the Thorian probably know what I’m talking about.)

I think my only other complaint about the game is pretty minor, but it still annoys me. There are a lot of things that will pop up on the screen that you can look at and gain XP. By using the term “look at”, I’m being generous. All you really do is click on it and gain XP. Yay, you found a computer, have some XP. I don’t understand being rewarded for not doing anything. If they’re trying to get you more XP, why not build more into what you gain from finishing tasks and killing things? I can understand getting points in WoW for discovering new areas, but you don’t click on rocks and get points.

All in all I’m ready to get going on the next planet in the game and see where it all takes me.

Time to rock.

Saturday, myself and a group of friends held our own mini Beatles-fest with the help of Beatles Rock Band. The game transports you back to experience the Beatles’ career; starting off at the infamous Cavern Club and then moving through the years to play some of their best known and ever evolving music.

If you love the Beatles; this game is a must-have. Everything has been recreated in loving detail from the places they played to the digital avatars of the band itself. Each song has a unique in-game background. Some even start you off in a recording studio and end up propelling you into the psychedelic world of their music videos and beyond.

The game mechanics are very much like any other Rock Band game except that there’s a new twist to the singing. Unlike the solo performances you normally have to give, more players can join in and sing the harmonies. It’s a little confusing to understand how to sing the harmonies correctly, and more so if you’re attempting to sing and play an instrument simultaneously. If you’re pretty familiar with the songs it’s not quite as sharp of a learning curve.

The new physical instruments available with the game are quite the upgrade from the Rock Band 1 set we have at home here. If you have an old set and can pop for a new one I highly recommend it. The wireless guitar and base are good, but the biggest improvement is the drum set. The pedal on the set we have is plastic and warps a little when you shove on it. The new one is reinforced with metal. The actual drums are also much quieter and you don’t get the same loud snapping sound you used to during game play. (Granted, the faux-pearl finish on the drums is half-assed, but they work so damn good.)

My one big complaint about this game is how short it feels. Even though it has about the same number of songs found in the other two games in the Rock Band series, it feels like it’s got less content because there aren’t any song replays. An entire story play-through can be done in a matter of hours. New content will be released in the future but you will have to pay as you go to get it.

In the end I’m far from disappointed with the game, and my recommendation of it still stands. If you’ve ever dreamed of being John, Paul, George, or Ringo this is your chance.

Final Score: 5 out of 5

When it comes to the Monkey Island games I was pretty late to the party. I’d heard of them, but they most I’d ever played was a demo for Curse of Monkey Island when I was a kid. When the husband told me the original was being released on XBox I was interested, but I wasn’t jumping out of my skin with excitement…that is, until I started playing it.

Ryan (the husband of which I spoke earlier) had to do some errands the other day and I was sitting at home being bored. Then I remembered that Monkey Island was on the system and thought maybe I should give it a go. What ensued was a full day of me sitting around in my underwear, refusing to stop until I finished the game. I ate my lunch and dinner with the XBox controller firmly grasped in whatever hand wasn’t the conveyer of food to face. (Lovely image, I know.)

Now I’m no stranger to puzzle/adventure games. I spent a lot of time when I was younger rooted to the computer with my mum playing through tons of games. However, I don’t think I’ve ever played one before that was so hilariously funny.

Playing Monkey Island really sent me back in time. It’s been ages since I’ve played a true point-and-click adventure game. In fact, I was embarassingly rusty when it came to some of the puzzle solving. Once I really got going though the tasks became easier for me to figure out. It was as if I had to make my brain switch gears and remember what it was like to navigate adventure game challenges.

Now I can’t really speak to the asthetics of the newly artified game versus the original. As a newcomer to the series I found it really pleasant and I could still feel some of that old game design bleeding through. (I actually didn’t know that I could switch the game back to the original graphics until I’d already finished it.)

The most frustrating part for me were the controls. Since I was playing on an XBox it was harder to scan the screen for things I could interact with. I actually looked right past a few things I needed until Ryan would tell me to search a little harder. All in all though it wasn’t too bad.

Since finishing the game we have loaded up the PC with Curse of Monkey Island and I am working my way slowly through it. (I don’t use the PC much these days, but I can’t load the game onto my Mac.) I’ve been enjoying the game at least as much as the original.

I think I’m going to have to give Secret of Monkey Island top marks, oh, and have I mentioned that I’m selling these find leather jackets?