A large part of my game time has been devoted to Guitar Hero: On Tour, which I won't discuss here since my review just went up. The other DS game on my plate is Space Invaders Extreme. I didn't have time to pick it up before my flight, so I searched for it in the airports. I finally found it at the Salt Lake City airport, in one of those In-Motion Entertainment kiosks that rent DVD players. Surprisingly, they didn't mark up the price, so I paid the same $20 as everyone else. It is absolutely worth that price for anyone who enjoys arcade-style action games. I had no nostalgia for Space Invaders (at 30, it's older than I am), but I was hooked on this game within seconds. There's actually a lot of strategy mixed with the reflex-dependent shooting and hallucinatory graphics.
While staying with a friend near San Francisco, I got to play the Xbox 360. It was my first chance to spend any real quality time with the system, so I was eager to try a lot of games. Rock Band is great, and the drums are an interesting challenge (and quite a workout). I also tried vocals and guitar; the latter did not feel very good to me, as I didn't care for the controller. In general, I think the note patterns for guitar are easier in Rock Band than in Guitar Hero. I'm currently more interested in Guitar Hero: World Tour than in Rock Band 2, but that's pending more information and hands-on time at E3.
Burnout Paradise is insanely fun, even offline, and I knew within five minutes that it will be one of my first game purchases when I get another system. The crashes are awe-inspiring stuff, and even cooler is when you watch a crash animation in slow-motion and still get to drive away from it with minimal damage.
Gears of War is more fun than I expected, and if I get a 360 after the price drop, I may rent this one in anticipation of the sequel. A similar game, The Club, did not impress me as much. Its slow controls and confusing level designs undermine the fascinating score attack game design.
My friend also bought Guitar Hero: Aerosmith for the 360 while I was out there, despite my warnings. It's exactly what I expected: a competent Guitar Hero game with a terrible band theme, half the tracks of a real GH sequel, and all at the same old price. Hopefully the interview videos will hit YouTube so you can all witness Steven Tyler's insane ramblings about playing on the space shuttle and something involving condoms at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
On the movie front, I got to see Wall-E (amazing), Wanted (thrilling but stupid), and Iron Man (aerospace porn, holds up on the second viewing).
