Hope that 2009 turns out to be a good year for everyone. 2008 was OK for me, could have been a lot better, but also could have been a lot better.

Anyway, since it's the new year, I thought I'd make a few short lists of my favorite TV shows, movies, and videogames that I played this past year:

TV

Top 5 shows that I got into this year:

1. Battlestar Galactica: Absolutely brilliant show. Almost everything about it is great, but most importantly, the characters' stories are just so fascinating. Unlike any other sci-fi that I've seen before.

2. Lost: Such a strong show, and it's better the second time around, after getting to know more about what is happening. My favorite thing about the show is how it's like a jigsaw puzzle in the form of a TV show. It reveals a little bit at a time, leading to a much bigger picture. And while it might be slower than most shows on TV, it does a great job at moving the story along, and answering enough questions while bringing even more mysteries to keep viewers interested and (for the most part) not having it seem overwhelming.

3. Dexter: The character Dexter is probably the most fascinating character that I've ever seen on a TV show. There's just so many dimensions to his character, and the writers do a great job at adding new things to explore for his character in order to keep things fresh. If Dexter wasn't on it, the show might not be as interesting, but then it would be a completely different show, since everything seems to revolve around him. One thing I think is great about the show is how it is able to have a completely different feeling for each of the 3 seasons so far, while keeping up the great quality of the previous seasons.

4. Six Feet Under: Definitely not a show I'd imagine I'd end up liking. It's just so different from what I usually like. But what makes it so good IMO is the unique mixture of dark comedy and drama. The characters and their stories took me a little while to really get into, but they were very interesting once I was able to get into it. I haven't actually finished the series (I'm towards the end of the 3rd season), but I do think it's a very good series based on what I've seen so far and am looking forward to seeing the rest.

5. In Treatment: A very different idea for a TV show, and one that I really like. I love the format for the show, where each episode is just a session between a psychologist and a patient, and how the season goes on a cycle, where every 5 episodes equal a "week," and then it loops back to the same people. And the show does a great job at exploring both the individuals' dramas and a kind of over-arcing story that evolves as the season goes on. I just wish I could find a way to watch the last few episodes of the first season.

Best show that I got back into:

MASH: No contest... Literally, there was nothing else, unless if you count shows that I have watched for years and then started over from the beginning again. But even if there was competition, I couldn't imagine any other show being in place of MASH for this. I loved the show before, but going through it again, with a much more matured taste in TV, I just have much more of an appreciation for what the show did. And it definitely helps that this was the first time that I fully took advantage of the DVDs' ability to turn off the laugh track. While the first season was much weaker overall than future seasons, and didn't really benefit from this feature (with a few notable exceptions, like "Dear Dad," "Dear Dad, Again," and "Sometimes You Hear The Bullet), overall, the series greatly benefits from it. So much so that I can't see why anybody at CBS ever wanted to cheapen the show with it's presence.

What I most love about the show is just how well it explores the dramady genre much better than anything that came before it, and arguably anything that has come after it. There were so many great episodes which were comedy episodes, and so many great drama episodes, but also a lot which does a simply brilliant job at mixing the two together. Also, I think that, based on what I've seen of it (I haven't seen all the episodes, but have seen the majority), it pretty much did everything that it could have done with the characters, and the setting (a hospital that was 3 miles from the front lines of the war), and even more, due to how it was never afraid to do something very experimental, and way ahead of its time. While it wasn't perfect (there was at least one episode that I thought was very stupid, and a few that I liked but were weaker than most of the others), it did a pretty remarkable job with the material that they had to work with.

Movies

Top 5 movies:

(note: this is based off of a limited selection of movies )

1. The Dark Knight: While I think that the beginning was somewhat weak, I think that once the movie really got going, it was just a great movie, and easily the best movie out of the few movies that I've seen this year. I loved the portrayal of the Joker, both by Heath Ledger and the writers. I loved how he played with peoples' fears, and tried to create chaos in the city. I also really liked the look at the need for a hero, but also played with that, showing some of the darker effects that it could have.

2. 24 Redemption: Served a dual purpose. First, it served as a transition from season 6 to season 7. And it did a very good job at that. After a disappointing season 6, it showed a lot of promise for the next season, showing a different kind of threat, and setting up a few other elements that will be used in the next season. One thing that I didn't care for was one of the side-stories, which re-used one of the most over-used stories on 24. If they create such a different kind of threat for the new season, why ruin that with a story that has been done to death on the show? But personally, I think that the rest of the movie did a good job at making up for that aspect of the movie. The second thing that the movie did was just to make its own self-contained story, both so that fans can look at Redemption not just as the introduction of season 7, but also see it as its own thing. And it also allows for people who may be new to the show to come into the series without missing a whole lot. With what is basically a reboot of the series, I think that people could watch this and understand what is going on. That isn't to say that the same thing will be true for season 7 (with 24, there could always be a twist that relates back to a previous season), but the movie does a good job at pulling this off. Anyway, the story that is used as the movie's main plot was easily my favorite part of the movie. It did a great job at showing Jack in a new light, that also seems fitting for the Jack that we knew before. A few things in the story were predictable, but for the most part I really liked what the story did, for Jack, and in terms of setting up the main threat of the season. While it's too early to say that the show is back on track after the disappointing season 6, it is showing a lot of promise, and could in fact be 24's redemption (OK, I hate myself for that ).

3. The X-Files: I Want To Believe: While I think that the beginning could have been much stronger, I think that once the story gets going it is a great movie. It does a very good job at showing Mulder and Scully in a new light, after years of being out of the FBI. The main story wasn't really a new one for X-Files fans (psychic using his powers to help solve a crime), and doesn't compare to some of the other episodes with that story (especially "Beyond the Sea" and "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose"), but it wasn't really trying to be like those episodes. What made it as good as it was IMO was how everything played out for the characters. I loved Mulder's "need to believe," which was well portrayed in the movie, but also Scully's own need to believe. I can understand why some people may not have liked Scully's story in the movie, and in fact, it is part of the problem that I had with the first half of the movie, but it does pay off in the end. I've never been a Mulder/Scully shipper while watching the show (with the best shipper moments in the show being the times when one of them was searching for the other- specifically the Duane Barry arc and the season 8 Mulder arc), but this movie had a few very good moments between the two, showing their understanding of each others' needs to believe, which greatly added to the movie.

4. Stargate Continuum: Like The X-Files, this was based on an idea that has been done before on the show, but also manages to do something good with the material. It really is divided up into 2 different parts, one dealing with an altered past on Earth, and the other dealing with trying to fix the past, which just feels like a very different movie than the first part. But I think that both parts are great, and seem very different from the episodes with that story.

5. Stargate The Ark of Truth: I think that this was a fitting ending of the series, wrapping up everything with the Ori. If it left it at that, it probably would have been better. However, I didn't really care for the side-story that they added in there. It wasn't enough to destroy the movie for me, since I think that it was a good movie, but could have been better without that story.

Videogames

Top 6 games of the year (lol) :

Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts: A great, very unique idea for a game. I love the vehicle builder in the game, and the different ideas to take advantage of it. the game has a lot of things to do (although most of it is exploration of the hub world and different levels). I just love the gameplay and feel of the whole game.

Braid: Very close to being #1, and in fact it was a last-minute change to make Banjo first. Still, I absolutely love the idea of the game. The time manipulation, and the different puzzles that that idea allows is simply genius. The mixture between the gameplay, art style, music, and even the writing for the story make this one of the best examples of "videogames as art," and just a great addition to any gamer's collection, as long as they don't mind the focus on the puzzles instead of simple platforming.

de Blob: Like the other two top games, this is another very unique take on the platforming genre. It's centered around the idea of painting cities different colors, but adds different obstacles to mix things up, and gets more and more challenging as the game goes along. It has a lot of different things for you to do, in order to keep you coming back for more. My favorite part of the game is just how fun it is to go around trying to paint things, and how it even encourages you to change the colors that you're painting with by having a kind of interactive soundtrack, based on which color you use, and how quickly you paint the colors. It may not really sound like much, but when going around painting, it really does a lot to make the experience a lot more fun than it already would be.

Grand Theft Auto 4: I'm a bit conflicted with this game. On one hand, it's a great game, and a huge technical leap over the previous games, with a much stronger story. On the other hand, the missions in the game are nowhere near as fun or varied as previous games, and it just doesn't have nearly as much to do on the side. I prefer the PS2 games, and I'd even say I prefer Liberty City Stories, and it's just a disappointment in that regard, but that doesn't mean it's a bad game. Not at all. It might not be as great as I thought it would be, but it is great.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl: While I feel like it's a bit too much like Melee, only more things into it (characters, stages, trophies, modes, etc.), it does a very good job at adding things to that so that if you don't mind playing more of the same, it won't disappoint. I haven't played it as much as I thought I would, mainly because of how it is so similar to Melee, and also because there are other games I'd rather play, but it is a great game, and can see myself coming back to it in the future, more than any other game that I got this generation.

No More Heroes: It certainly has its flaws, such as repetitive gameplay and a poor hub world. That being said, it does a great job at getting me to look past these problems, and just having a lot of fun. I love the art style, and the humor that the game's story is based on, and the game has some truly great boss fights, which are the best part of the gameplay.

Game that I want most that I can't play:

Little Big Planet: This game looks so unique, fun, and charming. It's hard to look at the cute nature of SackBoy and not want this game. That's not why I think this game looks so great though. I just love the idea of just creating levels, and also playing through other people's levels. And the game looks like it could be a lot of fun in a co-op mode with a friend. Also, I like how it seems to be expanding on ideas with downloadable content. Specifically, the Metal Gear Solid 4 DLC looks great, especially since it includes the "Paintinator," a paintgun for you to use in level creation, along with a lot of other items and a few levels. I'm hoping that they keep doing that kind of thing, having a game-changing item to allow people to make more varied levels. I say that I can't play this because I don't have a PS3, although I've been considering getting one (although if I do, it won't be for a while), and this game is a big part of the reason why I've started to change my mind about getting one (although not the only reason).

So for Christmas, I got some really good presents:

Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts- Have been playing this one a lot the last couple days, and really like it. I really like the idea behind it. Some very fun missions so far. I haven't really done anything crazy with my vehicle designs so far, because I want to get more parts to use first, but I'm looking forward to seeing what I can do with it.

de Blob- I've also been playing this one a lot. It's a nice take on the platformer genre. I'm just now getting into some of the harder levels of the game, but it's very fun so far.

Sonic Unleashed (for the Wii)- I haven't played this one as much as the others, mainly because I'm so into the others, but it is a good game from what I have played. I've mainly just played the introductory stages, which are meant to show you the basics, so I can't really say much so far.

The Dark Knight- Still haven't seen it yet, so I can't comment on it.

The X-Files: I Want To Believe- After watching the movie for a second time, I'd say the first one was better, although I still think this was very underrated by the critics, and some of its fans. It definitely wasn't what I was expecting after waiting so long, but it was an interesting story with some very good moments. I do wish that the beginning was stronger however...

Also, I got an early present from my brother, giving me points for the Xbox Live Arcade, which I used for these games:

Braid- Very interesting twist on 2D platforming, with some great puzzles that really had me stumped trying to figure out how to solve them. The time manipulation is very well used in the levels. It's just a great game that really surprised me.

Geometry Wars Retro Evolved 2: I really like some of the different ideas that they had for the modes. It's great expansion for the series IMO.

I also got a few smaller items as well. Overall, not a bad year for presents at all.

Hope that everybody had a nice holiday.

It's been a while since I've blogged, and even longer since I reviewed a game, so I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone. I reviewed the game Geometry Wars Galaxies for the Wii, giving it an 8.5. This is what I wrote:

2003 saw the release of an Xbox exclusive racing game called Project Gotham Racing. The creators of this game decided to give the players a bonus in the form of a side-game called Geometry Wars. This game was a space shooter, where you flew around a rectanle grid, shooting various enemies (or blowing them up with a limited number of bombs), trying to survive as long as possible. Geometry Wars managed to gain a fairly large fan base. This was because, while simple, the different enemies had various behaviors, such as aimlessly bouncing around the grid, following your ship, retreating when fired upon, along with a few other traits, depending on the enemy. These different traits, as well as the constanty increasing rate of the enemies appearing on the grid, forced the players to adapt to different situations, often relying on split-second reations. The fact that the game seems to go on forever (assuming you don't die to quickly) brought people back to try to beat their previous scores, making for a very replayable experience. In later years, it has been updated as Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved, and placed in Project Gotham Racing 3 as well as Xbox Live Arcade (becoming the first very big hit for that download service). Now Sierra Enterainment have realized the potential of the formular, and made a full-blown sequel for both the Wii and DS.

With Geometry Wars, the presentation plays a big role in the adding to the very hectic nature of the game. The graphics in the game are purpously basic, having very basic looking enemies, represented by different kinds of shapes (hence the "geometry" part of the title). So in that respect the graphics are not comparable to any of today's graphics. That isn't to say that they are bad though. In fact, behind the simplicity, there is a lot of very impressive effects, that use the modern technology in order to present what seems like a fire works display with all the explosions of the enemy ship, the constant gun fire, and even a rippling effect on the grid based on everything that happens while you're playing. There are different s-tyle grids, which each have a different kind of rippling effect, sometimes much more noticable, but sometimes much more subtle. And the Wii is able to handle all of the effects, and all the enemies on the screen (which can be a lot) without any slowdown in the gameplay, which is very important to the feeling of the game. The game has techno music, which fits very well with the retro gameplay of Geometry Wars, and adds a lot to the fast, frantic feeling that the game tries to convey. The music often is based on the kind of level that you're playing in. For example, the slower levels have slower music, but the much faster levels have a much faster pace, fitting in with their respective levels.

Since the game was originally on the Xbox, and remade for the Xbox 360, it was played by moving the ship with the left analog stick, while shooting by aiming the right stick in the direction you want to shoot. On the Wii, there are two different control schemes. The first is with the Wii remote and Nunchuck attachment. With this, you move using the Nunchuck attachment, and aim by pointing your Wii remote at the screen. There is a line coming from your ship showing the direction that you are aiming. The people who have played the original game may find this hard to get used to, but that is more because of the differences between the pointer or the remote and the analog stick. For those who are new to the game, it will take much less time to get used to, and works very well for the fast-baced gameplay. For the people who are used to the older way of playing the game, you have the option to play with the ****c Controller if you have it, allowing you to play the way that you're used to.

The main draw in this game is Galaxies mode. This is a pretty large mode, which contains 64 new grids for you to play through. These grids are divided up into several different galaxies, each containing a different number of "worlds," or grids. At first, there are only 3 grids available to play on, with the rest unlockable after a while. The grids are basically the equivalent to a sequel of the original game, with the same never-ending gameplay, and the same basic idea of destorying the different enemies. However, the developers have done a great job at mixing things up for the different grids. The developers put more thought into the kinds of things they did with the levels. The grids are shaped pretty much perfectly to accomplish something unique. Some of the grids are wide open, for more manuverability while trying to avoid the enemies. But then there are also some levels which give you much less space to move, sometimes having small corridors for you to navigate through in order to avoid the enemies. Also, the enemies are used in a much smarter way than the original game. The original game seemed to have very little thought in terms of when the enemies should appear. It did have an increasing number of enemies over time, as well as introducing the harder enemies after having introduced the more basic enemies, but it still felt somewhat random, especially when compared to the enemy placement within Galaxies. For example, there are some levels where the enemies all come from one side of the grid, so that you have to stay on the other side of the grid, and try to kill the enemies from there. It is very similar to a faster paced version of Space Invaders. There are some levels that give you one life, and no bombs, forcing you to use your manuverability skills and shooting skills, while shooting enemies that follow you around the grid. Then there are levels which have a black hole in the middle, which changes the gravity within the level, and at first this can seem a bit disorienting, making you get killed a few times, but then after getting used to it, the player can actually use it to their advantage. There are also levels which have enemies that lay down mines which you can activate yourself, which set off a chain reaction that can kill a number of enemies if used correctly. Pretty much every level forces you to change your strategy in some way. However, there are unfortunately a few which just use variations of themes used in other levels. Sometimes these variations are enough to make these levels feel worth playing, but sometimes these levels just seem too much like the same level, with not much to keep your interest. These levels are in the minority though, and are made up for by the other more unique ideas within the game.

Each of the levels have 3 trophies to unlock by getting a certain amount of points. In some cases, these aren't that hard to get. However, in some cases, it does take a while in order to get the gold trophie for that level. But once you do, there is still a lot of reason to come back, to try improve your high score. The game also allows you to connect to the Wi-Fi connection to see where you rank on a leaderboard, giving you more incentive to go back, in order to try to climb the leaderboard.

Outside of adding new maps, the developers have added a lot of depth into the game that wasn't there in the original game. One of the big additions is something called geoms. These will now be familiar to people who have played Geometry Wars Retro Evolved 2. They are little green dots that are left behind by enemies you kill. Within the grids, they serve as a new way of adding to your multipier. Instead of having to kill a certain amount of enemies before adding to the score multiplier, for every 1 geom you get, you add 1x to the multiplier, until you reach the max of 150x. But the collecting of the geoms helps to change the way that the verteran Geometry Wars players will approach the game. In the first, you just try to shoot and avoid the enemies. However, in order to collect the geoms, you have to shoot the enemy, and then go back to the area where the enemy was killed. But you can't be too reckless about it, because there could be other enemies around that area that you want to avoid as well. In addition to adding to the score multiplier, the geoms are used as a kind of currency within the game, allowing you to unlock different things. You can use them to unlock galaxies, and the worlds within the galaxies, and you can use them in order to buy different abilities for your partner drone.

The drone is a new addition to the game as well. It has a number of different abilities that you can choose from. It can collect geoms while you are taking care of the enemies. It can snipe enemies that are a danger to you. It can attack (shooting at the same place that you're shooting), or defend (shooting in the opposite direction). It can act as bait for those enemies that follow you. And there are others as well. Choosing which one you want it to do adds to the strategy of the game, because different grids would benefit from some abilities more than others. Also, once you have one of the abilities unlocked, if you use that ability and do well, it will help to level that ability up. At first, the drone with that ability is not too smart. The sniping drone snipes very slowly, the collecting drone collects the geoms at a slow pace as well, and the bait drone isn't that effective either. However, after leveling the drones up, they are very effective at doing their different jobs.

In addition to the Galaxies mode, you can play the original Geometry Wars game. This is pretty much left alone from the original. It's a very nice addition, especially for those who have never played the original game. There are also three different multiplayer modes included. The first is versus mode, where you play on separate grids while trying to get a higher score. The second is co-op, where you play on the same grid, and share the same number of lives, bombs, and score, and try to last as long as possible. Finally, there's a smaller version of Galaxies mode, which is basically just one galaxy and several grids to play on, while again playing through cooperatively. These are a pretty good addition, although not amazing. There is no online gameplay, with the multiplayer modes being offline only. Some may not like the omission, but it might have been hard to keep up the fast-paced action online without any kind of slowdown, which would have killed tense feeling that the game is meant to have.

Sierra Entertainment has turned the original, simple idea into a much bigger experience, with much more depth, but have managed to maintain the simplicity of the basic gameplay. Because it is based on such a simple idea, some people might not feel like the extra cost over the $5 original game is worth it, because despite having some very interesting twists to the original idea, there's only so much that they can do with it. All I can really say is that if you're interested in a much more expanded experience as opposed to the single grid game, they do add enough content to warrant the purchase. However, for those who don't think it would be worth it, then it might be better to stick to the original. But either way, Geometry Wars Galaxies is a great experience that you'll come back to again and again, and is among the best 3rd party Wii games that I've played.