I just semi-finished a wonderful game. It's everything that has been said it was and more. Most anyone who reads this will probably say "duh" to this. It's no big secret and most everyone who was going to play this game has probably already done so. The game is Super Mario Galaxy and it was great. It was better than great. It was a treat to play. It had all the great things that we've collectively come to expect from Mario games and it has them in spades. All of the twists, turns, challenges, secrets and hair-pullingly maddening extra levels are all there. The most beautiful part of the game is that it can be as challenging or not as you like (more or less). There are 120 possible stars to find throughout the game. The game will let you access the last boss level after about 60 stars if you just want to play the game to beat it. My six-year-old can play through most of the "required" levels with minimal assistance. It is safe, fun and kid-friendly for those of us with little ones that are into games. For us adults that are obsessive collectors; well the other 60 stars are amidst a potpourri of clever, and at times frustrating levels that use myriad challenges you must play through to earn them. I would say that one could get anywhere from a minimum of 15 hours to as many as 40 hours out of this game on the first playthrough. Just a note---many of the levels are NOT geared towards kids. They are just too challenging in my opinion. I know I used language on a few levels that was definitely NOT geared towards kids! Don't worry, it was after their bedtime. The funny thing is that several of the levels that drove me nuts my first time through aren't nearly as bad as I go back and replay them. (Yes, there is incentive to go back and play through a second time.) For some of the toughest ones, there's usually a trick or pattern that is easy to miss or well-obscured. I was watching my wife play one of the "trash-bombing" levels and noticed that if you land the bombs roughly where the coin-dispensing buttons are; that seems to be the trick to getting all the trash piles blown up in time. What took me 15 or 20 tries the first playthrough only took 2 or maybe 3 the second time. The same could be said for some of the comet levels I had trouble with. There is usually a trick or exploit that's waiting to be found. I was convinced that the game designers were clever sadists for awhile. I've since come to think that they're just really quite clever and yeah, ok--maybe just a weency bit sadistic. Not nearly as bad as I thought though! If you get the chance, I really strongly recommend playing this one. It's every bit as good as you've likely heard and I would dare suggest maybe even a little better.

Per my previous blog; I've delved into the miasma of current-gen games with reckless abandon and so far....I LIKE IT. I've padded out my collection with some big name titles; a significant number of which have been provided to me on loan by friends. Again thanks to them for that is on order. Since my initial foray into the new world, I've probably beaten more games in a shorter span of time than at any other point of my gaming days. The Wii shooter Medal of Honor Heroes 2 was the first to fall. It's a great game with great controls and a whole lot of fun. If any other Wii shooters in development need a quick, reliable template to build from, then look no further. Gears of War and Mass Effect fell victim to my thorough awesomeness next. I think those 2 have laurels that speak for themselves. They were as great as I'd hoped and then some. I'm going to change my son's name to Bioware I think. I love them that much. Parakeet Bioware Johnson. That's a good, powerful name I think. Super Mario Galaxy is simply amazing. Believe the hype as far as I'm concerned. I'm about 40 Grand Stars into it and love the thought of getting 80 more. Halo 3 was really really good too. I can't say that my mind was quite blown. But it was pretty close and H3 was a lot better than I was expecting. The whole Gravemind thing was, for my taste, a bit too much of a stretch into the total fantasy realm contrasted to the strong and gripping sci-fi elements by which Halo's bread is buttered. The 92% of the game not dealing with Audrey 3's big brother was quite damn awesome. I'm currently loving Eternal Sonata. It has to be one of the most visually and aurally striking games I've ever seen. The story so far is kind of RPG-standard but it's a good sort of standard to be sure. The gameplay is also mostly very RPG-standard and again very good. The evolving fighting system is the big standout bright spot in the game though. It's very cool and very clever. It certainly gives ES a unique identity and that's a very good thing. (Frederic Francois Chopin is a bad-ass by the way.) Crackdown is a great buddy-game. Looks good, play is fun, and the fun factor goes up about 6 notches when a friend jumps in and paints the town red with you. It's at bargain bin prices now, so it's a must-grab in my book. Okami (Wii) is coming up soonly for me. Everywhere I looked that game was gushed on. It must do something right. I'm definitely excited about it. And how could I forget Army of Two? I thought it was great. My friend and I played through it and had a blast. It's about time there was a game that actually focused on 2-player gameplay. I hope it does very well if for no other reason than to inspire other developers to make games that are tailored for you and a friend to sit and play together. It's nice to play with friends after all! It's been a good 6 weeks in my little game world. Here's to 6 more and 12 more and 24 more!!

Thanks to a little help from my friends; I am officially a part of the current gen. Short version of the story; I got my 360 and it didn't work and got too hot so I took it back and exchanged it. I bought it at an HEB Plus of all places. They were awesome about the whole thing. First they opened the gates to the electronics section at about 11 @ night for starters. Then when that first one overheated and scrambled my video; I took it back the next day and they exchanged it for me--NO hassle. The girl there was even flirting with a little bit while the exchange occurred. Shame on her. It's good to know that I've still got "it" I guess. Too bad so sad for HEB girl that my smokin' white-hot wife is the only one that really gets "it" though. Hee hee hee. After the epic 2-day journey to get my 360, I was ultimately successful. As my bestest friend put it (I'm paraphrasing); "MS's wonderful little machine already broke down on you? Welcome aboard!! That means you're officially part of the current gen then. Your cherry has been popped." Much as I've heard it reported, it really does hurt the first time. On the bright side; it's nice that the 360 has actually given my brother and me something new we can bond over since we're getting too old to play basketball too much these days. There were many, many years of anger and contempt followed by non-communication and distance. Fortunately, we grew up, got over it and frequently enjoy weekend marathons of Gears of War.Now my aforementioned bestest friend is even more directly involved in the second part of my current-gen expedition. He went and bought me a Wii. Best gift I ever got, that's for sure. Grabbed some good titles for it too. Metroid, MoH:H2, Zak and Wiki, and a couple more. It really is a great family system, too. The Wii Play is really fun. Sadly, I've been forced to come to terms with the fact that I'm prolly the fifth best Wii bowler in the household. My wife is by far the best of us. She's very, very good as a matter of fact. (still talking about bowling here, ya pervs) My 5-year-old son is a semi-close 2nd. That kid makes me look bad at the bowling, but I pride myself on the fact that he inherited his daddy's knack for picking up video games quickly. He will surpass me in the very near future I'm certain. My 2-year-old daughter could probably edge me out too. She doesn't care about games too much, but I think she could take me. Then Munchie our guinea pig. He's feisty as heck. I bet I could take him straight up every once in awhile, but if it went 2 out of 3; I'd get housed. Then me, then the other guinea pig Cornie (Cornelius) and lastly my fat, practically staid cat that sleeps 23.7 hours a day. To sum up---I really suck at bowling. Actually if I was just a little bit better---then I would merely suck.It was worth the wait to get on board and I'm glad I'm here. See ya out there sometime, maybe.