My Bits and Bytes: Rock Band 2 out soon
Welcome back, everyone (or welcome to Fanshawe if you're new). I know with all the costs involved with going to school (such as tuition, books, rent, etc.), that there isn't much money left in the budget for gaming. Fear not because over the next two issues, I'm going to look at two games that came out on Xbox Live this summer that are cheap and will keep you going for a while.
Braid:
Xbox Live Arcade from Number None Inc.
If you like puzzle games, but are looking for something a wee bit different, this is your game. You control Tim in his journey to find a princess. I know that sounds a little cliché, but the game is anything but. The graphics puzzle solving and music blend together to bring you one of the most unique experiences on Xbox Live.
The controls and game play are a mix between Super Mario Brother's running and jumping (where you jump on the enemies' head, bounce off and then they die) and Prince of Persia: Sands of Time's rewind feature. Its simple controls are mixed in with some very easy to brain frying puzzles. The best thing about the solving some of the hardest puzzles is that it gives you a great sense of satisfaction.
One of my favourite things about the game, besides its surreal art style, is the music. The game's symphonic score gives you this calm feeling even though you could be cursing at yourself for not being able to figure out the current level's puzzle.
Although the game is a bit on the short side, $15 is a great deal for this game. They could have easily put it on the DS or PSP (with toned down graphics) and sold it for $40. Buy it.
In other news, you should start saving up your money because Rock Band 2 will be out on September 14 for ONLY the Xbox 360. There's a little catch, though: it's only the game. If you want the bundle for the Xbox 360 or PS3 that includes the new guitar and drum set then you're going to have to wait until October 19 (this is also the date that the game and the bundle comes out for the PS3). If you own a Wii, I'm sorry to tell you that the game AND the bundle won't be coming to your system until November 18.
What am I going to do? I'll be buying the game come September 14 and then buying the new drum set in October. I don't believe that the Rock Band guitar will be much better than the original and there's no use in getting a new mic.
If you haven't seen the set list yet, it's available at www.rockband2.com/song-list. I can't wait.
Braid:
Xbox Live Arcade from Number None Inc.
If you like puzzle games, but are looking for something a wee bit different, this is your game. You control Tim in his journey to find a princess. I know that sounds a little cliché, but the game is anything but. The graphics puzzle solving and music blend together to bring you one of the most unique experiences on Xbox Live.
The controls and game play are a mix between Super Mario Brother's running and jumping (where you jump on the enemies' head, bounce off and then they die) and Prince of Persia: Sands of Time's rewind feature. Its simple controls are mixed in with some very easy to brain frying puzzles. The best thing about the solving some of the hardest puzzles is that it gives you a great sense of satisfaction.
One of my favourite things about the game, besides its surreal art style, is the music. The game's symphonic score gives you this calm feeling even though you could be cursing at yourself for not being able to figure out the current level's puzzle.
Although the game is a bit on the short side, $15 is a great deal for this game. They could have easily put it on the DS or PSP (with toned down graphics) and sold it for $40. Buy it.
In other news, you should start saving up your money because Rock Band 2 will be out on September 14 for ONLY the Xbox 360. There's a little catch, though: it's only the game. If you want the bundle for the Xbox 360 or PS3 that includes the new guitar and drum set then you're going to have to wait until October 19 (this is also the date that the game and the bundle comes out for the PS3). If you own a Wii, I'm sorry to tell you that the game AND the bundle won't be coming to your system until November 18.
What am I going to do? I'll be buying the game come September 14 and then buying the new drum set in October. I don't believe that the Rock Band guitar will be much better than the original and there's no use in getting a new mic.
If you haven't seen the set list yet, it's available at www.rockband2.com/song-list. I can't wait.
