Game Informer (the magazine) had a great cover story on this game last month. It looks pretty awesome... I gotta say. I have no idea what Rock Band/Harmonix has up their sleeve for a sequel, but they will have some very serious competition. Some highlights:

-) GHWT will be a full band game, just like Rock Band.

-) They are promising big changes to the drums. The drums have 5 contact points (3 heads and 2 cymbals) and have velocity sensitive pads. They have said that each head has 4 different sounds based on speed of impact, so you can lightly tap or wail away. They have also said the drums are quieter (the material) so that they don't thwak as loud and distract the other players.

-) They are promising improvements to the guitar. There may be some kind of new free****mechanic or other control option, but they are being very hush hush about it until it is patented/liscensed.

-) They are brining in a new "world tour" mode a la rockband, where they promise that you won't get stuck hearing the same songs over and over. They have also stated that your avatar can play 4 insturments, (ie switch between instruments), and that difficulty can be changed mid-venue if you get stuck. It also sounds like multi-player will be present in the tour mode.

-) The character editor is improved, a la rockband, but goes deeper and matches Neversoft's previous entries with facial construction, warping, tatoos, etc.

-) You can make your own guitars by combining bodies, necks, fret boards, etc.

-) **One of the really big new features is the music studio. You will be able to create songs in multiple ways, allowing players to create a massive base of music. The article didn't say anything about people sharing created tunes, but you figure that would make sense. This would, obviously, create a near limitless amount of tunes for the game.

All in all, I was really blown away by what they are working on. While GH3 was not my favorite, Neversoft has been making games for a long time and knows how to be competitive. Hopefully the game will be insanely awesome.

I will, in all likelihood, get this game when it comes out, as I am crazy about Rock Band and would love to see some significant improvements like they are talking about. It is supposed to be coming in Q4 of this year.

So I took some time off from Mass Effect and took a quick forray into the land of Ikaruga this weekend.

For thos who don't know, Ikaruga is the infamous shooter which was originally available on the Japanese Dreamcast, was finally brought to the states on the Game Cube, and finally makes another appearance on the X360.

The game is amazing, and yet very simple to understand. Your ship can flip between being white or black, and your weapons change accordingly. Enemies come in two flavors... white and black. While your ship matches their color, their shots can't penetrate your shields, and actually charge up your missle launchers. However, you do more damage to targets of the opposite color.

The end result is an amazing example of arcade action, level design, and sheer-awesomeness. 2 players going at the same time can accomplish some fairly staggering feats, and the game is so beautiful and involving that I almost never get tired of it.

If you own a 360, please, please download the trial and give it a shot... you won't be dissapointed.

I haven't done a GOTY breakdown in sometime, figured it was time to get back in the saddle since I have a new PC and 360 now. Understand that I haven't played a lot of what has come out, but these are my favorites from the year. Without further ado:

Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords, X360

This insanely addictive puzzle/rpg hybrid has dominated my time since acquiring the 360, and proves yet again that great gameplay can always overcome simple graphics. The depth of the game stems from the seemingly countless variations in abilities, items, opponents and quests that abound, while the core gameplay proves to be endlessly satisfying. An absolute must for anyone with a 360.

Team Fortress 2, PC

Well, it took countless hours to deliver the experience, but it is finally here and well worth the wait. Team Fortress combines a clever visual style with solid-as-a-rock game play to produce what is, perhaps, the best class-based FPS to date. The seemingly impossible task of balancing every class has been accomplished, but even more staggering is the fact that all of the classes are fun to use. People will be playing this for years.

Rock Band, X360

Well, it has arrived with the thunder of metal guitars, drums, and blood curdling vocals... and it is good. Rock Band is, if possible, even more fun than I had hoped. It is THE best multi-player experience available on a console right now, at least as far as party-gaming is concerned. The depth is enormous, the challenge fun, and the customization endless. If you have the resources, pick it up and get hooked.

Unreal Tournament 3, PC

I will admit that I am being less than honest, as this only makes the list due to the demo... my copy is still lost in transit. Sigh. That having been said, is there any doubt? The demo is JAW DROPPING, and the game play harkens back to the original Unreal Tourney... fastfastfast. I love it. My favorite FPS gets a retro-update to my favorite version of the series? Instant addition... Yum.

*Write in Candidate?* Mass Effect, X360

It's a tentative addition, but I have a gut feeling that only an act of god will remove it from the list. Mass Effect is utterly enthralling, and sticks yet another (the biggest?) feather in Bioware's cap. I can't wait to play more of this game...

2008 also looks great, but 2007 will be tough to beat. We'll see if the bar keeps raising. Great year!!!!

It's been a long time since the goat has thrown down a blog, so I'll kick this one off with two epic announcements; I bought an Xbox360 and went to a LAN party in the same month. Ahhhhh... that'll scratch the old itch.

Due to the generosity of some friends, I was able to pull together a respectable PC out of skyhooks and rubberbands (i.e. stuff laying around people weren't using), and had a great time at our LAN party. My buddy 8i0g33k up in Maine has a nice place, and our usual crew of about 10 guys rolled up there for the weekend. We ate a lot of food, didn't drink too much, and managed to play quite a few titles. Swat 4, World in Conflict, UT2K4, the demo if Unreal 3, Titan Quest, Orange Box, and the MVP of LAN... Soldat.

That's right, Soldat. This little network shooter, developed in the mid 90's, takes the best part of worms, doom, and counter-strike, and creates a kick ass little program. It is TONS of fun, and is FREE. Go download it... no seriously, right now:

http://www.soldat.pl/

On the home console side, the 360 represents my first new console since the original Xbox many moons ago. There were a few things driving the purchase, not the least of which was the impending death of my Xbox. Still though, it did me proud and kept a lot of titles going for a long time. The backwards compatibility list culled quite a few of my favorite titles (sniff, Gladius), but nothing that would justify me keeping the old girl around.

So, out with the old, in with the new! I'm very excited about some of the downloadable games online (Street Fighter, Smash TV, others), and like the titles I started things off with. Despite already playing Marvel Ultimate Alliance, I picked it up again with the console with glee since I can now play with 8 new guys and brag about how much I love playing that game. The Hulk is AWESOME, lol. He obliterates things, and picks up enemies and uses them as weapons on other bad guys... oh joy. The most striking difference about 360 vs xbox on this game was the in-game art... The models are much less cartoony looking, and look more like the cut scene counterparts. It's almost as if it's a totally different art ****for the game.

On the haven't played side of things, I got Forza 2(along with MUA in the bundle) and Eternal Sonata. I played the original Forza a fair bit, and while sims aren't my absolute favorite, I'm sure I will log some hours on it. Eternal Sonata was one of the reasons I got the console... I am a music freak, and the concept of the game totally appealed to me. I can't wait for a few uninterrupted hours where I chew into this.

Rounding out the titles are Viva Pinata, something my daughter can enjoy with me, and Guitar Hero III. Pinata is cool as hell, although unexpectedly deep so far... there is a lot of stuff happening in it at any given time. I was hoping for something a little more leisurely, but it should be a lot of fun. The art ****is really amazing... very colorful. Guitar Hero III has been a blast so far, although I can't say it's any major improvement over 2. The graphics are better, and the there is a lot more content to unlock. The online multi-player is definitely bad ass, and I've already had fun playing with a friend online.

The console itself is great, somewhat better than I expected actually. The dashboard system is very slick, and the wireless controllers are amazing with their ability to access the menus on the fly and auto-detection. I love the achievement concept, and see myself spending many hours going for these. The online marketplace is very easy to use, and the downloads are fast and quick. I definitely like the automatic game patching, and my experience thus far has been very pleasant.

My one concern is heat... I think there is a volcano inside my unit. It doesn't run very loud, but I can see where extended play could be a concern. I will definitely consider picking up a cooling unit for it, since I am pretty sure there is solar matter inside that is going to melt my TV and entertainment center.

All in all, a great gaming month for the goat. A special shout out must go out to Team Fortress 2 (on the PC you console heathens... please. Mouse and keyboard for the win!!!!). What a brilliant game. I LOVE playing this online, and Steam, so awful back in the day, now runs perfectly. A very slick system for an amazing game. I will be torn between my PC and my 360 for months due to this title.

On the horizon... Rock band, Pirates of the Burning Sea, Unreal 3.... Whew.

With some free time under my belt, I've been surfing Gamespot quite a bit recently. One of my favorite additions to the site in recent years has been the Badges that are awarded to the users. There are all sorts of them, and some users have amassed quite a collection. It's always funny to see one that carries seemingly no rhyme or reason at all, which makes the badges something on an inside joke

One of the badges which I had for a long time and was proud of was the "Good Taste" badge. Now, I am no gaming snob, but I will admit that I felt a tinge of pride gazing at my lobster dinner and fine glass of wine as I perused my own blog... It was with certain horror then whenI found that on someday, in the ancient past, I had apparently lost my good taste.

I was aghast! Where could it have gone? Apparently my years in the gaming hobby had suddenly createdbad taste... something which even the most powerful of breath mints couldn't cure. Had I gone mad? Had advertising sapped me of clear judgment in the face of pretty games with no substance? Had I turned to utter filth in the quest to find "that perfect game" for myself and my family?

Kidding aside, I have been looking at what has happened. Clearly, this badge is keyed off of your Collection, and either it's a) Average Score or b) number of high-class games or Editor's Choice titles you own. Since I rarely sell games, or even give them away, I have to believe that my expanding collection is responsible. In recent years I have been more interested in trying various games than worrying about their score, and some additions in my collection are clearly indicative of this. Ultimately, I'm more worried about having fun than impressing anyone, and games like Godzilla: Save the Earth and Fusion Frenzy are indicative of this.

But wait! There are several old games in my collection that don't even have scores which are awesome! Star Control 2, with a user score of 9.2, is one of the best games I've ever played. Look at the other games in this list that aren't scored by Gamespot: Master of Orion, Ultima IV, Tecmo Super Bowl, Star Wars: X-Wing, Lode Runner, Super-Street Fighter 2, the original Warcraft, Super MarioKart... that's a veritable bonanza of qualified gaming classics.

This whole thing, of course, leads us to scores in general. While I agree some games are dogs, a numerical score simply can't quantify some games. I vehemently disagree with some reviews (Doom 3 and Diablo 2 anyone?) and label them as too high, while others seem to be really heavily punished... If anyone can convince me that X-Com: Terror from the Deep and Soldiers: Heroes of World War 2 are below 8 games, than you're the best debater alive.

All in all, I'd rather have an expansive palette and know what I like than knowing what Gamespot likes.... But I still want my badge back.

Well, the thumbs-up guy from Fallout has been replaced by the epic staff-lifting cover hero of Ultima IV. Why? Not sure... I always loved that game, and it was one of the first titles I ever played through. I guess my 'Old School' gamer badge rubbed off on me.

I recently borrowed a PS2 from a friend at work (yes, yes, I've played it before), but I find myself plowing through dozens of reviews of cool PS2 titles, and taking my pick of them. It's kind of fun to miss several years of something that everyone else raves about, and then go back and take your pick of the best. A few games I've ear-marked for myself based on preferences, hunches, etc:

Final Fantasy 12

Katamari

Shadow of the Colossus

Disgaea: Hour of Darkness

I may or may not take a gander at Virtua Fighter 4, but it sounds somewhat all-consuming, a bad thing for me. I've also already gotten Guitar Hero 2, which is ridiculously fun. Needless to say, Final Fantasy Tactics will be getting some heavy play again. GOD I LOVE that game.

Anyone on here who knows my preferences and wants to reccomend something, I'm all ears.