Microsoft is really turing up the heat for the XBLA in august and the most recently release, Braid, is bound to convert many demo downloaders to actual purchasing customers despite its higher than normal price of 1200 MSP ($15). It worked on me. This game knows how to make a good impression and from my experience looks like it is worth download.

Braid is an very artistic tribute to Super Mario, but is not really best described as a platformer. As Tim, you have control over time and must search through the worlds of Braid trying to rebuild your memories and rescue your princess love. The controls are pretty simple with left stick to move and A to jump and X to move time back. Because you can move time backwards Braid lacks the typical annoyanced of a platformer, where you'll often be required to restart a level just because you miss a jump. The real challenge comes in using your time power to solve puzzles and collect puzzle pieces so you can again solve a puzzle. Puzzling isn't it? Anyway, there are challenges brought in by way of objects that are immune to your time powers. These objects must be used to your advantage if you're wanting to reunite Tim and the Princess.

I am really enjoying playing this game. The art style is so beautiful and the game is incredibly fun. The only reason I would be worried is that after about an hour I've completed two worlds and am guessing that there are only six total (there might be seven). There is an achievement for a speed run, so I'm guessing there will be some challenge left after completing a playthrough, but it confirms that the game is not really that long.

One of the things I'm most impressed with is the story. The game reveals Tim's history through books in front of each level. It also hints at his past with the puzzles which once completed form a picture from Tim's memory. I wouldn't expect a game like this to even have a story, but so far I am compelled to complete the game just to know more about what happened. Getting into the story on what seems like a very simle game is a very welcomed suprise. I'm hoping it will have a good ending.

So, I'm not going to make an outright reccomendation, but I'm pretty happy with my download. Try the demo to see what I'm talking about, but have your Microsoft points ready. You'll probably want to use them. Even if this game turns out to feel a little too short, I can't see that it is really doing anything wrong. I hope developers can learn from its unique blend of nostalgia and new, but Braid seems like a one of a kind (kind of like the way Portal is one of a kind). This is a gem the XBLA is lucky to have.

http://www.circuitcity.com/ccd/productDetail.do?oid=215166

This computer is such a great buy. Its $679.99 with a AMD Quad Core Phenom 9550, 6GB of DDR2 RAM, and an 256MB ATI Radeon HD 3450. Of course it comes with Vista Home Premium 64 bit so you can use all that RAM. I love it. I want it. Its soooooo gooooood... *drool*. Too bad I don't need a computer.

I was out in Springfield again this weekend, like I have been the past two weekends. I was in Best Buy and to my suprise they had Wii Fit in stock. If you didn't know I really did want to get Wii Fit, but I was apprehensive at first. I actually left the store that evening and didn't buy it. The next day I met up with my mom in the morning and she said she would go half and half on the purchase price with me, so I took her up on that. We went back when the store was opening and bought it, suprisingly there was no one else waiting or fighting over them. I had my mom take it home and my siblings were trying it all weekend while I got to try it for the first time yesterday.

When I set up my character I wasn't suprised to see that I was "Normal" weight. I knew I would get that. They said 22 BMI was ideal and I'm like 22 exactly according to their calculations, of course they don't take into account muscle at all. Despite my good fortune, my siblings told me all about their ratings. My younger brother was rated obese (he really is heavy, but functionally so). He was upset with that so he just raised his height up a couple of inches. I think that would be classified as cheating. Anyway, after seing my BMI they did a balance test. This test just tries to get you to hold your weight distribution between your right and left legs at a specific range for 3 seconds. It repeats that 6 times getting more difficult each time and you've only got a minute or so to complete it. I'm not sure why but I had a lot of trouble getting used to that and wasn't able to finish it. What bothers me most about that is that one single balance game seems to be the SINGLE determinant on your Wii fit age. I got 45 as my age while my sister who rated as overweight got a 24. Of course I could easily out do her on the exercizes and with a little practice I could take the games too.

When I got to the game itself I was more than marginally annoyed to find that you had to earn the higher difficulty moves and the higher sets. I had hoped my siblings playing earlier would have unlocked them and I could use them right away but it isn't the case. So, I had to pretend like I had no previous physical training on these things. It doesn't help that beside the balance games the other activities aren't really games at all. They're more like watching a boring workout video. I kind of expected that, but seeing in person after paying so much for this thing was a little disturbing. So for me the stregth training is currently a waste, while the aerobics I thought was pretty good at getting me moving, and the balance games are fun but I don't see how they get me in shape. Despite the fact that my siblings seem to be enjoying it, I can't help but think the thing was a total waste.

Those are my first impressions. In about a week I should be able to say for sure if it had any potential to help my siblings get in shape. If it does maybe that will change my opinion of it. I might break it out once in a while, but I'm not going to incorporate it as a regular part of my workout routiene. If anyone out there is considering Wii Fit, I would suggest buying Power 90 videos instead. It might be hard to believe, but they're actually more entertaining and will get much better results should you stick with them (you also don't have to have a Wii). The only thing that Wii fit really does is give you an ovesized PDA to keep track of your results. By putting the scale in with the workout program they might well have intimidated some people into getting results, or just not using the thing at all.

On one final note, I bought 2000 Wii points, but am not sure what to use them on. It really makes me miss the XBLA demos, but I thought I could give some virtual console or Wii Ware games a try. Someone give me suggestions please.

Please leave positive feedback for this review at Amazon.com

Well written, but doesn't add to Mass Effect series

If you're a fan of Mass Effect then you're probably picking up this book hoping for some insight on what's next for the series. In that regard, this book fails to deliver. Though it is a well written and enjoyable story, it doesn't give any information on our favorite Mass Effect characters. Commander Shepard is only mentioned briefly once, and Captain Anderson is brought up on a couple of occasions. Ambassador Undina is also mentioned once. The main character the book focuses on is Kahlee Sanders, who was the prominent character in the first book.

As much as I was disappointed to gain no new information on Shepard, I was still enthralled by the book. Like the first Mass Effect novel, there is plenty of action and its exhilarating to read. The story never feels flat or boring so I should be any easy book to finish, for even the less than avid reader. Another thing the book does really well is developing its characters. Given the lack of familiar faces the book makes a lot of introductions and does so well. Every character fits into the story and is developed to a level where you understand their motivation.

As well written as the book is, it is still hard to recommend. Its hard to imagine that anyone looking to buy this book have not had some other encounter with the Mass Effect Universe. If you had only read the first novel then it would be better to take the money you would spend on this title and put it towards the PC or 360 game (if you don't have a 360 or a nice PC I'm sorry). For people who have played through the game and are undoubtedly looking for clues to Mass Effect 2, the only insight you gain is that Mass Effect 2 will focus a lot on the criminal organization Cerberus. Don't be waiting for an appearance of Wrex, Garrus, Liara, or even Tali (despite the fact the book focuses on the Quarians), they're not even in there in cameos.

Its possible that this could be more of an introduction to Mass Effect 2 than I realize. Obviously it is hard to tell since the game isn't out yet. The book fails to live up to ending of the game though, and really fails to live up to the ending of the first book. Unlike those stories, it doesn't leave you wanting more. That was the greatest success of the first two stories, their ability to close out open plot-lines while leaving us knowing there's more to come. Its obvious this book was released to tide fans over until the next game and it does not do that.

I know I promised a video blog, but you're not getting it. At least not yet. While I did have my vacation last week, which was pretty awesome, and even though there is E3 to talk about right now, there is something more important going on in my life right now. I figured for those who are still dedicated enough to read my blog, I'd like to share it with you. I have a new daughter, Emma Lynn Greenwell, who was born on 07/13/08 at 3:15 am.

Sorry the picture is bad. I promise better later.

So, she was born 2 months early. Chelsea and I were not expecting it. She was 3 lbs and 14 oz, which is pretty good. She is actually fairly long too, I would guess around 14in, but I don't remember for sure. There were no real problems though. She's able to breath on her own and her heart is working fine. They're still keeping her in the NICU at St Johns in Springfield, IL. It is about an hour away from where I live. My wife has a room at the Ronald Mc Donald house, for free. I am traveling back and forth because I have to work still. Its a hassle but it is worth it and we're hoping the doctors will let us bring her home soon.

On another note I did take some video and I do plan to post it here, but my wife is keeping the camera/camcorder. She is using it to photo friends and relatives that come so I'll have quite a few worth posting in the future.

For my thoughts on E3 and whatnot, check your own blogs. I'm still reading all of them and commenting a lot.