My wife and I have fundamentally different approaches to solving puzzles. As kids we each had a Rubik’s Cube. She solved hers by carefully observing the complicated interplay of the colored cubes and formulating a pattern-driven method of getting the colors to realign. I solved mine with a screwdriver and a hammer.

Really.  read more »

You know, after a hard, frustrating day of work, traffic, etc., sometimes you just want to come home and play a game involving physics, rotational motion, and orbital mechanics. Am I right?

Oddly enough, yes. It's perfect.  read more »

My Pokémon Ranch is a... well... game?

Hurm. Not exactly. My Pokémon Ranch allows you to take your Mii's and "Mii-d" Pokémon, place them together in an enclosed space, and sit back and watch as the fun ensues. And it really does, but it's more from watching the interaction of Pokémon and Mii Ranchers with each other and with the provided props than from anything else. Everyone in my house is at least a passing fan of the Pokémon games, and each of us get some enjoyment out of this game.  read more »

I've been an AC/DC fan since Junior High, but I was frankly surprised by the "T" rating on this game. (I expected "M".) AC/DC is not known for family-friendly lyrics. We'll take a look for songs for the whole family below, but know that this game is really intended for teens or (I might argue) adults, not younger. (I've emphasized before that playing only drums and guitar and skipping the mic will reduce the impact of some songs' lyrics.)  read more »

Harmonix has released another collection of tracks for Rock Band while we wait for Rock Band 2's ever-delayed release. Again, it's the same game with just a new set of 20 tracks. There's nothing really new here besides new music, but if you've been playing a lot of Rock Band, you're likely anxious for a new set of tunes to wrap your fingers around. And nothing new isn't necessarily a bad thing--we weren't expecting new from this round, and it wasn't broken.  read more »

Spider Man Web of Shadows is the first action game above an E rating
that I have played in a while.  With 2 young boys, the chance to play a
more action packed, complex (and violent) game doesn't come up all of
the time.  But, I am glad I stretched the limits with this one.

First you have to get the swing of things- literally.  The first stage is
basically to train you on the various moves of the web slinger-  read more »

I've mentioned before in previous reviews (Wall-E, Kungfu Panda) that I
was given the advice to steer clear of move themed games.  But, as I
have stated, the kids seem to enjoy them so even if the overall game
play has not been superb, the games have been a big hit.  Madagascar 2,
the Wii game, is perhaps the biggest hit in this category to date.

Madagascar, the original movie, was a great hit with our entire  read more »

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Bruce Banner and the Hulk. The Wolf Man. Sonic the Hedgehog?! In the latest Sonic release, Sega has taken cues from Nintendo's most recent Legend of Zelda release by inflicting lycanthropy on our favorite blue hedgehog.  read more »

I’d love to have been present at the early design meetings for Out of the Chute. I would love to have seen the team grappling with the problems inherent in designing a game around a sport which takes place in eight-second increments.

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There’s nothing quiet as enjoyable as finally getting to see a much-anticipated movie sequel; like Star Wars Episode I or Indiana Jones IV. Well, okay, so anticipated sequels don’t always work out as their creators hope. Which means that Strong Bad had better be careful because episode four of the popular Telltale Games Strong Bad Adventure series is the much-anticipated sequel Dangeresque 3: The Criminal Projective.  read more »