Since I'm right in the middle of packing up all of my belongings to move to our gorgeous new house (still a bit apprehensive about it), I haven't had a lot of time for gaming. It's taken its toll on me. When my head hits the pillow at night after a grueling day of moving, packing, taping, and labeling boxes and I realize I didn't boot up just ONE console, tears almost spring to my eyes. I'm wasting a lot of precious time unpacking t-shirts and underwear when I could be vegging out in front of the TV. Luckily, this week hasn't been too terrible. I've had the time to get in some much-needed gaming. Feeling like my old self again, even though my surroundings and my life are really changing right now. Isn't that strange? While things are slowly evolving around me, the only thing that feels like a constant is the fact that I can still game. With that said, let's take a look at what I've been playing:

Damnation (360)

 

Let me begin by saying that I freelance at various gaming sites. I was assigned Damnation for review, though initially I thought (quite incorrectly) that it might be worth my time. Something is terribly wrong when you play Paws & Claws: Pet Resort for review and find yourself having more fun with it than what should be a typical third-person shooter. This atrocity is absolutely riddled with bugs, glitchy spots, and a ridiculously bad targeting system. You'd think that a third-person shooter could at least get a cover system right. Not so. While you're taking shots from three or four different locations, your only option is to crouch or run away like Cammie Dunaway from core Nintendo games. When games such as Wanted or Terminator Salvation can implement a viable cover system, you'd think that a brand new IP could handle its business properly. Couple that with vague objectives, wonky Prince of Persia-like acrobatics, and an open world that you'll have to wander around for a good

What's more, the plot (along with the characters) are entirely throwaway. Their horrid voice actors don't do a particularly great job of convincing me that I should care even the slightest about what's going on within the game. It's just whatever. I can't even name them off the top of my head. When I look upon the bland, flat faces of the people I should care about (we're at war, after all!) I find myself counting down the minutes before I can turn off the 360 for the day, having properly reviewed the title. I rarely feel as though gaming is a chore. With Damnation, I'd rather be washing dishes, writing an essay, or watching the paint dry on a brand new car. I certainly do not recommend this pathetic excuse of a game. In fact, if by some happenstance you find it in your possession, do yourself a favor and send it straight to the microwave. Put it out of its misery.

Rock Band Unplugged (PSP)

If it’s a game that has absolutely anything at all to do with music, then count me in. I must see them all. Many are hit-or-miss, and many strike me as so inspiring that I go back to play them as often as possible. Two fantastic examples of this are Amplitude and Frequency, both games I enjoy often and have since their release back in the glory days of the PS2. Thinking that Harmonix had moved on to bigger and better things, I was a bit crushed inside to think that I would never again see a sequel to these successful music titles. One fateful day, Rock Band Unplugged for the PSP was announced and given a street date. If you were ever a fan of Frequency or Amplitude, then you should be delighted to know that Rock Band Unplugged is the sequel that you’ve been wishing for on all those sleepless nights.

If you ever enjoyed Amplitude, you’ll remember the frenetic pace of notes flying at you and the button combinations required to capture them. Every aspect of each song featured on the game, such as the vocals, drums, and guitar are all set on different star paths just as you would see in regular Rock Band. Instead of performing songs with peripherals, you’re relegated to only two directions on the PSP’s D-pad and two face buttons. Using these four buttons (rather than five like you may be used to), you’ll complete piece by piece of entire songs until you’ve got each audio track that the song is comprised of captured. That is, until you reach the next phrase. If you can’t play the notes in one phrase correctly, the meter to the left of your screen will begin to drop. Keep missing notes, and you’ll fail out. The gameplay is nearly identical to Rock Band, so there’s really no learning curve unless you can’t quite get the hang of simply pressing the PSP’s face buttons. I've completed it already, but that doesn't stop me from going back to it in every spare moment that I have. Fantastic.

The Legendary Starfy (DS)

I had high hopes for The Legendary Starfy. I had only heard of it through snippets in magazines and the various previews across the net. I knew going into it I would be in for quite the simple adventure, but I could have never foreseen this level of simplicity. Starfy makes all of the Kirby games look like speed runs of Majora's Mask. Repetitive levels, dumbed-down controls, and ridiculously simple puzzles make Starfy less fun than edutainment for children who have never picked up a platformer. Despite its overly cutesy packaging and marketing I was hoping for an engaging and intuitive platformer with a little more meat to it, especially since Nintendo is lacking in that department lately. Ah, well. At least it's super cute. I guess you could call that a plus. Don't bother picking it up unless you enjoy breezing through a game that doesn't even bother to put up a fight. Still, interesting concept, and the gorgeous color scheme is much appreciated. 

That's all for this week. Come back next week to see what I'm up to!