Here are some light and fluffy tidbits for you.

8 Nov 05

I apologize for any incoherence today. David had his first rough night in a while last night. Then he napped at times when I couldn't rest. So I'm down on sleep.

I'm working on two software and one hardware reviews for you. Assuming I get some gaming time in to finish them, most of them should be up shortly.

I also have some impressions/thoughts on games I'd like to share with you regardless of whether they get a more formal review later. Off we go:

SWAT 4 -- If you recall my mini review/impressions, you'll remember that I said if you don't mind the non lethal mind set of police work, SWAT 4 is one of the best tactical shooters around. That's still true. I wanted to add that I finally got my Dad to play. Big deal you say? Well, he's a deputy sheriff among other things and is on an emergency response team. He pretty much only plays tactical shooters. SWAT 3 was his previous favorite. His verdict? SWAT 4 is superior in nearly every way. If the genre interests you at all, grab yourself a copy or put it on your holiday list.

Burnout Revenge -- I played this on the Xbox. There's still something cathartic about driving near crazy out of control and causing accidents in a game. I would agree with reviews that it's generally easier than Burnout 3, it's just as fun. Overall it's hard to say it's better. It has some improvements, but also some new negatives. I'd say the user interface has taken a step backwards. At times it is more fun, but it's also harder to get into to play exactly what you want. This one probably shouldn't become a yearly series. If they take their time on the next one and make it a true next generation title, it'll be a day one purchase again. If they make just this level of changes again in the next iteration, it'll be an easy pass.

Shadow of the Colossus -- I admit I'm not very far into this one, but I can safely say it's something every gamer should experience. I'm not saying you have to buy it or finish it or necessarily even play it, but you should at least watch someone playing it. It's so different from anything else out there. The descriptions in reviews are intriguing, but they don't capture the feel of the game. If you spend time with it, Shadow will change some of your notions about gaming. Make sure you check it out somehow.

After all that, I think we should end with a light game of the week. It's the tactical action game Dynasty Warriors Advance (official site) from KOEI. Yes, the mindless hack and slash gets a little less mindless when ported down to the handheld Gameboy Advance. You choose from 13 warriors and 200 weapons add in some lite mission planning and plenty of special moves to carve your way to victory on over 180 maps. Dynasty Warriors Advance is available now.

Jason