I made a stop by Best Buy on the way home from a 10 HOUR SHIFT today and treated myself to a few goodies:
Guitar Hero: Smash Hits for Wii:
Not a “new” Guitar Hero game, but a compilation featuring songs from the first three Guitar Hero games plus one Aerosmith song from Guitar Hero: Aerosmith and a few from Rocks the ’80s. I own Guitar Hero III and Aerosmith, but have never even played the first two games or Rocks the ’80s (which all total, account for something like 41 of 48 songs in the game), so this was a must buy for me.
I’ve only played a handful of songs so far in Quick Play (Avenged Sevenfold, Ratt, Warrant, Motley Crue, Poison and Judas Priest), but it’s the usual addictive GH gameplay.
And now we have Guitar Hero 5 and Guitar Hero: Van Halen to look forward to in just a few months! Hm… What other bands are worthy of their own GH installment? Led Zeppelin? Black Sabbath? I’d love to see a KISS game, but I know that’s a long shot. After that, my choices are even more unlikely (Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Motley Crue, Guns N Roses, Megadeth).
The Transformers: The Complete First Season
I passed on the original Transformers DVDs that Rhino Entertainment released. First off, cartoon nostalgia hadn’t hit me fully yet (I was still in conflict over whether it was okay for a man of my age to watch cartoons… the answer is YES) and the prices were atrocious anyway and that drove me off from even taking the chance. Besides, Transformers were always third in line behind G.I. Joe and He-Man for me.
Well, now this baby just got released yesterday for only $20 right now at most stores and for that price I had to pick it up despite not having seen a TF episode since it was re-aired in the early 90s as “The New Generation” or whatever bull that was. So this wasn’t a moment of getting hyped for the new movie (I thought the first one was pretty bad), but another attempt to reclaim my childhood.
Maybe I can do a write up on this set at some point.
June 18, 2009 at 10:09 am |
I’m not a big fan of Guitar Hero since Harmonix gave it up, but I do still play the first two games every once in a while. I’m behind the times, I know. I want Rock Band so bad.
I’ve seen quite a few episodes of Transformers in the last couple years. It is a mystery to me that this show was and is so damn popular. Concept: good. Characters: entertaining. Toy designs: pretty awesome. Cartoon show: not so hot. But that’s just my opinion.
June 18, 2009 at 9:51 pm |
Eh, I’m not really worried about Rock Band. I really only care about the guitar and I think GH has had better ROCK songs so far. Plus, I don’t really have anyone to play in a “band” with.
As for TF, you may be right, they’ve never stuck with me through the years like other shows have. Maybe it’ll be a bust for me.
June 20, 2009 at 12:45 pm |
Was wondering Annette and Metal Misfit, you mention industries (Harmonix) as well as whether or not there are people to play with – do you think these things influence individual play? Would love to keep in touch – started a research blog http://nicolapallitt.wordpress.com/ I am doing my thesis on SA teens GH gaming practices. I think it’s important to chat to other people online though, despite age or location to get a broader sense of factors that influence gaming practices. Have subscribed to Metal’s blog:)
June 26, 2009 at 9:53 am |
The developer usually doesn’t play much of a part in whether I pick up a game or not. The publisher sometimes does though.
As for playing with others, with GH specifically, it doesn’t really affect me. I can get along just fine playing the guitar. Having someone else to play with would add to the enjoyment, but not a necessity. In the case of fighting games and first person shooters though, I’ll stay away from them because I don’t have anyone to play with.
June 30, 2009 at 10:58 am |
Sometimes I pay attention to the developer when I’m buying a game. If it’s by a developer I trust, then I’m much more likely to make a blind purchase. As for Guitar Hero and Harmonix, I just felt that the series lost some charm and heart when Activision took it over.
I would play Rock Band regardless of whether I had someone to play it with. It would be even more fun if I did have more people to share the experience, but it’s not a requirement. And I have spent many hours playing Guitar Hero by myself.
June 30, 2009 at 12:31 pm |
I’ve tried going online for GH, but the game can never find anyone.
I imagine the pickings aren’t so slim for 360 & PS3 versions though.