Firstly, the games on the docket:

• Crackdown (XBox 360) – I’ve finished the game and am enjoying working on getting achievements. This is one of the best games I’ve played in a while and…yeah. It’s just really really good. I’m hoping to get into some co-op soon.
• Guitar Hero 2 (Xbox 360) – I’ve beaten the game on Hard and I’m going through it on Expert. I have two more set lists to finish before I’m done with this. It’s a pretty sweet game. And I’m hoping I can get past the last two set lists soon.

Those are the two of been playing the most recently. I just started taking the bus, so I should be brining my DS fully back into the fold agin. I also got a hold of the Trust Bell (Eternal Sonata) beta a few weeks ago. The game seems pretty solid, so I’m really looking forward to that and Blue Dragon. Should be a lot of good rpgs coming this summer, and I’m really psyched about it. I’ve been pretty busy so I’ve done a lot more Live Arcade playing than anything else; mainly because those games are easier to pick up and play in bursts.

I was going to comment on the recent sales numbers of consoles, but that isn’t really topical and I just don’t feel I’d add anything to it. I’m interested to see how things play out over the coming months. I’m especially interested to see how long the Wii can sustain the kinds of sales it is.

Oh, and watching the PS3 flounder is just fun to watch.

• Crackdown (XBox 360) – I ordered this from the company store and it arrived yesterday, and I can already say I’m hooked. The game world is huge, and I’m finding I’m enjoying the side stuff as much as I am the main game. Plus it’s really fun to just try crazy stuff. I think we may have actually created a sandbox style game that is as good, if not better in some ways, as GTA.
• Viva Pinata (XBox 360) – I picked this up while I was in Seattle from the company store and it’s pretty fun. I’d probably see myself getting much further, faster, but…well…see my entry on Crackdown.
• Advance Wars: Duel Strike (DS) – I’ve picked this game back up on my DS. Not sure why, but I’ve had a bit of a strategy jonesing. Can’t really explain it, but this is a game I’m enjoying playing, especially the non-campaign stuff. (The campaign has gotten a bit hard and I don’t feel like dealing with it right now. I know, I’m lazy)
• Touch Detective (DS) – This was another game I came back to, especially during my interviews. (You have downtime, and I used my DS and Zune to keep my nerves calm.) Surprisingly, it really is a fun game; albiet the puzzles can be a bit random, but I seem to be doing ok.
• Dead Rising (XBox 360) – Here’s one I wasn’t expecting to make such a powerful return. I jumped back into this the week before I was in Seattle and I fell back in love with this game. The big key is the realization that I can’t beat every mission the first time through. Once I stopped worrying about trying to beat everything, I started having a better time. I will say, this game is really good.
• Lost Planet (XBox 360) - I tend to come to this off and on. I’m on the fourth level and it’s pretty fun. Definitely not my game of choice right now, but it’s still really strong.

There are some other games I’m kind of still playing, but a bunch (Gears, Contact, Elite Beat Agents, Zelda), have all kind of fallen to the way side. Mainly because I’ve reached a point where I have one thing to beat but not quite ready to (Contact); I’ve already beaten it and want to move on to other things(Gears); or I’m just not feeling it (Zelda). But yeah, I’m fully back into gaming, which is pretty sweet.

Seriously, I never realized how spoiled I have become till I realized I wanted to put what my Mii on my site. Suddenly I couldn’t do that. There’s no slick and awesome way of including my favorite Zune tracks in an email signature (I actually see my gamercard tags in email signatures at work). The Zune thing I find truly funny since the slogan is “Join the Social” Sure, I raved about this when I first go the 360, but I kind of just took it for granted. All this community stuff…I need it. I expect it.

I understand that there are people who don’t want that level of information to be available about them, but there are privacy settings for just that reason. I, on the other hand, like letting people know what I like to play and listen to. Shoot, I actively blog about it.

You have me hooked, XBox Division, you have me truly hooked.

• Ray-man Raving Rabbids (Wii) – I’ve basically finished this game. I’ve gotten the incomplete ending, and it’s only a matter of finishing up a few last games to get the full one. I’ll work it off slowly. But overall, an awesome experience.
• Gears of War (XBox 360) – I occasionally play this with my buddy Dan co-op. I also play with my office mates online a little. But until I finish co-op with Dan (we’re using my save game) I can’t play it by myself.
• Wii Sports (Wii) – I like to play this with some non-game music in the background. My favorite is the Quincy Jones – Homerun Derby combination.
• Zelda: Twighlight Princess (Wii) – I’m about 25% of the way through it. It’s a good game, and I enjoy it, but it’s not my favorite. It’s not the aww inspiring game everyone seems to be making it out to be.
• Lost Planet (XBox 360) – I caved. I bought it at the prodding of my buddies at work who all bought it. It’s really good, and really pretty. But like Dead Rising (they’re produced by the same guy), it can be a little intense at times. But the multi-player is pretty sweet.
• Anything on my DS – Currently all of my DS games are on hold since I’m reading on the train right now. It kind of sucks, but I have a good reason for it. Hopefully one I’ll be able to talk about soon.

So that’s the list of the games I’m currently playing. I also got the Crackdown demo last night, and it’s pretty sweet. I think I’ll pick that game up when it hits the company store. Oh, I also pre-ordered Guitar Hero 2 for the 360. It looks awesome, and I got semi-hooked on Guitar Hero at Jeff’s place a few days ago.

• Contact (DS) - I’m almost done with this. I have one more island to beat and I’m done. Overall, I’ve really enjoyed this game through and through. I may come back later and try to get 100% complete, but I doubt I will. Who knows.
• Final Fantasy 12 (PS2) - I got much more into this game when I was in Cincinnati. Since my parents lack an HD TV, and the PS2 I have is a slimline, I through this in my suitcase and brought it. I’ve got a ways to go, but so far, it isn’t bad. The story hasn’t gripped me nearly as much as others in the series, but I’ll give it time.
• Gears of War (360) - I beat this with my old roommate, Justin, when I was in Seattle, and I still play multi-player with a bunch of guys at the office on a regular basis. It’s awesome. That’s all I have to say about that.
• Children of Mana (DS) - I swap this with Contact on the train. It’s much more mindless and I like that. This game is also a great travel companion given that it’s very quick to get in and out of.
• Ray-man Raving Rabbids (Wii) - It’s a collection of party games that is awesome. It’s the surprise of my recent purchases in terms of games. Everything else has turned out to be as I expected. But this has gone beyond my hopes. It is awesome. Seriously.
• Wii Sports (Wii) – There hasn’t been a “everyone has fun at a party” game like this since Golden-eye. Strike that, this is even better. Everyone who plays this loves it. I play it at home because it’s just awesome.
• Zelda: Twighlight Princess (Wii) – I’ve kind of put this on the back-burner. For a while, I was hooked, but then I hit a puzzle and just don’t feel like trying to figure it out. So I’ve gone to other games. It’s awesome, and once I get back into it, I’ll probably go nuts again.

So what about the other games I listed last time? Not much has totally changed. I picked up FF3, but I’m waiting till I finish Contact. I figure I have enough games on my plate. I’m actually going to hold of purchasing the next major game that’s coming out, Lost Planet. Even though the single player is awesome (I played the demo too many times to count), I just can’t justify spending the cash on it. When I widdle down some more of the games on my list, I’ll pick it up. I just have enough on my plate.

Sigh…I love this. I have enough games and systems that I can play games dependent on my mood, not based on if it’s all I have. It’s actually nice to not have to force myself to play something. It’s like my music collection, I can play based on my feelings. It’s so enjoyable. Mind you, I have a lot of very very good games to get through, but I also have enough to get through the spring/summer lull.

Overall, I think the system is a solid secondary system. The games I’ve gotten to play so far have been solid, but I don’t see the system replacing my 360. I do like the idea of the controller, and I’ve seen it used pretty well. Whether this lasts waits to be seen.

I will say that the VC will definitely be good, though. I’ve already played Sonic and will get Zelda soon. It’s pretty sweet, especially since I can use the Wii-mote for some of the games. It’s pretty cool.

So now, I have two of the three “next-gen” consoles, and that’s all I plan on getting. At least for now. It’s too early to say whether Sony is going to really make it with the PS3. So far the craptacular launch isn’t giving me much to believe in. *shrugs* Oh well, for now, I’m pleased with my Wii60.

First things, I picked up Mega Man ZX for the DS last week. So far, I’ve only been playing it for a couple of days (I’ve reserved it to mainly commute playing), but I really like it. I haven’t played a Mega Man game in a long time, but I definitely like the feel of this one.

Second up, I’m about 40% of the way through Enchanged Arms and I am really enjoying the game. It’s definitely a good RPG with which to get back into the genre, although the writing, as many reviews have stated, leaves a bit to be desired. Overall, it’s a really good game. I think a lot of the reviews don’t do it justice, but that’s just my opinion.

I’ve also been playing a lot of NCAA Football 2007; especially when Dan comes over. It is lacking a bit of polish, but it’s solid and really good for the first version on the XBox 360.

Finally, the big one, I’ve already pre-ordered a Nintendo Wii last week. A buddy of mine saw that Amazon was taking pre-orders and I jumped all over it. Apparently I got in at a good time, because Amazon sold out of their pre-orders in a day. Hopefully I’ll get one on the first day, but we’ll have to say.

So yeah, a lot of video game playing, which is funny given the amount of time I’ve spent also getting fit. Guess I just have good balance.

Is reason enough to buy the new Rayman gaming coming for the Wii. This was apparently made to celebrate the French victory over Brazil. (The developers, Ubisoft, are French).

Oh, and Va L’Italia!
(My World Cup allegiance isn’t biased in any way…)