Considering the volume of new games I've played over the past several weeks and months, I figured it was time to share my opinions on them with all of you briefly.

NOTE: When I say "new," that often means new to me, so bear with me as I review some titles that might not be hot off the shelves.


Madden NFL 08 (PlayStation2, EA Sports/Tiburon)I'm normally not a Madden fan, but the latest installment seems to have avoided most of what I hate about the series. AI is solid, play calling is seamless, controls are fabulous and I appreciate the depth of modes and attention to detail. Graphics are still kinda funky and the game still can't hold a candle to 2K's ESPN NFL 2K5, but the latest Madden is a solid and enjoyable game ... for once.
Rating: 4 out of 5

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (PlayStation2, Activision/Harmonix/MTV Games)More of what's made Guitar Hero so great, with a few added tweaks. Over 70 songs ensures a long stay with this title, and the boss battles with the likes of Tom Morelli and Slash are a welcome addition to single-player career mode. Timing forgiveness on the frets is annoying at first, but needed on higher difficulty levels. Solid, well-rounded set list and just more of that Guitar Hero goodness. Highly recommended.
Rating: 5 out of 5

Final Fantasy XII (PlayStation2, Square Enix)After a brief foray into the world of the MMORPG, Square's flagship title returns to its roots ... sort of. Everything you've come to expect from Final Fantasy is here -- lush graphics, epic story, many hours of gameplay and side quests -- but the random battles are gone, replaced by a more intuitive, real-time battle formula. The new system takes some getting used to, but within the first two hours it becomes second nature and really adds to the game. And kudos to the developers for adding a side quest (the hunts) centered around the new battle system.
Rating: 5 out of 5

Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (Nintendo DS, Nintendo)I loved the style and design of wind Waker for the GameCube, and I'm glad to see another Zelda game in that mold. Phantom Hourglass is a handheld masterpiece, and a game that does a good job of giving us traditional Zelda gameplay while making good use of the DS' unique capabilities. The sounds and dialogue get annoying at times, but no DS owner should be without this excellent offering.
Rating: 5 out of 5

New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo DS, Nintendo)Leave it to Nintendo to take a classic gameplay formula -- side-scrolling Mario -- and throw in enough kinks and innovations to make it feel like a brand-new experience. This latest installment gives us everything we love about our portly plumber, but the new additions -- specifically the super-shroom and tiny-shroom power-ups -- make everything feel fresh, while giving us older gamers a sense of nostalgia. Newer gamers will get a taste of what made games great before technology advanced like it did.
Rating: 4 out of 5

Daxter (PSP, Sony/Naughty Dog)While it isn't the epic quest the PS2 Jak and Daxter games are, Daxter is a nice diversion, and a worthy showcase of what the PSP can do. The game's a tad on the short side, but the gameplay mechanics and colorful graphics make up for it. This ride won't last long, and you won't see anything terribly new on the way, but it's still a fun ride.

Rating: 3 out of 5

So, that thing earlier? You know, about me not having a PlayStation3 or Xbox 360?

Yeah, there are a few reasons for that.

Mostly, the cost. Even though my job pays me pretty well, and I don't currently have that many bills to pay, I'm still not comfortable enough financially to pony up the cash for one of these machines. It doesn't help that I'm still watching and playing on a standard-definition TV, because there's another expense I can't afford.

I've seen these new consoles on standard TVs; the difference when compared to the PS2 and original Xbox are negligible at best, and I've seen plenty of smeared colors and blurry textures in standard definition. So if I'm going to pay that much for the next generation of videogame technology, I want to get everything out of it I possibly can. And in order to do that, I need an HDTV.

Cha-ching. Cha-ching.

But mostly, I can't find many games on these platforms that strike my fancy. Okay, I absolutely have to play Halo 3 at some point, but right now I can't justify picking up a 360 for just that one game. And on the PS3? Assassin's Creed and Heavenly Sword aside, I don't see anything I can't already get on one of the current-gen consoles.

And don't even think of throwing Guitar Hero at me. I have all four of them for my PS2, and while I realize I could be downloading extra tracks and enjoying enhanced visuals on the newer machines, I don't care. Same goes for all the other multi-platform releases; for now, I will ignore shinier visuals and online extras for the sake of simply playing the game.

Online play? Don't care; if I wanna play online, I'll start playing PC games again.

For now, plenty of current-gen games are holding my attention: Madden NFL 08, Burnout: Takedown, Final Fantasy XII, NASCAR 08, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, God of War II and Shadow of the Colossus all have me too occupied right now to even worry about the new machines.

And let's not forget my DS and PSP. I'm flat-out addicted to The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass and my PSP is busy with Castlevania: the Dracula X Chronicles and Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions. So it's not like I'm facing a shortage of games.

I rarely, if ever, pick up a console at the beginning of its life cycle, mostly because of the cost and the lack of quality titles up front. The first generation of titles for a console is almost always mediocre, with the true blockbuster titles hitting roughly a year or two after a machine's release. By that point, the prices have come down a little and I can feel more comfortable and justified in making these purchases.

And with HDTVs getting cheaper now, there's an added incentive to eventually pick up a PS3 and a 360. But right now? With game libraries so sparse and machines so expensive?

I'll pass, thanks.

Being a huge Guitar Hero nut, I'm naturally intrigued and excited by the upcoming Rock Band -- especially now that the game has been announced for release for the PlayStation2 on Dec. 17.

(Blogger's note: I don't have a PlayStation3 or Xbox 360; for more on that, tune in for a future blog entry.)

But now comes word, compliments of GameSpot.com, that buyers will not be able to purchase the game unbundled until after the holidays. The bundle that releases on Nov. 23 will come with the game, drum kit, guitar and mic. Web sites had listed each "instrument" for sale indiviually at the time of the game's release, but the announcement from Canadain gaming site The Bits Bytes Pixels and Sprites tells otherwise.

Presumably, the second guitar can be one of the units already sold with the previous Guitar Hero entries.

Price tag? $169.99 ($159.99 for the PS2 bundle). That's more than a new PS2, and almost half of what a PS3 or 360 cost.

Would you pay console prices for a game, no matter how kick-ass it might be? I'm not sure I would.

Then again, being first in line and ahead of the curve has never appealed to me. I hardly ever buy new consoles on the first cycle of shipments (part of it's money, part of it's knowing the first line of systems is always buggy), and I rarely get games the instant they hit the shelves.

Guitar Hero III being the exception.

I'm sure I'll get my hands on Rock Band eventually, but at release? With that price tag? Probably not.

Is it sad that I'm more excited about the upcoming release of Guitar Hero III than I am over Halo 3? Granted, that's probably because I don't have an Xbox 360 (or the HDTV that would have to go with it for everything to look really purty) yet, but still; the biggest game release since ... well, the last Halo ... and all I can do is shrug my shoulders?

Oh, well.

Less than a month before the release of GHIII; not to mention the debut solo album for System of a Down front man Serj Tankian, Elect the Dead. First two singles are real good stuff; looking forward to the full album.

Though I would love a new SoaD album.

Stop the presses. Call Hell, see if they're seeing snow flakes.

I bought the new Madden game, and I love it.

That's right, you read correctly. I, shameless Madden hater extraordinaire, gave in and purchased Madden NFL 08 for my PlayStation2 and found myself hooked ever since. It's still not quite the gridiron classic ESPN NFL 2K5 is, but considering how I loathe this series? Hooked is saying a lot.

I'm not even sure what it is, to be perfectly honest. It's sure as hell not the graphics, because these guys look as mutated and stunted as ever. It's not the sound, cause frakkly, it sucks. I guess ... it's the fact that the game actually feels solid. It's not the AI disaster previous editions of the games were and it's got a lot of the features I look for in a football game -- like Franchise mode.

Yeah, ESPN 2K5 has that too, but for some reason, I felt drawn to Madden 08 and now that I have it, I can't put it down. The running game is challenging without being frustrating, the passing game isn't nearly as laughable as it used to be (no more succeeding in triple coverage!) and overall it's just a better game of football.

ESPN 2K5 is still smoother and quicker and an overall more realistic football experience, but Madden 08 is a lot like Madden 04 in that it fixed everything I hate about the series and left behind a pretty enjoyable, if not uninspiring, game of football. If I gave out ratings (and I probably should start), I'd give Madden 08 a four out of five stars.

ESPN 2K5, to this day, still gets five out of five. It's just that good.

Okay, enough of this insanity; time to go back to my Guitar Hero fixation and consider starting a weekly YouTube videogame review show. Let me know if you think it'll be a good idea.

Some quick impressions of two of this week's new releases:

Guitar Hero Encore: Rock the 80s (PlayStation2; Activision, RedOctane/Harmonix): If RedOctance and Harmonix aren't careful, they just might ruin one of the best things to happen to gaming over the past couple years. Guitar Hero Encore: Rock the 80s is good, make no mistake, but this is less a true sequel and more an expansion pack for GHII. Problem is, Activision's selling it as a sequel, right down to the $50 price tag. GH freaks will pick this one up and find a lot to like, but the fact is ... this game has 30 songs (less than half the setlist for GHII) with no bonus tracks for purchase in the in-game store. The 1980s restyling is nice, but the gimmick wears off fast. Early tracks are boring (aside from "We Got the Beat," which is way too difficult to be the second track in Career mode), but things get much more interesting the longer you go. Rock the 80s will tide us over until Guitar Hero III in October, and it's a fun ride, but this would feel like a better game if we'd only had to pay $25, $30 for it.

Rating: 4 out of a 5

NASCAR 08 (PlayStation2 -- also available for PlayStation3 and Xbox 360; EA Sports): I was underwhelmed by NASCAR 07; the career formula had grown stale and the physics needed a bit of an overhalu. While NASCAR 08 does little to change the career mode (you still run qualifier laps to improve your initial contract offers and work your way through Modified, Craftsman Truck, Busch and Nextel Cup Series), it tightened up the physics and made the game more user-friendly for the NASCAR novices among us. The Car of Tomorrow makes its digital debut and actually does handle differently from its current counterpart. Add a slew of bigtime NASCAR names and every Nextel Cup track, and this game could be a gearhead's dream. PS2 visuals do show their age, but renewed physics and true-to-life NASCAR action make this a worthy addition.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Earlier in this intrepid (if not sometimes horribly outdated) blog, I made mention of my renewed interest in the Tomb Raider franchise. Crystal Dynamics took over a franchise dangerously close to its deathbed and revitalized it with an inspired effort in Tomb Raider Legend. The title, which I expected little from, was fresh and invigorating and fun in ways that reminded me of the first two TR games.

So much so I went back and played the original Tomb Raider on my PSOne ... and promptly noticed how much adventure games have changed in the 11 years since Lara's debut.

But now Crystal Dynamics has decided to give me -- oh yeah, and the rest of the gaming world -- a look back at the (timeless?) classic with the release of Tomb Raider Anniversary. I've yet to play this title, but if it makes use of Legend's engine and I can find it for a relatively paltry $30, I'm sure I'll be marching to my local GameStop soon for a copy.

In the meantime, I have a few ... preliminary thoughts about the game.

I generally don't care much for remakes; usually, I think a game was done well enough the first time around and any attempt to remake it would rob the original or its charm and the things that made me interested in the game in the first place. Either that or the original was just so bad a remake has no basis or merit.

Crow all you want about attracting a new, sometimes younger audience (right, Mario?), but for gamers like me, I prefer to remember the "old days" of a game, rather than try to relive the past in a newer, more graphically-advanced package.

But for Tomb Raider, I think I'll make an exception, because I think Anniversary can help purge the horrible memories of how this franchise went so wrong for so long. Yeah, I can plod through Tomb Raider and Tomb Raider II and enjoy myself, but there's also that bittersweet realization that these two games represented the franchise's best years; it was all downhill from there.

Tomb Raider III was average. Tomb Raider: the Last Revelation was worse than average. Tomb Raider Chronicles was just a joke -- and not a very funny one, at that. And I'd prefer it if we never spoke of Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness again.

The franchise gave way to two pretty forgettable films, despite Angelina Jolie turning in decent performances as Lara Croft. She did what she could, but she had little, if anything, to work with.

And the comic book? Witchblade thinks its pointless and gratuitous.

But with the release -- and success -- of Legend, the series has a little credibility again, which is what really makes a remake possible. And why is the remake a good idea? I'd guess that for a lot of gamers, Legend was their first taste of the Tomb Raider franchise. And with PSOne games becoming harder to come by in retail outlets (EB and GameStop stopped selling used titles long ago), showing the new fans the series roots can be a tricky proposition if one doesn't know the right people.

So why not re-invent the original title with the mechanics and engine of the current hit? In the case of Tomb Raider, it makes all the sense in the world. And though I've yet to play Anniversary, I have a feeling I won't be disappointed when I do.

I've read online reviews in which the writers gripe about the lackluster combat and the lack of action. To me, this isn't an issue, because Tomb Raider has never been about combat or action. You want a game with a good fighting engine, go pick up God of War II (hell, pick that game up anyway, because it freakin' rocks!); Tomb Raider is, and always has been, a more cerebral, environment-dependant experience.

And because of Legend's quality, I'm willing to dive into the tombs once again. I'll probably pick the title up in the next week or so, then I'll have my impressions of it for you as soon as I get enough hours under my belt.

This is assuming, of course, I can put down Guitar Hero II ...

I have found a new game addiction, something that might just have achieved the impossible. See, I once thought there was no game in existence that could surpass Tetris in terms of addictiveness. In the world of videogames, Tetris was crack.

But if that's the case, then what's Guitar Hero II? Heroine?

Either way, I've had a copy of GHII for about a week now, and I struggle to put it down. I also struggle on anything aside from Easy mode for right now, but more than anything, I have trouble putting the guitar down.

Time to go to work ... but one more song!

Time was, I swore I'd never touch this game. I thought it was nothing more than a pointless little gimmick, some company's attempt to cash in on the whole Dance Dance Revolution craze (DDR being a game I have played and loathed unlike just about any other game I've ever loathed).

But when I finally gave in and strapped on the plastic guitar, I was humbled -- and hooked.

Not to the point where I'll modify my PlayStation2 in order to try and play custom songs that aren't in the original game, but hooked to the point where I make time to play GHII at least once a day -- most days two or three times.

I'm going on vacation next week ... and taking my PS2 with me, just so I can play Guitar Hero.

I may be late to the party, but now that I'm here, I'm having a ball. And better to be late to the party than to miss it entirely.

So I'm getting used to Final Fantasy XII's battle system (see post below for more on that), and I gotta say...as great as I thought this game would be before, it's exceeding even those expectations now.

First of all, this game's battle sequence isn't entirely action-based. It's still turn-based to a degree, but it;s a vastly different from the Final Fantasy titles of old. The turn-based mechanics are disguised by a free-roaming camera, real-time enemy movements (and AI!) and a more fluid engine that resembles those used in MMORPGs to give the illusion of action-based combat.

Still, the formula, combined with an intuitive Gambit system and the License boards, works brilliantly, so much so that going back to the battle systems of old FF titles almost seems dreadful.

Almost.

That said, it pains me to think how long this game's going to take to complete. Nearly eight hours into the game, I'm almost at level 10, and apparently I have quite a way to go. Granted, I'm taking part in the game hunting side quests as much as possible, but as it stands...I've played eight hours, but feel as if I've already logged in about 20.

But that's okay, because as far as I'm concerned, most games are far too short today. And if it takes me fewer than 40 hours to beat a Final Fantasy game (the first time through, anyway), then I'm left disappointed.

For as long as it took to come out, for how disappointed I was in the series' change of direction with the online-only FFXI, I'm more than happy to report FFXII is every bit as good as everyone said it was. It's no FFVII or FFX, but it's no FFX-2, either.