Heatseeker (for Nintendo Wii)

Fast Flying Frenzied Fun


Heatseeker is a fun game, but maybe a little much for the lesser experienced fliers out there.

I like a good flight experience. As I said in another review, I am no connoisseur, but I enjoy a little violence in three-dimensional space on occasion. Right out of the box, Heatseeker is almost that experience. Normally, I prefer to fly less advanced aircraft, prop planes or smaller WWII era jets. The super fast, modern jets take some getting used to, at least for me.

The most obvious thing about Heatseeker is that it is FAST, at least compared to most flying games in my experience. Fortunately, you have equally fast (and deadly) armaments to help you out. Yes, you have a gun, but you’ll find that of little help when you have a sky full of enemies screaming around you at mach 3. That is when your unlimited supply of guided missiles comes in. Lock on, launch, and watch the pretty fireworks.

Heatseeker is loaded with options that can increase or decrease the enjoyment level, depending on your tastes. An impact camera gives you the opportunity to watch your missiles slam into the bad guys, providing a little break from the action and some visual excitement. However, you’re stuck waiting for the movie to end before you can get back to the action. This can be a good thing if you want a little break, but it can also be frustrating when, in the heat of the battle, you are forced to wait for your next kill. Once the novelty wears off, just turn the camera off for full fledged, unobtrusive fighting.

The biggest challenges have to do with the controls. Admittedly, flight can be a challenge on the Wii. Some games, like Blazing Angels, use a much more intuitive approach. Heatseeker uses the Wiimote for flight controls, and the nunchuck for some control options and secondary weapons. And for me, it doesn’t quite work. The controls are VERY sensitive, which with some practice, is a good thing. But I spent a fair amount of time slamming into the open ocean before I began to “get the hang of it”.

Again, sim enthusiasts may want to steer clear of Heatseeker. It is definitely much more an arcade shooter than a true flight sim. Pro control options allow a much more realistic flight experience than some games, but the unlimited supply of munitions and sparse take-offs and landings all put this game in the “arcade” category as opposed to “sim”.

Overall, Heatseeker is a fun game for those with some flight experience under their belt, and patience to get comfortable with the somewhat awkward controls.

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Wii)

Stop reading now and go buy the thing.

Seriously, go.

I had heard about Guitar Hero, and being a musician and teacher, the concept sort of frightened me at first. I've seen all kinds of music "games" and learn to play this and that in thirty days, etc. Almost without exception, the game/program/video/toy is a complete joke, a waste of money, and usually not any fun.

My opinion started to change earlier this summer. My young nephews were visiting, and they brought along their Playstation 2. As I washed dishes in the kitchen, I heard Black Sabbath and Rush emanating from the living room. My curiosity piqued, I stepped into the living room to see my nephew sitting on the couch, plastic guitar in hand, jamming along to some of the greatest songs of my youth. Music I NEVER would have imagined him enjoying, let alone ever being exposed to.

I'm not advocating Guitar Hero as an educational game. Sure, it certainly can help to instill a better sense of rhythm, but playing the game is so unlike playing an actual guitar that any comparison is almost laughable. The greatest thing about Guitar Hero, other than it being a complete blast to play, is that it exposes today's youth to dozens of examples of GOOD music, from a time and place when actual talent was required to be a musician. Notice: not a sign anywhere of Britney, boy bands, or any of the typical atrocious pop that passes for music these days.

If you haven't played Guitar Hero, an explanation of the game won't do it any justice. It's like swimming in the ocean, it can be described a million different ways, but until you've experienced it, you have no idea.

This newest Guitar Hero doesn't seem to have that much more to offer, but it doesn't really matter. If they kept making Guitar Hero II over and over again with a new set of songs, I would buy every one. (The original Guitar Hero's multiplayer mode isn't as good as GH II.) There are new characters, new styles, guitars, and of course songs. But none of that really matters, because once the notes come flying at you, you won't even notice who you are and certainly not what you're wearing!

This new version supports multiplayer online play. Online play seems to be all the rage these days, but it's just not my thing. But the option to be able to play with a friend (or a stranger) in a distant part of the world only adds to the value.

The biggest, and to my knowledge, only problem with Guitar Hero III for Wii is that currently you cannot buy a second standalone guitar controller. My favorite part of Guitar Hero is the multiplayer mode, where you can compete or cooperate with a friend. Especially since Guitar Hero III has a COOPERATIVE CAREER MODE, you'd think offering a standalone controller at release would be a no-brainer.

If you've read this far, you've already wasted too much time. You could have been half way to the store. Go, go NOW! You won't regret it.

Carnival Games (Wii) - A Carnival In Your Living Room!

We in our family are suckers for the Wii "party games". We can never have enough fun multiplayer games to keep the gang interested. This is why Carnival Games for the Wii caught my interest right away.

No ifs, ands, or buts, this is a fun game. Relive those hazy summer weekends walking up and down the county fair boardwalk. Throw some darts, knock over some fuzzy guys, shoot some ducks and stars.

This is a perfect game for the Wii, where the multitude of games require a simple point-and-shoot or a quick aim and toss. There are only a few necessary skills required, and the games are nicely sectioned so the repetitive motions don't get TOO repetitive. Skeeball, knock-over-the-bottles, pop-the-balloons, all fit into the "aim and toss" category, while shoot-the-ducks, throw-the-football, and others fall into the "aim and shoot" category. Filling out the games selection is a number or more unique games, such as ring-the-bell (strength test) or roll-the-bowling ball-over-the-hump. Fun!

There are several extras to unlock, and PLENTY of prizes and tickets to win. We've only played the game for one evening, but I'm already looking forward to many more hours of entertainment.

Not everything is perfect, however. Most notably is the lack of Mii support. You must create a Mii-type character to participate. The Carnival Games character generator pales in comparison to the myriad variety supplied in the actual Mii generator. It seems silly to me that they couldn't, or wouldn't, support the native Mii characters. Also, the multiplayer mode should have been implemented much more smoothly. For many games, such as ring toss and ball throw, it seems obvious that several players could play concurrently, just like the actual carnival game. However, this is not the case. Players must take turns, throwing one ball, dart, or ring and wait a seemingly interminable amount of time while the carnie gives his advice (or admonishment) before the next player can go. However, some games DO allow multiple players to compete at the same time.

All in all, this is a surprisingly fun game for so simple a concept. All the classics are represented, and are done exceptionally well. Some games are simple but addictive, while others are quite challenging and can be frustrating. Add to this the relatively inexpensive price tag ($40 as opposed to $50 for most new releases) and you have an all-around winner.

Snakes & Arrows (Limited Edition MVI DVD)

I gave up on Rush several albums ago, in the early 90s. I do not blame Rush, however, I blame myself. But after several years and several albums passed by, I rediscovered a long lost friend while playing a video game. A song on the game soundtrack just happened to be a Rush song I had not heard before!

A little research and a trip to the used CD store later, I filled in the few albums I had missed since I stopped paying attention in the early 90s.

Rush was once-upon-a-time one of my all time favorite bands. But, and true Rush fans will attest to this, they have a habit of almost completely reinventing themselves every four albums or so. I get it. I'm a musician, too, and I understand the need and desire for new and fresh and challenge. I just found it difficult to keep up with their musical meanderings.

The late 90s Rush was like an old friend you haven't seen in awhile. Although the passion was always there, back was the ferocity and aggression I missed from the EARLY days. Neil Peart's strenuous liner notes noted new and harder influences and it was apparent in the music.

Over the next few years, I became reacquainted with my old friend. So I got a little excited when I heard they were (finally!) releasing a new full length CD. And then I got VERY excited when I realized they were releasing the same, but in a feature-packed deluxe DVD- audio version. I waited and waited while my pre-order from Amazon was repeatedly delayed and eventually arrived.

After all that, was it worth?

Yes. I'm not overwhelmed, but I haven't been by a new Rush album since the mid-80s. They take time to get used to, like dipping your tootsies in the pool or sipping your soup. What has always impressed me most about the group is how much sound is being created by only three guys. Rush is a smorgasbord of sound and rhythm, and sometimes a little much to take in all at once. The music can be hard, and not like a rock, but more like a trigonometry test. They ain't your daddy's pop band.

But a few things are obvious. The sound quality is killer. The PCM 96k 24 bit stereo channel is clean, clear, brilliant, and amazing. The disc also includes the ubiquitous 5.1 mix for that more contemporary sound. Whether or not you are a Rush fan, if you appreciate good music, there's no denying that an evening with this disc on a quality sound system is time well spent.

The video portion is fine - nothing great, no surprises. It offers a nice and LONG glimpse at the behind-the-scenes thing. Rush fanatics will revel in it's inclusion, those not so fanatical will likely not find it worth bothering with. The members of Rush, virtuoso percussionist and lyricist Neil Peart especially, apparently have no problems with discussing their work, and do so unabashedly.

One of the nicest surprises is the inclusion of high quality MP3 versions of all the songs. This is great not only for the convenience, but I can imagine the guys in the band saying, "These guys buying the DVD version are going to have trouble ripping the songs, not like a CD. Hey! Let's GIVE 'EM some MP3s!" Gotta love that.

I'm not the type of person to discuss every song on the album and I won't do so now. I will sum up by saying that SNAKES & ARROWS isn't that much of a departure from the modern Rush. It does have some of the best songs I've heard from them in awhile, and it's very quickly growing on me. It's a meld of old and new Rush, same great taste, less calories.

Living Colour: On Stage at World Cafe Live

I’ve been a Living Colour fan for a long time, well before they hit anything near mainstream and then shortly disappeared from the pop culture radar. I’ve even managed to see them live, which if you knew anything about me personally, is a testament to how much I like them.

So I was pretty hyped to hear that one of my more favorite bands was FINALLY coming out with a live concert DVD. Hyped, but hesitant. After all, it’s been twenty-something years or so since I first discovered Living Colour. I’ve watched with increasing trepidation over the years as my musical icons age not-so-well. Oh, Jimmy Paige… what did you do to yourself!

I should not have been concerned. These.guys.ROCK. Vocalist and showman extraordinaire Corey Glover is amazing. I would seriously consider giving up a not-too-unimportant portion of my anatomy to be able to sing like him. Guitarist guru Vernon Reid shreds like he was born to it, with a surrealistic mix of finesse and raunch that few can match. Drummer Wil Calhoun is as solid as ever; laying a flawless foundation that simultaneously supports and enhances the other musicians’ brilliant performances. And of course, bassist Doug Wimbush is up to his usual wizardry.

As great as it is to finally see these guys in the comfort of my own home on a quality DVD, all is not well. First and most importantly, the show is too short. Clocking in at just under an hour, my craving was barely sated before it was all over. Predictably, the crowd is lame. It was just a little bit disconcerting to watch the guys’ faces as they rocked their hearts out before a less-than-enthusiastic crowd. As much as I was enjoying the performance, I achingly longed for a more appropriate crowd. (Being a performing musician myself, I know full well how the crowd’s reaction can make or break a show.) Admittedly, the crowd finally comes alive for the encore performance of Cult of Personality. Imagine that. And perhaps this is more of a nit than an actual complaint, but Doug Wimbush sings one song! Mr. Wimbush does a fine job, and in any other setting my reaction would have been significantly less subdued. But… DUDE! You have freakin’ COREY GLOVER in the band! ‘nuff said.

The song choice is adequate if not totally exciting. The usual crowd pleasers are there, but considering this ground breaking group has five full length albums and an EP or two floating around out there, do we really need to hear Glamour Boys again?

All in all, and especially considering the lack of concert footage available, this disc has easily garnered a place among my favorites. If you call yourself a fan, there’s no question you need this disc. If you’re among the curious, I encourage you to check it out. If you like what you see and hear, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of Time’s Up, the band’s seminal musical creation, IMHO.

Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII

For Nintendo Wii

I’ll get right to the point: this is a fun game.

I’ve flown everything from an F-15 on my old Commodore 64 to a TIE Defender through interstellar space. I’ve been in dogfights against the Red Baron, Japanese Kamikaze, and Darth Vader. I like flying. I’m no connoisseur, but I enjoy a little violence in three-dimensional space on occasion.

Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII for Nintendo Wii, quite frankly, is MY kind of game. It’s challenging, but not too hard. I’m not ashamed to admit I need to restart from a checkpoint every once in awhile. Although most of the time it’s because I tend to fly too low and crash into things. Buildings. Ship masts. The Eiffel Tower. That kind of thing.

There is a nice selection of planes, and plenty of unlockable extras. In addition to the standard Campaign mode, you can jump into immediate action in the Arcade mode, or fly with a buddy in the sweet multi-player mode. A better non-network multiplayer flying experience does not come easily to mind.

Like seemingly all Wii games, the controls take some getting used to. One peek at the game manual and I was instantly overwhelmed with the myriad control options. I left the default, Arcade Nunchuck Sensitive, and hoped for the best. I found the controls very intuitive, just like holding your hand out the window of a moving car and “flying” your extended digits. Using the default control options, the Wii remote becomes almost superfluous, being used only for optional controls. All the good stuff is in the ‘chuck.

True flight enthusiasts and sim heads might not be too pleased. Part of what I like about the game is it’s inattention to realism in the appropriate spots. For the most part, you have unlimited ammunition, including bombs and rockets. You need not be concerned about running out of fuel. Take offs and landings are sparse, and (thankfully) easy. Just remember to put the landing gear down!

I believe the game is trying to be original with a weird target-centered camera view option. I find the thing annoying, and don’t quite see the point. It’s much more useful when approaching a stationary bombing target than tracking a rogue enemy ace, but I prefer to find my foes the old fashioned way.

While this game may lack the more realistic and exciting aspects of say, Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe, it also lacks the frustration that too much realism can bring to a game. In my opinion, it’s an even trade. Right now I’m having a really good time flying around knocking Jerries out of the sky without giving a thought to my round count, fuel gauge, or whether or not my wings are going to rip off because I’m in too steep a dive.

Roomba 4100 (Red)

It takes about 45 minutes to do what I could accomplish with an upright vacuum in 15, but it does it every day, and it does it without my help. It dares to go where no vacuum has gone before (under the bed and other furniture). Plus, it's a robot and it's really cute.

Roomba won't replace your standard upright, and you'll probably still pull out the broom for a quick sweep now and then. But if you're used to spending an hour every weekend on your hardwood or tile floors and low-pile rugs only to find them filthy again by mid-week, Roomba will make those in-between touchups a lot more managable and therefore a lot more likely to get done. Get it started in one room and you're free to go dust, do dishes, use the computer, or even leave the house while Roomba whirrs around and picks up debris not just in the centers of rooms but along wall edges and in places you can't (or, let's be honest, don't really try very hard to) reach. A short time later, return to find the floor clean and all you have to do is empty the dust bin. Roomba even sings cheerily to let you know the job is done!

If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is... so here are the "down and dirty" facts as I've discovered so far.

Prep work: Using Roomba requires a reasonable amount of advance preperation, but this in itself encourages you to keep the house clutter free "so Roomba can reach." Obviously, pick up anything small that you wouldn't normally run a vacuum over. Cords should be up off the floor or pressed flat against a wall so that Roomba isn't crossing over them or in danger of getting snagged. It's helpful to collect stray furniture into more condensed configurations, such as pushing a coffee table against the couch to create larger open spaces surrounded by walls rather than an area dotted with smaller obstacles, however this is recommended for most efficient performance and is not necessary for Roomba to operate. Especially not if you're running Roomba every day. You might for example want to pull out dining chairs so that Roomba can clean under the table without too much bumping around, but this could be done maybe every second or third day when a mess becomes noticable.

Area rugs should be tested on an individual basis. Small rugs with fringe are best set aside for the duration of Roomba's venture. Other rugs seem fine as long as they lay flat. Roomba tends to roll over the corners of the rug and a lightweight material might bunch beneth the wheels, causing Roomba to turn away or become trapped.

Obstacles: Roomba employs deliberate obstacle-avoidance manuevers when it encounters a barrier which involve either turning 180 degrees and heading back the way it came, attempting to swing around a corner and continue onward, or moving forward a bit and searching for an exit further ahead. Using a combination of these methods, Roomba will circle completely around chair legs or standing lamps and even sweep under desks or nightstands as part of it's standard cleaning cycle. Roomba's cliff-sensing feature has worked flawlessly in my home so far and the little guy has has yet to take a tumble down the stairs.

Roomba really can go just about anywhere, and thus gets itself into some pretty interesting spots. My recommendation is it's better to be safe than sorry when it comes to defining obstacles or potential hazards (or just things you'd prefer to avoid sucking up). This goes back to room preperation. Assume that Roomba can and WILL travel everywhere, and clear the path accordingly. Should anything prove problematic, Roomba is amazingly adept at freeing itself via a variety of methods that it employs one after another until it has knocked itself loose. Failing this, Roomba will eventually shut off to avoid burning out the motor and emit a sad cry for help that will tug at your heartstrings and have you running to the rescue. So far I have seen Roomba get partially on top of various items, wedge itself under the TV stand, and take a mad dash across a minefield of tangled wires and Roomba rarely needed my intervention to free itself. Ironically, the worst episode was when Roomba ran over the cord from its own charger, which I'd carelessly left sitting out after I'd unplugged the unit earlier. It did indeed manage to try to eat the ONE THING I hadn't removed from it's path...

Roomba does not deal well with rug fringe. The instruction manual says that fringe may be tucked under, however this does not prove useful in all circumstances. Better to pick up small rugs if this is an option, and perhaps block access to rooms with larger fringed rugs if you plan to run Roomba while you're away.

Pickup: I'd rate Roomba's pickup to be fairly high on hardwood and tile, slightly diminished (but still certainly acceptable) on medium- and low-pile rugs or carpet. The main issue isn't Roomba's capacity to suck, but whether certain areas are covered at all. Though it does not do quite so thorough a job as I might with a standard vacuum, again I point out that Rooma is meant to maintain the house between regular cleanings. If it misses a spot one day, chances are it will be back the next. I'm pleased to find that it picks up well enough to keep the place looking like it's been freshly swept and vacuumed for the whole week instead of looking that way for only a day or so otherwise. I do still plan to perform "normal" cleaning on the weekends to keep things from piling up where Roomba can't reach (such as in corners), but at this rate, I wouldn't be surprised to find that I really don't need to do that more than every other week or even less often now.

Roomba is especially suited for cleaning the miniscule daily amounts of dust and pet hair that, left to their own devices, accumulate into little "tumbleweeds" that float EVERYWHERE over hardwood and tile floors. I honestly never realized that a thin coating of filth was responsible for making our floors look dull even after surface dirt had been removed. Well, they DID look dull--now they shine all the time! I didn't know they had it in them! That in itself would make Roomba valuable to me even if that all it did. But it's not: your typical crumb-type dirt, litter, and little bits of whatever-that-is are in the bag, er, the bagless bin, too. Roomba does a GREAT job of cleaning around the baseboards under the kitchen cabinets, where food particulates inevitably end up after being brushed off the countertop. The dust bin has been completely full every time I room Roomba, even when the floor looked clean to begin with. It even vacuumed under the bench in the coat closet and went under the bed...

Provided Roomba runs it over, it'll probably be sucked up. Thus, the worst pickup is near the transition areas, such as a move from hardwood to area rug. Roomba tends to miss debris around the edge of a rug because it's little rollers are half-on and half-off rather than level. Unlike someone running a vacuum or sweeping manually, Roomba can't pick up the rug to get that little line of debris caught along the edge (not yet, anyway!). Also, on occasion Roomba gets momentarily caught while trying to make a surface-type transition and leaves a short trail of Roomba excrete (dust bunnies) behind it when it does manage to wiggle itself free. Most of the time it sucks this up again on the return pass.

Maintenance: I've emptied Roomba's dirt bin after every use and so far it has always been full, but not grossly overflowing to the point of eminent disaster. Some reviewers on Amazon mentioned that they had to empty the cup several times per room, but they must be expecting Roomba to pick up after their "special needs" preschooler's class birthday party because my floor is certainly far from spotless and the capacity has worked fine for me. But emptying the bin can be messy. I haven't yet managed to remove and dump the contents without creating another little pile of dust on the floor. Which I then sic Roomba on afterwards, so that's no big deal.

The instruction manual recommends a detail cleaning of Roomba's innards after every 3-5 uses. I did this after three and was amazed at how well Roomba had continued to function despite it's poor underside being absolutely bound up with hair around every roller, and packed with fur and dust in every crevice. The filter was caked with filth. I will remember to check the state of the filter and rollers more often now that I realize how quickly mess can accumulate there. The actual cleaning process went smoothly. Roomba comes apart easily and snaps back together the same. I didn't even have to refer to the instructions to do this. The tool iRobot provides to clean the rollers also worked well.

Accessories: Roomba Red is the bare bones model, which includes the unit itself, standard wall charger, one virtual wall, and a cleaning tool. Any and all additional accessories can be ordered separetely. Perhaps the two most useful--the remote, which allows you to steer Roomba, and the self-docking charger, which allows Roomba to plug itself in when it's done cleaning--can be purchased for $20 and $60 respectively and will still save you money over the step-up package. The next cheapest bundle includes the remote, self-docking charger, and another vitual wall. IMO, the virtual wall is moot. You can accomplish the same thing with a REAL barrier, even if it's just a paper bag you stand up in the doorway (it doesn't take much of a bump for Roomba to turn around).

Observations: Left unattended, Roomba will spend a disproportianate amount of time in alcoves, entryways, and narrow passages as it ricochets between the walls. It's really good at finding it's way INTO these areas, not so good at getting out. When it actually does find the exit after randomly bouncing around for five minutes, it often pivots and heads right back into the same space on the next pass only to spend another five minutes cleaning this "new" area. As indicated in the manual, it may be a good idea to confine Roomba to larger spaces through use of the virual wall (or a real blockade of some kind) or place it in the specific areas you want cleaned most heavily before setting it free.

It hardly seems fair to write a (mostly) glowing review after only having Roomba for less than a week. For now, I am enthusiastic and impressed. Rest assured that I will update as I see fit!