Lots of good things start with the letter “b”; Many games right now, for instance (Battlefield and Bayonetta being two of them). Other things start with that letter — like business school, bad tests, The Beatles…and also brains.

Wait, brains? It will make more sense in a moment! So, without further ado, here’s the log.

The Beatles' "Here Comes The Sun" seems apt for a week where the sun shone through the usual February doldrums in the Northwest.

Aaron

What a boring week for me. I didn’t play that much of anything during the past seven days, aside from more Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and a little bit of Bayonetta. Isn’t it bad when you can’t remember what you did for one-quarter of the month?

So, I apologize for my lackluster contribution to this edi…oh, wait, I remembered: I did some drumming. I rocked out in the virtual sense with Beatles: Rock Band, but I also played music outside of the game when I took my non-plastic drum kit to a friend’s house to spend an entire day in a focused jam session. It felt good to do what I used to do — it’s been nearly three years since I had my full kit set up. I laid down some sick beats, bro.

Next week will be seven days of the letter B (I think I just turned into a Sesame Street character), with a mixture of more Bayonetta and Bad Company 2, and the arrival of my brand new, $8.99 copy of Bionic Commando from Amazon. Sure, that tiny bit of money could have gone to BioShock 2, Darksiders or covering the cost of Bad Company 2 now that Barnes & Noble cancelled their $20 mistake, but I like to live in a state of stupidity sometimes.

Netflix Instant Watch has been all that's kept Nick connected to his Xbox 360 this week.

Nick

Bayonetta. Darksiders. Forza Motorsport 3. Mass Effect 2. DJ Hero. BioShock 2. They’re all sitting right in front of me, but I haven’t touched any of them in days.

I wish I could say I’ve been getting lots of quality time in with a few of my current favorites, but this week has been so draining that I’ve only had the energy to come home and boot up my Netflix Instant Queue before my eyes glaze over and my jaw falls slack.

Also, this weekend I’m looking forward to taking the GRE. But that’s not a game (It is, in fact, the most dangerous game of them all – Ed).

Now that PopCap has released Plants vs. Zombies for the iPhone platform, you can use the dark horticultural arts to protect your house on the go.

Doug

Add me to Nick in the “too busy to play games” category this week, sadly. Finals are next week, and between school and real life my AS Roma team have had to wait patiently on the PES 2010 sidelines, my Forza 3 cars have had to sit in the garage, and the Normandy has just had to cruise in a holding pattern for my second Shepard in Mass Effect 2.

However, one bright, shining, wonderful gaming thing has come into my life this week: Plants vs. Zombies has been released on the iPhone platform. That sound you hear is my free time being sucked right up by yet another Popcap game for iPhone. I didn’t buy PvZ last year when it first came out, but played and saw a decent amount of it — certainly enough to know that the new handheld version is an almost-perfect port. And, yes, the touch controls work brilliantly.

Plus it’s $2.99. What are you waiting for?

Well, it was fun while it lasted.

With December and its myriad holidays out of the way, everybody’s got something to keep them busy. Doug’s back to work on his master’s program, Aaron has transformed into a job-applying machine, and I’ve thankfully found a job once again. Unfortunately, that means we all have a whole lot less time to be playing games, but that doesn’t mean we’re going to turn a blind eye to our sacred obligation to Silicon Sasquatch. Don’t worry! We’ve got a couple great articles that are almost ready for publication, and we’re anticipating a full run of content next week.

In the meantime, here’s what we’ve been keeping ourselves busy with.

Aaron wouldn't say 'I ain't afraid of no ghosts': he has much less bravado toward specters than you might think.

Aaron:

Now, the game I actually have something say about is Ghostbusters: The Video Game. Maybe it’s because I only paid a meager $12.99 at GameFly’s used game store (with free shipping), but I can’t help but like what I’ve seen. I’m perhaps halfway though the story now, and while the camera and controls are a bit rough around the edges, Ghostbusters is pure fun for fans of the movies. It’s by no means perfect, and that’s fine. The humor is there, the attention to detail in the firehouse headquarters is there, the proton packs are spot-on and the thrill of catching a ghost in a trap still makes me giggle just like my 6-year-old self used to with my toy Nerf proton pack and authentic jumpsuit. Ghostbusters is simple fun layered over a strong IP, and I truly hope Atari gives Terminal Reality another shot in future sequel. Maybe when the third movie finally (maybe) sees release next year, a tie-in game could coincide with the film’s debut.

In case you'd like some added context, here's what's happening. Man on the left: "Colonel! What have you been hiding from me!?" Man in giant robot: "Snaaaaaaaaaaake!"

Doug:

Much like Aaron, I’m just going to list out most of what I played over our holiday break because, being a degenerate graduate student, I had almost nothing productive to do between Thanksgiving and this week, when classes re-started up in earnest. Because that means a lot of time to play games, I’m just going to cut the fat and go list-happy.

I finished Brütal Legend (which seemed like it lost its storytelling steam a bit at the very end) and am close to finishing Batman: Arkham Asylum (trap-laden gargoyles are my kryptonite right now). I almost have what the gentlemen at Giant Bomb would term an “S-rank” (or 1000/1000 achievement score) on Forza Motorsport 3, which I also did a lot of online racing on during the break. I was definitely happy to hit Level 50 in that game and get the last gifted car.

The only game really worth the meagre Xbox Live sale over the holiday break was Marvel vs. Capcom 2, which was marked down to almost 60 percent off the regular list price and is worth every penny. Better than arcade-perfect, with every character unlocked from the start and online multiplayer capable? Yes, please. I also received a kind gift in the form of Shadow Complex, which scratches my Metroid-vania itch in so many ways. Definitely one of the best Xbox 360-only games of last year.

Lastly, my sports game fix has come in two forms — first, as part of multiple trips to downtown Portland old-school arcade Ground Kontrol, I’ve fulfilled my basketball jones by playing a bunch of NBA Jam. Nick and I (and friend of the site Andrew) went to GK on New Year’s Eve, and besides crushing the X-Men 6-player arcade game, the most fun had was running the two-man game with the Blazers on NBA Jam. The other sports game I picked up was, finally, Pro Evo Soccer 2010…which definitely lives up to the expectations I had for it based off my playtime with the demo. It may not be as pretty as FIFA 10, but it provides a much more challenging and fulfilling soccer experience. Crank the difficulty all the way up and enjoy smart AI in a sports game for once.

The story of a witch, her hair, and gratuitous almost-nudity. This is gonna be awkward.

Nick:

As a test to see who’s interested in the blog, I offered up a vote on our Facebook page to ask people which game they’d rather see me purchase and review first: Demon’s Souls or Bayonetta. Although there was support for both, Bayonetta got the nod and I picked up a copy last night. While I’ve only had time to play about ten minutes of the game, those ten minutes were extraordinarily promising. I just hope the game’s rampant, bizarre sexuality doesn’t weird out my friends and loved ones.

The majority of my free time has been spent on — yeah, you guessed it — Dragon Age: Origins. I keep thinking I’m getting close to the end, and then another 15-hour sequence of quests pops up. I’m absolutely enamored with the game, so I think I won’t have any complaints if it turns out the game just never ends.

Let there be rock.

Oh, snap.

Another week, another flood of good games — some of the biggest, most anticipated titles of the fall have hit store shelves, and the Silicon Sasquatch crew are digging in. Brütal Legend, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Champions Online, and more are taking over our attention this week, and though it might seem overwhelming, it’s not necessarily a “bad” overwhelming.

The Guardian of Metal compels you to play Brütal Legend.

Nick:

You know what they say about too much of a good thing? It’s true. I’m being pelted left and right by amazing games, and instead of feeling overjoyed I’m left gasping for breath and wringing my aching hands.

I picked up Uncharted 2: Among Thieves and Brütal Legend on Tuesday — both among my most anticipated games this year — but I’ve only managed to play through Brütal Legend so far. Although it has garnered a relatively wide range of reviews, I couldn’t be more thrilled with how it turned out — I’m still exploring every nook and cranny of the game’s wildly imaginative metal-inspired open world, and the multiplayer stage battles have hooked me.

And in case you missed it, I donned my thick-framed glasses and turtleneck sweater and got mad philosophical with an unassuming little iPhone game called Canabalt.

This weekend I’m hoping to pick up Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II on Steam for a paltry $19.99. Aaron’s raved about it for months, so I’m eager to see what I’ve been missing.

Oh, and if you see me playing Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard on Xbox Live…it’s for an experiment. Don’t judge me!

Champions Online has arrived, and Aaron's sinking his teeth into the game – including character creation.

Aaron:

Unfortunately, I’m not one of the cool kids. No, I haven’t purchased Brutal Legend, and I can’t play Uncharted 2 because I’m sans PS3. It’s been a big week for gaming, and instead I’ve spent my time with Titan Quest, Burnout Paradise and, as of yesterday, Champions Online.

Champions was one of my most-anticipated titles of 2009, yet I skipped its release date. Another tragic case of too many games to play with not enough funds available — let alone the fact that MMOs are notoriously unstable at launch. However, another fantastic Amazon deal ($15.98!) forced my hand to purchase a second game in two weeks that I was previously iffy about.

Champions is, with only a few hours played, instantly gratifying. The character customization is much better than what was in Cryptic’s first superhero MMO, City of Heroes, and I’ve created a lighthearted character in “Energene”: a force-blast powered, mild-mannered janitor who worked in a lab, and had a mishap with a radioactive mop. His name’s Gene…in case you didn’t catch the pun.

Next week is Borderlands, a game Nick and I have been anticipating for quite awhile. Look for another groundbreaking co-op review of ours later this month.

Whether it's a Mini or a Ferrari, Forza 3's physics – at least according to the demo – make you feel the speed.

Doug:

After finishing off The Beatles: Rock Band (which is brilliant), I turned some of my attention last weekend to the Forza Motorsport 3 demo again to spend a little more quality time with that.

For gamers with an Xbox Live account that’s signed into the Internet, it’s easy to access a free-run time trial mode that allows you to run as many laps as you want on the demo’s track with any of the five cars available. It’s a great opportunity to judge the changes made to the physics engine for this game, and also to put some fast times on the leaderboards.

Something that stands out related to the physics is how flexible the engine feels. The cars in the demo range from a stock Mini Cooper S to a racing-spec Porsche 911, and all of them feel connected to the road in their own separate way — but never underwhelming at all, which was a trap the Gran Turismo games have been known to fall into.

The other game I put some time into this week is Brütal Legend (rock dots absolutely necessary). It’s easy to say it’s living up to the expectations. Everything from the menu presentation to the voice acting to the game design is great, and despite some minor issues it’s still a very enjoyable experience. I’m struggling a touch to come to grips with some of the game design choices — some puzzles seem a bit obtuse from time to time — but otherwise it’s a labor of love, and it shows.

How’s everybody? Are we all still here?

There’s no way around it: We’re all a little light in the pocketbooks, and October’s only just arrived. None of us were prepared for some of the year’s biggest hits to hit us in a deluge throughout August and September, but with games like Batman: Arkham Asylum, The Beatles: Rock Band and Halo 3: ODST hitting shelves before the fourth quarter of the year, it’s hard to hold fast with one’s spending — even with surefire hits like Uncharted 2: Among Thieves and Brütal Legend arriving just next week.

To prepare for the next volley of big-name releases, the Silicon Sasquatch team has been busy wrapping up some recent blockbusters.

By diverging from the tried-and-true formula of its predecessors, Halo 3: ODST delivers a refreshing experience with memorable characters — arguably a first for the franchise.

Aaron:

A lot of games found their way into my PC and Xbox 360′s disc drives this week, but let me highlight which one left a lasting impression on me: Halo 3: ODST.

I’ll be the first to confess that I’ve purchased every console iteration of the series, from Halo: Combat Evolved to Halo Wars. This type of customer devotion doesn’t stem from blind fanboy love or “Xbot” ignorance; honestly, when it comes down to it I think Halo is solidly decent at best, boring and uninspired at worst. I more or less have purchased the various games to play with friends online, and to not miss out on the experience. So why would I purchase ODST when the other games have generally made me say “lol meh” more times than a thread on NeoGAF? Two words: price point.

I procured a copy for around $44 dollars through Amazon, as was mentioned in last week’s backlog. This particular entry price forced me to give the series another shot, and while the cheapness certainly eased the process of reaching for my credit card, I never expected to like the game more than “kinda.” But even four chapters in, this is the best Halo-branded title I’ve ever played.

It might look the same and feel the same, but the tone and story are much more humanized than the faceless, stalwart Master Chief’s adventures ever were. The ODSTs are soldiers you can care about thanks to wonderful voice acting and animations. Halo 3: ODST may be born of the Halo pedigree, but it’s an overall smarter experience that stands apart from the shadow of its big brother. If this is the direction the series takes in lieu of a direct sequel, Bungie deserves a hefty pat on the over shield.

Sit back and let the evening go!

Doug:

So I finally rented The Beatles: Rock Band. I know it seems like forever since it was released, but it was just a month — the gaming industry just moves quickly, and things become passé within a week.

The rental was completely worth it. I blitzed through the story mode in just under four hours — I wanted that “Day Tripper” achievement and dammit, I got it — but it was an absolutely amazing experience from start to finish. Without encroaching too much on what a review of the game would be (check back next week! — Ed.), I think it was the most complete guitar/band game I’ve played so far, with excellent note charts, songs, and aesthetic throughout. I’m going to own this game, and it’s just a matter of “when,” not “if.”

Otherwise I’ve continued to put time in on EA Sports’ two football video games, NCAA Football 10 and Madden NFL 10. I’ve noticed a difference between defense in the two; namely, that in NCAA it’s just a nice suggestion, but in Madden it can be truly effective. Playing with an average to mediocre defense in NCAA is a battle of futility — many times, especially with strong offensive teams, you’re just trying to slow the opponent down instead of truly stop them. I get that same sensation playing against the CPU as well.

Compared to Madden, though, it’s almost 100% different. Defense in Madden is worth playing — and it seems somehow fairer than defenses in NCAA. Sure, the CPU might go into banzai EA Sports rubber-band mode and decide you are just NOT winning a game in both titles, but in Madden it feels like your defense at least has the chance to do that, too. Not to mention that, much like in the real NFL, there’s a much higher chance of forcing a punt than in college football.

I’ve also been inspired by Eat-Sleep-Game.com‘s RebelFM Game Club, which is currently focusing on Half-Life 2 and its two extra episodes. I’ve started Half-Life 2 before but never completed it, never mind the episodes, and I’m getting the trigger finger itch again…so I might have to sit down with my copy of The Orange Box soon and give it another go.

Bustin' like it's 1991.

Nick:

Call it devotion, obsession or foolishness, but I’m planning on picking up two brand-new games next Tuesday: Brütal Legend and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. That means I’ve only got three more days to tie up any loose ends with the games I’ve picked up over the last few months, because games like Borderlands, Modern Warfare 2 and New Super Mario Bros. Wii are just a few weeks away.

I wrapped up a few games this week:

1. Red Faction: Guerilla‘s single-player expansion, Demons of the Badlands: If this summer’s taught me anything, it’s that any excuse to demolish buildings on Mars is a worthwhile reason. Unfortunately, Demons’ biggest fault is its pricing: $10 for a measly two hours of more of the same.
2. Ghostbusters: The Video Game – I know it’s weird, but I only just saw Ghostbusters for the first time this summer. Even without sharing in the rest of my generation’s adoration for the movies, I found there was plenty to love in this carefully crafted videogame adaptation. Despite only lasting four or five hours, it’s well worth the price of a rental.
3. Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts – Don’t be fooled by the game’s vehicle-driven gameplay: This is Rare at its finest. Focusing on its trademark wry humor and a very well-designed vehicle construction system, Nuts and Bolts is one of the most criminally overlooked hits on the Xbox 360.

This, metaphorically, is what the release calendar looks like for the next few months

It’s been a busy week for all of us here at Silicon Sasquatch. Doug’s been camping in the cold-yet-wait-it’s-hot-again Oregon weather, and enjoying the rebirth of his broken Xbox 360; Nick’s been playing through five or so games at once while writing, writing and more writing; I’ve been composing an extremely long review of Batman: Arkham Asylum in addition to enjoying a social life and trying to forge videogame industry public relations contacts.

Oh, and that feeling creeping down the back of your spine and into your pocket to make your wallet tingle with fear? Well, that’s the start of the Great Game Goldrush of 2009 — this previous week had quite the prodigious release schedule. Among the horde of games were NHL 10, NHL2k10, WET, Mario and Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story, Scribblenauts, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 and Need for Speed Shift.

Next week, Halo 3: ODST releases. You can discuss (your praise for or condemnation of) that fact in our comments section.

See what we’ve been up to, game-wise, after the break.

Doesn't it seem more logical to call soccer "football" in the states? This guy is clearly using his foot on a ball.

Doug:

It’s baaaaaaaack! My 360 has risen from its grave and, despite how angry I could get over the fact that this is the third time it’s happened, I don’t care.

I don’t care that I had to re-download everything because of a license transfer, and I don’t care that I had to re-set a ton of console settings; I don’t care about anything else.I have my console back and all is well.

So I’ve started to play some 360 games again — including some demos. I’m glad to have NCAA 10 back to sate my football needs, and I’m going to go get Madden 10 as well to engage in some online shenanigans with friends. I’m also putting money down to reserve my copy of Forza 3 — all the content coming out of Turn 10 looks absolutely awesome, and the game will likely suck my soul away this fall.

Demo-wise, the two titans of soccer gaming put demos up for their new titles on Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network this week. PES 2010 is an Xbox Live Gold special for the next week or so, and FIFA 10 is now up as well. FIFA feels good — like an updated version of FIFA 09. It plays well, yes, but the graphics, interface and front-end are all carried over from FIFA 09.

PES 2010, though, is something of a revelation. One of my favorite games is Winning Eleven 9, Konami’s soccer game from the 2005-06 season, and that’s for the deep feature set, huge amount of customization and great gameplay that creates a very different game each time you step on the pitch. The PES games on next-gen consoles, however, have lost that feeling — they’ve been too fast, too arcadey and controlled too loosely to match up to the gains EA has been making with FIFA.

With that knowledge in tow, I stepped back into the stage of history and downloaded PES 2010. Last year’s demo felt seven shades of wrong — it was terrible enough to turn me off of the game for good. 2010, however, feels like a return to PES of old. Despite me fumbling with the controls (FIFA’s are ingrained by now), the game just feels right. Passing the ball around has a heft and weight behind it that feels almost perfect, and the way players interact in the build-up feels much better than FIFA, which can sometimes feel formulaic and stale.

Watch for both soccer games this fall, but I definitely know which one I’ll be scouring over reviews for — and which one’s demo stays on my hard drive.

Speaking of which…anyone want to sell me a 60 gigabyte Xbox 360 hard drive for a song?

The Beatles: Rock Band boasts some inspired artwork that, if you're a fan, will consistently delight

Nick:

Never mind that we’re 40 years late to the party: My friends and I have all been swept up in Beatlemania. Without incriminating myself, I’ve spent enough time with The Beatles: Rock Band to have earned 46 of the game’s 50 achievements — and I’m still having a blast. Meanwhile, I just wrapped up Guitar Hero 5, which will be getting a review soon. And nearly a year after I last played it, I managed to finish off Dead Space. Despite its minor faults, it still stands as an exemplary survival horror game; the fact that it was the first entry in a new franchise is all the more impressive.

With the majority of my backlog polished off, I’ve been able to return to Batman: Arkham Asylum. It’s an extremely rare breed of game in that it only gets better the more I play. It was impressive from the outset, but now that I’m approaching its conclusion I’m prepared to place it on my shortlist for best game of 2009.

I also picked up 5TH Cell’s charming and ambitious Scribblenauts, a game so bursting with ingenuity and cheer that even its horribly imprecise stylus-based control scheme can be overlooked. Frankly, any game that lets you apply shark repellent to yourself to swim unharmed past a shark deserves recognition.

Agents definitely are GO!

Aaron:

Like Nick, I’ve been sucked into the vortex that is Beatlemania. Sure, the band’s music has been on a variety of my playlists for years now — thanks to my eclectic musical upbringing — but I didn’t fully appreciate the band until I received The Beatles: Rock Band in the mail yesterday, and proceeded to beat it in just a few hours. It sounds like overkill, or even tragically short, but the craftsmanship that went into the game is dripping from every pixel. Plus, there’s a lot more to do after finishing “The End.”

It’s readily apparent that Harmonix loved working with such a historic body of work, and I only hope future band-specific rhythm games are a quarter as neat as this one is.

Aside from enjoying the lads from Liverpool, I’ve spent some time becoming reacquainted with my DSi. Here and there I’ll play some Suikoden: Tierkreis (I promise, eventually a review will be written) and Elite Beat Agents. I’m realizing I need to purchase more games for the system, and Scribblenauts seems like a safe bet.

Otherwise it’s been a low-key kind of week for my tastes. A few rounds of Marvel Ultimate Alliance with Nick and some solo singing in Rock Band 2 topped off my free time. I’m hoping that, come October with its influx of amazing-looking titles, I’ll soon be busy playing, writing, reviewing and recording all about videogames when I’m able.

Let’s all breathe easy for a moment. After all, things are about to get crazy this fall: Scribblenauts hits North American shelves next week, soon to be followed by big names like Brütal Legend, Uncharted, Assassin’s Creed and Modern Warfare.

And if you just dropped a hundo on a big ol’ replica Gretsch Duo Jet guitar — like I may or may not have just done — well, you’re already in full-tilt panic mode.

Guard your wallet carefully this holiday season, dear reader! We’re in for a doozy.

Having finally arrived at the fifth stage of grief, Doug revisits an old — but not forgotten — friend.

Doug:

This week has involved a bit of comfort gaming and a big look back at a far-gone friend. Unfortunately I’ve spent more time trying to make sure real life goes as planned than behind a controller, but so goes life.

Comfort gaming has predominantly taken the form of Tiger Woods 2005 on my original Xbox — nothing like a round of golf or two while listening to a podcast (or one of the newly-released Beatles remasters, of which I am a big fan). The joy of sports gaming is that, for me, I can turn my brain off for a bit, relax, and enjoy. Tiger 2005 isn’t as polished as some of the later games in the past five years, but it’s still plenty fun.

Paying penance has come in memorializing the 10th anniversary of the Sega Dreamcast. I’ll have more on that on the site soon, but as a Dreamcast fan from the word go, it’s wonderful to see so many people come out both on forums and in the games press to remember the little white system that could. It’s a shame Sega can’t produce a game now that lives up to the quality of their first-party products in that generation…

Also, according to Microsoft’s robotic phone answering system, apparently a replacement Xbox 360 is on its way back to my door. Thank god; I think I’m shaking from withdrawals. Time to get back to the contemporary after that gets back…Batman: Arkham Asylum, The Beatles: Rock Band, Madden and Forza 3 in the not-too-distant future….yummy.

Nick:

Try to realise it’s all within yourself
No one else can make you change
And to see you’re really only very small
And life flows on within you and without you

The funk of 40,000 nerds awaits Nick at this year's Penny Arcade Expo. Expect the show floor to look much like this, a scene from the exhibit hall at the 2008 Penny Arcade Expo.

Here we are. The beginning of a three-day holiday weekend, the first day of the Penny Arcade Expo up in Seattle, and time for another week’s worth of gaming recounted in our Backlog. It’s been the calm ahead of the storm here, with Nick preparing for a feast of gaming at PAX, Aaron enjoying some comfort gaming, and Doug preparing to dig into some modern classics.

This is Nick's base of operations from the Bring Your Own Computer room at the Penny Arcade Expo. Updates from the expo and probably some good ol' PC gaming will be happening RIGHT HERE all weekend.

Nick

There hasn’t been much time for gaming this week, but that’s only because I’ve spent most of my time preparing for the Penny Arcade Expo: printing resumes, making business cards, packing up my computer and driving up Interstate 5 to Seattle. I just arrived and set up my computer as a base of operations, and I’m about to head down to the show floor. I’ll be posting when I can, but please follow me on Twitter (@sasquatchgaming) for up-to-the-minute impressions.

Some games I’m looking forward to playing include:

Diablo 3

The Beatles: Rock Band

Brütal Legend

Scribblenauts

Nostalgia

Battlefield Bad Company 2

If you’re at PAX, be sure to say hi!

Aaron informs me that while it's not his best game of Team Fortress 2, he's rather proud of the dominations handed out during this match. Can't say I don't blame him.

Aaron

I’ll have to disappoint everyone this week and confess I spent most of my gaming time playing in two separate three-hour-long Rock Band 2 sessions. Just one of those weeks, I suppose. It’s interesting though considering I’m the least enthusiastic toward the rhythm game genre compared with fellow Sasquatchers Nick and Doug, and yet I spent most of my free gaming time this week playing a title I’m sort of “meh” about. The plot thickens!

Otherwise I perused snippets of Castle Crashers here and Team Fortress 2 there — the general standbys when I need a strong dose of videogame fun. I also tried the exclusive Joker challenge room content for the PlayStation 3 version of Batman: Arkham Asylum, and I have to say to you owners of the Xbox 360 version: you’re not missing much. It’s a cool idea, but the challenge rooms are a hardcore-only affair already, and after playing the game as a nimble martial arts master in a batsuit, playing as the lanky, goofy Joker feels awkward. That’s my take though.

Readers of our site may or may not notice we have a favicon now! Check your address bar for a very small (but very awesome) sasquatch face. It’s not that exciting compared to a full redesign, but hey: I felt giddy about it.

Oh, I almost forgot. Next week brings us The Beatles: Rock Band.

Now that’s a rhythm game I can get back to.

I'm finally going to get around to finishing Shadow of the Colossus off, making me quite possibly the last hardcore gamer in the world to do so.

Doug

While I hate to be a spoil sport and overly sarcastic, I’ve been playing games like Finish My Summer Term Classes and Study For Finals, which I’m sure you’ll recognize as international bestsellers. I’m also partaking in the cult classic Follow Xbox 360 Repair Status Online.

Joking aside, I look forward to the silver lining of my Xbox 360 being sent away — being forced into playing some classics. I set my original Xbox up for the first time in ages, and hope to find time to play Beyond Good and Evil, which I’ve never finished, and NBA Street Vol. 2, which is a great arcade basketball game. Also please note that both of these games are not backwards compatible (*shakes fist angrily at Microsoft*).

Add PS2 classic Shadow of the Colossus to that list and you have the games I want to finish before my 360 returns from beyond the grave.

Of course, The Beatles: Rock Band drops this week, too, and I cannot wait to get my hands on that.

Based purely on what’s been shown today, and assuming things go to plan:

The Sure-fire Big Winner: Xbox Live

Direct download capability for 1080p movies and Xbox 360 games; an expanded Netflix lineup; Facebook, Last.fm and Twitter tie-ins to come in the fall; and a whole host of exclusive downloads and DLC content for games coming this year. That $50 a year spent on an Xbox Live gold account keeps looking better and better, and regardless how the games turn out, what you’ll be able to do with the system grows and grows.

Most Important Announcement: Microsoft’s Project Natal

It's waggle, Jim, but not how we're used to: Microsoft's Project Natal could well be the biggest announcement at E3 2009.

We knew it was coming. It may even have been shown a year ago, before Microsoft acquired the company responsible for the technology. But actually seeing Project Natal — Microsoft’s code name for its controller-less motion control device — was very stunning. Sure, some of the tech demos displayed (a ball kicking/punching/heading game, motion to control the Xbox dashboard) were a bit hokey…but they showed a level of motion-recognition that was very tight and reactive. The big deal was Lionhead Studios (publishers of Fable 2, Black and White and many other games) and the tech demo they created where players could interact with a schoolboy named Milo. To say it encroached on the uncanny valley is an understatement; if it’s what the video demonstration billed it to be, it’s less a game and more interacting with a legitimate AI character. Absolutely stunning.

To say that Microsoft could capitalize on the market the Nintendo Wii has pioneered while also pushing the boundaries of what’s possible as an interactive activity with Project Natal is an understatement. The potential is there; whether it comes to fruition in the final form will be interesting to see.

Nothing’s Shocking: The surprises that…well…didn’t.

• Hideo Kojima taking the stage during the Microsoft press conference (accompanied by a “!”) to announce Metal Gear Solid: Rising, which will feature Raiden.
• Bungie is working on something other than Halo 3: ODST in the Halo universe — Halo: Reach.
• EA Sports is adding a mixed martial-arts game, EA Sports MMA, to its roster.
• Brütal Legend is going to kick everybody’s ass. Hard.
• Sequel-tastic: Left 4 Dead 2, Crackdown 2, Metal Gear Solid…and plenty more from EA and Ubi.

The Day and Date Club: Games that made a great first impression.

Here comes the sun: The Beatles: Rock Band broke cover brilliantly today at E3.

• The Beatles: Rock Band. After months of speculation, teases and being under wraps, the game was finally revealed today. It was a hell of a start to Microsoft’s press conference.
• Forza Motorsport 3. Another game that had lived under cover until now showing its head, and it is looking good as well. Especially innovative could be the game’s replay editor – if the Turn 10 spokesman was being truthful during the demonstration today, it could yield spectacular results.
• Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction. Site editor Aaron Thayer was particularly enamored with this game’s combination of stealth and action. The lighting system and revamped hide-in-the-shadows gameplay along with the extremely visceral action is a tantalizing prospect for this fall.
• Brütal Legend. The metal Zelda. Tim Schafer’s (well deserved) golden ticket-in-waiting.
• Honorable mentions: Assassin’s Creed 2, Mass Effect 2, Alan Wake.

We’ll be sure to have more for you tomorrow after Nintendo, Sony and a host of others make their presentations and the show floor opens.

The millions of Rock Band fans worldwide helped make Harmonix's game the top money earner for Electronic Arts last year, the publishing giant announced today in its financial earnings statement.

We here at the Sasquatch (well, specifically myself and Nick) are very big fans of Harmonix’s Rock Band series. There are a myriad of reasons why, but it boils down to being quite a bit of fun, especially when like-minded individuals coalesce into a full band to rock out.

Well, it turns out we’re not alone in our affections–far from it. Electronic Arts announced its 4th quarter and fiscal year 2009 financial results, and included in the information-rich release is how Rock Band 2 was Electronic Arts’ biggest money-maker for the fiscal year. In fact, Rock Band 1 and 2 were two of 31 properties to sell over a million units last year; FIFA 09, Madden NFL 09, and Need for Speed Underground each sold more than 5 million units worldwide. Even Spore sold 2 million and saw more than 100 million creatures created.

But despite 2008′s successes, the company’s financial statement shows that EA overall lost money last year. Net loss for this last quarter was only around half of what it was last year–$42 million now compared to $94 million previously–but that wasn’t enough to stave off a full-year net loss of $1.088 billion. Interestingly, part of that loss is cited as “significant legal, banking and other consulting fees related to the Company’s proposed acquisition and related cash tender offer for all of the outstanding shares of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.”

Analyzing what this means for gamers could be a bit disheartening considering EA’s past as quite the acquisitive business. Once, not so long ago, EA was a publisher weighed down with the albatrosses of shovelware and yearly sequels for the sake of moving a squillion units and making massive profits (a charge that now resides at Activision HQ).

But in 2008 EA showed a new side, and the company made intellectual property experimentation their core strategy. The EA of old would never have published a risk like Dead Space, it would not have been so hands-off with the EA Partners program (which has seen games such as Rock Band, The Orange Box, Left 4 Dead and so on developed by other studios to be released through EA’s publishing clout) and the company would never have invested in revamping much of the EA Sports line. Still,  EA’s turned a new leaf with each of their efforts and it hasn’t financially paid off. That’s the disheartening part.

Some of that may come down to the slow economy–despite which, EA CEO John Riccitello is still optimistic video game sales will pick up–and the bad financial atmosphere is a named factor in the earnings release.

What I hope, as a gamer, is that EA won’t sacrifice its vision in order to meet the bottom line like they used to.

A picture of the The Beatles: Rock Band Rickenbacker (á la John Lennon) that gamers will be able to buy this fall.

A possible tonic to cure what ails EA just might be the September 9 double dose of  The Beatles: Rock Band and the sale of even more authentic Beatles plastic instruments. This hotly anticipated spin-off of the main series will feature not only the legendary band’s sights and sounds, but a host of new instruments patterned after those made famous by the Fab Four. Previously unveiled was Paul McCartney’s Höffner bass, and today gamers got their first look at John Lennon’s Rickenbacker and George Harrison’s Gretsch. The two guitars unveiled today will be available for $99 each, and are separate from the $250 special edition bundle which includes the Höffner, a microphone with stand and drums inspired by Ringo Starr’s pearlescent Ludwig kit. This could get expensive.

The Beatles: Rock Band adds four new instruments to the plastic pile, including this Gretsch guitar, as made famous by George Harrison.

Finally, a quick news piece to finish today’s recap.

As E3 approaches, the once low and distant rumor rumble becomes a roar of possible announcements for the Los Angeles-based gaming expo. 1up.com thinks it may have found something juicy that Microsoft will be unveiling this year: Motion-detection technology originally shown off at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show. During last year’s event a company called 3DV showcased its motion technology, and in the following months rumors (according to Ars Technica) arose that Microsoft was in the works to buy out 3DV. Obviously, Microsoft wants to use 3DV’s technology for something game-related. Keep your eyes peeled for that.

Coming tomorrow is our hands-on overview of the new Nintendo DSi system. To be clear, the purpose of an overview is to be less like a review–instead of making recommendations on the overall value of the product, we’re simply providing our readership with an introduction to it. We’ll still offer our crystal-clear opinions backed-up with facts, but the final purchasing decision is up to you, as always. Also on the way tomorrow is a review of Xbox Live Arcade title Galaga Legions.

Friday we’ll be reviewing the new Left 4 Dead DLC pack with its hectic and horrific Survival Mode. Can we last more than two minutes? Doubtful.

Next Tuesday’s big post is a “cooperative” review of Resident Evil 5 between Nick and me. This review has been a long time coming, and we look forward to adding our special co-op-centric commentary into the structure of our usual, trusty reviews.

Now, onto the news…and some awesome poster art.

Familiar, no?

Thank you, ThinkGeek, for beating a very dead horse: You can (for now) purchase brand-spanking-new, unopened Dreamcast consoles for $99 from ThinkGeek.com’s online store. What amazes me the most is that the company was able to track down enough “new” consoles to provide a slot on their virtual shelves, as Sega supposedly sold through its remaining stock of refurbished units through its Sega Direct store. Official production of the console stopped in March of 2001, and as such new console eBay prices today hover near ThinkGeek’s. Clearly, paying a flat rate premium for a sealed console is better than getting it used. Luckily for me, my Dreamcast is still kicking, though my rose-colored glasses didn’t help much when I tried playing through Shenmue again last year: I shut the game off after 35 minutes. However, in my bizarro-world reality, Phantasy Star Online is still one of the best MMOs ever made, so take that as you will. I’ll admit that the system was ahead of its time, though it still doesn’t give credence to those damned VMU Chaos–I’m looking at you, Sonic Adventure.

One Disc to Rule Them All

In an unexpected gesture of semi-goodwill, Warner Bros. is letting owners of their HD-DVD titles to trade-up to Blu-ray for $4.95 per title, and only $6.95 shipping per entire order. Though only available in the U.S. and Peurto Rico, it’s still a very cool move on the company’s part. Maybe other companies who dabbled in the HD-DVD side of the most recent war of the formats will follow suit. Check out the full article for details here, and, if interested, go to the official trade-in site here. 1UP raises a devious point: Could savvy people nab cheap HD-DVDs to then upgrade for a total cost that would still be less than the full price of most Blu-ray titles? Why yes, people could.

Yelling = Rock n' Roll

Continuing our unintentional habit of covering rhythm-based games, an interesting news piece on Gamasutra reports that according to Cowen Group analyst Doug Creutz, despite a probable decline in overall sales for music games in 2009, the Guitar Hero franchise will perform better than Rock Band titles. The article amounts to the following: Due to Harmonix’s focus on The Beatles: Rock Band instead of a flagship, Rock Band 3 type of title, the major Guitar Hero title this year (assuming it’s a World Tour 2 or something along those lines) will be in a better position to encourage sales than a gamble like a Beatles-only title with a high price entry point. Specifically:

It’s doubtful, according to Creutz, that the upcoming Beatles-themed Rock Band release will make the same kind of impact as another major franchise release. And the high price point — $250 — of the special edition ‘could put a cap on peripheral sales.’

– Excerpt from “Analyst: Guitar Hero To Lead 2009 Band Game Wars,” by Leigh Alexander

We here at The Silicon Sasquatch are skeptical about this presumption, and not because two of our writers are Rock Band fanboys. It’s anyone’s guess how well The Beatles: Rock Band will do, but the sheer brand power of a Beatles music game could possibly knock sales right out of the park. However, as I mentioned to Nick, it’s a different generation of gamers today and it surprises the both of us how many among our peers just don’t like The Beatles. Maybe, and it sounds strange to say this, the game will be too niche to make a big impact on the NPD lists.

The stalwart, Sandvich-loving savior of Socialism

Now enjoy some Shepard Fairey-inspired, Obama-themed gaming posters, courtesy of GamesRadar. Regardless of political affiliations, these are very neat and extremely high-def. Our favorite is definitely Mr. “Sandvich” himself, as seen above.