Game: SimCity Creator (Wii)

Pros: It’s SimCity, kinda. The core game is there.

Cons: If you can manage to enjoy the game through what are possibly the worst controls I’ve ever experienced you’re far more coordinated than I.

Verdict: Do you love SimCity 2000 but wish the controls were more frustrating? If so, SimCity Creator is the game for you. Otherwise you shouldn’t waste your time.

Grade: D

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If you haven’t had a chance, you should really go check out David Jaffe’s blog site. He models it after some of the stuff Wil Wheaton has done, but it has a weird gamer- political bent.

Jaffe rants mostly about politics. He’s against the bailout. Sometimes, he gives quick glances on the project he’s working on.

In his most recent video, he has an interesting comment on game design philosophy. He doesn’t buy the giving-player-a-tool-set idea of gameplay. He says in some games it’s force fed to gamers. He espouses a more holistic approach. He talks about making games as an experience instead of math problem, where X mechanics are used in fresh interesting ways.

He also pokes fun at the whole Clifford Bleszinski-name thing. Now that Bleszinski no longer wants to be called Cliffy B, David Jaffe wants to take on the mantle.

The economy is in turmoil. The House of Representatives voted to reject a proposal to bail out the financial sector, causing the largest single-day point drop in Wall Street history and $1.2 trillion to essentially vanish by the closing bell. The market has bounced back slightly today - it’s up roughly 350 at the time of this writing - but there’s always a rebound the day after the crash as bargain hunters swoop in, vulture-like, to pick at the remains. This is only the beginning.

I could tell you what this means to your house, your 401k, your job security and your quality of life (The answer to all of those: Nothing good.) but you’ve been hearing about all that for days now. No, I’m going to tell you how this affects the things that are really important: Video games.

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As if you needed more reasons to play Rock Band 2, here are two more: Red Hot Chili Peppers and AC/DC albums. Microsoft’s Major Nelson has posted information on the Chili Peppers’ Blood Sugar Sex Magik.

That’s 16 tracks for 1600 Microsoft points. That’s a deal in my book. It’s about a 100 points per songs instead of the 160 point.

In November, AC/DC will finally land on Rock Band. According to the release, “The AC/DC LIVE: Rock Band Track Pack allows players to experience this amazing set list with Rock Band, Rock Band 2 or other compatible music game peripherals.” I think they’re talking about those wonderful, wonderful Guitar Hero World Tour instruments.

Full AC/DC track list on the jump

Quick, what’s the fastest way to bring down a Web site? Nope, it’s not putting some salacious rumor on Digg. Nyet, it’s not getting hackers angry with your religion. The best way to bring down a Web site is to offer LittleBigPlanet beta keys, according to the quickjump network.

Eurogamer decided to give some away and it kissed its site goodbye for a couple of hours as thousands tried to get a crack at the beta. Gamespot had folks waiting through its On the Spot program, according to quickjump.

Gamepro’s servers crashed and the rabid fans excited for the game even brought down the LittleBigPlanet Web site. With all this excitement, you can almost hear the ka-ching sound coming from Sony’s coffers. Hey, they may even decide to go and buy America!

As for me, I have the LittleBigPlanet beta on the PlayStation 3 and I love it. Seriously, it’s as good as everyone says it is. I’m playing through the beginning and decorating my pod with images using my PlayStation Eye. I’ll have impressions throughout the week.

Arggh, shiver me timbers. It looks like Age of Booty has a launch date. It’ll be hitting Xbox Live Arcade on Oct. 15 and the PlayStation Network on Oct. 16. The game will be priced at $10. Trust me, my initial impressions tell me this is going to be a great game when it comes to multiplayer, and it may even attract some casual fans.

I kind of wonder what real pirates think of this game. Then again, they’re busy looting stuff of the Somali coast like tanks and stuff. Ah, yet another sign of the end of the world.

Zack Snyder, the guy who brought you muscled men moving in really slow motion, has apparently signed a deal with Electronic Arts to make video games.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the director of the Watchmen will make three ORIGINAL games for the company. And surprise, those games can be turned into movies!

Whew, thank god, it won’t be the other way around. I hate movie-licensed games. They’re never done right and we’ve had enough of those. I figure that his games will include Bullet time and may look like this episode of South Park. Maybe he should hire the guy who created The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai.

OK, now who’s taking bets on which comes out first — Snyder’s first game or his Watchmen film mired in a legal battle.

The Last Stand 2 is one of those Web games that straddles the line between a casual game and fully fledged project. It’s a continuation of The Last Stand and carries over some of the same ideas of the original.

You’re a survivor to a zombie infestation. You set up a barricade, which acts as your health. You use a mouse to aim and fire at zombies. At the end of each level, you’re allocated a couple of hours, in which you can search houses for survivors and weapons, find supplies or rebuild the barricade that zombies tore down the previous level.

After gather enough supplies, you and your fellow survivors can move to another area and do the same things all over again. You’ll set traps and prepare for the horde of relentless dead.

As far as graphics go, this is one oft he more beautiful Web titles I’ve seen. When it comes to gameplay, it’s entertaining and addictive enough to keep you coming back or sneaking in levels while the boss isn’t looking. All in all, ConArtists Productions did an amazing job. This is one of the better Web games out there.

Play Time: This is a lengthy game, but the levels themselves usually last three to five minutes. Overall, it may take you more than an hour to finish it.

gossip & rumors by Flickr user redvers under Creative Commons license

The rumor mills seem to be working over time this weekend with Nintendo and Microsoft at the heart of it. According to the Nikkei Net (the post was on Kotaku), Nintendo is set to introduce a new Nintendo DS that features a built-in camera and music playback. On top of that, the report also says there will be improved wireless functions.

Eh, I’m not holding my breath on this one. There was another report from Boingboing.net that said a dual touch screen DS was also on its way. Could these two DS machines be the same thing? Maybe. Could these things be untrue? Yep. But maybe we’ll have answers this week. There is a Nintendo event coming up.

On the Microsoft side, there’s apparently going to be an Xbox 360 slim, according to Split-Screen. The folks there cite a Microsoft India event. Hey, it could be true, but unless I see pictures I’m not betting the farm on this one. I’ll give this rumor two chances: Slim and none. And right now, Slim is on his horse ready to leave town. Ha, ha. Get it?

Kristen Crowe
Gamer mom

If you’re anything like me, the thought of outdoor activities are better than the reality of them. Bugs, dirt, small animals — none of them really suits me. So the Active Life Outdoor Challenge for the Wii seemed to be up my alley — all of the fun, none of the yuck.

For the most part, the game is enjoyable. There’s plenty of options, including solo and competitive play. The challenges are fun in both regards. The game comes with a mat that needs to be connected to the Wii.

As far as peripherals go, the mat was a good tool. My only complaint was that it was a bit small when used in two-player games.

I started with the solo games. Three options awaited me — outdoor adventure, exercise training and free play. In the outdoor adventure, a player has to perform three activities in a course. If players meet or exceed each goal, they have their points tallied and are given a ranking.

The free play also was fun, both as a solo player and playing with someone.

The Lake-top Trampoline was a tough but exhilarating game. Not only did I have to jump, but I was presented different challenges to do mid-air tricks. By the end, I had missed a lot of steps but had racked up a lot of points regardless. I definitely plan to keep trying on this one.

More on Active Life Outdoor Challenge on the jump