Gaming Update plays a banjo and a kazoo

Ninja, ninja rap!  Ninja, ninja rap!  Go ninja go ninja go!

Uhhh.... hello, and welcome to yet another Vanilla Ice flavored, kid-tested, mother-approved Sparky_Buzzsaw Gaming Update, with your host, the sleaziest of them all.  Remember kids, it ain't easy bein' sleazy.  Anyhowzas, let's get to crackle dackling, shall we?  We shall.

So a bird and a bear walk into a bar...

...and the third guy ducks.  OK, bad joke aside, I've been playing a ton of Banjo Kazooie and its sequel, Banjo Tooie.  And by ton, I'm not talking one of those wussy American or British tons.  No, I'm talking full bore Betelgeuse 7, Slartibartifast tons.  Fo' realz.

I wanted to really like the first game, and for the most part, I did.  Banjo-Kazooie's a blast to play, but there are several head-slapping design choices that drag the entire game down.  You can read more about my complete thoughts in my review of the game (check it here, home slice!), but suffice it to say that I've had a mostly pleasant experience with the first in the series.  I hadn't played the original on the Nintendo 32*2 (oh damn, I've got mad mathematics skills), so this was a pleasure.  As many amazing games as I've played from this current generation of consoles, it's really the retro gaming services that have made me drool.  Well, that, and the rampant rabies spreading through my system from that coyote bite, but mostly it's the retro gaming stuff.

Banjo-Tooie, on the other hand, is batshit crazy addictive, and I've loved just about every step of it.  If it wasn't for some nagging issues left over from the first game (annoying camera stuff, water levels, a distinct lack of an Accordionzo character in the title), I'd have given this a perfect score.  As it stands, I've given it a highly respectable 4.5 outta 5 here on Giant Bomb.  This really is one of the finest examples of a 3d platformer in the genre's history, and if you haven't played it, give it a shot.  It may look like a kid's game, but there are some clever puzzles, a few wry jokes, and enough solid gameplay to entertain anyone.

Sim-ply Sim-pering Sim-ulations

OK, that title's just awful.  One of the things about The Sims that's always had me on the fence is the blatant cash-cow of its expansion packs.  On the one hand, I highly respect Maxis for supporting their games the way that they have.  On the other hand, Holiday Stuff?  Really?  It would be less of an irritant if these expansion packs could somehow transfer to the next game in the series, giving a little meaning to the potential hundreds of dollars a buyer could invest into the game.  As it stands, I've only bought one expansion for The Sims, and that was so long ago, I don't even remember which one it was.  This brings me to the Sims 3.

Instead of free custom downloadable stuff designed by both Maxis and the community, Maxis has decided to create a micro-transaction method of obtaining new official items for Sims 3.  In theory, I don't mind micro-transactions as a means to do business, so long as emphasis is placed on the "micro" bit of that word.  It feels like Maxis is still testing the waters on the costs of their items.  I was given something like $10 worth of points for the Sims 3, and spent it all mostly on Tiki furniture, new hairstyles, and a few bits of clothing.  Again, in theory, I like this system.  It allows the user to pick out individual objects guaranteed to work, not carry bugs, and with some pretty damned solid designs.  But the pricing still feels high.  I can't imagine laying down real-world cash to outfit any of my Sims, but if the prices dropped by, oh, about half or if they create "clearance" items, I could see myself buying some of the furniture at low costs.  Yes, I know, that's hypocritical.  Sue me.

I should mention that the downloader and web integration is pretty much top notch.  It's easy to use, though there were some early issues with being asked for my name and password repeatedly when I'd just purchased an item.  Those seem to be worked out.  I probably will not review The Sims 3 until I've had a better chance at playing through a larger portion of the game.  It feels like I've just scratched the surface, but out of the box, it's definitely the best Sims to date.

Silence is golden

Last week, GamerGeek360 and I discussed our thoughts on the dead air in online games on the 360.  It should be noted at this point that I don't have a headset for PS3 or the Wii microphone, so I can't really speak for those platforms, nor for PC gaming.  He mentioned the general silence that greets him on Call of Duty 4, and I mentioned Halo 3.  Online silence seems very odd and counterproductive to me, as well as against our nature.  When Xbox Live first started to become popular, I thought most games would be something like what you see in The Breakup, where Vince Vaughn's character is talking smack good-naturedly back and forth.  And for a while, this seemed to be the case (plus the thousands of annoying bratty kids, heavy breathers, background screaming, and all the other joys of online chat).  But over the last eight or so months, I've noticed a severe lack of any sort of conversation in games.

It would seem to me that video games would be a great anonymous way of chatting people up, giving advice, teaming up, and of course, obligatory smack talking.  But lately, other than the people who seem intent on being annoying douches, Xbox Live has gone mute.  Part of it, I realize, is that not everyone can get a stable chat up and going with their connection.  I have trouble with this myself, as my mic often bubbles and cuts out online.  But surely that isn't the case for the majority, so why the silence?  Why the quiet?

Question of the Week

What's an area or environment in a game that you've adored?  For me, I love the world created in the Quest for Glory games, especially Spielberg and the fourth game.  These were areas I'd love to see more of, or even explore for myself.  They were haunting, enchanting, and felt like something out of a great fantasy novel.  In more modern days, the Fable 2 world has really done a hell of a job of recreating this kind of lovable atmosphere and environment, which is appropriate, since I consistently call it the spiritual successor to Quest for Glory.  I'm also really fond of the Fallout universe, as well as Final Fantasy 7's world.