Cultural Cuisinart

I haven't posted in a long time, so here's an update on all things game-related:

1) Finally got around to getting my Xbox 360. I bought one of the newer ones that come bundled with Forza 2 and Marvel Ultimate Alliance. This serves two purposes: one - this means that the box is probably newer and thus less prone to the "Red Ring of Death"; two - I get Forza 2 for free, which is good because I love the first one and definitely would have bought 2. Free is always better, though.

2) Speaking of free, I finally bit the bullet on the 360 purchase because Micro$oft had a slick deal where they are giving away free copies of Halo 3 to original Xbox Live people who buy the new 360 system and migrate their original Xbox Live account to a Gold account. So, congrats Micro$oft promo monkeys - you got me. I'm psyched to play Halo 3, but I can wait for my free copy.

3) I've been working my way through Rock Band with my boy this week. Overall, the concept is great and the song selection is top notch so far. I hate the new guitar controller and will likely go back to the Guitar Hero one, once I get around to buying it. I have some minor complaints about the game - mostly some usability stuff with their menu system and irritation that the controllers are wired, thus causing a tangled mess on my living room floor that my cat feels compelled to chew on. Still, I'm pretty happy with the game and recommend it for anyone who is a Guitar Hero fan.

4) Got myself the PC version of Valve's Orange Box, which comes with Half Life 2, HL2 episode 1, HL2 episode 2, Team Fortress and Portal. I'm slowly working my way through HL2, though it makes me nauseous if I play too long (too much spinning around). Portal is quite simply amazing. It's like the love child of a FPS and a puzzle game. Great stuff. My only complaint is that it's so short - I played through the whole thing in 6-8 hours or so. It's so fun that it's almost cruel when it ends so quickly. I hope that Valve releases it as a full game soon.

5) Color me wildly impressed with Xbox Live on the 360. I've got it set up to stream video, music and pictures from my media center PC upstairs (I love driving in Forza with my own personal soundtrack in the background). The Arcade Live games are great - love the idea of being able to play trial versions of the game. I treated myself to a full version of Lumines Live. I'm contemplating Uno, but can't be sure if it's worth the money, since Uno may get a bit boring after awhile.

6) I made a strategic error listing all the games I wanted for the 360 on my Amazon wish list. Now I can't buy them until after Dec 25th, just in case the family comes through and gets them for me. I desperately want to play Mass Effect and Gears of War ASAP.