Karting, 360, and Guitar Hero

Karting
Mario Kart DS and the Nintendo WiFi Connection (NWFC) are finally here. Do they live up to the hype? Yes. While getting everything set up to play on NWFC was not as easy and simple as Xbox Live, I was very impressed with the overall package. And really, there are no reasonable complaints when a free service goes this smoothly and is so much fun to play. Speaking of fun, Mario Kart DS is very exciting both online and off. I like how the game keeps track of my racing stats. I haven't had the opportunity to play with other D-Pad Junkies yet (other than my husband), but that should change soon as more and more Junkies get the game. If you like Mario Kart, this is the one to own. And it's the only one that is playable against gamers online - something we've all dreamed of.

360
I have in my possession 3 Xbox 360 games... but no 360 to play them on! The 360 launches on November 22, a mere 4 days away. While I am not hugely anticipating the 360 because I still believe it's too soon, I am feeling the excitement for a new console growing. Having games that I can't play reminds me of the PSP's release. I had multiple games for that system before its launch as well. That's the beauty of pre-ordering at a specialty game store; when the games come in, the customers get to pick up their games.

Guitar Hero
I'm slowly improving my skills enough to make it through the last class in Medium (Face-Melters). I started with Stevie Ray Vaughn's "Texas Flood." It's a great song by a great artist and it's a blast to play in Guitar Hero. This is one of those games that will forever bring joy to this gamer as it's a game that I can play for only a few minutes or hours. It's usually the latter because once I start, it's difficult to stop. The feeling of accomplishment when I nail a song (or at least as good as I can nail it) is so rewarding. I can't wait for a sequel! And if/when a sequel comes, I have but two separate requests: 1) more Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne songs (those totally rock!) and 2) and to have songs by AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, and The Rolling Stones included.