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Rock Band is good. By that, I mean Rock Band is very good. I picked mine up last Tuesday night, and Galyn was kind enough to come over to help me test it out. After a couple hours of us swapping out between the guitar & drums, he was sold on his own set. He managed to locate one the next morning after several phone calls, so on Saturday we were all set with 2 guitars - everything we needed for a full band.

Six of us got together Saturday night and played the game for about 5 solid hours. We barely blinked. We were having a blast the entire time - most of us swapped to nearly every position at least once (Galyn never sang, thankfully). We even created a new 5th position - bass drum player. It seems, for most of us at least, getting our foot to cooperate with our arms while playing drums is simply too much to ask. The game is more fun than should be legally allowed.

The progression is more complex than it is in Guitar Hero. Instead of simply unlocking rung after rung of increasingly difficult songs, you’re opening different cities and venues, playing custom set lists as well as randomly chosen set lists. It sounds simple, but the effect is a greater sense of immersion. Of course, having a full band helps a lot with that as well. You really get the sense of working together. Sometimes, when a song hit that everyone really knew (such as Weezer’s “Say It Aint So”) everyone would sing along in unison.

Let me just sum it up - if you have enjoyed Guitar Hero, have friends, and are wondering if Rock Band is worth the price - the answer is absolutely. Without a doubt.

Lately, when I’m not rocking out, I’ve been stalking the streets of Jerusalem, riding the ancient world of evil men. It’s safe to say I fall on the side of “it’s really good” when it comes to the Assassin’s Creed debate. Some reviewers would lead you to believe that it’s an average game at best. I don’t have proof, but I would suggest that it is very possible that these same reviewers have some form of drug addiction. It’s just a hunch.

Assassin’s Creed recreates an enormous, detailed world that simply begs to be explored. They then filled it with tons of collectibles and side-quests to reward you for that exploration. Combine that with some truly outstanding graphics (especially in terms of character animation) and an intriguing storyline, and you’ve got a game that’s definitely living up to the hype in my book. I may have commented earlier on the collector’s edition extras not being all they were cracked up to be, and that’s certainly true - but the game itself more than delivers.