GRID - Xbox 360 - My Review

Today, I picked up Codemaster's GRID, their newest edition to the racing scene. Overall, the game is great. Here are some key points I'd like to point out.

Graphics
They're as crisp as a burnt piece of toast. Everything you see looks absolutely stunning; from the details of the cars, to the road, trees and other scenery, the game inspires you to keep on playing.

Menus
The menus are simple, yet elegant; Small, yet in-depth. I personally love the menu system. Everything it right where it needs to be and easy to find.

Racing Physics
I'd say GRID is a mix between Forza 2 and Need for Speed in this department. Your car is easy to drive, yet has the real effects of an actual car. Hit the gas too hard coming out of a turn, and you'll be doing a 360 faster than you can say "My great aunt has thunder thighs."

Overall, I'd give this game a 8/10. It feels right, looks great, but the lack of car customization takes away from the games true possibilities.

Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2

The best way to one-up your predecessor is of course, to pack in some more goodies for people to play with, and Retro Evolved 2 does just that. With 6 game modes, you'll spend a good amount of time just trying to unlock them. Then sharpening your skills in each mode will have you coming back for more.

The first game mode is EVOLVED. The same game mode you've come to love in the first installment. Three lives, three bombs, and a never ending army of enemies.

Next, comes PACIFISM. In this mode, you are not allowed to shoot. Instead, you must cross through checkpoint gates to destroy your enemies.

WAVES mode, as seen in PGR4 brings enemies from all sides, coming in at you as you shoot away to destroy them all.

SEQUENCE mode brings 20 challenges that you must complete in order, in 30 second intervals.

In mutliplayer, the action gets even more intense with random power-ups, including: speed, freeze and extra firepower. All six game modes can be played with 3 other local players, including 2-v-2 team play, and individual scoring. There will be no online play included, which is saddening to see, since GW has set the limits for the XBLA.

The visuals look better, the controls smoother, and you no longer lose your multiplier when you die. How could this get any better? Having played the first installment of this series, and testing out the demo of the second edition, I recommend anyone to pick this up.

Guitar Hero Aerosmith Review

A few weeks ago I picked up Guitar Hero Aerosmith mostly for the guitar that came with it because mine is an old white corded X-Plorer from Guitar Hero II. Since I have exhausted all the songs in Guitar Hero III, I thought Guitar Hero Aerosmith would be the perfect bundle with a fresh song list and a nice looking guitar to shred with. This game really is just Guitar Hero III filled with Aerosmith songs and few from some other bands. There were a couple of Run-DMC songs stuck in there that I really enjoyed. You could also play as DMC in the game; Run-DMC in Guitar Hero how could you not enjoy it. The career mode is tiring towards the end I was just begging for the last song to come. After a couple of hours the screeching voice of Stephen Tyler blaring threw my speakers got on my nerves. Another negative about this game is that it is not too challenging. I play Guitar Hero on expert level but I can only get past the 6th tier of songs and then the next song set is rather challenging for me. In Guitar Hero Aerosmith I plowed through all of the songs and the only one that gave me trouble was the last song "Train Kept A Rollin'" which I failed and am still stuck on. Still this game is much easier than the earlier Guitar Heros. The guitar that it came with is really cool, it has a sick Aerosmith faceplate.

Verdict: Only purchase this game if:

1.) You need a new guitar

2.) You desperately need a new setlist to hold you off until Guitar Hero World Tour

3.) You are a big Aerosmith fan

If you are not any of those three things this game is not for you

My Rank

6/10