Replay Value

The game pictured above is Switchball , a puzzle game from Sierra now available on Xbox Live Arcade and PC. I downloaded it a few weeks ago and it's been my go-to for a quick gaming fix ever since. It's a deceptively simple puzzle game that's along the lines of Marble Madness or Monkey Ball , but with a clever twist. You're trying to get a simple marble past widely varied puzzles, but can change the ball into other states when the puzzle requires. There's a heavy metal ball for pushing heavy objects or getting past fans, or an air ball that can be inflated to float past spikes and other obstacles, and a sort of super ball that can be charged to jump, dash, or be magnetic. The puzzles start out simple, but get pretty complicated pretty quick. There's also a multiplayer race mode, but that's not my cup of tea. What's so amazing about this game is how clever the puzzles are. They're so good in spots that you just have to smile when you solve them. I...

So I finally picked up Mass Effect yesterday and popped it in. First impressions are pretty good. Like the look a lot, and LOVE the music. The much publicized conversation system isn't revolutionary, but it's fluid and seamless. Some people think there's too much dialog, but I feel like there's always a quick way out if you are so inclined. However skipping most of the dialog will make you miss how realized this world is. There's so much backstory it's nuts. How about the combat? Haven't seen to much yet but it's pretty solid. Could've used a little better cover system, but I'll excuse it for now. We'll see if it becomes an issue. I think I'll be taking the side of letting my team do whatever the hell they want for the time being. Seems to work alright. I do agree though that the whole item organization system sucks balls. You pickup TONS of crap during misisons, and it's not organized at all in your menus. I think I'll get over ...