RedToof on 21 November 2007
Ok, so it all started Monday night at Midnight. My wife was just as excited about Rock Band (she's a former drum player) as I was, so we decided to go to the only Best Buy in MA that was selling it at midnight, which is the one in Watertown (right near Boston).
While waiting in the cold New England fall night air with the coolest wife on the planet, we noticed four things:
1) The line started getting really long at around 10pm (we'd been there since 8pm)
2) From the rumblings of the employees there was sure to be enough for everyone. (yeah!)
3) They'd also be selling Mass Effect at midnight. (boo ya)
4) There was some dude walking down the line apparently handing out free donuts and coffee.
#4 was unusual, and when guy got to are area someone asked "so why are you handing out free donuts?" He replied, "Well, I work for Harmonix, and I just felt really bad that you are all standing out here in the cold."
Then it clicked with me that Harmonix is based in Cambridge, and sure enough, after a bit of chatting it was clear that this guy really was from Harmonix. Not only that, but several more employees showed up with more goodies and some cool stickers. Very cool group of guys and company.
So we were happy to support their company, and you could see the smiles of appreciation on the Harmonix guys faces as we each walked out of Best Buy with our giant boxes yelling "Whoo Hoo, I'm gonna rock all night" type stuff.
Of course, being an old fart, I actually didn't rock all night. Instead I went to bed when I got home at 1am. However being a wise old fart, I had taken the next day off.
So the next day (now about 7 hours into my 24 hours of gaming nirvana) after my daughters were off to school my wife and I set up Rock Band and jammed until Noon. The game is amazing. Suffice to say that I recommend it well over GHIII,even if you only plan to play guitar. The song list is much better, IMHO, with more master tracks and a much cooler RPG element. Even better, playing with friends is over the top fun, simulating the feeling that a band gets when they work together to actually make music. It succeeds on every level.
My wife had a commitment to take the girls over to a friends house from Noon until 3pm. After checking in remotely with work I still had two more games to try out. Assassin's Creed just came in from Gamefly, and that shiny new Mass Effect box was still taunting me from last night.
I popped in Assasin's Creed for a little over an hour. The game immediately impresses and draws you right in with a compelling story and jaw dropping graphics. Really enjoyed it and can't wait to play it more, but that new box of Mass Effect was still calling to me. Really, if you listen very quietly you can still here it now. ("Shepard...Shepard...the universe needs you...")
So in went Mass Effect. I can't think of any other way to describe this game other than "BAD ASS". From the get go everything just draws you right in to a space opra that really has you on the edge of your chair. You just have to play this game to understand it, there is no describing it.
So at 3pm the family got home, wife and I played a couple more sets of Rock Band, the kids danced. Then I went to my usual Tuesday night "Gaming" event for 4-5 more hours of gaming.
When I got home (around 10pm), my wife had been practicing her drums... this is the first time I believe she has EVER turned on the 360 without me in the house. We discovered that her rocker could leave the band, go solo for awhile, make a name for herself, get some gigs, then come back to the band. We also discovered the new downloads. After downloading "Roxanne," "Bang a Gong," and "My Sharona," we played until Midnight. Which, of course, ended the 24 hour madness.
Whew...
All 3 games are amazing, Mass Effects story is the "Must See Movie" of the season, Assasin's Creed is the "Unique Gameplay" game of the month, and Rock Band is simply the "next big thing" after the dynasty that was GH. Of the three, RB will definitely see more hours in my 360, as it is the ultimate party game, but all three will be remembered for a long time.
I've got to drop my Gamefly down to 1 game (which is Assasin's Creed)... it will take me months before I have time for another game.
Gamers have 3 choices this generation: The Exercise Machine, the Movie Machine, or the Game Machine. What kind of gamer are you?
