In Deck: Tax Return Edition

Sure, it's alittle early for talk of taxes and W-2s and whatnot, but for people who don't have much of a social life, it's one more thing to start on while everyone else is out having fun. So, while you all while popping bottles on New Year's Eve, my wife and I were getting our last paystubs together and rocking the tax info.
So, jump to now. I just cashed a $5200 return check. Hey, the nerds will inherit the earth. In the meantime, I got some new games and you didn't. So, here we go.......


MAGIC BALL (PSN)

Saw this game a few months ago. I'm a sucker for Breakout/Arkanoid ripoffs and this game is really simple to get into. Casual to say the least, your only goal is to return the ball, a soccer ball to exact, into various backdrops. Destroying pirate ships and forests full of dragons is more fun than it sounds. The trophies are your standard "get a million points" and "collect XYZ" type deals, but thay are good for the style of game it is. My only beef with it is that it launched with only two levels, dooming it to the "wait and see" type deal like what plagued Pain for so long. It really could go in a lot of interesting places. Space, anyone?
Magic Ball is out now for $10



 LUMINES SUPERNOVA (PSN)

I like Lumines. A lot. I've talked about this a few times here. Well, I'm still rocking it and having a good time with it. Not doing so hot on the trophy front, earning only four of the 11 or so. Dig down mode is a bitch that I seem to fuck up on about level 7-9. Sucks, but not so hard that I don't want to play anymore, but it makes me try again. And again. Going to sleep at 3am because you had to try to beat Dig Down one more time isn't the move. I Haven't messed around with the music making part too much. I'd like it more if you could use your own samples in the grid. I could release a CD of music made by Lumines to listen to WHILE you play Lumines. Awesome thought. Let's hope the game gets some new skins and modes soon.

Lumines Supernova is out now for $15

Midnight Club LA (PS3)

As a non-driver, I never really understand why I like racing games so much. With the exception of Gran Turismo series, I'm pretty good at all of them. Midnight Club being my favorite of the street racing games, I've been a fan since MC2 on PS2. And after MC3:remix, I really didn't know what else Rockstar could do with the Club. Well, Rockstar knows how to treat their franchise games and they have opened up the city of LA and made some of the best street races I've ever played. Most of the races so far are pretty heart wrenching. Highway battles, circuit races that drift into oncoming traffic and the crazy amount of online options you can do in this game, I'm having my hands full with things to do. I really like the way that Rockstar tries to expend the online modes in their games outside what most games do. The car rating system is interesting and a fun way to include the community. Most people have terrible taste in design, but it's still a fun mode to play around with. As it stands now, none of my rides are good enough to embarrass myself by adding my ride to the fray. Not even for the trophy. Still a great game, and the upcoming South Central DLC sounds cool. Hope there are some low riders I can bump some Dr.Dre while hittin' them conas in them lo-lo's, girl…….

Sorry about that.

Midnight Club LA is out now.

 That's it for now. More later. Mostly about Killzone 2 and Korg DS-10.

J.