Walk It Out! isn't lame just because it isn't for you

One of the main reasons I subscribed to GameFly was to try out the various fitness and motion games for the Wii. They always seem to be unavailable at my local rental shop, and I found that they are pretty popular with the rent-by-mail crowd, too. It took me several months to get a fitness title, and it was Walk It Out! by Konami. There is an in-depth review at Wii Love It so I won't try to replicate it. Go read it!

I've read many disparaging comments about Walk It Out! online. More accurately, they were negative comments about the idea of walking indoors. Fans of Konami's Dance Dance Revolution franchise in particular bemoan the fact that the company released something they see as lame. The DDR games are big fun, but everyone doesn't have the coordination to handle all those complicated step combinations. Walk It Out! is great for an overweight 40-something who wants a simple start to an exercise program, like me.

I got the game last Monday and I managed to walk almost 15 miles by Saturday. Considering that in a good week on the treadmill I would only walk three miles, that in itself is a testament to the addictive nature of the game. There is no storyline or boss monster to beat at the end, but there is something about collecting every item in a game that appeals to me. If you have ever played a video game a little longer than you should to unlock one more item before bed, then Walk It Out! may be the game to get you off the couch.

Playing Lots of Casual Games

For some reason, I've been seized by the desire to play casual games. I've played a bit of Bejeweled or Zuma in the past for about 10 minutes at a time, but this month I've been coming home from work and playing games for hours. These games are much cheaper than they used to be and definitely less expensive than games for consoles like the Wii. Casual games once started at about $20 a game but now you can find many of them for $6-$8 each or playable online for free.

Bejeweled Blitz: I am obsessed with this game and wish that it was available somewhere other than Facebook. It is the same match-3 game that everyone knows, but the twist is that you are trying to get the highest score you can in one minute. You compare your scores only with the people in your friends list, which gives the game that old-school feeling of trying to get your initials to the top of the high-score list on a machine at the neighborhood arcade. The scores are reset once a week, so everyone gets a chance to be the champion. The one-minute time limit makes me keep saying "just one more game" and I end up playing it for two hours! It would be even more fun for me if this game was available in a few other venues where I have friends that might actually play.

Valerie Porter and the Scarlet Scandal: This is the first hidden-object game that I've played all the way through, and it has changed my opinion of them. I got a couple of these games for my kids when they first started popping up online. I thought of them as digital versions of the pages in Highlights magazine. However, hidden-object games have evolved into the kernel that a story or adventure game is built around, and Valerie Porter is a good example of that. The premise is that Valerie Porter is a cub reporter in the 1920s working on her first big story, the murder of an actress. The graphics are attractive and the puzzles are just challenging enough to keep the story moving. I could see a fan of those cozy mystery novels playing this game.

Penny Dreadfuls -- Sweeney Todd: This game ups the difficulty a few notches. There are a LOT of items to find in each hidden-object screen, and the puzzles in between are a challenge. I had to look for hints several times. The game is based on the dime novel version of the Sweeney Todd story, not the musical, so it may have a different ending than you expect.

Azada: I'm still in the middle of this game. It is like Myst (character trapped in a book) with more recognizable puzzles. I played Myst back in the day and I welcomed having that experience again with puzzles that actually have instructions! If you like variety, this game is for you. There are matchstick, sudoku, memory match, and even dots puzzles. The one aspect I find frustrating is that the puzzles come in sets and you have about 35 minutes to finish every puzzle in the set. If you get stuck on a particular puzzle (sudoku sucks!) then you have to do the whole set again. Still, I would recommend this game to a person who thinks she would get bored doing the same type of puzzle over and over.

Farm Frenzy - Pizza Party: I don't even know why I am playing this game. It is one of those time management games like Diner Dash -- certain tasks around the screen have different time tables, some tasks have to be done before others, and the whole schedule becomes more hectic as you get to the higher levels. Once I realized that these games are pretty much about clicking, I decided I didn't need to play any new ones that are released. Yet, here I am, letting Farm Frenzy suck away several hours of my weekend. I think the key to keeping me engaged with this game is that the designers included a "best time" for each level. Having a time to beat added more interest for me.

I go through phases with games, so I'm sure I will burn out on the casual genre soon and start craving a good card game. Right now, though, I've got to go make a Farm Frenzy pizza!

Finally Learned to Play Cribbage

Cribbage is one of those card games, along with bridge and canasta, that I've heard mentioned in 1940s movies and always wanted to learn to play. I've even had two cribbage sets in my house for the past several years. However, every time I would look at the rules, I couldn't wrap my brain around them. This was frustrating because I am pretty good at teaching myself how to do all sorts of things from books. I resigned myself to the fact I wasn't going to be able to teach myself this game.

Last weekend, I was hanging out at my best friend Rabbit's house when all of a sudden she pipes up with, "Do you know how to play cribbage?" Now, it was 11p and at least one of us had been drinking, so it wasn't the most conducive atmosphere for learning a game :-). Still, I managed to pick it up and I can't wait to teach it to my daughter C2. Cribbage is the type of game where my sweet and quiet 13-year-old will beat the pants off the adults!

Rock Band Unplugged (PSP game)

I wasn't sure if I would like Rock Band Unplugged. After playing the game on the Wii, I couldn't imagine playing it on the PSP. I mean, you can't sing into the PSP, and that is my favorite thing to do when I play with the kids. Even without the singing, though, this is a compelling game.

To me this game is like Frequency with a Rock Band skin. You play guitar, bass, drums, and vocals -- but not all at the same time, of course. You switch tracks, trying to keep them all at the top of the meter. If you successfully play a phrase on one track, it will play by itself for a little while so you can switch to another track. I never thought I would get the hang of all the switching because I had a terrible time of it when I played Frequency. However, I did get into the groove after a few sessions.

I would say that playing Rock Band Unplugged satisfies a different gaming need than playing it on the Wii or one of the other consoles. When I play on the console, I like to grab the microphone and pretend that I am a rock star. On the PSP, Rock Band is more of a skill game; I don't even think much about the music. I worry much more about being fast and hitting the notes at just the right moment. So even if you thought that music games weren't for you, give this version a try.

Professor Layton and the Curious Village (DS Game)

I put Professor Layton and the Curious Village in my Gamefly queue because I have fond memories of playing point-and-click adventure games in the late '80s and early '90s. What I should have remembered was that I had to buy a walkthrough guide to get through Myst. When I got this game in my hands, I was frustrated by the time I got to the 7th puzzle! It has been a long time since I've played any kind of game that taxed my brain, so perhaps I wasn't in the right frame of mind to play it. Since I am renting the games, I feel the pressure to play it for a week and send it back. If I get stuck on a puzzle, I feel like I'm wasting time.

Even though my feeble brain couldn't handle the game, my 16-year-old daughter M got a kick out of it. She especially enjoyed the cut scenes; they reminded her of the anime movies that she likes. We both liked the "Story So Far" feature that reminds the player of the plot when you turn the game back on. M sped through the game and finished it over the weekend, but I know she didn't hit all the puzzles or bonuses that could be unlocked. I will probably rent the next couple games in the series for her to try, but I'm not sure if my brain is up to playing. I think this is the kind of game the doctors are talking about when they say you should do puzzles to keep your brain sharp in your old age!

Loco Roco (PSP game)

Loco Roco is a cutesy little platform game for the PSP. As you can see in the video, you tilt the landscape to make your little person move forward. The more flowers you roll over, the bigger your person gets.That is about as much as I understood about this game. I'm not a big fan of platformers; I'll play them for a few minutes if I have a break but they don't hold my interest enough to play through all the levels. My daughter M actually finished the game in the week that we had it on loan from Gamefly, so it must not be a very long game. The best thing I can say about this game is that the graphics and music elevated my mood. They make you think of spring and sunshine and children playing in the park. Perhaps they should hand this game to depressed people.

LEGO: Rock Band (Wii Video Game)

First off, I want to say that I don't have much experience with these "rock star" games. I've only played Rock Band for a couple hours and I've never played Guitar Hero. So this review of Lego Rock Band is coming from a relative newbie to these games.

A reviewer on GameFly wondered what Lego has to do with music. I admit that Lego has about as much to do with music as with Batman or Star Wars. However, the Lego versions of these comic book and sci-fi games have set Lego up as a brand that parents can look at and say, "I know that game will be safe for my kids." That's why I rented the game. Even though my tweens and teens have already played the original Rock Band game, I thought the Lego version might have a playfulness that was more appropriate for 12-year-olds. What got was only partially satisfying.

As expected, the skill level in Lego Rock Band is dialed down a bit. I usually sing in these games, and I set the vocals on Medium only if I really know a song. In Lego Rock Band, I played many songs on Hard or even Expert. This is fine for a person who has never played a Rock Band game before, but it is a letdown if you have played the original game first.

The true letdown for me, however, was the tour mode. Since this game is aimed at kids, I expected a bit more of a storyline between songs but there wasn't much of one. There isn't one in Rock Band, either, but that game is mainly about playing the songs. Why do a Lego version if you aren't going to add something to it? At the end of each song, you earn all these little trinkets that go in the Rock Shop. They don't really affect your gameplay; they're just cute.

I think the subtitle for this game should be My First Rock Band. Give it to a 9- or 10-year-old who has never played the original game, if you can find one.

GameFly: LEGO: Rock Band Wii Video Game | Buy LEGO: Rock Band for Wii | Rent LEGO: Rock Band