I should have been a pair of ragged claws

Picross DS was just released in the US, and if you like puzzles like Sudoku it's well worth your inspection. I've been playing the UK version (thinking that it would never come out in the States) and there are tons of puzzles and a surprisingly good online competitive mode. Picross (officially known as nonograms ) have been around a while; it's frequently part of Games Magazine. Here's a free flash version to try out!

It has taken me three attempts at playing Resident Evil 4 (twice on the Gamecube and now on the Wii) before I finally realized that everyone was right and I was wrong . Resident Evil 4 is a fantastic game. I love the aiming the gun with the remote. While Nintendo did a good job of translating Twilight Princess from a GameCube game into a Wii game, Resident Evil 4 gun battles feel like the game was designed from the ground up to be played with the remote. It's easy to switch between targets quickly and "juggle" a group of oncoming cultists/zombie/crazies through quick kneecap shots. Capcom plays the tension of "too many zombies, not enough ammo" like a violin. Other aspects of the game lack the elegance of the aiming; the inventory screen is obtuse and frustrating by using some rather obscure buttons (the + and the 'c' button). It certainly doesn't ruin the game, but it's a missed opportunity to not use the remote to drag and drop in the inventory

Sony's Game Developers Conference keynote had two memorable components: the introduction of Home , their Second Life-styled real world, and Little Big Planet , a game about users creating their own game levels and sharing it with others. The contrast between the two could not be greater. Home appears as a 21st century Microsoft Bob-style metaphor of all the functionality of the Playstation 3. Users can design and layout their realistic environment, and, as repeated multiple times during the presentation, players can purchase merchandise from the Sony store online to show to their friends. The question that comes to my mind when thinking about Sony's Home is "what's the point?" Second Life conjures up a similar question, but the level of flexibility and sharing is miles beyond anything Home offers. Little Big Planet approaches the "problem" of what to do with an internet connected console with an entirely different, more interesting and plausible approach

While wandering around the Atlanta Airport this Christmas, we found an ad for Todd's first game as a lead designer. Brain Challenge has received great reviews even though it had a tumultuous (and extremely brief) development cycle. I've only seen advertisements for the games I've worked on inside gaming stores or magazines; seeing something you developed advertised in an international airport has got to be a treat.