The off-days are over and Multiplayer is back. It’s time to share some notes from my Thanksgiving full of games:

“Assassin’s Creed”

Even Penny-Arcade can’t deny that Ubisoft’s big game is repetitive… repetitive for those who played the fun first two hours of it on their debug Xbox 360 and then played those same two hours again on their retail Xbox 360. Not fun that way. Is this a polished short-session game masquerading as an epic? 

“Rock Band”

• “Rock Band” was the new Wii, at least for a day in the Totilo household. Dad was disappointed that I didn’t bring Wii back for a second annual Thanksgiving video game bowling session. Family looked askance at massive bag full of “Rock Band” (this bag, mind you). But they changed their tune.
• No Totilo can drum like me, yet I can’t drum well in the hard mode.
• When the lead guitarist accidentally selects bass and then tries to correct it, the game shouldn’t back us out to the band-member selection screen.
• Characters created in the game are locked into playing a particular instrument. So no one playing this game sticks to assigned roles, as players keep taking control of each others’ characters in order to play drums instead of guitar or sing instead of strum. Why won’t Harmonix just let Daddyo decide what he wants to play, instead of forcing him to take my guy over?
• Band World Tour mode needs to be online, lest “The Squirrels” will never play again.
• “Rock Band” can be played just fine in a suburban house, but only in a big-city apartment when neighbors are away; far too noisy.

“Crysis”

Do not try to run this game on a 3.0 GHz, 512 MB computer with a Radeon X300. Not that the game will warn you. Installation will proceed even though the computer can’t handle the game. Then it will take six minutes to poorly load the first level. And crash the computer.

“Company of Heroes”

Valve’s servers are too busy all weekend to download this game? But Steam has no trouble downloading me other games. Something else must be amiss. How am I going to fill this gap in my gaming expertise?

“Blacksite: Area 51″

Rushed? Incomplete? Actually pretty smooth and fun early on in the couple of levels I’ve played. Almost mindless, except any game full of Moqtada al-Sadr and Saddam Hussein posters (in the Iraq levels, of course) does make you think some.

“Geometry Wars; Galaxies”

Dangerously addictive Wii surprise. A shmup designed with “Ratchet and Clank“-style skill progression. Hard to stop playing this easily overlooked Thanksgiving release.

“Mario and Sonic At The Olympic Games”

Like “Rock Band,” requires active physical movement that can induce headaches. Unlike “Rock Band” in that it’s in the giveaway pile.

Nine Independent Games Festival Games (played because I’m judging them)

Some gems; some stinkers; not sure I can say much more just yet. But apparently motion control and guitar control are big influences in the indie scene — and to promising effect.

—

Sooooo… how was your gaming Thanksgiving?