smash hit

Guitar Hero Smash Hits
$39.99
Well, at least so goes the lyrics to Stone Temple Pilot's "Trippin on a Paper Heart" which not so un-coincidentally appears in this very game as a playable track. Too bad the makers of this particular installment did not heed Weiland's words. I bought this game near the release date on the very basis of a few choice cuts, particularly Ratt's "Round and Round" and Ozzy's "Bark at the Moon". Nowhere is the phrase 'Hammer-on Hero' no more appropo then on these very tracks. This is one of the many major factors that harm my enjoyment of this game - the hammer-ons are simply not believable and overdone. There are parts of BATM where there are near 20 consecutive hammer-ons. Coupled with the fact that some of the paths from songs that WERE official versions in previous games have been changed and not for the better - the Slayer and Dragonforce paths simply have me scratching my head. I actually hate to admit this but some of the covers are funner to play then the originals, namely Kiss' "Rock and Roll All Night". And where is "Hangar 18"? Also lacking, well completely absent, are any guest spots. This was simply a cash-in effort.

Guitar Hero Smash Hits
$59.99
...but the dearth of reviews should tell you all you need to know about online play.

The Good:

- The song selection is pretty strong. I don't really know why someone would say there are only "3 or 4 good songs." I'll admit that my tastes aren't always geared to the actual songs on the game, but it's fun to play nonetheless. My only gripe is that the selection of songs from Guitar Hero 3 is way too large. GH:3 was a PS3 game, not a PS2 game. Using up five tracks for this seems like overkill and filler - I hate doubling my library of songs.

- I like the new note charts. "TTFAF" expert becomes infinitely more playable on the GH:WT guitars due to the tap/slider feature in the intro (it was pretty tough to hit that first note with your elbow in GH:3). Some songs feel awkward, though; is there really any reason that "Take It Off" by The Donnas should rate so highly? The difficulty is incredibly artificial.

- The trophies are fun, but really, really difficult (100% the mosh on "Raining Blood"? Come on now).

The Bad

- Aesthetically, this game is really, really tired. Little effort was put into sprucing up the graphics, and the characters are the same stock losers as always (OK - Lars Umlaut is pretty cool). There are no guests.

- The online play is an utter joke. I guess this is what happens when an idiot company runs their franchise (and, probably, the entire genre) into the ground by releasing 100 games in a year. It's not like sales for this one have been off the charts, but again, that's no surprise (even Activision sees the writing on the wall - why else would they give away their next sales nightmare, "GH:VH"?). You'll be lucky if you find anyone online. Heck, even when I bought the game, there was no one online.

So, all in all, if you're a fan, and you haven't played these songs, you'll like the game. It's not great, but it's still fun.

Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits, and How Baseball Got Big
$15.99
I'm sorry, but I could only make it through about 75 pages of this. I am so thankful that I didn't purchase it and only have it on loan from my library.

I was really interested to hear about this guys take on steroids, but this book is so poorly written--think of a memoir by your obnoxious brother in law who didn't graduate from high school but knows what's best for everyone--and you'll just about have it. Mr. Canseco is more in love with himself than Oprah and more self deluded than Dick Cheney. The 10 or 12 pictures in the middle of the book are all of---guess who?!

Jose is not bright or creative enough to sustain the interest of any mildly intelligent reader. This is fare for Junior High Schoolers, which is kind of terrifying if you think about it.

All Star Smash Hits
$13.98
What would you expect from a hits package? This is all the best from Smash Mouth and as a fan of the band I feel this is a very good compilation.