Mario Kart is a long-running game series from Nintendo, taking our familiar plumber character, Mario, and his cohorts (Luigi, Donkey Kong, Princess Peach, Toad, and many others) around the laps in go-karts. While you can play in single player mode against the CPU, the game really shines when you play against others. The Nintendo DS version ups the ante for the portable version of this game.
Live from Daryl’s House
Quickshot: if you are a fan of Daryl Hall and Hall & Oates, be sure to check out Daryl’s new website: Live from Daryl’s House. Each month, Daryl features a new live performance as a webcast. I’m listening to Episode 1 right now from the archives, and I’m liking it quite a bit. Daryl’s still in fine voice, and it’s great to hear some new takes on his songs that I missed when Hall & Oates visited our area back in December. And it’s free–just register, and you can access all four episodes. Great stuff!
The Microhoo Deal (Microsoft/Yahoo)
The big news in I.T. these days, and in big business in general, is the Microsoft/Yahoo deal. There is too much to report for me to run down here, but thought I’d opine a bit about my own gut instinct as to where this could be headed. There are a couple of schools of thought, which I may or may not agree with, but are interesting nonetheless. My take? Read on.
HD-DVD, R.I.P.; Long Live BluRay
At the 2008 CES in Las Vegas last month, a couple of the remaining large movie studios put their support behind Sony’s BluRay technology, effectively putting the last few nails in HD-DVD’s coffin. While both were good formats, BluRay had more studio support, enabling it to win and put an end to yet another senseless format battle. Thing is, will anyone care?
Nintendo DS Thoughts
I’ve owned a Nintendo DS handheld gaming system for a year and a half now. I recently came across an old Game Boy cartridge, which worked in the original black and white Game Boy. I couldn’t help but think about how far gaming has come in the past couple of decades, and how much playability there is in the Nintendo DS, which is poised to become a successor to the Game Boy Advance as the top selling handheld gaming system. There’s a lot to like about the DS, and it does a few things uniquely that other handhelds do not offer.