Games I've Been Playing Lately

This is the kind of article I do when my brain's completely dead... Enjoy! Happy 4th to all you Americans out there. And to everyone else, have a good weekend!

As of late, four different games have sucked me in. All of them are entertaining and enjoyable. Two of them I recently purchased, while the other two I've been playing for quite a while.

Mario Kart Wii

System: Wii
Just the other day I finally beat that very annoying Mirror Mode. It really stumps me why they put it in. I mean come on, it's the same courses just left and right are reversed. How original is that? Nonetheless, you may be thinking, well now that he's finished with the Grand Prix, he's done with the game. No way. The online is so addicting. I think my win count is in the 1000's and losses around 800 or so. Right now my rating is 6400 or so. I simply love the online in this game. Like Mario Kart (even just a little)? Want a great online experience? This is a no-brainer. I'll probably keep playing this for months to come.

Full review here.

Boom Blox

System: Wii
I recently bought Boom Blox, and let me tell you: it's fun! And not just the easy, kiddy fun that the visuals suggest, it is extremely difficult too. There's so much to this game. Over 300 challenges (including the story mode), over 100 multiplayer stages, and the level creator. Plus you can go back and edit any stage you've unlocked, how sweet is that? So far I've beaten almost all of Explore Mode (except for those pesky, Jenga style puzzles) and a few of the Adventure Mode challenges. And it says I'm only 20% done! This is one huge and entertaining game.

I'll have a review up sometime next week.

Gyrostarr

System: Wii (via WiiWare)
Besides Boom Blox, I have purchased one other game of late: Gyrostarr. Available through WiiWare, and priced at $7 this is the kind of game you expect to find on WiiWare. It's a simple shooter that has a cool, sci-fi/techno feel to it. It's fun and has some unique concepts as far as shooters go. But overall it's an average game that I'm enjoying. There's supposedly 50 or so levels in it. I've only played a couple of hours of it and I'm only at level 13 or 14.

Full review here.

New Super Mario Bros.

System: Nintendo DS
Don't get me wrong, I beat this game a long time ago. But I decided to pick it back up and play through the game. Not try to beat every level or get every star coin, just play through Worlds 1 to 8, all the way up to that (somewhat) climatic battle with Bowser at the end. I'm on the last couple levels of World 8 as we speak; it's not that long of a game after all. But let me tell you: it's still super fun the second time through. I really hope they announce a sequel at E3 or something of the sort. Because this is one of my favorite DS games and a darn good game overall.

That rounds up the four games I've been playing lately. What do you think of them? Gyrostarr rules? Boom Blox sucks? What games have you guys been playing lately? Tell me in the comments.