When weird works...

There's weird and then there's weird. And sometimes weird works.

For instance, Puzzle Quest is weird because it's essentially a gem matching game, but it's an RPG game with a story and missions as well. That weird works.

Yet Poker Smash, with is also a "gem matching" game, is also weird, but I'm not entirely sure it works. Yes, it's fun trying to set up a matching straight or flush but other than that it really doesn't have much more to offer the genre than a Jewel Quest or Hexic HD.

Boogie Bunnies is the same way. You match bunnies and they disappear. Try to do that before the bunnies reach the bottom and that's all you need to know to play the game. But those bunnies are just so darn cute that when they get nervous because they're getting too close to the bottom you get nervous for them. And their costumes and signing can be hilarious.

And then there's games like Yaris. Is it an obstacle course, a racing game or a shooter? I don't think anyone knows. That's weird and NOT in a good way.

Some other weird games are Cloning Clyde, Space Giraffe, Lemmings (PSP), and Every Extend Extra Extreme (E4). And then there's Roogoo. It's a recent release on the Xbox Live Marketplace. And trust me when I tell you you've played this game before.

I know what you're thinking. "I've never played this game before. I've never even heard of it before." You might not have heard of it but you've played it. You were probably 1 or 2 years old at the time. The game is really simple to describe. You have to put the differently shaped blocks through the similarly shaped holes. You know, round peg in round hole type of thing. If you go into any toy store you'll probably see several versions of this game available. You also probably out grew the game by the age of two or three. But now that game play is back.

In Roogoo (a weird name you have to admit) you have several platforms suspended under the falling blocks and you can rotate the platforms to line up the holes the way you need them. It's simple gameplay any child could do it, but it's fun and addicting. Maybe because you know a child can do it and you want to prove you're smarter than a child. As you progress in the game it gets more difficult. There are more blocks with more holes to line up, more platforms to manipulate and longer blocks stretched out meaning you have less time to change things before they reach each platform. You should give it a try. It's weird and it works.

One thing I like about the Xbox Live Marketplace is that I can download a trail version of a game and see what it's like before I spend the money (or Microsoft points) to but it. That way if something isn't entertaining or just plain frustrating (Ecco the Dolphin) you're not going to waste your money on something you'll regret later on. It also means you can try some really weird games and discover things you wouldn't normally even consider playing. Because sometimes weird works. Trust me.

My Favorite Games - PSP

Okay, this isn't going to take very long. I don't have that many PSP games. When I purchased my PSP it was a spur of the moment decision. I was having a bad day and decided, what the heck (I tend to spend large amounts of money whenever I'm having a bad day). I was always going to get one, I had just planned on waiting a little longer before I did. The problem with getting it then was that I didn't have any money for games. Every time I went back into my local Gamestop was to look for a game for one of my console systems. The PSP has always taken a back seat to the console, poor thing. I'm trying to rectify that situation as my budget . . . and bad days allow

#1 Lemmings
I remember watching my brother play Lemmings on our computer a long time ago. It looked fun but complicated. I only played it a little bit but I liked it. I found a version was released for the SNES but I was never ever to track down a copy. When this came out for the PSP it was a sure bet. Lemmings can be the most laughable and yet thoroughly frustrating fun you'll ever have outside of Pikmin. I've wanted to toss my PSP through a window many times during the game but I always want one more crack at it before I do.

#2 Tokobot
It's fun to order your minions around to fling you across open spaces or scale impossible walls. Get them to do the dirty work for you and you can reap all the rewards. Learn to control the camera angles and you'll have lots of fun.

#3 Daxter
A sidekick getting his own game? Yeah, we've seen that before but who wouldn't love the wisecracking ottsel (a hybrid of an otter and a weasel) over a weak kneed plumber? There's nothing newly inventive with this platformer (that I've seen so far) but it sure is a lot of fun to play as Daxter and listen to him toss around those zingers.

#4 Untold Legends (both of them)
My first foray into "fighting" type games was through Hunter the Reckoning. A standard hack and slash. I fell in love. Untold Legends is in the vein of Balder's Gate and Champions of Norath but now you get to take it anywhere you want to go. A portable hack and slash. That style of game play suits me perfectly and I love whipping the PSP out on my lunch hour and slicing a few heads off (it beats doing that in the office).

Honorable Mentions: Ape Escape and Lumines (I have others but I haven't played them enough to pass judgement beyond the "this doesn't suck yet" phase).