What's It All About:
When I saw the title We Cheer I certainly wasn't excited, as cheerleading is possibly the last thing I want to take part in for a video game. When I saw the cover art, which could easily be mistaken as the packaging for a Bratz doll, my interest dipped even further. It felt a lot like something from the Imagine series, aimed squarely at young girls looking for something pink and fluffy to play. But in reality, it's a rhythmic movement game in a cheerleading packaging, which is an unfortunate case of bait and switch that will drive away people who might enjoy the game, and draw in players who can't keep up with the title's demands...

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Let's face the facts: bringing Rock Star's legendary Grand Theft Auto series -- a legacy of quality games plagued with scorn for its controversial content -- to Nintendo's family-friendly Nintendo DS handheld system is, well, an odd decision. Carrying over similar gameplay and graphical prowess to the PSP for its line of Liberty City / Vice City offshoots makes much more logical sense, largely because of the Sony handheld's demographic of teen-to-twenty-something males. When Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars was announced at E3 in 2008, it was uncertain what direction Rock Star and Nintendo would take the mature series on a touch-screen gaming console … mostly because of the ominous “gimmick” stigma firmly fixed on its potential output....

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The Game:
For those of you not in the know, the Guitar Hero series actually started on the PS2. The series has been available on next gen consoles since Guitar Hero II, so it's easy to forget, but to date, Guitar Hero and Rock The 80's were PS2 exclusives. Not only that, but Guitar Hero, II, and Rock The 80's consisted solely of covers, and all the way up to III and Aerosmith, you could only play the guitar parts (which, at the time, was entirely the point). In other words, in the wake of Rock Band and Guitar Hero World Tour, there were a whole series of games that felt outdated in one way or the other. Activision aims to rectify these issues with Guitar Hero Smash Hits.

Smash Hits isn't a bad idea: Take tracks from the first few games, make them master tracks...

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Afro Samurai has become one of the more popular anime franchises on the market today. That most assuredly has something to do with its mainstream appeal, thanks to the presentation on Spike TV and involvement of Samuel Jackson. Despite the obvious marketing attempts on behalf of the producers of the series, the fact remains that Afro Samurai is actually a bloody good time. Now, when I heard a game was coming out I was naturally skeptical. I mean, how many crappy license-to-game endeavors have been forced to suffer through? Imagine my surprise when I realized that Afro Samurai, the game, was pretty damn fun...to a point.

If you're familiar with the show then you'll definitely feel right at home in the world of Afro. If you aren't, however...

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Texas will be the test area for Best Buy’s foray into used video games. Stores in Dallas and Austin have already begun buying and selling used video games, allowing consumers more variety in choice. They have installed automated kiosks at several points in the stores for users to scan in video games and receive Best Buy gift cards for the value of their game if it checks out to be in working order. Some of these kiosks will also allow games and DVDs to be rented directly.

Best Buy is hoping that this strategy will boost sales not only through the buying and selling of used games, but also through consumer engagement with new titles. They are following the lead of GameStop and RadioShack, two companies which are prominent in the buying and selling of used electronics.