Hello again!

My trip home was a bit busier than I thought it would be, and I had virtually no time to write, but I am now back in Santa Barbara, all graduated and looking for work! Harmonix just updated their job website so you can log in and see the status of an application, so now I know for sure they did at least receive my e-mail. The job I want is no longer listed in open positions, but my application is still listed as active. I’m crossing my fingers and hoping they are selecting potential candidates right now. As much as I’ve criticized some of their actions in this blog, I still think they are at the forefront of rhythm game design at the moment and it would be an incredible opportunity to work for them. My job here as a blogger is to write about the state of the industry as I see it, no holds barred. I can only hope they praise me for that rather than fault me.

Now to discuss a few gaming news tidbits:

Still Alive is free as DLC today for all you Rock Band owners, so don’t miss out on that. I’m really happy to see free Rock Band DLC, and I’m excited about the possibility of regular free DLC. Even a song or two a month would be a really great way to for Harmonix to show appreciation for the fans.

I am full of anticipation for Mario Kart Wii. The more I read about it, the more I want it to come out already. I am glad you can control it with either Gamecube or Wii controllers – it’s nice to see that even Nintendo isn’t solely relying on the Wiimote gimmick. Also, I applaud Nintendo for putting 32 tracks in the game, 16 of which are fully updated remakes from older games. This is a very smart idea in the development sense, because the hardest work, which is the track design, is already done! Compared to creating a track from scratch, graphically updating an old one is much easier and less time consuming. It’s also great fan service, and as Nintendo fans, we’ve come to expect that.

Also, this has got to be one of the best April Fool’s jokes ever. Half of me wishes it were real…the other half shudders at the thought.