Music review: Do As Infinity - Wings

Artist: Do As Infinity Members: Tomiko Van, Ryo Owatari, Dai Nagao Album: Tangerine Dream Release date: 9/29/99

English translation: What's been the matter recently? You've been looking down Even your harsh language, which you were proud of, has disappeared Even if this world is just unfair, As for the weak, even the answers won't be found

On the nights the storm goes away, the sky is clearer than usual & the twinkling stars are blowing kisses to us

* Tomorrow is shining & the beat will stir up a miracle there We're together & time stops immediately We go beyond the horizon where the evening sun begins to melt

Let's throw away the excess baggage Let's just take the Gibson (guitar) If we can go willingly without choosing a goal, even the rusty fate will begin to pass

Even on the days of the preestablished harmony, it's better to throw everything to the shore, even if it's just the freedom in appearance

Even if the sparkling season passes by, let's hold onto the memories that don't change The fragments of the wish are in a dream You can grab them with a little courage

When you are tired of flying, it's better to rest your wings We know that you did your best

* repeat About the song: Wings was on DAI's debut single. It was rerecorded as Wings 510 for the New World album. This version of the song has a relaxed feeling to it while the rerecording sounds a lot more....well...studio, I guess is the best way to put it. The original recording has very simple instrument lines. The rerecording brings in more...stuff in the background. Both versions are very good songs. However, I like the simpler version better.

Game review: Pizza Chef

It's very difficult to classify Pizza Chef into a type of game. There's a little bit of time management in it but not a whole lot. There's a bit of three-in-a-row but that's not the entire game. It's almost like a mix between Cake Mania and Bejeweled with a shape puzzle tossed in. The basics of the game are simple. You try to match three objects in a row on your board as customers at your counter order pizzas. The pizzas are in various shapes and sizes. As you match the objects on the board, you open more spaces for you to use. In these spaces you fit the shape/size/type of pizza that each customer wants. For example, if a customer wants a rectangle-shaped pizza, you need to open a space that is 2-squares wide by 4-squares long. Then you place the customer's pizza in that space to "bake."

The bizarre combination in the game makes it interesting for awhile. However, when the levels start to get more difficult, it just gets annoying. It gets difficult to find matches in the shapes that you need them before your customers get angry and stomp off. I really think that the game designers should have picked one type of game and stuck with it instead of trying to mix two very different genres together.

Game review: Hidden Secrets - The Nightmare

Hidden Secrets - The Nightmare is a difficult hidden object game. You play a murder victim who is currently in a coma, attempting to piece together what happened to her. This mystery is solved through finding objects in rooms that she's been in as well as solving some puzzles in the mini-games. The main problem with this game is that the levels are so dark that it is almost impossible to find any of the objects on your list. Your cursor will glow a bit when you come near an object that you can interact with but that doesn't always make your job easy. There is also a ton of plot involved. If you are the type of gamer that just wants to play the game instead of getting wrapped up in the backstory, this wouldn't be for you. This game is aimed at people who really want to be absorbed into the experience of the character. However, I don't know if anyone will be able to overlook the visual darkness of the game to be able to fully enjoy it. I, personally, found it irritating.

Movie review: Stardust

I finally managed to get my hands on a copy of Stardust, a movie based on a Neil Gaiman novel. Starring Claire Danes and Charlie Cox, Stardust is the story of a young man, Tristan (Cox), who crosses a wall from his mundane world into a magical one to find a fallen star. Tristan expects to find a lump of rock. However, he finds that the star is, instead, a beautiful woman, Yvaine (Danes). Of course, Tristan is not the only person that noticed the falling star. A trio of wicked witch sisters, led by Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer), are after the heart of the star so they can obtain eternal life and beauty. Meanwhile, three princely brothers search for their father's stone to determine which of them will take the now-vacant throne. While all my friends gave this movie raving reviews, I wasn't sure what to expect from it. Little did I know that there would be an absolutely amazing story mixed with beautiful visuals. I don't want to give away too many things but I loved the way Yvaine's glow and the witches' magic was handled. They both added a little more pizzaz to an already amazing world. I would recommend that everyone give Stardust a try.

Game review: Dream Day First Home

Hm, I thought I had written about the Dream Day series of hidden object games but apparently I haven't. Well, you're in luck because a brand new piece of the puzzle has arrived. First we had Dream Day Wedding where you were preparing for your wedding. Then we had Dream Day Honeymoon where the newlyweds went on a tropical vacation. Now we have Dream Day First Home. I really love how each of these games progresses not only the overall storyline but also the playability. In Wedding, you have a very basic hidden object game with a bit of a Choose Your Own Adventure piece stuck in. When we moved to Honeymoon, the basics stayed the same but the difficulty got bumped up a notch. This time around, we are given more to customize - from the type of house the couple moves into down to what furniture they will put in their rooms. There is still a great hidden object game with a few little surprises but it's really the addition of the mini-games that makes it a blast.

Since the series is geared towards women, I'm not sure that men would find it interesting. Besides, there are enough games out there geared toward the boys, right ladies? So roll up your sleeves and jump into the wonderful world of home ownership!

Music review: W - Koi no Vacance

Artist: W Members: Ai Kago, Nozomi Tsuji Album: Duo U&U Release date: 6/6/04 Video link: On Veoh (Original song sung by The Peanuts)

English translation: Your kiss, Enough to make me sigh A maiden's heart seeing a sweet dream of love

Shining in a gold color Above the hot sand Let's love in bare flesh like mermaids

Gathering your sunburned smiles The promise we whispered It's a secret between the two of us A sigh escapes my lips

Ah, love's joy in the rose-colored days The first time I saw you... A vacance of love

Gathering your sunburned smiles The promise we whispered It's a secret between the two of us A sigh escapes my lips

Ah, love's joy in the rose-colored days The first time I saw you... A vacance of love About the song: W's first album consisted entirely of cover songs from the late Showa period (1924-1989). Despite the songs not being originally written for the duo, they bring a completely new sound to them. The original version of Koi no Vacance had a very 'Japanese' sound with a bit of big band tossed in. Aibon and Nono not only gave it an updated pop sound but they were also able to hold onto the original feeling of the song. While this isn't my favorite W song, it does make the top 10.

Game review: The Office

Yes, there is a downloadable casual game based on the hit television show, The Office. I've never been a fan of the show myself but I decided to give the game a try. Sadly, it is a terrible time management game. You play a member of The Office team and your job is to hand out assignments to other team members. Over and over again. The game designers decided to dress it up as a competition against other Office characters but there is no real competition in there as your 'competitor' just stands around most of the time.

I was really hoping for a decent game along the lines of Miss Management but with some Office humor tossed in. This piece of trash isn't even close.

Game review: Babysitting Mania

When I first saw Babysitting Mania, I figured that it would be a time management game where you take care of babies or children. Feed them, change them...that sort of thing. It's nothing like that. You spend the entire game trying to clean up after a couple of hellion children while feeding/changing the baby. The goal is to get the entire house clean and the kids in bed before the parents come home. Sadly, that is really difficult because the children keep making more messes. You can put the kids in "time out" but that only lasts a little while. I was really disappointed that this game is more about being a maid and less about actual babysitting. In real life, I don't think anyone would be expecting their babysitter to do a lot of the things she does in the game. For example, one of your in-game chores is doing the family's laundry. I know that I wouldn't expect my babysitter to do the laundry while I was out.

In the end, it was a frustrating game that had nothing to do with the title. The only time you care for the children is when the baby needs to be fed or changed. The older kids are permitted to run around destroying things without any sort of punishment. (They go back to destroying the house after their "time out" so I don't consider that much of a punishment. It's intended to give you some time to catch up on your chores, that's it.) Definitely a game I will not be picking up.

Music review: Kawabe Chieco - Be Your Girl

Artist: Kawabe Chieco Album: Brilliance Release date: 3/15/05 Video link: on Veoh

English translation: Baby, I wanna be your girl Baby, all I need is you

Even though you're with me so much now Even though you love me this much now

Time isn't on my side I can't be your girlfriend

Again and again I thought I was okay with that I'm sharing you with somebody else, but Again and again I cry knowing I don't want that, "(I wanna) be your girl..." Even if it's a lie, even if it's just for my peace of mind, tell me I'm the only one

It hurts when the anesthesia of your kiss wears off Are you leaving already?

Telling myself it would be cowardly to cry here I'm gritting my teeth and holding myself back

Again and again I thought I was okay with that I'm sharing you with somebody else, but Again and again I cry knowing I don't want that, "(I wanna) be your girl..." Even if it's a lie, even if it's just for my peace of mind

Come on, please You're the only one inside me Tell me I'm the only one you love There's just one thing I want, I simply want all of you

I won't run away from the world waiting ahead on this path I want to see for myself where it leads Even if I get hurt even more than I have already, "I'm gonna be your girl!" There's no way you can stop me, because this is the way I feel

Again and again I thought I was okay with that I'm sharing you with somebody else, but Again and again I cry knowing I don't want that, "(I wanna) be your girl..." Even if it's a lie, even if it's just for my peace of mind, tell me I'm the only one

Baby, I wanna be your girl Baby, all I need is you About the song: Chieco is very good at singing bubblegum pop songs. After spending two years starring as Sailor Mercury in the Sailor Moon musicals, she released her first single, Be Your Girl. The song became the ending theme to the anime "Elfen Lied" and shot her into stardom. I can definitely say that this is a song I can listen to over and over and still not get tired of it. Even though it's very bubblegum pop, the music is interesting enough to capture your attention. Chieco has a strong voice that helps make the song sound a bit more 'rock' than it really is. Sadly, she hasn't released a song since early 2006. I hope that she will return with a stronger sound. Bubblegum pop is good but that can't last forever.

Game review: Farm Frenzy

Farm Frenzy was a really fun game. You start out taking care of some geese and move into harvesting their eggs to sell at market before moving into other animals and products. Once you get sheep, you can harvest their wool to sell at market. Beware of the bears though! They will throw your animals off the screen, which forces you to buy new animals. Luckily, you can cage the bears and sell THEM at market. I didn't think I would like this game. It sounded like a lot of work with no real reward. Instead, I found the game exciting. I kept looking forward to making more money to buy upgrades for my farm. This is definitely a game you should try.