Last night I rocked out on Guitar Hero II for the 360. The game is still a hoot. Many of the songs are crunchy. Many of them are also really hard. Not having really played much Guitar Hero, I am in the learning phase. The difficulty, as reported, really ramps up in a hurry. After unlocking a bunch of finishes, I switched to unlocking songs.

I spent my rocking earnings on Thunder Horse and Trogdor. Then I proceeded to rock out to the songs. After completing them I was stoked to have unlocked the Saturday Morning Award. Very cool. However, when I went back and played through Thunder Horse on Easy, I got my first perfect run. I was doubly stoked. Thunder Horse is a fun song, possibly my favorite one in the game. Though I have talked about Guitar Hero II before, I have hit the point in the game where my fledgling heroics are really being tested. Hopefully in the coming days and months I'll get better. For now I've been getting some uncomfortable cramping in my left hand and wrist. My fingers aren't really lining up with the keys properly and the blue notes are difficult. I can only imagine how I will be reaching for the orange ones later. We'll see.

Unlocking two achievements in Guitar Hero II ironically brought me up to a symbolic gamerscore: 27,666. While I am still 12 Grand behind sir Gerstmann, my would-be challenger for catching his score is evidently opting out of picking up the gauntlet I threw down. The gap is only widening, despite me being down for a month. Here I was hoping for a good points race.

In other news, a new episode of Button Mashing is coming out on Monday. While I was secretly hoping for a trailer to premiere during today's webisode of On the Spot, I'll just have to wait until Monday to see how it turns out. Despite the Vinny-made promos being some of the finest video finery, I'm sure the GS Live crew has been plenty busy with other endeavors more deserving of their time and attention. Last month we saw an episode with some serious contenders. It was a neck-and-neck race. Nailbiting. (SPOILERZ) Charles Bank talked tough, but in the end came out on top. For that, we salute him. I'd like to think if I were to appear on an episode of Button Mashing I would be confident, yet civil. Unfortunately, chances are good I'd just end up looking like a pretentious prick

To wrap up this already prolix piece of prose, I am pleased (and horrified) that I am moving on to the Finals of the Brain Bust contest. KensterFox truly came out swinging to land the top spot in the General Round. Kudos to him and everyone else who participated. Thus far it has been a blast! The chat room every day has been full of lively discussions on topics ranging from coal-burning consoles of the 1880s to holographic games from the 1990s. The competition has been more than worth the price of admission. Despite winning an all-expenses paid trip to San Francisco, It looks like wife and I will have to remain home due to her continued illness. I can always take the train. Look for me next week! It should be fun to watch.