Loaded Couch Potatoes

Master Black offers up his opinion on this week’s selection of new releases.

Video Games

Rock Band: Beatles – PS3 / XBox 360 / Wii

Featuring more than forty songs from the band’s career, this game appears to have all the polish and care that are completely missing from the band-specific titles put out by that other music-based franchise. From the faithful replicas of the Fab Four’s instruments to the high-gloss, era-specific videos in the song backgrounds, this one looks like it will be bigger than Jesus for any fan.

Mini Ninjas – PS3 / XBox 360 / Wii / Nintendo DS / PC

I know very little about this title except for the following: the demo is fun, the character designs are awesome, the humor is sharp, and I have a badass button with the “Fox” character on it. In truth, this one looks to be a fun-for-anyone action/platformer in the tradition of the Spyros and Jaks out there.

Dirt 2 – PS3 / Xbox 360 / Wii / Nintendo DS / Sony PSP

The sequel to one of the most critically-acclaimed — and drop-dead gorgeous — racers on the market brings even more to the table, according to the developers. Apparently, the focus this time is on “making players feel like they’re at a real event.” So in the background of any screen, there will always be other races taking place, crowds coming and going, and the general atmosphere of being at a rally tournament. If the controls and car modeling can hold up, this one might steal some thunder from later racing releases.

DVD / BluRay

The Office Season 5 – DVD / BluRay

Arguably the best season of the show so far, this DVD release is a no-brainer for me, even though I already have access to all the episodes. The additional features on this title tend to be excellent, and I will undoubtedly end up sitting in front my of TV for hours on end re-watching these episodes.

Fringe Season 1 – DVD / BluRay

My knowledge of this show extends no further than J. Wolfwood’s initial description of it to me: “It’s like Fergie mixed with Jesus.” I do know that word-of-mouth on it alone will probably get me to buy this set, especially since the upcoming season will feature Leonard Nimoy in a recurring role. Like Lost, I will probably watch through it non-stop until I fall asleep from sheer exhaustion and have to start whole sections over again.

Parks & Recreation Season 1 – DVD

Another one that passed completely under my radar, friend reviews tell me that it delivers the laughs. Not likely to pick this one up, but very likely to borrow it from someone soon.

Harper’s Island: The DVD Edition – DVD

Apparently, I just didn’t watch TV recently… This one comes from Jericho veteran Jon Turteltaub, and will be purchased because my mom freakin’ loved this show. I’m stoked about getting to watch it, but do not want spoilers! I’m looking at you, Jeremiah.

Crank 2: High Voltage – DVD / BluRay

As kick-ass a movie as I have ever seen, this sequel delivers in an over-the-top way that makes it equal to the first, if different. Maintaining the tongue-in-cheek humor and breakneck pace of the first one, Crank 2 goes one step further by eliminating any semblance of reality. Balls-out (literally) fun, this one’s best when viewed with friends.