With Smash Brawl and GTAIV finally on approach vectors, I simply haven't been playing anything new. I have a terrible habit of snapping up mediocre games right ahead of major releases, perhaps my worst example being a bargain purchase of X-Men Legends the week before San Andreas came out... and my best non-mediocre example being the discovery of Animal Crossing a few days before getting Kingdom Hearts. But while I have been chafing to get No More Heroes or Burnout Paradise, I have managed to avoid both. Although No More Heroes has been a near thing and if Toys R Us ever had the game, I would have impulsed it during one of our many trips there.

And as for Burnout, I can't help but think that GTAIV is more or less going to cover the same ground - or at least, as much car stuff as I would enjoy in Burnout anyway. Plus all the other inconceivable greatness that GTAIV will deliver on top of that. I think if I had heard that Burnout allowed for custom soundtracks, I would have had a greater urge to bite. Now I'm just hoping that feature shows up in GTA.

(There's a small hope, because you could do it on the PSP and, I think, on the PC versions. Of course, getting it to work on the PSP was a file-duping mess. And I'll bet none of those previous games allowed your songs to play alongside supplied DJ inserts, which seems like such an obviously awesome idea that I can't believe nobody's confirmed it. Laslow, taking calls and running commercials, during my favorite songs! A-duh.)

And man, I haven't picked up Professor Layton, which I totally want. Get ready for Layton to win all of next year's Nintendo Power "independent" awards.

Nor have I yet beaten Ouendan 2 into paste. I finished both Elite Beat Agents and the first Ouendan by finishing every single song on all four difficulties, so I can't consider Ouendan 2 done until I hit that same benchmark. I should have been doing more of that instead of wasting all that time on Drawn to Life.

Rhonda has gotten back into Brain Age's sudoku levels, as she helps Clark get to sleep. He's already learned that number puzzles are boring, but hopefully he's picking up that being smart like that isn't. I should get Layton and have me and Rhon do the puzzles together.

The most gaming I've done lately is PixelJunk Monsters (which remains incredible) and before that, Endless Ocean (which remains impenetrable). And this week I started a second run through Ratchet & Clank Future, just to see it in HD. It's been nice to note that the game has more upgrades and weapons available for your second play, because I'm super-anal about powering the weapons all the way up. And yeah, HD. Woof.

This is the most dangerous time, because this is when I'll crack and buy something stupid like Devil May Cry 4. I just need to stay focused until March 9. I've already put in for a vacation day on the 10th.