TV: What I am watching... PART 2

WEDNESDAY NIGHTS
Lost (ABC) Season 3 - Well I guess I won't really be watching this until next year but the island left us with a suitable enough cliffhanger. As Jack holds Ben hostage on the operating table to secure the release of Kate and Sawyer, but unbeknownest to him that they are all stranded on a seperate isle.

Bones (FOX) Season 2 - Although not a show on the same level as Lost, Heroes, Veronica Mars and Desperate Housewives what this show succeeds in is the enjoyment of watching it's characters interact. The writing is always top notch, it'll never blow you away but also you'll never be disappointed.

Jericho (CBS) NEW SHOW - Along with Heroes here is another show providing a hugh concept serialised drama as the population of a small mid-west are isolated in the midst or a possible nuclear war.
It's good to see Skeet Ulrich getting work and he is a more than capable lead in a story that has plenty of ongoing mystery and drama.

Medium (NBC) Season 3 - Returning just last night after a extended hiatus to allow the broadcast of other new, but generally alot worse, shows. It was a typically strong episode and a great premiere. I liked the way it was giving more screen time to the other supporting characters giving them more depth.

The Nine (ABC) NEW SHOW - The hostages from a botched bank robbery find that they lives are forever changed as they have to deal with what happened to them. A clever use of revealing flashbacks, a little piece of the ordeal is revealed at a time as a driving force for events in each episode. I just think ABC maybe asking too much of their audience by putting right after Lost, as both shows require alot of attention and emmotion. I hope this show can stick around.

NOTE: I would have also been watching Day Break on ABC but my DVR screwed up and never recorded it.

TV: What I am watching... PART 1

Well here we are running into the November sweeps and all the new shows are falling in to line. But what am I watching this year?

MONDAY NIGHTS
Prison Break (FOX) Season 2 - Last year this was a show that had me wondering where they could go with it once they get past the actual breaking out of prison. Well after the disappointing finale which left me with a bad taste in my mouth the second season has picked up alot of the slack, offering the gutwrenching cliffhangers which the first season lived on. Introducing new characters whilst finishing off some familiar faces.
Now we are a couple of weeks away from the forced Fall finale (show returns next March), the Burrows brothers are without their money that they planned to have and are know being tracked by a drug taking Marshall (William Fitchner). It is still hard to see how FOX are going to keep the twists coming, but they have managed it for over 5 years on 24. So let us enjoy the ride for now.

Heroes (NBC) NEW SHOW - A show that is quickly closing in on Lost for the amount of weekly anticipation that it causes in me. My inner, and outer, geek are loving every minute of this great new serialised drama. My initial fears that the theme of the show would lose alot of the audience have been allayed as the show is getting the best ratings of any new show on TV this year.
But even if you aren't a comic book reader this show has enough drama and character to involve you.

Also on Mondays: How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - In it's second season and still very funny.

TUESDAY NIGHTS
Veronica Mars (CW) 3rd season - Gotta love me some Veronica. Now that I've kind of gotten over the horrific changes to the title music and credits this new season has picked up well. The move away from the location of Neptune High to the college reminds me of Buffy's move over. It gives the show a slightly different which at first was unnerving but it has grown on me.
The shame of the whole thing is that in ratings so far this year VM is only beating one or two shows on it's own network. Which could spell trouble come the next season when they'll want to run a few new shows. I just can't understand with the talent and writing behind this show as why it remains largely unwatched. It is just a travesty.

VIDEO GAMES: Rock returns and the gaming of tomorrow now.

The pinnacle of rhythm games has returned this past week. Guitar Hero 2 is in my hands and it is totally rockin'. Red Octane have up the ante this time round with a massive 40 licensed songs and another 15 independent tracks to strum through. And for those people who managed to master the game on the Hard and Expert levels it seems they have upped the difficulty too.

Unfortunately I am not in the number who can play on Hard or even come close to expert. I shredded through the game on Medium, now I am looking for those elusive 100% notes hit. I really have to practice my hammer-ons and pull-offs to master those quicker sections.

Now looking forward to the future and the next-gen consoles. It looks like I am leaning in the direction of getting a Wii, with a price tag 50% of the one on the PS3, it may be the way to go in the meantime until the price drops on the other. Where as the PS3 is about adult gaming the Wii is going to emphasis family gaming.

If the potential is properly harnessed by video games makers Nintendo, with a less powerful system, could be showing the way to go. Getting the player to immerse themself in the game using body movements, you swing the control like a sword your character in the game could be swinging their sword. The possibilities are endless.

One game that has me excited is Trauma Center: Second Opinion, think operation without the buzzer and using the Wii-mote to control the doctor's hands are you operate on patients in a hospital ER.

But then I do see those gorguous screenshots of the PS3 in action and I can help but think what would I be missing.... We'll see what 2007 brings.