Doh! Asheron's Call 2's Beta has been temporarily halted, leaving me...well, Beta-less. Just when I was starting to enjoy myself. All right, back to Anarchy Online we go!

Yesterday, I got Super Mario Sunshine and Super Monkey Ball 2 (everything's just super) for my GameCube, and although I didn't spend more than an hour with each game, first impressions are favourable. So far, however, Mario hasn't wowed me the same way Super Mario 64 did, but then I didn't expect it would. Crappy FMVs and voice-acting, and too much up-front story (I want to start playing - if I wanted a good story, I'd play an adventure, not a platform game) diminishes the experience, but the game itself feels great, and looks solid. It's not revolutionary, but it's more Mario, and that's always a good thing.

Super Monkey Ball 2's story mode is frighteningly absurd and nightmarishly alien - filled to the brim with weird character voices and a twisted, only-makes-sense-to-a-child plot - but more fun than the first one. Of course, the multiplayer mini-games are the most fun, and worth the price of admission.  ¶ 12:28