the buzz log
May the Force Be With You, You, and You Too...
If you prefer to take in "Star Wars" with friends, and you're not old enough to drive, then this new game might be for you. "Star Wars the Clone Wars: Republic Heroes," is a multiplayer game that puts players in charge of their own destinies. As Yoda puts it, "Many paths this story has." (See a preview for the game.) Reviews warn that the game is geared toward a younger crowd. Still, “Star Wars” junkies of any age might find something in it to get their fix.
The game is an off-shoot of the animated series, which links seasons one and two. Since LucasArts has jumped into the making of the game, production values are high, along with some mighty creative touches that will be sure to touch the heart of many a "Star Wars" fan. If you have a Wii, your Wiimote will give off lightsaber sounds. Come on, Jedi knights-in-training, you know you love that.
For those more into launching grenades or firing blasters, a Clone character might be the way to go. Either way, you'll have the option of teaming up with others of your kind. One review notes that the cooperative battle play is a good thing, since you'll never fight alone, and you wouldn't want to: You'll be facing hordes of droids bent on your destruction.
Anticipation of the new game is running high on the Web. Yahoo! Searches on "star wars the clone wars republic heroes" jumped over 50% in the last day alone. Lookups for "star wars the clone wars republic heroes demo" and "star wars the clone wars republic heroes review" also jumped.
Reviews appear to be mixed. One cautions that this is a game geared toward a "Cartoon Network" crowd. Big Shiny Robot agrees: Kids under 12 should prepare to have their minds blown. Sorry, grown-ups. Another critic bemonaed the lack of moral choices evident in the TV show. But if you're in the mood to fight for the future of the Republic with your whole family, then this might be the game you're looking for.
Filed under: Games
Sweet: Life-Size Candy Land Board Game
Lombard Street: It bills itself as America's crookedest road. It zigs and zags down a steep San Francisco hillside in sharp, hairpin turns. Add water to it, and it would be a super-fun water slide. Add ice and it would make a killer luge. Or, if you're a board game celebrating your 60th anniversary, then you take over the street with a giant, winding Candy Land track. Invite kids from the UCSF Children's Hospital, and you've got yourself some good, clean fun — not to mention eye candy.
Word of the supersized board game caused searches to immediately surge on "candy land lombard street."
For those of you who haven't played the Hasbro game in a while, don't worry: You'll catch on quick. The game doesn't require much reading or counting. Knowledge of colors, however, is a must. So tots, follow along: Cards are drawn, each displaying a color matching the ones on the board's track. Move your playing piece to that color on the track. First one to the end of the track wins.
The sweet little game was dreamed up by one Eleanor Abbott of San Diego, who concocted the colorful track, cards, and magical land while she recovered from polio. She imagined the game would be the perfect confection for other kids who suffered from the disease. She sent her idea off to Milton Bradley, who introduced the game in 1949. Kids have been getting a sugar buzz ever since.
Watch a video of the transformed Lombard Street.
Filed under: Games
Learning the Rules of the Game(s)
Every society needs rules, especially when it comes to indoor pursuits and outdoor games. With the lazy days of summer upon us, people are searching for rules to figure out how games are supposed to be played.
One game in particular is regaining popularity: cornhole, which involves tossing cotton bags filled with feed corn through a hole in a board. Queries have more than doubled in the past 30 days, as people look for “cornhole bags,” “cornhole boards,” and, of course, “cornhole rules.”
The lawn game is apparently a favorite among people 25-54, especially from Ohio, Indiana, Virginia, Illinois, and North Carolina. And yes, there is an American Cornhole Organization. Its official site lays out details on court setup, pitching distances, and the play.Wondering what other contests of skill you might be sucked into at the next barbecue or night out? Take a look at the types of game rules people are brushing up on.
Top Searches for Indoor Game Rules on Yahoo!, past 30 days | Top Searches for Outdoor Game Rules on Yahoo!, past 30 days |
Filed under: Games
Buzz Multiplex: JoBros Blow Through
No one's objecting to this jet expense.
As if seeing "Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience" in pulsing, in-your-face detail wasn't enough, the Disney-backed threesome is jetting coast-to-coast as part of their "Surprise Theater Invasion Tour." Since an invasion is by nature secretive, the surprise lies in which theater the JoBros will drop by in the flesh.
The JoBros' first stop was, unsurprisingly, Hollywood, but besotted fans—and there are shrieking gaggles of them—with V CAST-enabled phones can track the invasion. If Blackberrys go missing this weekend, you know why.
The question isn't whether JoBros beats down its sole competitor and gameboy fantasy, "Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li." (Don't worry, fans of the first female "Streetfighter" trailblazer: The title's pulling in decent searches, which means decent attendance, high torrent activity, and a DVD release party down the line.) THe question is whether they can beat Miley Cyrus' movie's $31.1 million opening weekend take. Yah, not fair: Cyrus booked 683 theaters, while the boys get almost double at 1,271 locales.
The flight plan has already been set, but the JoBros might want to hit joints in Connecticut, which leads California, Pennyslvania, New York, and Illinois in "3D" search madness. And Street Fighter's Chun-Li travel tour's first stop? Arizona is the number one state checking out her movie. The Copper State loves those female trailblazers.
Filed under: Video Games, Movies, Music, Games, Hannah Montana, Jonas Brothers
Conversation Starters...or Dividers
The Christmas music may already be playing, but Thanksgiving elbows its way in with an air of gratitude and family warmth.
Ah, but now that the presidential elections are over and some people are feeling too economically fragile to shop, what's left to do? Yes, there's always football (playing flag or watching the boob tube)...but what's left to talk about over the stuffed turkey and quivering dish of ambrosia?
Lucky for you, eternal battles are always waged in Search—you know, could Mortal Kombat character Baraka beat Batman, or is the high-definition field rate of 1080p really that much better than 1080i video quality.
In other words, 'versus' comparisons continue in high gear this past week. People are checking out the face-offs in sports, music, technology and games. "Zune vs. ipod" (+44%) smacks of holiday gift-giving implications, while "affect vs. effect" (+31%) signifies age-old language struggles. (FYI, think of the "a" in affect as action verb, while effect is usually employed a noun. Hope this helps a little.)
And nothing induces a rousing discussion better than taking sides in a match-up, no? So, peruse the categories below to choose your conversational gambit. (Sure, some of these contests—like the UFC fight—are already resolved...but one can always throw in what-ifs and next-times.)
If you have your own 'versus' scenario you want entertained, throw it in the comments below and see what comes up. Just remember to play nice.
Fastest Moving "Versus" Searches
Sports
- Alabama vs. Auburn, football (off the charts)
- Mexico vs. Honduras, soccer (+604%)
- Texas Tech vs. Oklahoma, football (+471%)
- Manny Pacquiao vs. De La Hoya, boxing (+35%)
- Brock Lesnar vs. Randy Couture video, mixed martial arts (+471%)
Tech
- 1080i vs. 1080p (+206%)
- Blackberry Storm vs. iPhone (+123%)
- Plasma vs. LCD (+73%)
- Zune vs. iPod (+44%)
- PS3 vs. XBox 360 (+26%)
Gaming
- Bleach vs. Naruto Game (+295%)
- Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe (+73%)
- WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2008 (+17%)
- WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2009 (+13%)
- Marvel vs. Capcom (+2%)
Entertainment
- Naruto vs. Orochimaru, anime, (off the charts)
- Undertaker vs. Big Show , WWE entertainers (off the charts)
- Ti vs. T.I.P., music (+237%)
- Freddy vs. Jason 2, movies (+74%)
- Alien vs. Predator 2, movies (+22%)
Filed under: Sports, Tech, Holidays, Entertainment, Games
top movers
| Rank | Subject | 1-Day Move |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nidal Malik Hasan | Breakout! |
| 2 | Fort Hood Shooting | Breakout! |
| 3 | Tyrannosaurus Rex | Breakout! |
| 4 | Fort Hood | 43518% |
| 5 | Tropical Storm Ida | 4377% |
| 6 | Willie Aames | 3325% |
| 7 | Shannon Dedrick | 3299% |
| 8 | Gretchen Rossi | 2702% |
| 9 | Epic Mickey | 2583% |
| 10 | Lee Harvey Oswald | 1907% |
top leaders
| Rank | Subject | Move | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Danica Patrick | +194 | 207 |
| 2 | Fort Hood | +185 | 185 |
| 3 | Angelina Jolie | +114 | 164 |
| 4 | Rihanna | +39 | 157 |
| 5 | New York Yankees | +54 | 154 |
| 6 | Alicia Keys | +139 | 153 |
| 7 | +1 | 153 | |
| 8 | NFL | +6 | 138 |
what's the buzz?
A subject's buzz score is the percentage of Yahoo! users searching for that subject on a given day, multiplied by a constant to make the number easier to read. Weekly leaders are the subjects with the greatest average buzz score for a given week.
For more detailed information, visit our FAQ.