I’ve been wondering for a while how much longer everyone’s favorite web company was going to be able to retain their midas touch.

It seemed that the last quarter of 2005, like much of the rest of that year, Google could do no wrong. Every new product release was received with much jubilation and claims that Google was forging the new frontiers of the internet. I have to wonder though, if upon reflection we will find that we were all under the influence of some sort of “Google fever.” It felt like the old days again, the possibilities of what could be done online seemed limitless! But once the fever breaks, how amazing is their product lineup really? Google Talk? It’s basically a more plain-jane IM client lacking many of the fun features of the big players in IM. Google Pack? Their claim is that it contains “a free collection of essential software.” More like a free collection of useless stuff. There is no cohesion between the pieces, and who the hell wants Real Player on their system?

Now that said, I actually do believe that Google puts out some really great products. After all, I have been part of the throng of Google groupies exclaiming their majesty at every release. Google Local has been a huge help a number of times and I remain an avid user of Google Earth and Google Desktop. But it seems that their overall vision (if there ever was one) may be slipping a bit.

Two stories today are making it obvious that not everything is sunshine and rainbows out of Mountain View. First, Google announced that they would be doing business in China and had decided to play by the Chinese government’s rules that require internet search engines to censor results. This has been a long time in the coming, and though it violates their old “don’t be evil” motto, it was probably inevitable. Microsoft and Yahoo are both in China already and when your two biggest competitors are doing business in the world’s second largest economy what are you going to do, not join in? The web lit up at this announcement anyway, and Google’s headquarters received what was probably their first protest as a result. Of course I think it’s wrong that if you do searches on human rights and the Dalai Lama using Google.cn from within China your results get filtered. But like I said, it was only a matter of time before the pressure was too great and they had to go in. To do business in China you have to play by their rules.

In addition to all the bad press about censored searches, the big G has also had to face the truth this week about their new online video store venture. While I’m definitely a fan of some of the nifty features of the new Google video site, you’ve got to admit that going to Google’s video store after hanging out in the iTunes Music Store’s video section is like driving into a bad neighborhood. There’s probably some good deals to be had but you’re going to keep your doors locked while you are there. Also, Apple is continuing to pull ahead in this space by adding a plethora of new shows available for purchase soon.

I don’t doubt that this is just a bump in the road for Google. And it’s almost a relief that they get a little bad press after the unbelievable amount of praise that has been lauded on them for so long. But if they really want to capture the imaginations of everyone again, it’s time to start revealing a master plan. Bring all this work together into a sigular vision and they will have devotees for life. I’m sure they can do it with all those PhDs wandering around the Googleplex.

My friend and Crashpod occupant Jason stopped by with Guitar Hero for the Playstation 2 last week so I could try it out. I only had about two hours before I had to leave for work and I can say truthfully Crashpod readers, that I was late that day. This game is so completely rockin’ that I couldn’t put it down!

First off, the controller is a guitar that you wear and play in time to what is happening on screen. What you see is your character on stage plaing a show with an advancing fretboard superimposed. The goal is to play the right chords in time with the signals the fretboard gives you. The better you do, the higher score you will earn and the more the crowd will go nuts. The worse you do, the more the crowd will turn on you and the worse the song will sound. A great element they added that similar rhythm games don’t have is “star power.” At certain points in each song, the chords that you need to play will appear as stars on the screen. Hit these correctly and you will raise your “star power meter.” When activated, star power will multiply your score earning power and really make things on screen go nuts. How do you activate it? Well by tilting the guitar back and really rocking out of course! The campaign mode is brilliantly conceived, starting you out playing basement shows and eventually working your way up to the local club, larger halls etc.

The game also includes a multiplayer mode that will allow you and a friend to play the songs together and trade solos on and off. I didn’t get a chance to try this mode but it is getting great reviews from major game sites. Unfortunately for the time being, the only way to get another guitar is to buy another kit, game included. But you do have the (somewhat lame) option of just plugging in a PS2 controller and playing along that way.

The developers did a great job with the guitar design, it has a rocker switch to simulate strumming and five different colored buttons on the fret board that you use to play chords. Since you will be playing some classic guitar rock songs (and solos) they made sure to include the whammy bar in hopes that it will get a lot of use. Oh boy does it. This product has a lot of potential for an after-the-bar party tool. Unlike home karaoke, people don’t really have to put their pride on the line when they strap up an axe and start rocking out to “Smoke on the Water,” or “Ironman!”

Sadly, my PS2 has been on its deathbed for some time now so it made playing the game for an extended period pretty difficult. From what I’ve seen during that short demo though, I will be purchasing a brand new PS2 and Guitar Heroes as soon as possible!