Short circuits

007 strikes again Bond is back. While "Quantum of Solace" didn't fare as well with critics as Daniel Craig's first outing as 007, it drew nearly as much box-office interest as 2006's "Casino Royale." So the follow-up film is bound to be a big draw on home video. It comes out today on DVD and Blu-ray (MGM, $30-$40), along with high-def versions of the previous James Bond films "Moonraker," "Goldfinger," "The World Is Not Enough" and "Never Say Never Again." In the dark "Quantum of Solace," Craig is more steely-eyed than ever as Bond exacts wicked revenge after the events of "Casino Royale." If you want extras, the two-disc DVD and Blu-ray add a middling array of making-of featurettes. Otherwise, the single-disc DVD keeps it lean and mean -- just like Craig.

Also out today: "Andy Richter Controls the Universe" (full series), "Bolt," "Cake Eaters," "Forbidden Hollywood Collection" (Vol. 3), "The 400 Blows" (Blu-ray), "Happily N'Ever After 2," "In Treatment," "Midsomer Murders" (Set 12), "The Last Metro" (Blu-ray), "Master of the Game," "The Riches" (Season 2), "Room 222" (Season 1), "Star Wars: The Clone Wars -- A Galaxy Divided," "The Venture Bros." (Season 3), "Watchmen: Tales of the Black Freighter."

Get back to the "Beat" What would you get if you crossed Kraftwerk and "Pong"? Probably something a lot like the retro-cool "Bit.Trip Beat," a new game for the Nintendo Wii. But you won't find the cleverly constructed diversion in stores. It's a WiiWare title that's available only as a download on Nintendo WiFi Connection, which I wrote about last week. "Bit.Trip Beat" was created by Twin Cities native Alex Neuse, 35, who heads his own company, Gaijin Games, in Santa Cruz, Calif. In "Bit.Trip Beat," you (and up to three other players) move a "Pong"-like paddle vertically to hit blips that move horizontally across the screen. The on-screen action grooves in time to an '80s-era electronic soundtrack. As the levels increase, the patterns of the blips grow increasingly complex. And, well, soon you're doing all you can just to keep up.

"Bit.Trip Beat" is wildly addictive, even if the repetition harks back to the Atari 2600 days -- which is intentional. "My inspiration for the game came from my love for classic games and video game music," said Neuse, who attended Irondale High School in New Brighton and Hamline University in St. Paul. "I've always thought that the music in games plays a much larger role than a lot of people give it credit for."

"Bit.Trip Beat" sells for 600 Wii Points, equal to $6. (To download, go to the Wii Shop Channel in the Wii Menu and access the WiiWare section.) Neuse, who has been working in the game industry for more than 10 years, said Gaijin is working on a second installment of "Bit.Trip Beat" and plans more episodes "before we broaden our horizons and branch out into less classic genres."