Top Spin 3 is a game that has a lot of potential, especially with a system like the Wii.  Wii Sports Tennis set the bar really high for a fun, interactive experience, and Top Spin 3 aims to provide a more realistic approach to tennis for the Wii.

I was really looking forward to playing Top Spin 3, because Wii Sports Tennis is one of my favorite games on the Wii right now.  The game perfectly uses the Wiimote to give a fun, and surprisingly deep level of gameplay for such a simple concept.  Top Spin 3 is definitely marketed more towards the hardcore gamer because of the control scheme and gameplay they adopted.

TS3 uses both the Wiimote and the nunchuk to control your character on screen.  The Wiimote is used very similar to Wii Sports Tennis to execute both basic backhands, forehands, and serves.  One of the big things you’ll notice right off the bat with TS3 is the unique way you hold the Wii Remote.  Instead of holding the remote with the ‘A’ button facing up, like most games, you turn the remote on its side so the ‘A’ button is facing left.  Your index finger is then touching right on the ‘B’ trigger.  This feels very awkward at first, but it’s fairly easy to get used to (although I found myself turning the Wiimote back to normal as I played).

The game provides a lot of tutorials you can go through before playing the actual game.  I mean, there are a TON of tutorials for everything from serves, lobs, drop shots, you name it.  The game has a great deal of complexity when compared to a game like Wii Sports Tennis.  This game is definitely NOT for the casual gamer.

One big hurdle with the controls is getting used to bringing your arm back before you swing forward.  While this is proper when playing real tennis, it feels awkward having to bring your arm back then forward for both backhands and forehands, especially since the pace of the game seems a little faster than real life.  At least there is more time to setup a shot in real life rather than rapidly switching from backhand to forehand in the game.

A major selling point of the game is definitely the real life aspect of selecting most any Tennis pro you want from Boris Becker (old school) to Roger Federer, to Maria Sharapova.  You can also play on a variety of different courts including venues such as Roland Garros (French Open), Wimbledon, and US Open courts.  The game also offers 3 ‘Party Games’.  Don’t even bother.  All they are are simple extensions of the normal Tennis games where instead of points, you get ‘keys’—-yep, keys.  Why? I don’t know.  Also, the game menus have background music that is absolutely terrible.  There are only 2 songs, one sounds like a Chinese Green Day, and the other is, yep, you guessed it, the song that Napoleon Dynamite dances to.  While not a terrible song, it’s not great hearing it replay over and over…..and over.

Visuals: The visuals on the game’s menus are absolutely terrible.  There is a video playing in the background that looks like a blown-up youtube video, not even kidding.  The menus are decently designed, but really fall short on usability with the Wiimote.  The graphics in-game aren’t too bad if you’re just looking at your character and court.  The audience is poorly animated, but they don’t distract too much from the gameplay

Gameplay: The gameplay, despite its many quirks, is decently fun after you get used to the controls.  I played through a number of the tournaments in TS3, and found myself executing drop shots and aces with moderate ease.  The one big factor in gameplay is that it’s not easy for anyone to just ‘pick up and play’, so multiplayer may not be the best idea.

Replay Value: The game features up to 4-player multiplayer.  2 players can compete on a team in doubles or against each other in singles.  The game features a number of options to change including number of games per set, and number of sets per match.  With a lot of tournaments from around the world, TS3 will keep you busy for quite a while.

Wii Innovations: Top Spin 3 seems like the perfect fit for the Wiimote/nunchuk.  However, with the big learning curve, it’s almost a moot point using the Wii controls because once you get used to it, you’re pressing more buttons than motioning anyway.  The game tries hard, but really doesn’t succeed in challenging the fun factor of Wii Sports Tennins.

Verdict: Top Spin 3 is definitely worth a rent.  If you’re a tennis fan of any kind, it’s definitely a lot of fun playing as your favorite player at all the tournaments around the world.  However, since the controls are a bit cumbersome, the fun may not last very long.

Alone in the Dark is a franchise that has been around a long time.  The series recently debuted on next gen systems, Wii included.  The game is a third-person action/adventure that follows a very large, episodic storyline.

The game starts out with you waking up in the middle of, what looks like an examination room.  The opening cutscene sets up the beginning of the story where these large cracks or fissures are appearing all over the place.  As the player, your only job during this cutscene is to continuously blink your eyes using Down on the D-pad to clear your vision as you’re trying to gain your bearings.  This can get a little monotonous, but thankfully it doesn’t last long.  I don’t want to ruin the storyline, but suffice it to say Central Park plays a key role as it was built to hide something ‘big’.  Your job in the game is to survive, but also figure out what the hell is going on.

The gameplay is fairly standard as far as third person games go.  There are various context-sensitive actions you can perform such as breaking down doors, picking up objects, and climbing ladders.  The movement is all controlled with the joystick on the nunchuk, and there are quite a few Wii motions to perform throughout the game.  For example, you can pick up a fire extinguisher with ‘A’ then use both the Wiimote and nunchuk to motion as if breaking down a door.  Some of the motions are clever, especially with puzzles, but some feel a little forced.

If you’ve never played Alone in the Dark, be prepared for twists and turns in the storyline and a very dark environment.  Every environment is incredibly dark and hard to see.  I found myself using the flashlight pretty much all the time.  A number of guns can be collected as well as using other objects to attack enemies.  The game really lives up to the suspense of a survival horror game.  You’ll encounter various people that claim to have seen monsters and act completely freaked-out at times.  The music in the game is very appropriate and really heightens the sense of darkness and suspense.

GBC version, I know pretty crazy for Gameboy Color

One big feature in the game is the ability to ‘jump’ to any chapter of the game at any time.  If you want to play the last level when you first pop the game in, go ahead.  Just select the last chapter and load it up.  They wanted to make the game’s storyline accessible to anyone, even if they haven’t progressed through the entire game.  Some may like that, some purists may say that’s a little cheap.

Visuals: The graphics are not really up to par for a second-year Wii title.  Any PS2 game will look very similar to what’s being displayed in Alone in the Dark for Wii, which is a little disappointing.  The graphical style is appropriately dark and helps the mood of the game, but you’ll find yourself wanting a lot more graphical immersion.

Gameplay: The gameplay is a bit rough at times.  The controls in the game seem a bit campy in the sense they’re not as responsive.  Some of the camera angles just don’t work well in combat situations and the gameplay can feel slow at times.

Replay Value: The game allows you to revisit chapters any time you want, but the game doesn’t feature any sort of multiplayer or difficulty options.  If you’re an AITD lover, you might find yourself playing this a couple times at most.

Wii Innovations: The Wiimote and nunchuk are used fairly well.  You can tell the developers definitely tried really hard to make the Wii version stand out from the 360/PS3 versions.  Sadly, a lot of the controls feel tacked on and don’t really fit in certain situations.  The Wiimote is used to look around and fire your weapon, but the aiming system is one of the worst I’ve ever seen.  It’s really frustrating trying to fight enemies or even investigate clues when your 1st person view is jumping around like crazy.

Verdict: The last Alone in the Dark game I played was on the Gameboy Color, and honestly I would recommend the GBC version over the Wii version.  The GBC version pushed the platform far beyond other titles at the time, while the Wii version does not hold up to standards for good controls and great Wii games.  If you’re an AITD fan, you might be better off renting the Wii version to see what you think.

Big City Kids Tour:
“Roland” by Interpol
“Santeria” By Sublime
Encore: “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers

Feelin’ Nostalgic Tour:
“Take It on the Run” by REO Speedwagon
“Hold the Line” by Toto
Encore: “Rebel Yell” by Billy Idol

Vixens Tour:
“Heartbreaker” by Pat Benatar
“All Around Me” by Flyleaf
Encore:”Misery Business” by Paramore

Undertow Tour:
“Stinkfist” by Tool
“Lateralus” by Tool
“Schism” by Tool

Synchronicity Tour:
“Guitar Battle Vs. Sting” (Guitar Career Only)
Encore: “Every Breath You Take” by The Police

Fight the System Tour:
“The Kids Aren’t Alright” by The Offspring
The Good Left Undone” by Rise Agaisnt
Encore: “Bleed it Out” by Linkin Park

QQ Tour:
“Face Down” by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
“The Kill” by 30 Seconds to Mars
Encore: “Thank You for the Venom” by My Chemical Romance

Rockin the Carnival Tour:
“Dammit” by Blink 182
“When You Heat Stops Beating” by +44

Neva’ Forget Tour:
“Jumpin Jack Flash” by The Rolling Stones
“Don’t Fear the Reaper” by Blue Öyster Cult
Encore: “Light My Fire” by The Doors

We Want the Funk Tour:
“Take it Away” by Red Hot Chili Peppers
“Renegades of Funk” by Rage Agaisnt the Machines
Encore: “No Sleep till Brooklyn” by The Beastie Boys Feat. Kerry King

Rockin’ the Joint Tour:
“Are You Gonna Go My Way” by Lenny Kravitz
“I Don’t wanna Miss a Thing” by Aerosmith

On Top of the World Tour:
“Man in the Box” by Alice in Chains
“Kickstart My Heart” by Mötley Crüe
Encore: “Spin the Black Circle” by Pearl Jam

G. Stinger Tour:
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana
“Car Chase City” by Tenacious D
Encore: “Everlong” by Foo Fighters

Lands End Tour:
“Animal” by Def Leppard
“Runaway” by Bon Jovi
Encore: “Paradise City” by Guns N’ Roses

Doin’ it Different Tour:
“Song for the Dead” by Queens of the Stone Age
“Vasoline” by Stone Temple Pilots
Encore: “Assassin” by Muse

Hootin’ and Hollerin’ Tour:
“The Boys Are Back in Town” By Thin Lizzy
“Life in the Fastlane” by The Eagles
Encore:”Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd

All Pissed Off Tour:
“Here to Stay” by KoRn
“Dragula” by Rob Zombie
Encore: “Bat Country” by Avenged Sevenfold

Here Me Roar Tour:
“10,000 Fists” by Disturbed
“Duality” by Slipknot
Encore: “Toxicity” by System of a Down

S.D.M.F. Tour:
“Guitar Battle Vs. Zakk Wylde” (Guitar Career Only)
*Encore: “Demise of Sanity” by Black Label Society

Fathers of Metal Tour:
“Don’t Talk to Strangers” by Dio
“Heaven and Hell” by Black Sabbath
Encore: “Crazy Train” by Ozzy Osbourne

Making Progress Tour:
“The Spirit of Radio” by Rush
“Comfortably Numb” by Pink Floyd
Encore: “Pull Me Under” by Dream Theatre

Eruption Tour:
“Beat it” by Micheal Jackson Feat. Eddie Van Halen
“Hot for Teacher” by Van Halen

Tooth Fang & Claw Tour:
“Guitar Battle Vs. Ted Nugent” (Guitar Career Only)
Encore: “Stranglehold” by Ted Nugent

Decades of Metal Tour
“Warriors of Time” by Black Tide
“Leather Rebel” by Judas Priest
Encore: “Hallowed be Thy Name” by Iron Maiden

Livin’ in a Nightmare Tour:
“Angel of Death” by Slayer
“Tornado of Souls” by Megadeth
Encore: “Master of Puppets” by Metallica

Legends of Rock Tour:
“Johnny B. Goode” by Chuck Berry
“The Wind Cries Mary” by Jimi Hendrix
Encore: “Purple Haze (Live)” by Jimi Hendrix

Bonus Tour:
“45″ by Shinedown
“96 Quite Bitter Beings” by CKY
“Bombshell” by Powerman 5000
“Clavado en un Bar” by Maná
“Enjoy the Silence” by Lacuna Coil
“Feuer Frei” by Rammstein
“Fury of the Storm” by Dragonforce
“Never Too Late” by The Answer
“Nottingham Lace” by Buckethead
“One Armed Scissor” by At The Drive-In
“Satch Boogie” by Joe Satriani
“Schrei” by Tokio Hotel
“Soul Doubt” by NOFX

“We’re An American Band” by Grand Funk Railroad
“Guitar Battle Vs. Sting” by Sting
“Guitar Battle Vs. Ted Nugent” By Ted Nugent
“Guitar Battle Vs. Zakk Wylde” by Zakk Wylde

Sample Songs:
“Untitled Drum Sample” created by Chad Smith
“Untitled Drum Sample” created by Dave Grohl
“Untitled Drum Sample” created by Travis Barker
“Cliffs of Dover” created by Neversoft
“Misirlou” created by Neversoft
“Walk This Way” created by Neversoft
“YYZ” created by Neversoft

Link

The official Japanese website for Kingdom Hearts 358/2 for the DS is now live.  Check out the link for some character screens…no videos as of yet on the site.

Official site here

Chrono Trigger DS is already confirmed as a straight port of the original SNES classic.  Now there is a new trademark from Square Enix that points to either a subtitle of the remake, or even a potential sequel.  One reason people state, is why bring the original back, unless you want people to experience it before releasing a follow-up to the franchise.  Time will tell.  Stay tuned for more on this rumor, as it’s only a rumor right now.

Link

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. - July 23, 2008 - Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. officially announced today that Time Hollow is currently in development for the Nintendo DS™ system. In this new story-driven adventure game, players journey through a time-bending adventure to solve the mysteries of the present by changing events of the past.

“A new franchise for Konami, Time Hollow delivers a unique adventure that will challenge and intrigue gamers with the combination of a deep storyline and clever puzzles,” said Anthony Crouts, Vice President of Marketing for Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. “The game has a very unique look and style as the writing and cinematics of the game were done by some of the most gifted and popular talent in Japan.”

Featuring a variety of interesting characters that come to life via the words of Junko Kawano, script writer for Suikoden IV, Time Hollow enables players to guide Ethan Kairos on his quest to solve the mysterious disappearance of his family. While on his quest, Ethan comes across the mysterious Hollow Pen - an uncanny object that has the unique power to open portals to the past. Using the stylus pen and dual screen capabilities of the DS, players can use the Hollow Pen to draw portals between past and present. As they progress through their journey, they will encounter a variety of interesting characters that help them guide Ethan on his search for his family.

Time Hollow will be released in Fall 2008 on the Nintendo DS™. For more information, please visit: www.konami.com.

Gamespress

Nintendo has just revealed a new “Digital Print Channel” for the Wii.  The channel will allow users to send photos directly to Fuji to be printed and sent right to their doorstep.  This kind of service is nothing new in the online community, but it’s nice to see the feature come to the Wii in the form of a custom channel.

The channel will release in Japan first, but no word on when the channel will come Stateside or to Europe.

Link