Have you been "dreaming" about this controller? Image from Gamespot.
	Price: $39.99 from GameStop

I like the Sixaxis controller. My only gripe is the position of the left analog stick. Because I am so used to the 360's controller, re-adjusting can be a bit of a hassle. Therefore, I invested in the PS3 Shadow Wireless Controller. It doesn't support the Sixaxis function since that is licensed only to Sony but it doesn't make it less of a controller.

The big thing that is noticable is the position swap of the analog stick and the directional pad. This makes the positioning of the thumbs more natural and relaxed.

There are rubber grips on the sides of the controller and you connect the controller to the PS3 via usb adapter.

If there is one thing to get used to for the controller, it would be the analog sticks. They are require a bit more force to move and the stick gets more tense when you move it further to the edge of the controller.

Other than that, this controller is a great supplement to your Sixaxis. Because of the analog stick positioning, the controller is very ideal for First Person Shooters. Modern Warfare 2 anyone?

	Forza Motorsport 3 image from Wikipedia.
	Rating: Everyone Price: $59.99 for the regular edition, $79.99 for the collector's edition. Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios Developer: Turn 10 Studios Release Date: October 27, 2009

I'm a fan of racing games. I prefer the arcade style racers such as Need for Speed: Most Wanted and the Ridge Racer series. I even own Initial D: Extreme Stage, a Japanese import only for the PlayStation 3.

When I first bought Forza Motorsport 2, I was initially excited for the game. It had great graphics and the gameplay was very smooth. However, I didn't feel that spark for the game and returned it later on.

Now, after playing Forza Motorsport 3, that spark has come back stronger than before.

Forza Motorsport 3 is a simulation racer with real life tracks and licensed cars. With over 400 licensed cars and 100 tracks, this title is truly expansive. So expansive, the game comes with 2 discs; one for playing the game and the other for extra content.

The gameplay is very smooth, running at 60 frames/second. Car mechanics are extremely detailed. So detailed, you can actually see what a car's dashboard actually looks like. For those who don't normally play racing games, Forza 3 has settings that suits your needs. Cars that you are racing in the career mode to easy for you? Crank up the difficulty and turn off some the driving assists. Are your opponents constantly beating you? Lower the difficulty and turn on some assists. The assists can be from having Anti-Lock Brakes on your car to having the Traction Control System on. Playing at a higher difficulty nets you more money, as well as turning off the assists in the game. Each category of difficulties and assists carries a certain percentage of bonus earning after completing a race. For example, I win a race and earned $5,000 as the base amount. All of my assists are turned off and I play on medium difficulty. My bonus percentage is at 75%. Therefore, I earn an extra $3,750, bringing my total winnings to $8,750.

It takes some time to get adjusted to the gameplay of Forza 3. Learning the handlings of each and every car take time and practice. Knowing how to tackle corners either by drifting or precise handling is also another concept to practice. If you mess up a turn or crash into an object, hit the replay button to rewind the race to prevent your mistakes.

When you play Forza 3, you have a car level and a driver level. When your driver's level increase, you earn free cars from certain manufacturers. When you car level increases, you get discounts on the car make's products (10% off of Tires, Mufflers, etc.).

Playing online is also very smooth and polished. Players online have their online driver level and their cars ready to race. Some of the online modes include drifting, circuit and lap races.

The liveries in Forza 3 lets you create a design for your car and it can be shared with anyone online.

Overall, Forza Motorsport 3 is a title worthy in anyone's racing collection. With so much depth, it's not hard to get addicted to it.

Rating: 9.5/10.

Pros:

• A lot of cars and tracks crank up the replay value.
• Stunning visuals of the tracks and cars will keep you playing for hours.
• Forza 3 can be suited for those new at racing games to racing veterans.
• Expansive liveries keep you searching for that slick design for your car...or just make your own.

Cons:

• Load times can take a little while.

	Tekken 6 Cover, Image from Wikipedia.
	Price: $59.99 Platforms: XBOX 360, PlayStation 3 & PSP Release Date: 10/27/2009 (PS3 & 360), 11/24/2009 (PSP) Rating: Teen Publisher & Developer: Bandai Namco Games

"Round 1, FIGHT!"

As the announcer says those words, the fists fly and the kicks soar way high in this latest installment of Bandai Namco's fighting game franchise.

Tekken 6 has 42 playable characters available immediately off the bat. This is a first in the series in which every playable character is unlocked from the get go. In previous Tekken games, characters had to be unlocked by completing a default character's arcade mode.

Every character has their unique set of moves, attacks and evasions. Returning characters, such as Paul Phoenix, gain a few more moves to add their fighting repertoire. The newer characters, such as Bob and Zafina, bring their own fighting styles to the table. Generally, the returning characters and their new counterparts are easy to pick up and play. Yet, there is a layer of depth to Tekken 6. It's all fun and good to button mash and hope for the best, but learning each characters styles and strengths to your advantage will give you the key to victory.

Like its predecessor, Tekken 6 gives you the option of customizing character's appearance. You earn money by playing the game; which allows you to change your character's outfit or even buy hats for your favorite characters.

Scenario Campaign, similar to Tekken 4's Tekken Force mode, puts you in the shoes of Lars, a new character in the game. It's a beat em' up mode in which you take out all the enemies in one area, defeat a boss, and then move on to the next stage.

New to Tekken is the online mode. Here, you can engage in combat with players around the world. Ranked matches keeps track of your character's progress (wins, losses & rank) and player matches are casual fights between you and another person online. The online is choppy at times and rarely unplayable. However, Bandai Namco has issued a patch for Tekken 6 to fix the problems for online play. With every win or loss, fight money is earned.

Now's lets get to the visual apsect of the game. The game looks great on consoles and there is a feature for motion blur to give the visual a dynamic effect. Tekken 6 runs at a smooth 60 frames a second. Yet...the game is actually running in 576p on consoles, or sub-hd resolution. Even though you may see 720p or 1080p on the game box, it's actually upscaled from 576p and it shows. Sometimes, if you look very closely, the visuals can look very grainy, possibly even last generation. This is kind of a blow to the gaming ego; you want a HD system yet the game looks substandard. The loading times are also  a bit of a drag, especially on the PS3 version. Starting a online match can take up to 30 seconds, even when the game is installed to the hard drive. Times are a bit shorter for the 360 version.

Overall, Tekken 6 brings a lot to the table with some minor faults. If you are at least interested in fighting games, Tekken 6 is a great start.

Pros:

• All characters unlocked from the beginning.
• Online mode lets you challenge players from around the world.
• Characters are easy to pick up and play, but takes longer to master.
• Different game modes ensure plenty of playtime.
• Scenario campaign is a fun and distracting mode to play.

Cons:

• Load times can be a pain.
• Online matches can be very slow.
• Sub HD graphics may turn away some players.
  

Rating: 8.0/10