After what has probably been the most stressful two or three weeks of my life, the deed is done and we’ve bought a house. It’s a bit ridiculous how deciding to pay some one hundreds of thousands of dollars has actually made me feel relaxed. It may have something to do with the fact that I won’t be homeless come September. Yeah, that may be it. Of course, now I have to pack, send in change of address forms, transfer bills, pay a mortgage, mow a lawn….maybe I shouldn’t relax just yet.

Some people enjoy tense situations, and are even known to seek them out. Take, for instance, people who like horror movies, they want to be scared. The same can be said for people who play horror videogames. To me, if the game is done right it has the potential to be even scarier than a movie, since you are the one controlling the action. There are a lot of developers and studios who have put out games that they hope will scare the crap out of the player, some of them work, some not so much. One of the franchises that has been on both sides of that spectrum is Silent Hill. The first game or two in the series were intensely terrifying. The feel of being lost in a haunted town, complete with a horrifying hospital, was a new experience for gamers, and one that we loved. After those two the series kind of fell off, in my opinion at least. The games just didn’t feel as original as the…original (it’s early ok!). Well, Konami looks to start all over again by bringing the franchise to the Wii with Silent Hill:Shattered Memories.

Shattered Memories, is going to be a bit of a retelling of the original Silent Hill. It’s the same story, just different. I’ve posted before on some of the changes to the game, and the fact that the game’s aim is to be very psychological, going so far as to issue a warning stating, “This game plays you as much as you play it”, at the very beginning of the game. The Wiimote is going to be used as a flashlight, to pick items up and solve puzzles, as well as use to bring a phone complete with GPS that will also act as the pause menu. One thing the Wiimote will not be used for, or very sparingly at least, is to wield weapons. You see, Shattered Memories is not a shooter, instead this game wants to haunt you and force you to escape it. I’m sure at some point you will have a weapon, but it will not be a constant companion. That is one of the most exciting aspects of the game, and could make this one of the most thrilling games of all time. Add that to the fact that the game starts with a psyche exam of sorts, and is said to learn the player and adapt to what you do, and we could have a winner on our hands come October. Konami and Climax Studios are being ambitious with this title, and I’m sure they can pull it off. For convincing check out the gameplay below taken from the floors of Comic Con, which I’m still not at.

You know one thing that just burns my butt? That there are numerous conventions that sound completely awesome and showcase amazing games, movies and more, and that I don’t get invited. I mean, I know E3 and Comic Con are open to the public, but it’s not like I’m getting begged to go. I feel like this should be happening by now. Don’t ask me why I feel this way, I just do. That should be good enough for you. What has me really riled up at this very moment is the footage that is coming out of Comic Con. Let me just say that I’m not a comic book guy. I just couldn’t ever get into them. I preferred real books. Not that there’s anything wrong with comics, I just never felt them too much. But, Comic Con definitely serves a purpose, and the more mainstream that industry becomes, the more important the convention in San Diego becomes. Now it’s movies, TV, and of course, videogames. San Diego Comic Con has become one of the most important places for game studios and developers to show off games. That is impressive. I’m pretty sure I should be there.

If you’ve been following the news here at WiiSpin, and I know you all have been and thank you for that, then you know there is a bit of a battle brewing between two franchises. One is a franchise that helped shape the landscape of an entire genre, and kept Milla Jovovich’s career alive. The other is a new franchise that delivered a highly heralded first offering last year and is set to have the same impact on the Wii. I speak of course about Resident Evil and Dead Space.

If you’ve had a game console or a pulse at any point during the past 10-12 years, you should know what Resident Evil is. The survival-horror franchise has a ridiculous amount of sequels, prequels, and several iterations or different takes of the same title. It also gave me nightmares when I first played Resident Evil. Don’t judge me.

If you pay any attention to the gaming universe, and I’m guessing you do unless you really screwed up using Google, then you’ve no doubt heard of Dead Space. At first people thought it would be Resident Evil in space, but they were wrong. Dead wrong. You see what I did there? That’s why they pay me the big bucks. I can’t pretend that I’ve played Dead Space because I haven’t. I do know that I’d like to, and that everyone I know who has played it loves it. Thankfully the game is getting a prequel launching exclusively on the Wii with Dead Space:Extraction.

This is where that battle begins because that games main competition will come directly from Capcom’s juggernaut and their latest title, Resident Evil:The Darkside Chronicles. Both of the games are Wii exclusive. Both of them are on-rails shooters. Both of them are extensions of an already established franchise. Whether it’s one that’s already supremely successful or the one that’s on the brink of success is irrelevant. What is relevant is that both of these games look pretty freaking good. Maybe we can get some sort of Dead Evil or Resident Space mash-up like they do with fighting games, because that would be sweet. I don’t see that happening though so I’ll make do with the latest videos straight from San Diego Comic Con, which I am not at by the way. I know, it’s an injustice, I’ll get over it though. I’ll always have you, and the nearly 10 minutes of gameplay from Resident Evil:The Darkside Chronicles, which is due out sometime early 2010 (am I the only one who can’t believe it’s almost 2010?!?). If that doesn’t do the trick I’m gonna curl up with a pint of Ben & Jerry’s and watch the gameplay videos of Dead Space:Extraction, which will be hitting store shelves on September 28. If you’re keeping score the early release date puts DS:E ahead of the game. Sorry RE, I don’t make the rules, I just follow them. Videos are below and you know the drill, enjoy my friends.

So, it’s late and I’ve been to a football match between AC Milan and Club America. I’ve also had a ridiculous amount of stress on my mind because in less than 40 days I have to move out of my apartment, and we’ve yet to find anywhere to go. I’m talking critical mass levels of stress, this could turn into Chernobyl. How did I find the time to see the football with so much else going on? I bought these tickets like 4 or 5 months ago for some reason. Apparently I didn’t foresee that it would fall on a Wednesday night during an extremely volatile period of life. Still, I’m here and I’m bringing Rabbids with me.

The Wii is a console that is perhaps best known for mini-games. You know the ones, games that take 5 or 10 minutes of your time and leave you feeling satisfied for about the same amount. When the Wii first launched, and even to this day, Mini-Game-Games were/are part of the reason the Wii would not be taken seriously. Then came Rayman Raving Rabbids and its incredible sense of humor. The fact that it came packed with some good games didn’t hurt. Of course, this was followed by Rayman Raving Rabbids 2, and Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party, the latter of which utilized the balance board. Unfortunately, the games in the series have gotten more and more watered down, leaving the consumer (you and I) feeling less satisfied. This is the case with all games that specialize in the whole mini-game smorgasbord. Maybe that’s what crack is like… Well, eventually people need something new and Ubisoft is here to deliver with Rabbids Go Home.

See More Rabbids Go Home Various at IGN.com

This time around the development team has not only ditched the games namesake, Rayman, but they are giving us a detox period by straying from the mini-game. Instead of a plethora of mini-games the Rabbids will be starring in a comedy-adventure game that has the little rascals trying to escape our planet for their own. I’m pretty sure shenanigans and hi-jinx will be in full force, and hope the Rabbids can pull the title off. God knows they didn’t need Rayman, I just hope they don’t spiral out of control once they’re free of his grasp. Wait, were they ever in control? Below you’ll find a couple of videos that showcase the Rabbids and some of the action they’re in store for when Rabbids Go Home hits shelves later this year.

As video game sales continue to be in decline — June saw $1.17 billion in total sales this year, compared to $1.7 billion last June — Nintendo is still holding on to its top position, in part due to the tremendous success of its MotionPlus add-on.

You might have used your Nintendo Wii balance board to play some Wii Fit, or maybe some Punch-Out! But how advanced have you gotten into the diagnostics of the board itself.