It's a mighty return indeed for Kirby as his latest game, Kirby's Return to Dream Land, takes a top spot on Nintendo's list of holiday releases. We here at Wiiloveit are thrilled to see Kirby back in action this year. As you await Patrick's upcoming review, here are some impressions if you haven't had the chance to check out the game yet.

While I didn't take a full tour of Dream Land when I tried the game a couple weeks back, playing a few levels from the entire adventure left me feeling really satisfied. My entire session consisted of stages from the game's second world, Raisin Ruins. (Gotta love those food-themed world names!) Not even 30 seconds into the game and I already had a great understanding of the controls. Holding the Wii Remote sideways, the D-Pad is used to control your selected character, while the 2 Button is used to jump -- or hover when pressed repeatedly. Holding Up or Down on the D-Pad along with a press of the 2 Button will execute different variations of your basic attack. Unless you're playing as King Dedede, Waddle Dee or Meta Knight, you can also press and hold the 1 Button to inhale nearby objects and enemies.

Besides making it to the end, your primary focus in each level is to gather missing parts of the large ship situated at the central hub. These parts (called Energy Spheres) are usually easy to spot, but there were some that were only seen after doing a quick sweep of the area or taking a path that differed from the normal route. Kirby's Return to Dream Land's strengths stem from its co-operative focus, where teams of 2-4 can go through levels with relative ease if they can get a working system going. In addition to the return of the health sharing ability seen in previous Kirby titles, you can also jump on top of your partner and have them literally carry you the rest of the way -- if you want them to. Playing in a co-operative setting, the mini-bosses at the end of levels are hardly threatening, which naturally means that the enemies are generally easy to defeat -- as has been the case in the past. The world bosses are slightly more challenging in nature, but once again, a well-rounded team can get the job done without having the leader lose all their health.

Now as for some of the more interesting elements I was exposed to, it was interesting to see how the game attempted to incorporate a puzzle element mostly for returning visitors. Some areas of a level are closed off on your first go for the sake of encouraging you to come back a second time, while others simply require a bit of forethought to gain access to the initial visit. In one level, there was a crystal item that could make Kirby invisible so he could walk through walls made of the same material. If you raced to the end of the section where you found the item, the next segment featured a wall just below the entrance where one of those key items was being held. I thought that was pretty neat.

Much more thrilling, though, are the action-oriented ability upgrades. Also known as Super Abilities, these power-ups -- dropped by special enemies -- can result in devastating on-screen effects where parts of the destructible environments will get destroyed, as well as any enemies that are caught in the path of the attack. It's really sweet! Then you also have these secret star warps, portals that lead to a grayscale world where time and space appear to be unraveling. I wasn't quite sure what needs to be done for these to appear in the first place, but in their mysteriousness, it actually encourages you to destroy parts of the environment, take the time to outsmart enemies instead of just zipping past them, and so on. 

As I played the game, I was reminded of Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, which is a good thing considering that's one of my favourite Kirby games to date. Not because the structure or even the presentation is similar, but the overall positive vibes that pulled me into that great platformer is what tried to grab me here, and more. I have to say, pulling myself away from this game wasn't easy. The levels I tried were exciting, which isn't a word one I would usually associate with Kirby games. Based on everything I saw, it seems to me that Kirby's Return to Dream Land will become more and more of an experience that you can really savor and not just rush through. Stay tuned for Patrick's full review of the game, coming soon!

Just Dance 3, everybody -- one of the hottest games to release this month. Let's see how long it takes before this new installment tops the charts. Of course, sales are one thing, but what we really care about is whether or not the game is actually fun. And with quite a few gamers still questioning the structure and longevity of this franchise, that answer is more important than ever.

There are more songs included this time than there were in the last two games, which is always good. But I'm more concerned about the variety, myself. I can already say that I'm less enthused about the songlist than I was last time, but that's before I've given 90% of the routines a try. Thankfully, one of the first songs I picked (Da Funk by Daft Punk) made me feel optimistic about the game's strength as a successing title. Having said that, trying the Party Rock Anthem routine left me feeling the very opposite. Seeing the preview clips prior to release, I half expected it to be lame, but having actually played it, I can now confirm that it is. Plus, the fact that I very easily scored 10,000 Points on it worries me.

To be honest, I wasn't expecting such a dramatic change in the interface so when I saw how the menus were divided up this time around, it was a bit surprising at first. However, from what I can tell so far, it seems like these changes are mostly for the better. From the Dance menu, there are three buttons running along the top that you can choose from: Playlists, Songs and Specials. It's a different way of organizing everything so it's going to take me a bit to get used to it.

There's a brand new unlock system in this game where earning stars in songs will go towards unlockable gifts (Specials). These gifts include secondary modes like Simon Says, and apparently new choreographies. It's very interesting that instead of presenting all of the modes at once, you need to make them available over time, which I think makes Just Dance 3 have less of a pick-up-and-play appeal in that sense. In other respects, though, there are areas that seem to work much more in the game's favor. 

Downloadable content makes a return once again, with four DLC tracks up for grabs right now for 250 Wii Points each. Inside the box, there's some printed material detailing how players can download new songs from the in-game Store. This is obviously in response to the innumerable calls for help on Facebook asking how to get to that area of the game. I'm not sure why it was so hard for people to figure that out in the first place, but I digress.

Based on my initial observations, the game is decent so far. We'll see how the other songs turn out. Will it turn out to be more of the same with little-to-no improvements to speak of, or will it manage to be a worthy successor to Just Dance 2? Time will tell. For now, though, check out this run I did earlier today of Da Funk (by Daft Punk) where I almost get a 5-Star ranking.

Can you picture Sonic the Hedgehog getting swapped out for a monster truck? Neither can I. But that's about the best way I can describe MotoHeroz. Sending monster trucks through loop de loops may sound a bit stiff, but that all changes when you actually get to playing. It may not have the speed of a Sonic game, but as a hybrid racer/party game it sure has spunk.

Instead of following normal racing game practices, MotoHeroz attempts to do something different with its blend of platforming and racing gameplay styles. The vehicles in this game conform to a rather bouncy physics system where a small dip can overturn your car if you're not careful. Players get to use the +Control Pad to tilt the wheels on their vehicles either forward or back to prevent this very thing from happening. Since any little dip along a portion of the track can cause your truck to tip over onto one side, it's important that you learn to control just how much your chosen vehicle is affected by the terrain.

Levels feature assorted design elements like large spinning wheels, and even trees that can be knocked down to create a crossable platform. On a regular basis, you'll find coins lying around for you to collect, as well as special blue orbs that are usually not found along the main path. These items are referred to as Ancestor Spirits, but at this point I'm uncertain as to how they relate to the story. As the level designs continue to grow, pick-ups like parachutes and springs also appearover time in select stages.

Much of my time with the game thus far has been spent in the Story Adventure mode, but I did test out the online component as well. Essentially, you have a small list of challenges that you can complete for a limited time only before more challenges open up. Completing a run will earn you points towards an overall worldwide ranking depending on where you fall on the leaderboards. I have encountered two types thus far: One-Stop and Unlimited. With the former type, excluding any pre-event practice sessions you participate in, you only have one shot at submitting a good score. With Unlimited challenges, however, you're allowed to try as many times as you want until the challenge is no longer open. Other than completing online challenges, you can also organize an online group with friends without the use of Friend Codes. You just create a group name and assign it your own secret password. It seems like a neat way of organizing matches.

As of today, Disney's latest multi-platform release, Phineas & Ferb: Across the Second Dimension, will be hitting store shelves. Disney was kind enough to provide me with a copy of the game for review in advance. Can Disney keep up the positive streak they've been having in the gaming world? As you await the answer to that question (as presented in my upcoming review), hopefully these brief impressions will hold you over until then.

The game starts off by keeping things close to home -- the Flynn home to be exact -- with the Gelatin Dimension. Initially, you take control of Phineas, with Ferb being controlled by the CPU. You can switch between the two using the 1 Button, or take full control using the game's drop-in co-op system. Over time, you'll unlock new characters as the plot advances, some of which are automatically added to the team while others must be purchased using tickets.

The controls are pretty solid, with most of it being button-controlled. For those wondering, motion control isn't a big component here. A shake of the Wii Remote is typically used to execute your melee attack, or free you when trapped in a gelatin cube. So any worries of that nature should be put to rest. Your main attacks come from six different gadgets that you'll be equipped with over the course of the game. Continued use will level them up, and by visiting Workbench areas within each location you can upgrade things like ammo capacity.

To get past some obstacles, the boys will have to create some inventions. At certain points in a level, a blueprint will appear, identifying nearby parts you'll need to collect. Other occasions call for different solutions, like firing a baseball through a hole and controlling it inside a small shaft.

Beyond your starting point, there are five other dimensions to travel to, each presenting new ideas than the last. Aside from the standard platforming stages, there are also boss fights and flight missions. At the end of each level, you'll get to use any Gold Tokens you collected to play bonus games where you can earn tickets to unlock different sorts of rewards. On a similar note, there are plenty of extras to be sought after including medals and character skins. The game definitely keeps you busy, but for how long? Time will tell.

I hope that's given you a bit of a taste for what the game is like; you can look forward to my full review soon. To assist with the wait, I've also prepared a couple videos of in-game footage which can be found on our YouTube channel, WiiloveitTV. Be sure to take a look at the vids if you have time, and please do let me know if you have any general questions about the game.

After a bit of wait to see Bobby Carrot Forever release on WiiWare service, is it worth getting excited over? Read on for some brief impressions to hold you over until the pending review.

Bobby Carrot Forever features six worlds with ten main levels each, where players will use the D-Pad on the Wii Remote to guide a stubby rabbit to the target at the end of each level. For the target to become active, you must first collect all of the carrots in the level. Sounds easy enough, right? In addition to the normal stages, there are also bonus stages where you must collect as many coins as you can within the time limit. 

Some of the puzzle elements I've seen so far include using a lawnmower to mow bushes, a hang glider pick-up that will send you flying to other platforms by walking through a mini-tornado, and lilypads that can cross water using single-direction movements. It's not all unique, but the game doesn't feel like a total copycat of other games either.

Thus far, I've cleared one third of the game's levels with about an hour's worth of playtime. The puzzles I've solved so far have all been low difficulty (according to the game), yet on some of these, I did have to stop and think how to go about activating switches or crossing single-use bridges in the right order. There are some elements designed to throw you off as they are not required to solve the puzzle, so you can't just activate everything randomly and hope for the best. I look forward to seeing how the stages improve as I move onto the medium- and high-difficulty worlds. 

Everyone on the Wiiloveit team has been eagerly looking forward to FAST Racing League especially with the depressing state the WiiWare service has been in as of late. Since Shin'en first unveiled their latest WiiWare-exclusive many months ago, we've received many visual teases that have shown the game to hold a major amount of promise. And I for one am really excited that it is finally here. After having spent over an hour with the game, I can confidently say FAST is proving to be a really strong title. 

In this futuristic racer, you take control of one of six sleek ships, participating in tournaments and races on any of the game's twelve tracks. As you swerve around corners and zoom along straightaways, you'll notice energy-powered orbs on the track which can be used to activate your boost power or flip between the light and dark phases. Aside from instilling a great sense of speed, the game principally focuses on the element of phase-changing and this is reflected in the different track designs.

Depending on what phase you have active at a given time, you'll be able to use certain gimmicks on the track like jump or boost pads to stay ahead. Going over a boost pad with the wrong-coloured phase will end up slowing you down, but in the case of the jump pads, it is possible to avoid some of them completely. In doing so, you'll take a different route which may or may not work in your favor. You'll have to experiment on the fly and get used to each track after multiple plays to determine the most ideal strategies.

The game is set up much like other racing games, where you have multiple tournaments to complete on three difficulty settings. Jumping from the first set of leagues to the next, I noticed that along with having more challenging rivals, the pace of the game gets faster. I'm really looking forward to seeing the third difficult setting (Ion) and how that plays out.

For the first 15 minutes or so, I was jumping back and forth between control schemes. Initially, I stuck with the default control scheme, but I soon found this to be a bit uncomfortable for my tastes. I also tested out the Classic Controller for a bit and that worked fine, but I'm finding that the Wii Remote and Nunchuk combo is the best way to play so far. 

So far, it looks like the game will last at least 3 or 4 hours without taking multiplayer into consideration. Currently I'm at the second League on the Proton difficulty and it's been a blast. I haven't touched the Challenges or looked into the Unlockables menu yet, but I'll probably make my way there soon. But right now I can tell you that FAST Racing League is lots of fun to play, and I'm already craving to experience more of it. We'll have a full review on the site soon, but in the meantime, feel free to check out this video of one of the tracks in the game. Let us know if you'd like more footage!

In playing Face Raiders for the first time at the 3DS Demo Station, I didn't exactly get the "fullest experience". I started in the middle of someone else's game, so there was already a face set up and everything. But at least I managed to sneak in some time with this built-in application. 

In a nutshell, Face Raiders uses AR technology to create a simulation of floating enemies in the real world that you need to defeat. The app will have you turning your 3DS around you to locate and exterminate monsters by pressing the A Button. Icons appear off to the sides of the screen to indicate to you where these human-like creatures are hiding. There are also mines floating in the air that you need to avoid hitting. As well, there's an enemy leader who tries to hover behind some of its subjects to dodge your attacks. You'll need to observe his tendencies, daze him with one of your shots and hit the red gem on his helmet to defeat him and clear the round. 

I quickly got a glimpse of the Main Menu too. In addition to the three different levels, there's also a 'Face Collection' that keeps track of all the juxtaposed images you've used, and a 'Show Friend' feature that I didn't look into further. My time with Face Raiders was quite brief but it turned out to be as I expected -- decent fun but nothing worth getting excited about. It uses AR in a somewhat clever way if only because it takes a similar approach that Nintendo did with Photo Dojo on DSiWare. I wasn't particularly fond of it and I can't see myself playing it that much, but we'll see if that changes when I get the 3DS for myself.

This concludes my 6-Part series of 3DS software impressions! Stay tuned to Wiiloveit.com for more coverage on the 3DS in the coming weeks.

In all honesty, I was totally surprised that Steel Diver was even there at the 3DS Demo Station I went to. I observed that it was more laid-back in pace compared to games like Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition. But out of all the 3DS titles I spent time with, Steel Diver was easily the most memorable.

I was able to spend considerable time in Mission Mode during my session. I managed to get through a full Training session and clear the first stage and I got a good feel of what to expect from the central component of this game. In each area, you can choose from three different ship types. I toyed around with both the compact and mid-sized submarines but there's also a larger one as well. As soon as you get into the water, it's hard not to notice how nice the water looks on the top screen even without the 3D. 

The Touch Screen contains all of your navigation controls and it's presented in such a way that you really get an authentic feel for what it's like to control a submarine. One gauge is used to control backward and forward movements, while another controls is used to travel up and down at a steady pace. Those are the main things you need to worry about. Your submarine is equipped with a handful of items, including vertical torpedoes for hitting carriers resting on the surface of the water, and missiles used to destroy rock barriers. In addition to avoiding contact with walls, you'll also need to be careful of rival subs as well as mines that float in the water. 

Playing the game was very involved and engaging. It didn't take me that long to wrap my head around the system, and once you do, it captures your attention. When it comes to the 3D aspect, I didn't notice a big change in the overall depth of field, but maybe that's because the water effects were already good-looking in appearance. I'll definitely have to play around with that more when I try the game for myself to see if the 3D slider does make a difference in the way you see the game.

At the conclusion of Mission 1, there was a Periscope segment where I got to look above the surface and fire torpedoes at carriers off into the distance. This was really fun especially since I had to literally move around in my playing space thanks to the incorporation of the system's gyroscopic sensors. When you sustain damage, you'll get leaks of water appearing on the Touch Screen and you'll need to plug these using your stylus. Along the sides are handles marked "Zoom" and "Dive". I figure the latter is used to dodge missiles but I didn't actually make use of either of these during my session. 

Interestingly enough, I was the only one out of everyone who tried the game that day who successfully completed a mission and set a high-score. In fact, even one of the Nintendo reps said they couldn't even play the game properly which was kind of embarrassing. I have a feeling some either gave up early on or skipped over it altogether, which is a huge shame. Honestly, I really enjoyed playing this game and I sincerely look forward to seeing how the final release turns out.

I was happy I got to spend some time with Nintendogs + Cats at a 3DS Demo Station the other day. There was no indication as to which version of the game was inside the unit at the time, but I later found out I was playing with the "French Bulldog & New Friends" version.

Right away, I fell in love with how cute the dog looked on-screen. A black German Shepherd stood on all fours staring right at me with a cute look on his face that made me feel warm and fuzzy inside. Thanks to the built-in microphone, Nintendogs allowed for voice recognition to name the pet and give it your own unique call to get his attention. But that's nothing new from the original Nintendogs titles. 

I started using the Circle Pad to control the camera to follow the dog as he wandered around the room somewhat aimlessly as if he was just waiting for me to play something with him. When I started raising the 3D slider and put it close to maximum capacity, I noticed how much of a large difference there was in the game's overall look and feel. The 3D aspect definitely made a significant impact even in that relatively small room I was in.

Sadly, I didn't get to spend much time with the game after that. I didn't actually get to see a cat nor did I get to dive into any activities with the pet or even check out the Supplies area. But honestly, those few moments of amusement I had just observing the dog's behaviours were enough to sell me on this 3DS title -- or at the very least, sustain continued interest in it. Even if you're typically not the type of gamer to enjoy games like this, I can assure you the 3D adds a totally new dimension to the game with substantial levels of depth and realism. Colour me impressed.