VideogameVagabond.com

I’d have to say that my most anticipated game of the summer - that hasn’t been released yet, at any rate - is Hot Shots Tennis. Sure, it’s not next-gen but a PS2 title. Yes, there are a lot of RPGs on several platforms that I’m looking forward to.

But to set the Hot Shots Golf team loose on an all-new sport? That has me intrigued. It’s the kind of thing that stays long-term in your IBM memory until it actually comes out.

Sure, seeing the series make its debut on PS3 would have been sweet, but the series doesn’t really need to be next-gen to be impressive, given its cartoon style, and the combination of humor and depth could really be the birth of a sports game that will finally help capture my interest in the sport of tennis - which isn’t that high when it comes to more sim-style ol’ standbys like Virtua Tennis or Top Spin.

It could be a breath of fresh air.

If you’re out for practicality, buy some financial reporting software. But even the busiest, most productive accountant needs a bit of a break now and then, right? And what would accountants do without the occasional round of golf to de-stress them?

That’s where Wolverine Studios’ Total Pro Golf 2 comes in; while it’s 2D and more of a text-based sports management sim than a graphical 3D golf romp like the average Tiger Woods or Hot Shots Golf game, Total Pro Golf 2 has garnered a loyal following that is growing every day.

Developer Gary Gorski has refined the original game in every way, adding in new features, an optional three-click shot control scheme, loads of deeper stats and much more. It’s the only version anyone should consider buying.

Anyone interest in playing a videogame focused on fixed asset accounting? I didn’t think so, so it’s fortunate that Touch the Dead, the latest in Nintendo DS action/survival horror, is exactly the opposite of such a boring concept.

If you think Touch the Dead is a porn video, you’d be wrong… and sick. Nope, it’s your basic zombie-killing shooter only instead of shooting a fun, you touch the screen to off the nasty brain-starved buggers. While it lacks the storyline appeal of Silent Hill, Fatal Frame or Resident Evil, Touch the Dead does incorporate solid use of the DS touch-screen into the mix.

It’s not as chilling as the best survival horror franchises out there, but at least Touch the Dead points the way on how to bring the genre to a handheld platform.

While it might not last as long or be as valuable as NC waterfront property, Odin Sphere is a fun little PS2 game that proves that the PS2 still has plenty to offer while the PS3 is getting its bearings.

Certainly, in a year or so, PS3 will be where all the cool games are hanging out; but with the surge of PS3 titles still a few months off, at least Sony is supporting the PS2 in the meantime better than Microsoft did following the 360 launch.

Odin Sphere, the latest offering from Atlus, the little RPG company that could, if sort of a poor man’s version of Valkyrie Profile - in the best sense. The game is relatively sharp looking, though just shy of SquareEnix greatness, and the game offered a modified and modernized realization of the side-scrolling, 2D action RPG with plenty of fun, solid gameplay and a bit of humor.

Filled with cute girls and big monsters to fight, there are different strategies that work better with some bosses than others, making for the right kind of challenge to the game.

One early boss has tornado-style breath that sucks you into his mouth where he can chew you up and spit you out, making short work of your character; but if you learn the timing of his attacks, you can use the side-scrolling world to run away, around and come up on him from behind to lay down some serious damage before he can get turned around.

Other bosses have different approaches, forcing you as the player to modify your attack and defend styles, too. This one’s worth your time while waiting out the PS3’s summer of the long wait.