This week’s Release Roundup has a little something for everyone.
If you are a fan of console hack and slash titles, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 hits the PS3 this week. For those of you who don’t know, Sigma 2 is a redefined version of the Xbox 360 exclusive Ninja Gaiden 2. Sigma 2 adds two new playable characters: Ayane and Momiji. The game also features new enemies, Trophy support and a new online co-op mode.
Also arriving this week is the on-rails shooter Dead Space: Extraction. Serving as a prequel to Dead Space, Extraction gives gamers a “guided first person experience.” Players will have to fend off Necromorphs while solving puzzles with the Wii Remote. Extraction also supports drop in/drop out co-op.
The games arriving this week are:
Xbox 360
- Bass Pro Shops: The Strike
- Black College Football Xperience: The Doug Williams Edition
- Tornado Outbreak Read more »
Late last night Nintendo announced that stating this Sunday, the Wii will be $50 cheaper in North America. That means come Sept. 27 you can snag the motion-controlled console for $199.
This news really shouldn’t come as that big of a surprise. Over the last few weeks numerous leaked documents helped fueled rumors of a price drop.
Just last month, both Microsoft and Sony announced price cuts for the Xbox 360 and PS3. Many are questioning whether Nintendo had planned this price cut long ago, or is the company just trying to follow suit. Let us know what you think by leaving a comment below.
Read: Wii Price Drops to $199 in North America.
This week’s Release Roundup is sure to please Xbox shooter fans. This is because Halo 3: ODST hits stores this Tuesday.
Considered to be a standalone expansion for Halo 3, ODST puts gamers into the shoes of “the Rookie” an unnamed member of The UNSC’s elite special military unit, Orbital Drop Shock Troopers. The game takes place during the events of Halo 2 and Halo 3 with players exploring the besieged city of New Mombasa in Africa. Halo 3: ODST comes with Halo 3’s multiplayer contained on a separate disc and features 24 maps including the original 11 from Halo 3, the Heroic map pack, the Legendary map pack, the Cold Storage map, and the Mythic map pack as well as three new maps. There is also a new co-op mode called Firefight which functions as a survival mode with players fending off waves of increasingly difficult baddies to see how long they can last.
Enough about Halo 3: ODST, the games coming out this week are:
Xbox 360
- Halo 3: ODST
- Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection Read more »
It seems like not everybody is pleased with the recently released Guitar Hero 5, namely musician Courtney Love. Love is apparently upset with how Activision used her deceased husband’s, Kurt Cobain, likeness and is “going to sue the shit out of [Activision].”
Love’s main issue is with Cobain’s avatar. Not the way he looks, but the fact that after you unlock it you can use it to play any instrument in any song in the game.
Love said that she “never signed [off] on the avatar,” adding “I think Kurt would despise this game alone let alone this avatar.”
Activision, on the other hand, replied, saying “Courtney supplied us with photos and videos and knew exactly what she wanted Kurt to look like. She picked the wardrobe and hair style, which turned out to be the ‘Teen Spirit’ look, then we went back and forth over changes.”
Hopefully the two parties involved will be able to sort this out peacefully, however unlikely that it. As more development arrive, you can be sure I’ll post them here on The Wire.
Read: Kurt Cobain’s Guitar Hero 5 Cameo Brings Lawsuit; ‘Activision Smugly Boasting of Rape,’ Says Love.
This week’s Release Roundup gives gamers a chance to become familiar with four boys from Liverpool. Of course I’m talking about The Beatles: Rock Band.
Developed by Harmonix for the Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii, The Beatles: Rock Band allows gamers to play though The Beatles timeline. Much like the other Rock Band titles, The Beatles will allow gamers to play guitar, bass, drums, and sing. The game comes with 45 songs from twelve of The Beatles albums, spanning 1962-1969. In addition, there are also six non-album singles that have been included. If that doesn’t sound like enough songs, you have to consider that the full albums of Abbey Road, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, and Rubber Soul will be made available as DLC in the coming months.
Enough about The Beatles. The new games this week are:
Xbox 360
- Darkest of Days
- DiRT 2
- IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey
- Mini Ninjas
- Qubed (Every Extend Extra Extreme, Lumines Live, Rez HD)
- The Beatles: Rock Band Read more »
Today Visceral Games announced that the Wii shooter Dead Space: Extraction has gone gold and will arrive on Sept. 29.
In celebration of this news, publisher EA announced that “participating retailers” are offering a pre-order deal. If you pre-order Dead Space: Extraction, you will receive a code that unlock some challenge modes. Without the code, gamers will have to earn these challenge modes by completing in-game challenges.
Dead Space: Extraction is a prequel to the popular horror shooter Dead Space which arrived on the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 in 2008. Extraction is an on-rails shooter that features two player co-op and “an important new heroine to the Dead Space universe.”
Read: Dead Space Wii Goes Gold.
The long-awaited and much-hyped Guitar Hero 5 hits stores shelves this week, followed by super MMORPG Champions Online.
Action fans can take a bite out of the unfortunately-named Section 8 (hint: Naming your game after a government housing program associated with urban decay isn’t the best decision ever).
Onward with the release list!
Xbox 360
- Outdoor Adventures
- Guitar Hero 5
- Guitar Hero 5 + Guitar bundle
- Mini Ninjas
- Section 8
PC
- Champions Online
- Mini Ninjas
- Section 8
Read more »
While the past few Release Roundups were pretty grim, this week’s brings a new twist on an old franchise.
Of course I’m talking about Wolfenstein. Developed by Raven Software, Wolfenstein puts gamers back in the shoes of special agent B.J. Blazkowicz. This time B.J. has to put a stop to Heinrich Himmler’s secret SS Occult division before they can release a force known as the Black Sun.
Wolfenstien features intense class based multiplayer over eight maps and several different modes.
The new games this week are:
Xbox 360
- Raven Squad: Operation Hidden Dagger
- Shadow Complex (Xbox Live Arcade)
- Wolfenstein Read more »
Today Activision announced that the new skateboarding game Tony Hawk: Ride will arrive on the Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii Nov. 17.
Featuring a motion-sensing skateboard controller, Ride will set you back $120. Developer Robomodo stated, “We look at it less as a peripheral, as more of a platform.” According to the developer, there are more titles in the works that will utilize the peripheral.
Personally I’m not that impressed with what I’ve seen from the controller. As someone who spent their teenage years skating from parking lot to parking lot, I must say the whole idea of playing a skateboarding videogame with your feet isn’t all that appealing. Sure, it gives those who haven’t ever skated a small glimpse of the zen-like reward of that come from landing a trick. However, until you rack your junk on a handrail and come back for more, you will never fully capture the essence of skateboarding.
Read: Tony Hawk: Ride Getting Gnarly in November.
This week’s Release Roundup caters to sports fans, in particular football lovers. This is because Madden 10 hits stores Friday, Aug. 14.
Marking the 21st annual installment, Madden 10 comes packed with new features. Football fans will be pleased to see the new “PRO-TAK” system, where new animations change the game by allow up to nine player tackles, the ability to steer tackles, and a more realistic pocket around the QB. Madden 10 also introduces the “Fight for the Fumble” feature, where players will have to pass quicktime events to gain possession of the ball during dog piles. Aside from these new features, Madden 10 also contains a new ratings philosophy, more realistic player momentum, a new injury system, and numerous other improvements.
The games coming out this week are:
Xbox 360
Today adventure game developer Telltale Games announced that the next chapter of Tales of Monkey Island will land Aug. 20 on the PC. In regards to the WiiWare version, Telltale stated that it will be “timed close to the PC release.”
Dubbed The Siege of Spinner City, Chapter 2 picks up right where the first one ended. The official description reads: “Guybrush’s adventures continue on the high seas as pox-plagued pirates lay siege to the innocent Mer-People. In between defending the Mer-People and dodging the persistent pirate hunter hot on his trail, Guybrush manages to catch up to his beloved wife and despised arch-nemesis — but their reunion is short-lived. Now Guybrush must focus on eradicating the Pox of LeChuck before more harm can be done. And as the Mighty Pirate draws closer to a cure, the waters will only grow murkier in this thrilling chapter of the epic saga.”
The full series will contain five chapters, and can be bought for $34.95.
Read: Tales of Monkey Island continues on August 20.
I hate to keep doing this to you guys, but this week’s Release Roundup continues the tradition of crappy summer releases.
The “big” title this week is G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. Based on the upcoming action movie, G.I. Joe offers gamers a chance to play as some of the most beloved toys of all time. Considering these are the only details I could find on the game and that G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is being ported to every console under the sun, my guess is that this game is just shovelware. Hopefully I’ll be proven wrong.
Besides G.I. Joe, the other big release this week is the fifth batch of DLC for Fallout 3. Dubbed Mothership Zeta, the final DLC pack has gamers abducted by aliens when exploring a strange radio signal. Little do these elfin extraterrestrials know, the wastelands of D.C. are a lot harder than a then they used to be. Gamers are tasked with sending these probing bastards back to the cosmos. I can’t wait to jack one in the face and yell “Welcome to Earth!”
The games coming out this week are:
Xbox 360
- Brave: A Warrior’s Tale
- Fallout 3 Downloadable Content: Mothership Zeta (Xbox Live Marketplace)
- G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled (Xbox Live Arcade) Read more »
