Games On Net :: General News: Coming Attractions

Coming Attractions - 25/03/2009

By Matt Keller - Wed Mar 25, 2009 6:30pm

The last week of March is upon us, which means the flow of new video game releases is going to slow to a trickle over the next couple of weeks, though we’ve got a few promising games due throughout April. The game publishers of the world are intent on giving March a good send off with Resistance Retribution for the PSP, The Wheelman for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC, MadWorld for the Wii and Puzzle Quest: Galactrix for the PC and DS headlining this week’s new releases.

Don’t forget to check out the full release schedule for the latest changes and information on upcoming games.

25/03/2009

UNO Rush
Platform: Xbox Live Arcade
Developer: Microsoft
Publisher: Microsoft
RRP: 800 Microsoft Points ($AU13.20)

The sequel to the top-selling Xbox Live Arcade game, Uno Rush has big shoes to fill, but the addition of new features like Avatar support, the Xbox Live Vision camera, party play should inspire players to jump on board. It’s still pretty much the same UNO, but there are lots of pretty bells and whistles. Definitely worth checking out, especially if you missed the first one.

26/03/2009

*BattleForge* Platform: PC Developer: *Electronic Arts Phenomic* Publisher: *Electronic Arts* RRP: $AU99.95 EA’s latest real-time strategy offering combines your standard RTS gameplay with a card game reminiscent of Magic: The Gathering. Cards enable you to build units and buildings and cast spells. There’s roughly 200 cards divided between Fire, Frost, Nature and Shadow powers, with more to be made available via microtransactions in the future. Players can build their own decks, trade cards with other players, or put them up for sale in the auction house. It seems like a pretty interesting concept and the beta got a fairly positive response – so long as the cards purchased with real world money don’t ruin the balance, a lot of fun could be had.
*Big Bang Mini* Platform: Nintendo DS Developer: *Arkedo Studio* Publisher: *SouthPeak Interactive* RRP: $AU59.95 *Big Bang Mini* mixes the fireworks splendour of PlayStation 2 launch title FantaVision with the gameplay of Missile Command. The difference is that once you destroy the incoming enemies, you’ve got to move your character around to dodge the debris and sparks resulting from your enemies’ destruction. Interesting idea and intriguing presentation, but limited long term value may be its downfall.
*Buzz! Brain of Oz* Platform: PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PSP Developer: *Relentless Software* Publisher: *Sony Computer Entertainment* RRP: $AU49.95 (PSP), $AU59.95 (PS2 & PS3 game only), $AU99.95 (With PS2 Buzzers), $AU109.95 (With Wireless PS3 Buzzers) Sony’s Muppet-wannabe game host (voiced by washed up soapie star Jason Donavan) returns to annoy the crap out of everyone in another trivia game for the PlayStation family of consoles. This one tests your knowledge of Australian facts and trivia – other region releases are available if you’re homesick Brit or Kiwi.
*Codename Panzers: Cold War* Platform: PC Developer: *Stormregion* Publisher: *Atari* RRP: $AU79.95 The Codename: Panzers series continues, despite the bankruptcy of both its original developer and publisher. A new graphics engine and a detailed physics engine are apparently meant to bring the game up to scratch, but I think most of you will find that it’s still the same old middle-of-the-road, neither bad nor spectacular game this series has always provided.
*Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 Ultimate Edition* Platform: PlayStation 3 Developer: *Electronic Arts* Publisher: *Electronic Arts* RRP: $AU99.95 The heavily belated PlayStation 3 port of *Red Alert 3* comes with a few extra bits to attempt to make up for the 6 month wait. A sharp increase in visual quality over the Xbox 360 version is said to be the main improvement, as the game uses the same renderer as the PC version, and the extra capacity of the BluRay disc allows for significantly higher quality video footage. There’s also a few new maps, a few behind the scenes videos, profiles, Command & Conquer TV programming and the game’s soundtrack. Probably not enough to get existing Red Alert fans to buy another copy of the game, but certainly worth jumping on for those looking for the best console version.
*Family Ski and Snowboard* Platform: Wii Developer: *Namco Bandai* Publisher: *Atari* RRP: $AU79.95 Namco’s balance board controlled skiing/snowboarding game was hugely popular in Japan, but I doubt it’ll experience the same degree of success down here (This is actually the second game in the series; Family Ski was not released in Australia). The game spreads a number of training and challenge modes across two peaks, along with a mode which lets you just roam around the resort. Probably not as involved as *Shaun White Snowboarding: Road Trip*, but that might make it more appealing to the casual crowd.
*Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness* Platform: Nintendo DS Developer: *Natsume* Publisher: *Marvelous Entertainment* RRP: $AU69.95 There was once a time when the release of a new Harvest Moon game was a rare occurrence, but Marvelous seems intent on pushing out as many as possible. The 15th game in the series and fourth to be released on the DS, *Island of Happiness* once again puts you in the role of a young lad who takes control of a farm, raise crops and animals and get married to one of the local ladies. The main difference here is the player is shipwrecked on the island at the start of the game, and he and the other survivors must form a functioning society while determining what caused all previous life on the island to disappear.
*Imagine Restaurant* Platform: Nintendo DS Developer: *Ubisoft* Publisher: *Ubisoft* RRP: $AU59.95 Take control of a prestigious French restaurant, prepare dishes under the tutelage of a famous chef and please the customer and critics. Not really intended for anyone other than tweenage girls, and the sheer lack of quality is enough to scare off any other curious parties.
*Job Island: Hard Working People* Platform: Wii Developer: *Hudson Soft* Publisher: *Konami* RRP: $AU69.95 While it seems like it’s just another mini-game collection, Job Island has an amusing plot to justify why players must participate in the drudgery of mowing lawns, barbecuing shish kebabs and performing surgery. You see, a series of meteors are headed towards Earth, and the only way to save it is for the populace to head to Job Island to work to make a lot of money to buy the equipment needed to destroy the astronomical threat. Expect to see meteors involved in the next Government Stimulus package.
*The Last Remnant* Platform: PC (Also available on Xbox 360) Developer: *Square Enix* Publisher: *Square Enix* RRP: $AU79.95 Released last year on the Xbox 360, Square Enix’s western oriented RPG makes its debut on the PC this week. The game focuses on Remnants, mysterious artefacts from an ancient civilization which have caused a shift in the world’s balance of power, widening the rift between the ruling class and the regular folks. I’m going to assume that players get to spend 40+ hours fixing that. It’s a bit different from the normal J-RPG deal, which caused a bit of division among RPG fans last year, so it might not be everyone’s cup of tea.
*MadWorld* Platform: Wii Developer: *PlatinumGames* Publisher: *Sega* RRP: $AU79.95 The first game to come from PlatinumGames, a studio made up of some of Capcom’s most talented individuals, is quite possibly the most violent game on the Wii. A cross between the aesthetic of Sin City and the theme of The Running Man, *MadWorld* puts you in control of Jack, who participates in a murderous game show named Death Watch, where contestants compete for a vaccine for a virus that a terrorist group named The Organisers are threatening to unleash on Varrigan City. A strong concept and solid gameplay are definite pluses, but an apparent short run-time (allegedly around the 5 hour mark) may mean that *MadWorld* may make for a better rental than purchase.
*New Play Control! Mario Power Tennis* Platform: Wii Developer: *Camelot Software Planning* Publisher: *Nintendo* RRP: $AU49.95 The second of Nintendo’s “Wiimakes” is *Mario Power Tennis, which appeared on the GameCube locally in early 2005. While it contained all of the things that made earlier Mario Tennis* titles great, it added the thoroughly annoying Power Shot system, which gave each character a special move which could be used to easily clinch a point (the problem being that the meter charged up too quickly and the moves interrupted the flow of play). The Wii version of the game adds motion controls inspired by *Wii Sports*, and support for progressive scan an widescreen display modes.
*Ready 2 Rumble Revolution* Platform: Wii Developer: *syn Sophia, Inc.* Publisher: *Atari* RRP: $AU69.95 Celebrated wrestling game developer syn Sophia, Inc. (better known as AKI Corporation) takes control of the once celebrated Ready 2 Rumble franchise. All of the old characters have been abandoned, and replaced with a new cast of HGH enhanced stereotypes. The most we can hope for is that it’s better than the wretched *Facebreaker*, and is successful enough to allow the company to return to making wrestling games.
*Resistance Retribution* Platform: PSP Developer: *Sony Bend* Publisher: *Sony Computer Entertainment* RRP: $AU59.95 Resistance leaves Insomniac, the PS3 and the first person shooter genre behind to journey to the PSP in the form of a third person shooter developed by celebrated handheld developer Sony Bend. The game follows British soldier James Grayson in the aftermath of the events of *Resistance: Fall of Man*. After being forced to kill his brother in a Chimeran conversion facility, James goes nuts and destroys a whole bunch before being recruited by the European resistance to help retake the continent. It’s got a solid technical grounding, looks good and apparently plays pretty well, which should be enough to encourage you to dust off and charge up the PSP.
*Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure* Platform: DS Developer: *Nippon Ichi Software* Publisher: *Square Enix* RRP: $AU69.95 Originally released on the PlayStation in the late 90s, *Rhapsody* is a tactical RPG with one big difference – it’s a musical. Cutscenes are all sung, which can cause a wide range of reactions from the player (nausea and ear bleeding, specifically). The actual game is pretty solid, developed by Nippon Ichi Software, who are among the best in the industry when it comes to SRPGs.
*Scene It? Box Office Smash* Platform: Xbox 360 Developer: *Krome Studios* Publisher: *Microsoft* RRP: $AU69.95 (Game only), $AU99.95 (with Buzzers) Krome Studios take control of the development behind Microsoft’s quiz franchise, based on the board game of the same name. The second one’s biggest additions are online play and Avatar implementation. So if you’re in the mood for a bit of trivia and can’t stand that stupid muppet on the PlayStation, this one might be for you.
*Stormrise* Platform: PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 Developer: *Creative Assembly* Publisher: *Sega* RRP: $AU89.95 (PC), $AU99.95 (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360) The Brisbane arm of Creative Assembly takes up the challenge of making a fully 3D real time strategy game with a decent control scheme for consoles. The whip control system is certainly interesting, and its dedication to making verticality a factor is admirable, but the conceptual design of the game’s sides seems a little plain - hopefully the action holds up.
*The Wheelman* Platform: PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 Developer: *Midway Newcastle/Tigon Studios* Publisher: *Ubisoft* RRP: $AU89.95 (PC), $AU109.95 (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360) It seems like it has been in development forever, but *The Wheelman* is finally set to come out this week. Players take control of Milo Burik (played by a digitised Vin Diesel), a driver who comes out of retirement to save a woman, and ends up in a gang war in the middle of Barcelona. It’s an open world game along the lines of Grand Theft Auto – let’s just hope for Midway’s sake that it’s actually good.
*You’re in the Movies* Platform: Xbox 360 Developer: *Zoe Mode* Publisher: *Microsoft* RRP: $AU99.95 (includes Xbox Vision camera) Microsoft’s latest attempt to capitalise on the casual audience involves getting people to act like idiots in front of a camera. Seems like it’d be best served with alcohol, but after it was slammed by the American press over the holidays, I don’t have high hopes for it.

27/03/2009

*Blue Dragon Plus* Platform: Nintendo DS Developer: *Brownie Brown* Publisher: *Ignition Entertainment* RRP: $AU59.95 *Blue Dragon Plus* is set roughly a year after the events of the Xbox 360 game, with Shu and friends living in a world now filled with smaller cube worlds, which were spawned in the final battle of the first game. One of these cubes just happens to contain the evil three-headed shadow dragon Balaur, who breaks out from his shell, ready to cause havoc. It breaks away slightly from the very traditional J-RPG setting of the original, playing more in line with the real time strategy stylings of *Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings*, which may turn some fans away.
*Don King Boxing* Platform: Nintendo DS, Wii Developer: *Venom Games* Publisher: *2K Sports* RRP: $AU49.95 *Don King Presents Prizefighter* was released last year to general apathy and disappointment, resulting in the Wii and DS versions being significantly delayed. However, very little information is available about either version, other than the fact that the Wii version uses the Balance Board. You’re probably better off waiting for Punch Out!! or *Fight Night Round 4* for your pugilistic needs.
*Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard* Platform: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 Developer: *Vicious Cycle* Publisher: *D3 Publishing* RRP: $AU79.95 Matt Hazard is a legendary gaming hero who is making his comeback after a six year hiatus (his downfall caused by spreading into the wrong kinds of genres) in this parody of action-gaming tropes (particularly Duke Nukem). Arrested Development’s Will Arnet stars as Matt Hazard, while Doogie Howser, M.D. star Neil Patrick Harris voices the main antagonist. Problem is that there’s not really much to write home about when it comes to the underlying game, but we’ll find out for sure on Friday.
*Onechanbara: Bikini Zombie Slayers* Platform: Wii, Xbox 360 Developer: *Tamsoft* Publisher: *D3 Publishing* RRP: $AU49.95 (Wii), $AU59.95 (Xbox 360) *Onechanbara* can be summed up pretty easily – it’s all about scantily clad ladies with large samurai swords slicing zombies to pieces. As cool as that sounds, the game doesn’t quite bring it from a quality perspective – the series got its start as part of D3’s Simple 2000 range in Japan. Like fellow Simple 2000 alumni *Earth Defense Force 2017*, it’s all about balls-to-the-wall action with little regard for quality assurance and stable framerates.
*Puzzle Quest: Galactrix* Platform: Nintendo DS, PC (Coming to Xbox Live Arcade on April 1) Developer: *Infinite Interactive* Publisher: *D3 Publishing* RRP: $AU39.95 (PC), $AU49.95 (Nintendo DS) The sequel to one of the best games to come out of Australia, *Puzzle Quest: Galactrix* leaves Bejewelled-inspired gameplay and medieval times behind for Hexic-like puzzles and an outer space setting. The core idea is still the same, in that you perform various quests and fight battles with puzzle based gameplay, with experience from each improving your character. If it’s anywhere near as good as the first game, it’s going to be disturbingly addictive and totally awesome.

31/03/2009

Braid
Platform: PC
Developer: Number None, Inc.
Publisher: Impulse, Steam
RRP: $US15.00 (approximately $AU21)

Jonathan Blow’s award winning platformer finally hits the PC this week, after a successful campaign on the Xbox 360 last year. It’s a bit artsy and totally pretentious, but ingenious platforming puzzles and an amazing aesthetic give it the right to be. Worth checking out, even if it’s just to see what all the fuss was about.

There may be fewer games coming out in April, but next week’s list promises to ensure that the month gets off to a good start with the bullet bending fun of Wanted: Weapons of Fate, another dose of handheld RPG goodness with Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume and Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time for the DS, and the all ages fun of Dreamwork’s latest CG film-tie in Monsters vs. Aliens for all formats.