Games On Net :: General News: Coming Attractions

Coming Attractions - 13/05/2009

By Matt Keller - Wed May 13, 2009 6:21pm

The last couple of weeks have been pretty quiet on the new release front, but it seems like the silence is at an end this week, with two downloadable titles available tonight and ten new releases hitting shelves on Thursday. This week’s notable releases include movie tie-in Star Trek DAC, the two Mushroom Men games, the third New Play Control! release Pikmin 2 and the heavily delayed Xbox 360 version of Silent Hill Homecoming.

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

13/05/2009

*Star Trek DAC* Platform: PC, PlayStation Network, Xbox Live Arcade Developer: *Naked Sky Entertainment* Publisher: *Paramount Digital Entertainment* RRP: 800 Microsoft Points ($AU13.20), TBC (PC, PSN) The new Star Trek movie is in theatres, and I hear it’s quite good. For some reason or another, there’s no fully fledged game tie-in, but Paramount Digital has *Star Trek DAC*, a downloadable multiplayer-focused shooter loosely based on the film. Up to 12 players can compete in a variety of online battles, but like any multiplayer effort, the fun factor of this game is going to depend heavily on an active player base, which I just can’t see happening.
*Texas Cheat ‘Em* Platform: PlayStation Network, Xbox Live Arcade Developer: *Wideload Games* Publisher: *D3 Publisher* RRP: 800 Microsoft Points ($AU13.20), TBC (PSN) Texas Hold ‘Em is pretty big business these days with poker tournaments on TV, online poker sites and what not. D3 and Wideload Games have a different take on the game this week with *Texas Cheat ‘Em*. As the title would insinuate, it’s a variation of Texas Hold ‘Em where cheating is encouraged – card and chip stealing, x-ray specs, card swapping and even pre-cognition are at your disposal. Sounds amusing, but the lasting value of the game remains to be seen.

14/05/2009

*Battle Fantasia* Platform: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 Developer: *ARC System Works* Publisher: *505 Games* RRP: $AU99.95 Take your typical J-RPG setting and characters and chuck them into a 2D fighting game and you’ve got *Battle Fantasia*. The game’s art style is its biggest strength; haven’t heard too many positive things about the gameplay from its time in the arcades and on NTSC consoles. There’s been a whole heap of extra unlockable content added, along with a new story mode, but I think this one’s probably only going to appeal to die hard 2D fighting fans.
*Bridge Training* Platform: Nintendo DS Developer: *Atari* Publisher: *Atari* RRP: $AU49.95 Atari attempts to corner the old ladies market this week with the release of *Bridge Training, which should teach you all you need to know to beat those old timers at their own game. Be careful though - before you know it you’ll be knitting, watching re-runs of the Golden Girls* and paying for everything in coin change in the express lane.
*Cooking Mama: World Kitchen* Platform: Wii Developer: *Cooking Mama Ltd* Publisher: *505 Games* RRP: $AU79.95 Mama’s back in the kitchen on the Wii this week with *Cooking Mama: World Kitchen*, which lets you prepare more than 50 dishes from across the world. A new control scheme and removal of fail conditions should make it easier to newcomers, and remove a bit of the frustration present in previous segments. Worth a look if you’re up for something a little different.
*Gardening Mama* Platform: Nintendo DS Developer: *Cooking Mama Ltd* Publisher: *505 Games* RRP: $AU69.95 Mama’s going all Martha Stewart on us and diversifying into gardening activities this week. *Gardening Mama* essentially takes the formula of the successful Cooking Mama series outside, and has players designing a garden of vegies, flowers and so on. Early reviews have criticised the game’s depth and control, so one might be better off waiting for the inevitable sequel.
*Mushroom Men: Rise of the Fungi* Platform: Nintendo DS Developer: *Red Fly Studio* Publisher: *Gamecock Media Group* RRP: $AU59.95 It’s only taken some six months, but the two Mushroom Men games are on shelves this week. The DS game is presumably set earlier than the Wii game, chronicling the crash of the meteor which caused the various fauna to sprout life. At first look it seems like a fairly competent 2D platformer with a few extra bells and whistles, but a negative consensus opinion from American critics suggests otherwise.
*Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars* Platform: Wii Developer: *Red Fly Studio* Publisher: *Gamecock Media Group* RRP: $AU79.95 The second of the two Mushroom Men games is the superior Wii version, which focuses on a lone mushroom named Pax who is trying to find his way in the new mushroom society. *The Spore Wars* boasts pretty good visuals as far as the Wii goes, and provides solid platforming action, but apparently is a bit lacking in the longevity stakes, so your mileage may vary. (Read our *review* if you want to know more.)
*New Play Control! Pikmin 2* Platform: Wii Developer: *Nintendo* Publisher: *Nintendo* RRP: $AU49.95 What’s old is new again with *Pikmin 2, the third of Nintendo’s New Play Control!* line up. Nintendo takes the new control system employed in the recent re-release of *Pikmin* (which received a princely *four star review* from yours truly) and applies it to the second game in the series. The second game does away with the 30 day limit of the first, introduces a second playable character, two new breeds of Pikmin, and packs in significantly more content. It’s not as well paced and can be a little more difficult, but it is a worthy successor.
*Pokémon Platinum* Platform: Nintendo DS Developer: *Game Freak* Publisher: *Nintendo* RRP: $AU69.95 *Pokémon Platinum* is your usual third version of the latest Pokémon generation, like Pokémon Yellow, Crystal and Emerald before it. It’s got some minor interface and graphical improvements, and a few different Pokémon, but the real meat of the game comes in the form of major story changes and the new Battle Frontier mode, a Pokémon battle facility where one must defeat the Frontier Brains, who each specialise in a form of Pokémon battling. *Pokémon Platinum* must for fans, and certainly worth a look for anyone after a lengthy, high quality DS RPG.
*Silent Hill Homecoming* Platform: Xbox 360 (Also available on PC, PlayStation 3) Developer: *Double Helix Games* Publisher: *Konami* RRP: $AU119.95 For reasons unknown, Atari delayed the local release of the Xbox 360 version of *Homecoming* for over two months, but it’s finally here this week. It’s hard to say it’s worth the wait, though, since developer Double Helix Games has delivered a game which focuses much more on combat rather than the story and atmosphere the series is known for. It’s a rental at best for the curious.
*We Cheer* Platform: Wii Developer: *Namco Bandai* Publisher: *505 Games* RRP: $AU69.95 For some reason or another, Namco’s seen it fit to produce a Wii game on the spectacle of cheerleading, which will have players jumping around like hooligans to a variety of pop music. Cheerleading is a big thing among females over in the States, but most Aussies don’t seem to give a rat’s about it – other than when it comes to ogling them. Given the tween angle, I wouldn’t expect to see any references to bitchy teen cliques or the sort of thing cheerleaders really get up to, if you know what I mean.

Next week is busy for the HD consoles with Capcom’s long awaited sequel Bionic Commando, Yuke’s and THQ’s reinvigorated take on mixed martial arts in UFC Undisputed, and Replay Studios’ leather clad stealth ‘em up Velvet Assassin. EA’s going to try to get into shape on the Wii with EA Sports Active, and Atari is finally going to put Demigod on shelves for PC.