Games On Net :: New Releases: Coming Attractions

Coming Attractions - 01/07/2009

By Matt Keller - Wed Jul 1, 2009 7:14pm

It’s the last week of the midyear release season, the busiest for many years. There’s something for everyone this week; RPG fans finally get to sink their teeth into Tales of Vesperia, Team 17 is releasing Worms 2: Armageddon for Xbox Live Arcade, fight fans can play out dream bouts in Fight Night Round 4, PC-only players get to find out what all the fuss about Street Fighter IV is about, Wii golfers get their first taste of Motion Plus assisted play in Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10, and Harry Potter fans can grab the video game adaptation of the latest film Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

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

01/07/2009

*Worms 2: Armageddon* Platform: Xbox Live Arcade Developer: *Team 17* Publisher: *Team 17* RRP: 800 Microsoft Points ($AU13.20) The first version of Worms is one of the best selling games on Xbox Live Arcade, but it’s far from the best incarnation of the game, missing several key weapons and other features. Team 17 is trying to make up for past mistakes with *Worms 2: Armageddon, which it claims has all of the content from Worms Armageddon*, along with a whole bunch of new features and weapons to please fans of the homicidal annelids. Should be one of the better games on the service if they get it right this time.
*King of Fighters 98: Ultimate Match* Platform: Xbox Live Arcade Developer: *SNK* Publisher: *SNK* RRP: 800 Microsoft Points Fans of the King of Fighters series often cite the 1998 version as their favourite, so SNK decided to port it over to Xbox Live Arcade, and add a highly requested online play element to it. Fans of fighting games definitely need to check it out, but if *Garou* was anything to go by, I wouldn’t get my hopes up about quality online play. Then again, this has been in the pipeline for what seems like forever, so maybe it will work out in the end.

02/07/2009

*Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood* Platform: PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 Developer: *Techland* Publisher: *Ubisoft* RRP: $AU89.95 (PC), $AU109.95 (PS3, Xbox 360) The prequel to Techland’s cult hit western FPS lands on shelves this week. Brothers Ray and Thomas McCall are fighting in the American Civil War as Confederate soldiers when they leave the front lines to return home when the Union army threatens their farm. Chased by the Confederacy for desertion, the McCalls end up in the Wild West, searching for the legendary gold of Juarez. The original game was pretty solid, and the Wild West certainly provides an interesting setting for a first person shooter, so this could end up being pretty good.
*Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party 2* Platform: Wii Developer: *Konami* Publisher: *Konami* RRP: $AU129.95 Dance Dance Revolution’s always been pretty popular in the arcades, particularly with the anime crowd from my observations. The Wii versions of the game incorporate both dancing and Wii Remote gesturing for a slightly more complex variation on the classic theme. There are a few new game modes and a whole new set of tracks to get your dance on with.
*Dora Saves the Snow Princess* Platform: Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, Wii Developer: *High Voltage Software (PS2, Wii)/Black Lantern Studios (DS)* Publisher: *2K Play* RRP: $AU29.95 (PS2), $AU39.95 (DS), $AU49.95 (Wii) One of Nickelodeon’s many edutainment characters makes yet another video game appearance, this time to save a snow princess. It’s a 2D platformer aimed at the younger set, so just like the TV Show, you wouldn’t want to put it on for any kid over the age of 8.
*Fallout 3 Quest Pack #1* Platform: PC, Xbox 360 Developer: *Bethesda Softworks* Publisher: *Bethesda Softworks* RRP: $AU29.95 The first two *Fallout 3* expansions, Operation Anchorage and The Pitt are now available on a disc for those who like something tangible, or don’t have a credit card with which to purchase Microsoft Points. It’s slightly more expensive, but you never have to worry about losing them in the event that Xbox Live implodes.
*Fight Night Round 4* Platform: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 Developer: *Electronic Arts* Publisher: *Electronic Arts* RRP: $AU99.95 *Fight Night Round 4* is the reason tonight’s column is late. After playing more than 50 bouts on the game, I’m happy to report that it’s a mighty fine boxing sim, capturing many aspects of the sport that other games have neglected for many years, like the difference between in-fighting and out-fighting and a proper counter system. It also looks fantastic, with highly detailed characters and a new far more realistic animation system. Some purists might argue that the speed of gameplay is a little too arcade-like, but sports fans should find plenty to enjoy here.
*Ghostbusters: The Video Game* Platform: PlayStation 2 Developer: *Red Fly Studio* Publisher: *Sony Computer Entertainment* RRP: $AU59.95 The PS2 version of *Ghostbusters* is apparently the Wii version (which we won’t see until the fourth quarter) but with lower quality visuals and none of the fancy motion support that apparently makes the Wii game the best of the bunch. Might be worth a quick peek for big time Ghostbusters fans.
*Go, Diego Go!: The Great Dinosaur Rescue* Platform: Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, Wii Developer: *High Voltage Software (PS2, Wii)/Black Lantern Studios (DS)* Publisher: *2K Play* RRP: $AU29.95 (PS2), $AU39.95 (DS), $AU49.95 (Wii) Diego is a lot like Dora the Explorer, but his edutainment endeavours cater more towards the young male audience. Like the Dora game above, this is a pretty straightforward 2D platformer designed for the younger set, and unless they’re under the age of eight, they’re going to want something a little more entertaining, and a little less educational.
*Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince* Platform: Nintendo DS, PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PSP, Xbox 360, Wii Developer: *Electronic Arts* Publisher: *Electronic Arts* RRP: $AU49.95 (PS2, DS), $AU69.95 (PC), $AU79.95 (Wii), $AU99.95 (PS3, Xbox 360) The latest Harry Potter flick isn’t out for another two weeks, but Electronic Arts couldn’t contain their excitement, so they’ve put it out early on every available platform. *Half-Blood Prince* is a lot like the last game in that it draws a bit of inspiration from Rockstar’s *Bully, setting players loose upon Hogwarts to freely explore the school and take missions from various students and teachers. However, it also has Quidditch, a notable omission from Order of the Phoenix*. Worth a look for HP fans.
*Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum 2009* Platform: Wii Developer: *3G Studios* Publisher: *Majesco* RRP: $AU69.95 Many of you will recognise Jillian Michaels as one of the trainers on TV’s The Biggest Loser – now she’s got a fitness video game, hoping to cash in on the popularity of *Wii Fit*. While it caters more to actual fitness than Nintendo’s balance focused game, the implementation isn’t quite up to the standard players would expect. Still, it’s nice to have options.
*Overlord II* Platform: PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 Developer: *Triumph Studios* Publisher: *Codemasters* RRP: $AU89.95 (PC), $AU109.95 (PS3, Xbox 360) *Overlord* was one of the more original ideas to hit the HD consoles, allowing players to play as the bad guy. However, it didn’t really let you be evil enough – something that *Overlord II* is set to rectify. Players control a new overlord, who can rule over a larger and more diverse minion army to partake in large scale battles in a more sinister adventure that apparently parallels the rise of the Roman Empire.
*Overlord Minions* Platform: Nintendo DS Developer: *Climax* Publisher: *Codemasters* RRP: $AU69.95 The Overlord series is expanding to the Nintendo DS too, with *Overlord Minions* allowing players to command an army of minions to fight battles and solve puzzles, not unlike popular Nintendo game Pikmin. The real time strategy genre is underrepresented on the DS, so the more the merrier.
*Overlord: Dark Legend* Platform: Wii Developer: *Climax* Publisher: *Codemasters* RRP: $AU79.95 The Overlord love in continues on the Wii with *Overlord: Dark Legion, which is a reimagining of the original Overlord* with a new story and gameplay mechanics which better suit the Wii’s unique control system. Players control a new, younger Overlord who apparently gets to take his teenage angst out on the innocents living on the land he occupies. There’s not a whole lot like it on the Wii, so it might be worth seeking out.
*Street Fighter IV* Platform: PC Developer: *Capcom* Publisher: *Capcom* RRP: $AU79.95 Fighting games typically haven’t experienced much success on the PC, but Capcom is hoping that they can change that with a fully featured port of its recent hit *Street Fighter IV*. The game has higher resolution graphics than the console versions, along with some new visual filters to alter the look of the game. There are a few arcade style joysticks available for the PC, like the X-Arcade sticks, so it could end up being the best home version of the game.
*Tales of Vesperia* Platform: Xbox 360 Developer: *Namco Bandai* Publisher: *Namco Bandai* RRP: $AU99.95 PAL RPG fans can relax and quit whining with the long awaited release of the first Xbox entry in the long running Tales series. The story is set on the planet Terca Lumireis, which has come to rely on the power source “blastia”. Of course, blastia is easily removed, and it all goes pear shaped when a thief pinches the aque blastia core from the lower quarter of the town of Zaphias, denying water to the lower class citizens. Like all RPGs, that’s just the beginning of a bigger quest. The game features mighty pretty graphics and an updated version of the series’ trademark real-time battle system. A must for RPG fans.
*Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10* Platform: PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PSP, Wii, Xbox 360 Developer: *Electronic Arts* Publisher: *Electronic Arts* RRP: $AU49.95 (PS2, PSP), $AU79.95 (Wii), $AU99.95 (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii Motion Plus bundle) Normally we’d say something like “another year, another Tiger” but *Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10* for the Wii is a different animal, being the first golf game on the market to support the Wii Motion Plus, allowing for one of the most accurate peripheral focused golf games on the market. It’s also available on just about every other major format, but it’ll be hard to resist the draw of the Wii version.
*Virtua Tennis 2009* Platform: PC Developer: *Sumo Digital* Publisher: *Sega* RRP: $AU69.95 It’s pretty much exactly the same as the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of *Virtua Tennis 2009* released over the last 5 weeks, but it has crisper visuals and costs $AU30 less.

It’s totally quiet on the release front next week, with arcade baseball game The Bigs 2 hitting the Xbox 360 and the latest sequel to arcade classic Rygar for the Wii being the only really significant releases. You can hear the wallets cheering already.