Games On Net :: New Releases: Coming Attractions

Coming Attractions - 12/10/09

By Matt Keller - Mon Oct 12, 2009 10:01am

This is going to be an expensive week. Uncharted 2, Metroid Prime Trilogy and Brutal Legend – three games that demand your attention, all releasing on the one day. There's a little reprieve as Atari has informed us to not expect Operation Flashpoint 2 until the 22nd, but you can always use that money on a copy of Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition or Wii Fit Plus.

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

15/10/2009

*Brutal Legend* Platform: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 Developer: *Double Fine Productions* Publisher: *Electronic Arts* RRP: $AU99.95 It's been a long, hard road for Tim Schafer and the Double Fine team, but *Brutal Legend* finally hits shelves this week after years of development, uncertainty, lawsuits and trade show shenanigans. As metal roadie Eddie Riggs, you must free humanity from enslavement in a Nordic fantasy world. There's a massive metal soundtrack with songs from some of the greatest acts in music and a celebrity voice cast that includes Jack Black, Tim Curry and a good half dozen metal legends. Should be an excellent game – let's hope that it enjoys the retail success which has proved elusive for Schafer's recent games.
*Cities XL* Platform: PC Developer: *Monte Cristo* Publisher: *Monte Cristo* RRP: $AU69.95 Like Sim City or City Life? Then you'll probably love *Cities XL, which takes the latter of the two and ups the ante. In addition to a vast single player campaign, Cities XL* also takes your city building and management skills into a persistent online community allowing you to work together with other players to build awesome structures and cities and share resources. If you're looking for a management sim, this could be a good bet.
*Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition* Platform: PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 Developer: *Bethesda Softworks* Publisher: *Bethesda Softworks* RRP: $AU69.95 (PC), $AU99.95 (PS3, 360) Love *Fallout 3, but hate digital distribution? Bethesda's got you covered with Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition, which combines the core game and the five additional DLC packs that have come out progressively during the year. If you haven't joined the Fallout 3* party yet, you need this.
*Family Trainer: Extreme Sports* Platform: Wii Developer: *Namco Bandai* Publisher: *Namco Bandai* RRP: $AU129.95 Namco Bandai hits us with another Family Trainer game in what seems like less than six months after the last one. Wii mini-game collections are well and truly past the saturation point now, and the high price of this one makes it even more difficult to recommend.
*Family Party: Outdoor Fun* Platform: Wii Developer: *D3 Publishing* Publisher: *D3 Publishing* RRP: $AU49.95 You know the Wii mini-game situation is becoming really dire when all the names start to sound the same.
*Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games* Platform: Nintendo DS, Wii Developer: *Sega* Publisher: *Sega* RRP: $AU69.95 (DS), $AU99.95 (Wii) With the *Mario & Sonic at the Olympics* being the most successful release in Sega's company history, it's no surprise that they're teaming up the two old mascots for another contest, this time at the Winter Olympics. You'll have access to popular events and sports like ice hockey, new characters including Donkey Kong and Silver the Hedgehog, and support for other Wii peripherals like the Balance Board. The Winter Games don't quite have the same appeal of the Summer Olympics, but this should still provide plenty of multiplayer fun.
*Metroid Prime Trilogy* Platform: Wii Developer: *Retro Studios* Publisher: *Nintendo* RRP: $AU99.95 Nintendo's had previously intended to release Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime 2: Echoes as a part of their New Play Control! line up, complete with the new (and awesome) control system employed in the third game in the series. Now they've had a change of heart and are releasing the entire trilogy on a single disc with a few bonuses for the price of a single new release. It might suck if you've already jumped on the standalone release of the third game, but the first two Metroid Prime games were easily among the best games released in the last console generation, and the new control system only makes them better.
*MotorStorm: Arctic Edge* Platform: PlayStation 2 Developer: *BigBig Studios* Publisher: *Sony Computer Entertainment* RRP: $AU59.95 Sony appears to have sped up the PSP to PS2 conversion process for *Arctic Edge, with the home version coming out just 4 weeks after the PSP game. If you liked MotorStorm* and don't mind a bit of a graphical downgrade, check it out.
*Uncharted 2: Among Thieves* Platform: PlayStation 3 Developer: *Naughty Dog* Publisher: *Sony Computer Entertainment* RRP: $AU109.95 The biggest release of the week is also arguably the biggest PS3 game of the year. *Uncharted 2* completely blows the first game away – it looks absolutely amazing, and the combat and platforming aspects have been significantly upgraded. There's also a new multiplayer mode, which if you tried the beta, you will already know kicks a lot of ass. A must own for PlayStation 3 fans.
*Wii Fit Plus* Platform: Wii Developer: *Nintendo* Publisher: *Nintendo* RRP: $AU29.95 (standalone), $AU159.95 (with Balance Board) It's time to dust off that Wii Balance Board and shrink that spare tyre in time for the summer months with *Wii Fit Plus*. There's fifteen all new activities on top of everything that was in the original game, and it's only 30 bucks – so you've got no excuse, tubby. Hopefully it's a bit more effective in burning calories than the first game, which focused more on improving balance.
*Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's Wheelie Breakers* Platform: Wii Developer: *Konami* Publisher: *Konami* RRP: $AU69.95 I'm not even going to pretend I know anything about Yu-Gi-Oh, but isn't it a card game? So why is this latest release some sort of racing game? And why does Yugi sound like he's 50 in the dub when he's like 12? So many questions, such a miniscule care factor.

Borderlands rules the roost next week, but you can also look forward to a lot of ludicrous wrestling related shenanigans in WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2010, brutal fictional sports action in Blood Bowl and J-RPG/Disney weirdness in Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days. You can also get inside Bowser (literally) in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story and relive the misfire that was the era of the FMV game with the unintentionally hilarious Mad Dog McCree for the Wii.