Games On Net :: New Releases: Coming Attractions

Coming Attractions - 19/10/09

By Matt Keller - Mon Oct 19, 2009 10:30am

It seems as though this week's schedule is a little subdued compared to others so far this release season. All eyes will likely be fixed on Borderlands and Forza Motorsport 3, which both hit on Friday, but if you've got a bit of spare time and a DS handy, check out Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story and Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising is also due out this week, though retail spies tell me that it may have already snuck out.

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

22/10/2009

*Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility* Platform: Wii Developer: *Marvelous* Publisher: *Natsume* RRP: $AU79.95 It seems like there's a new Harvest Moon game coming every two months. *Tree of Tranquillity* follows the standard series formula of dumping you in a new place with a farm to take care of, but ups the ante by adding rivals in the game's dating segments. There's a new major quest, where players must find Harvest Sprites to revive the Harvest Tree, the original source of life on Waffle Island.
*Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days* Platform: DS Developer: *Square Enix* Publisher: *Square Enix* RRP: $AU69.95 Disney and Square Enix join forces for the fourth original title in the Kingdom Hearts series. This entry falls somewhere between the Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II, with the player controlling Roxas, Sora's Nobody who is recruited to the Heartless group Organisation XIII. It's amazing visually, especially considering the DS's 3D hardware and the plot is very strong but some players might not like the control system. That shouldn't be of any concern to series fans though.
*Mad Dog McCree Gunslinger Pack* Platform: Wii Developer: *Majesco* Publisher: *Majesco* RRP: $AU49.95 Relive the “glory” of the FMV based video game era with *Mad Dog McCree*, now on the Wii. Campy performances from Z grade actors are amusing for about five minutes, but this isn't really the sort of thing you want long-term exposure to. A good reminder of just how awkward FMV stuff was.
*MagnaCarta II* Platform: Xbox 360 Developer: *Softmax* Publisher: *Namco Bandai* RRP: $AU99.95 Korean developer Softmax is teaming up with Namco Bandai to release *MagnaCarta II, which is actually the third game in the MagnaCarta* series. It's a slightly different take on the Japanese-style RPG, with a unique character designs from renowned Korean artist Hyung-Tae Kim and battle system that combines turn-based strategy with real time action. RPG fans will probably dig it, but everyone else can move right along.
*Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story* Platform: Nintendo DS Developer: *Alphadream* Publisher: *Nintendo* RRP: $AU69.95 The latest Mario & Luigi RPG adventure begins with the two brothers being eaten by their arch nemesis Bowser, who has been given the ability to inhale objects and shrink people. Of course, it's all part of a larger plot by a new villain who has used the opportunity to oust Bowser and take over the Mushroom Kingdom for himself. The Mario Brothers need to help Bowser regain his power from the inside while trying to find their way out of his body. It's certainly a hilarious concept, and if it's anything like its two predecessors, it should easily be one of the best RPGs on the DS.
*Marvel Super Hero Squad* Platform: Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, PSP, Wii Developer: *THQ* Publisher: *THQ* RRP: $AU49.95 (PS2), $AU59.95 (DS, PSP, Wii) *Marvel Super Hero Squad* is basically the Marvel Comics version of the Muppet Babies as far as I know. You don't want to mess with that. Remember when superhero comics were written for actual children instead of man-children?
*Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising* Platform: PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 Developer: *Codemasters* Publisher: *Codemasters* RRP: $AU99.95 (PC), $AU109.95 (PS3, 360) It's been in development for what seems like forever, but this week Codemasters finally unleashes *Operation Flashpoint 2. Codemasters has produced this one in house after the original developer Bohemia Interactive split off to develop their own series, Armed Assault*. Still, it follows in the same uber-difficult military simulation style of the first one, with a huge playable area, over 70 guns and tons of vehicles. The PC version has pretty steep system requirements, but comes with a mission editor and supports up to 32 players in multiplayer – the console versions are limited to 8 human players with three AI soldiers assigned to each person. I'd hope for the sake of the console releases that this one is relatively glitch free.
*Stoked* Platform: Xbox 360 Developer: *Bongfish Interactive Entertainment* Publisher: *Bongfish Interactive Entertainment* RRP: $AU89.95 And now for an Xbox 360 exclusive we know almost nothing about. *Stoked* is a snowboarding game that challenges players to develop a career as a professional snowboard while carving up more than 45 square miles of powder over 5 different mountains. It's been a while since we've had a decent snowboarding game on the HD systems, but the lack of promotion and coverage on this title doesn't fill us with confidence.
*WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2010* Platform: Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PSP, Wii, Xbox 360 Developer: *Yuke's* Publisher: *THQ* RRP: $AU49.95 (PS2), $AU59.95 (DS, PSP), $AU89.95 (Wii), $AU109.95 (PS3, 360) Smackdown returns for yet another year, this time focusing mainly on user generated content. Players can now create their own storylines in addition to their own wrestlers and finishers, all of which can be shared online. Grapple variations are back, along with a heap of new moves for ground and ring apron situations. There are also new match stipulations, including Championship Scramble and mixed tag team events. Hopefully it's a return to form for the series – it's been a long time since Here Comes the Pain.

23/10/2009

*Borderlands* Platform: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 (Due on PC next week) Developer: *Gearbox Software* Publisher: *2K Games* RRP: $AU99.95 *Borderlands* has gone from the edge of the radar to one of the big games of Holiday 2009. Delays might have helped it out a bit, but Borderlands stands tall on its own merits. The big selling point of the game is its weapon generation system, which can generate some awesome stuff like rifles that fire rockets. It's kind of like the Diablo of the first person shooter, with randomly generated levels, drop-in/out coop for up to 4 players and an in-depth skill system. One of the main contenders for 2009's Game of the Year.
*Forza Motorsport 3* Platform: Xbox 360 Developer: *Turn10* Publisher: *Microsoft* RRP: $AU99.95 (Standard), $AU119.95 (Limited) Racing game fans have been spoiled for choice over the last couple of weeks, but I can't imagine that many of them will want to miss out on *Forza 3*. Microsoft and Turn 10's latest racing effort includes more than 400 vehicles from 50 manufacturers, over 100 tracks and far more detailed graphics than its predecessor. New features include a rewind option to fix mistakes in a race, customisable rulesets for online races and an in-depth video editor.

Next week is all about Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony, which hits the Xbox Live Marketplace for 1600 Allards, or can be found in stores with The Lost and Damned expansion for $AU69.95. Also due out is DJ Hero, Football Manager 2010 and the visually improved Painkiller: Resurrection.