NOTE: This column will be a weekly look at what’s coming out for the various game systems. While reading, you should keep in mind that I don’t own every system (just most of them) and have very little money – hence, the comments that follow will be little more than my own insane ravings and opinions almost entirely devoid of fact. But, if nothing else, you’ll at least get a handy list of the week’s new releases. I’ll also cover accessories, new hardware and peripherals, and other developments of interest. Note, however, that since I don’t generally play PC games much (or Mac games – oh, wait, they don’t exist!), I’ll simply be lumping them all together at the bottom of this report in a nice alphabetical jumble.
Releases covered this week include everything from Sunday the 19th to Saturday the 25th of November, and are based on estimated shipping dates (which are subject to change at any time – as they say, “check your local listings”). This week’s report is actually a little earlier than I’d normally post it up, but only because the report I tried to do earlier in the week got lost somewhere in the internets. Sorry, but there you go.
[hardware] Nintendo Wii console / Easy prediction: Based solely on the criteria of total units shipped and lower retail pricing, Nintendo will wipe their collective ass with Sony by the end of the year and leave them really hurting come spring. Yes, graphics and processing power are important, but FUN is the keyword to any new game console. And the Wii has that in spades. (After all, why did the Neo-Geo stick around for so many years after it had become outdated? Because it remained FUN above all else, never mind its technology. Sony would do well to learn about that phenomenon.)
As for the console itself, keep in mind that your $250 gets you all of the following: Wii console with 512MB built-in memory, one Wii Remote with detachable Nunchuck, the all-important Sensor Bar, one Wii Sports game disc, and all the cords and cables for TV hookup and power. If you’re buying on eBay, don’t finalize your bid until you see all those items in the picture (or at least the unbroken seals on the box). Then again, if you’re buying a Wii on eBay, you apparently have no will power and should simply WAIT until local stores get them in stock. Believe me, it won’t take long – Nintendo’s done this kind of thing before.
[accessory] Wii Memory Card by SanDisk [Wii] / Let’s get this straight right off the bat, so stupid consumers aren’t confused. Yes, these are snazzy-looking little memory cards, in the same bleach-white color as the Wii console. But – and this is a really big BUT – it’s the EXACT SAME as any normal SD (Secure Digital) memory card. Yep, exactly like that used in thousands of digital cameras for the past half-decade or so. Hence, there’s no reason to pay any more money for these cards than for any other no-name brand that will work EXACTLY the SAME in your Wii. Got that? Good. That said, these snazzy white cards appear to come only in 2GB size for the moment.
[accessory] MotionFX TiltSense Adapter by Split Fish Gameware [PS2] / First off, I don’t know who Split Fish is, so mark this down as a “questionable” in the reliability category. Second, we have officially reached an Atari-2600-level of useless accessory gadgetry in these late days of the PS2. The MFTSA (as I like to call it) basically tries to fake your standard PS2 DualShock controller into working like a fancy PS3 SixAxis pad – which would be nice, I guess, except that I doubt many current games are going to need (or even work with) this input style. But, hey, it’s your 40 bucks.
Bass Pro Shops Trophy Hunter 2007 [Xbox, PC] / You may have played hunting games before. But you’ve never played a hunting game yet that carried the prestigious “Bass Pro Shops” seal of authority. Yes, now you won’t just blast that buck – you’ll blast him while sporting an official Bass Pro Shops orange safety vest!
Cabela’s African Safari [X360] / Not to be outdone, the previous bastion of hunting games has taken its show to Africa. So put on your photo-realistic Cabela’s camouflage boonie hat and get to killing those wildebeests!
College Hoops NCAA 2K7 [Xbox, X360] / Another year, another season of NCAA B-ball. The game’s only 20 bucks, so why not?
Dance Dance Revolution: Ultramix 4 bundle [Xbox] / Round four of the Xbox’s own exclusive DDR version brings more noise and funk to your living room – you provide the sweet dance moves. (Yeah, hopefully it’s not as lame as I make it sound. But it might be…)
Dance Factory + [PS2] / The “+” in this package is the addition of a custom dance pad controller. Otherwise, the game here is the same one that was introduced last month to a generally underwhelming reception. Yes, it will allow to dance to any of your very own music CDs. But no, that doesn’t make for a very good dancing game (since the program isn’t smart enough to do anything but pick out the beat). However, now there’s one more lookalike dance pad out on the market. Sigh.
Delta Force: Black Hawk Down – Team Sabre [PS2] / Think watered-down PC port and you’ll have it. Yes, we are truly in the glory days of the PS2, aren’t we? (This one also vies for the honor of “Most Contrived and Important-Sounding Title of 2006″.)
Dogz [DS] / A trumped-up reprise of a watered-down copy of a good original concept (namely, Nintendogs). Nice to know the DS is carrying on so well in the Game Boy’s tradition of mindless crap games for kids.
ExciteTruck [Wii] / Besides Zelda and Red Steel, this will most likely be one of the big Wii games that people pick up on launch day. Current reviews run anywhere from “pretty cool” to “underwhelming” – but at the least, you’ll never have played a racing game this way before. (Assuming I end up getting a Wii sometime this week, I’ll let you all know exactly what I think of it.)
Hard Rock Casino [PS2] / Another gambling game, which no doubt features various forms of poker in an effort to cash in on the Texas Hold’em craze. And this one also, apparently, is trying to cash in on the fact that Vegas seems to be cool again. Fad plus big-name license equals high potential for crappy game. Color me skeptical!
Harley-Davidson: Race to the Rally [PS2, PC] / A licensed motorcycle racer that I’ve heard nothing about. It’s by Activision, so it may not suck terribly.
Ice Age 2: The Meltdown [PS2, DS] / Everyone’s favorite celebrity-voiced prehistoric animals return for another go-round at madcap adventure! Okay, having said that, I dare you to tell me that line couldn’t have described at least three other games based on computer-animated films. Go ahead!
March of the Penguins [DS] / Someone please explain to me how a game based on a documentary (!!) about the migration habits of penguins can honestly be considered a good licensing move. Methinks someone somewhere is about to lose a cushy marketing job.
Need for Speed: Carbon [Wii] / Ostensibly the same as the version released on “conventional” systems a couple of weeks ago, but with the benefit of Wii-only motion controls. (Use Ubisoft’s wheel attachment for best effect.)
Pimp My Ride [PS2, X360] / No, no. Don’t drive it – just pimp it! They must have figured, “All these games where you have to drive the car once you’ve customized it – that’s no fun! Let’s just make it look cool, and leave it at that.” Expect lots of Xzibit tracks and many, many references to car audio companies.
Rainbow Six: Vegas [X360] / The first next-gen appearance of this classic team-based shooter seems to look really good in screen shots, and its track record on Microsoft systems (not so much on Sony) is still solid. Should be a winner.
Sega Genesis Collection [PSP] / As if to prove further that the PSP is best used as an emulator for other systems, here’s a collection of classic Genesis games for your portable enjoyment. Best bets out of this set include the two Sonic games, Ristar (an oft-overlooked gem), three complete Phantasy Star adventures, and the weird but intriguing Comix Zone.
Shrek: Smash and Crash [GCube] / Released last week on other systems, and no doubt just as much of a marketing tool as those other efforts. Wow, I’m sick of licensed crap…
Superman Returns [PS2, Xbox, DS, X360] / Incessantly delayed for the past six months, ostensibly to make sure that the game is as good as can be, Superman finally Returns to a console near you this week. And the delay was probably necessary, since previous games featuring Supes (save for the marginally good Justice League Heroes of late) have been utter piles of crap. For evidence, witness the oft-referenced 3D effort forced on Nintendo 64 players, which is generally rated as being one of the top-five worst games of all time. All that said, this new one MUST be and WILL be better than that. They’ve had enough damn time to get it right, haven’t they? (Oh yeah – the movie comes out this week on DVD, too, so timing helps.)
Thrillville [PS2] / An amusement park business simulator by LucasArts. Could be good, but this type of game has always worked best on PCs. You never know, though.
Tony Hawk’s Project 8 [PSP] / The same game you’ve already played six or seven times before, but now in porta…oh, wait, they’ve done that too. So, it’s the same game. Again.
Totally Spies! 2: Undercover [DS] / Which begs the question: What were they before, out in the open? I mean, they are “Totally Spies”, right?
Wii Sports [Wii] / Not sure why you’d buy this, since it’s gonna come free with every Wii console for the next few months at least. And unless you’re a collector…oh wait, that’s why you’d buy this. So you can leave it sealed and, in ten or fifteen years, be able to say, “I bought every single game for the Wii on launch day!” Loser.
Yggdra Union: We’ll Never Fight Alone [GBA] / A new, original RPG on GBA? And by Atlus, no less? Wake the kids, dust off your SP and head directly to the game store! There is life left for Nintendo’s old soldier yet…
PC Games
Agatha Christie: Murder on the Orient Express / Air Cargo Pilot / Backspin Billiards / Bass Pro Shops Trophy Bass 2007 / Battlefield 2: Booster Packs Collection [expansion] / Bricks of Egypt 2: Tears of the Pharaohs / Classic Games Collection: Ultimate Battle Pack / Classic Games Collection: Weekend Games Pack / Dream Vacation Solitaire / Dynasty / Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion – Knights of the Nine [expansion] / Emperor’s Treasures / Equestrian Challenge / Fifth Disciple / Fly the Boeing 787 Dreamliner [expansion] / Galapago / Great Invasions: The Dark Ages / Lawnmower Racing Mania 2007 / Microsoft Flight Simulator X: Aircraft Power Pack [expansion] / 3-D Model Trains / Timothy and Titus
Posted by ShatterX 
Posted by duncan1800 
Posted by Chris S 
