This Week's Releases: The Prince is Back Edition

Well, first, sorry I haven't been updating recently. I've been having some computer troubles I've been dealing with. I'm going to try and get a post up tonight while I have the chance. So, for the last big release week of 2008, here are my picks for games to get this week.

My Game of the Week

Prince of Persia (PS3, 360)-12/2

Was there really any doubt what I would be picking this week? Not only is this a down week for releases when compared to the last month or so, but my most anticipated game of 2008 is finally coming out. Prince of Persia hits the PS3 and Xbox 360 this week. This is a bit of a new beginning for the series with a new main character, a slew of new platforming moves like the gripfall and roofrun, and a reworked fighting system that has you taking on one enemy at a time. You also have a new partner Elika who uses magic to aid you in combat as well as help you perform amazing acrobatic maneuvers. This all occurs in a more open-ended game world and presented in the beautiful new illustrative artstyle. I'll finally get to see if the game lives up to the hype I've been giving it.

This is the part of the article where I tell you what other games are coming out, but I really think you should just get PoP for PS3 or 360 (or maybe pick up something you missed last month). If you're a PC gamer who hasn't gotten in on GTA's latest installment, GTA IV comes out for PC this week. There are also a pair of Mushroom Men games for Wii and DS. You can also pick up the Prince of Persia: The Fallen King for the DS, but I have to be honest, having played the demo I wasn't too keen on the stylus controls for the game and I'm not sure how it will turn out. Well, that's all for this week. I'll be sure to be back when I can with some more posts and hopefully some reviews.

This Week's Releases: Shooter Face-Off Edition

The great time for gaming that is Fall 2008 just continues to roll along this week. The focus here is on two big shooter sequels. Here's what we have this week:

My Game of the Week

Resistance 2 (PS3)-11/4, Gears of War 2 (360)-11/7 (tie)

Resistance 2

Do you hear that sound? Yes, it is in fact the sound of me copping out this week. I can't really choose at the moment between these two games. While I will not be picking up either this week (still busy with LBP), I will almost certainly have both these games by year's end. They both look great. Personally, I would pick up Resistance 2 first (which may make it my pick of the week... I don't know). But this is partly due to the fact that Insomniac is one of my favorite developers and I like Resistance's story a bit more. I really enjoyed the first game, but I'm not too happy with the decisions to not have local competitive multiplayer and move to a two-weapon load-out. I'm not much of an online player, but I really enjoyed playing 4-player offline with friends (still do actually). Not being able to do that (unless of course I got a wrong answer about it's inclusion on the Playstation Blog) or choose from a number of crazy weapons at once is a bit disappointing. Having said that I'm sure I'll really like the single-player and co-op campaigns and for those that are into online, there's not much to complain about.

Gears of War 2

Then, there's Gears of War 2. I really got a kick out of the first Gears. I mean I really have only played the co-op campaign, but it was still a lot of fun. I did try the local multiplayer, but one-on-one is pretty lame. But with Gears 2, they're adding bot support so that local will be more fun and adding the sweet new Horde mode. Plus, the campaign should be longer, so, I'll definitely be getting more value from this game then the first.

Despite a bit of complaining (games getting rid of local multiplayer is a pet peeve of mine), I'll probably get Resistance 2 first, personally, but I really think both of these games are going to very good and I'd advise either. If you only have a PS3 or 360, your decision is probably made for you. But until I play both, I can't say which will be better, but I'm guessing you can't really go wrong with either.

Other games of note this week include Tom Clancy's End War and James Bond 007: Quantum of Solace appearing on multiple platforms and the PS3 exclusive Valkyria Chronicles. Anyway, enjoy killing some locust or chimera if you guys get the chance. I should be back soon with some hands-on impressions of Mirror's Edge and Tomb Raider: Underworld soon.

This Week's Releases: LittleBigEdition

It's another good week for new games and here are my picks for this week:

My Game of the Week

LittleBigPlanet (PS3)-10/28

If you've been following my blog, you know that LittleBigPlanet is one my most anticipated games of the year. Having played the beta, I'm pretty convinced that this game will be a load of fun. Whether you want to just go through the story mode, create some levels, or play with some friends, this game will have you covered. LBP promises to be a truly unique experience and it's my pick for the game you should get this week.

Fallout 3 (PS3, 360, PC)-10/28

I have to admit that I wasn't too impressed with the demonstrations of Fallout 3 at E3, but it just doesn't seem to be able to demo well in a short period of time. Everyone who's gotten a chance to play it speaks very highly of it and I thought that Bethesda's last effort, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, was a really good game (even if it wasn't necessarily my cup of tea). So, despite not being too initially impressed, I have faith that the game will turn out well. RPG fans should check this one out.

Motorstorm: Pacific Rift (PS3)-10/28

I really liked the original Motorstorm. The driving mechanics were really well done and the graphics were some of the best ever when it released, but it was a little lacking in content. While Pacific Rift's graphics won't blow you away like the first one, they are looking to fix that whole lack of content thing. Twice as many tracks as the original and splitscreen multiplayer look to give this new game a lot more life. The demo played pretty well and this should satisfy Motorstorm fans and other racing junkies.

Fall 2008 continues it's stretch of great releases this week with two games that will probably be two of the highest-rated of the year (LBP and Fallout 3). Any of the above games should provide some serious fun for gamers this week. Next week will have another solid slate of releases and I'll be back with my picks.

This Week's Releases

This is a new weekly feature I'm going to do that will talk a bit about each week's biggest releases. I won't cover everything, but I'll try to hit up some games that look really interesting to me or are pretty popular and this will be just retail stuff (I may do another post for download stuff after things release on the online stores). I'll also have a pick for what I think is the best game coming out that week. It's a good week to start as there are a bunch of huge games coming out. Unfortunately, LittleBigPlanet is no longer coming out this week, but there should plenty for those looking for a new game. Here's what you guys can get this week (oh and I listed "ship dates" whether they will release that day or the next is usually a mystery and depends on the store and game):

My Game of the Week

Far Cry 2 (PS3, 360, PC)-10/21

I really feel with the big hype surrounding Gears of War 2 and Resistance 2 (and deservedly so it seems) that Far Cry 2 may be kind of a sleeper in the shooter-genre. The new Far Cry ditches the jungle of the first game for an African Setting, but retains the open-world gameplay that should help set it apart from the other aforementioned shooters. The game also gives you a lot of choices in how you tackle missions and has a pretty sweet map editor, too. If I was going to get one game this week, it would be this one (though I'm going to hold out for some others later this year instead).

Fable 2 (360)-10/21

I've been hearing good things about Fable 2 lately. I'm not really an RPG player, but this one actually did look pretty interesting when I saw some demos a while back. It's co-op feature seems neat as well. 360 owners looking for a good RPG should check this one out. Oh and it features this awesome tree monster pictured above (at least I think that's what it is). That has to be worth something.

Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia (DS)-10/21

Castlevania is almost always solid. This is your typical Nintendo handheld "Metroid-vania," but it has a few things to keep it fresh like a new female protagonist, more outdoor environments, the new glyph system, and this cool new ability where you can fling yourself around environments. This was my pick for the Best Handheld Game of E3 and it looks like it should be one of the better handheld games released this year. Order of Ecclesia is likely a must for Castlevania fans and definitely worth a look for those looking for some good handheld action this week.

There are some other games worth noting. Guitar Hero: World Tour comes out this Sunday for a bunch of platforms. There's also a DS game coming out called Tornado which looked alright when I saw a preview of it a while ago. It's got this Katamari-esque feel where you suck a bunch of stuff up into a tornado. PS3 owners can finally explore Rapture when Bioshock hits the PS3 this week (unless they also own a 360 or capable PC, then they may have done so already). Also, for those interested Spiderman: Web of Shadows and The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon are coming out for most relevant game systems (unless you want Spyro on PSP, I'm pretty sure you're going to be let down then). Well, there's plenty of things to like here though I'm not sure another Spiderman game is one those things. And for those of you who were hoping to pick up LittleBigPlanet this week, I'm with you and it'll only be another week now (unless you don't live in the U.S., then a bit longer it seems).