New release slate highlighted by first M-rated franchise entry and First Strike add-on content for Sony’s console; Beyond Good & Evil HD, Rift, Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War II: Retribution also out.
The splendid shooter Killzone 3 and the foul-mouthed Bulletstorm led all releases last week, but this week’s focus shifts to hand-to-hand fighting, Call of Duty multiplayer, and a revival of Beyond Good & Evil.
Leading the pack this week is EA Sports’ Fight Night Champion for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Champion is the first Fight Night game to be rated M for Mature. The game is being billed as one that is “gritty” and “dark,” with animations and player damage that “truly conveys the brutality of the sport of boxing.”
EA is promising a refined physics-based animation system and a new “Full Spectrum Punch Control” scheme. The title will focus on a single-player mode intended to re-create the dramatic and emotional aspects of the sport.
PlayStation 3 gamers looking to add to their copy of Call of Duty: Black Ops can pick up the First Strike downloadable content this week via the PlayStation Network. As for the content, the map pack includes four new multiplayer environments ranging in locale from the Berlin Wall in Germany to a North American hockey rink. The add-on also bundles one environment for the game’s zombie mode dubbed Ascension.
While Beyond Good & Evil 2 is still far off, fans of the series can pick up an updated version of the well-received original this week on Xbox Live. Beyond Good & Evil HD will feature 1080p graphics, including enhanced character models and upgraded textures, and Ubisoft has also remastered the game’s musical score.
Also out this week is Trion Worlds’ massively multiplayer online game Rift for PC. As its title might suggest, the game’s premise is that of “rifts” in space time that are playing havoc with the land of Telara and threatening to tear the fabric of the universe. The world will be highly malleable, as these rifts can be triggered by players or the development team, and they can also occur spontaneously. Their arrival will apparently alter the landscape, as well as open up new areas for exploration.
Those who would rather add to an existing game than pick up a new one can grab Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II: Retribution for the PC. Retribution follows on from the events that transpired in Dawn of War II’s first expansion, Chaos Rising. Set 10 years later, the game sees the Imperium reeling after an apparent betrayal by Gabriel Angelos’ Space Marines. Gamers will be able to assume command of their chosen faction to experience the events of the game as they play out.
Gamers looking for something a little lighter this week can pick up Rango The Video Game. It will be released the Tuesday before the Johnny Depp-voiced animated Western releases in theaters on Friday, March 4. Like its film inspiration, the action adventure game will follow the travails of its titular out-of-his-element lizard. The game will be set in the Wild West town of Dirt, and gamers will find themselves meeting quirky characters, as well as engaging in shoot-outs and other old-timey activities.
For further details on the week’s games, visit GameSpot’s New Releases page. The full list of downloadable games on the PlayStation Store, Xbox Live Marketplace, and Wii Shop Channel will be revealed later this week. Release dates are based on retailer listings and are subject to change.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28
Fate of the World–PC–Red Redemption
Martial Empires: The Catastrophe of Babylon–PC–gamigo
TUESDAY, MARCH 1
Chuck E. Cheese’s Sports Games–Wii–UFO Interactive
Fight Night Champion–PS3, X360–EA Sports
Rango: The Video Game–PS3, X360, Wii, DS–Paramount Digital Entertainment
Rift–PC–Trion Worlds
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II: Retribution–PC–THQ
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2
Beyond Good & Evil HD–X360–Ubisoft
Call of Duty: Black Ops: First Strike–PS3–Activision
Perfect World International: Genesis–PC–Perfect World Entertainment
Robot Entertainment’s first effort falls in fantasy action-strategy genre, due on PC, possibly 360, PS3, this summer.
Ensemble Studios’ closure by Microsoft in 2009 sent shock waves throughout the industry, but it didn’t take long for many of the Age of Empires developers to land on their feet. One studio to form out of that studio’s remnants was Robot Entertainment, which formed under Tony Goodman and other former members of Ensemble’s leadership team.
Today, Robot’s first orders have been inputted, as the studio announced it will release Orcs Must Die as a digital download on consoles and PC this summer. According to a Robot representative, exact platforms have yet to be nailed down, but the studio is aiming to release the title on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
As its title may imply, Orcs Must Die sees players defending their castle from a never-ending flood of orcs and other infernal beasts. As seen in the game’s first trailer (below), the high-intensity action title sees players strategically retreating through their keeps while laying and springing traps that range from spiked logs to magical wrecking-ball pendulums.
Robot expects to offer additional details on the title at PAX East, which will take place from March 11-13 in Boston.
If running around in an online world shooting anonymous people with a virtual rifle is something you consider yourself highly proficient at, how about if you were in control of the real thing?
Well now’s the time to find out. With the Ultimate Recruit Training Programme you’ll take control of an actual Helghast StA 52 Assault Rifle in an interactive close-combat experience. Taking place on a fully mechanized shooting range via the wonder of the web, real-time sensors will give you feedback and scoring via Facebook and Twitter.
Not only that but you’ll be screamed at by an experienced military campaigner, Drill Sergeant McCain, who will pore over your performance and shout you down if necessary. Now, do you maggots understand that?
Each recruit’s range performance is scrutinized by the ever-vigilant Drill Sergeant and only those who display extraordinary poise and control when firing, will satisfy his exacting standards. If you score low, don’t expect an easy ride, forgiveness is definitely not one of his virtues.
Leading the pack this week is Killzone 3. Due out on Tuesday exclusively for the PlayStation 3, the title is the second Killzone title to debut on Sony’s high-definition console, following 2009′s adored Killzone 2.
Killzone 3 will be available in two versions, a standard release and a 0 limited-edition package with a replica mask and helmet of the series’ signature Helghast armies. While the headgear is the centerpiece of the extra goodies, the collector’s edition will also include a 6.5-inch articulated cloaking Helghast marksman action figure, an art book, and a voucher to download multiplayer maps, the game’s soundtrack, and more.
Out this week for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC is People Can Fly’s controversial first-person shooter/kicker Bulletstorm. Developed by Epic subsidiary People Can Fly, Bulletstorm is built around a skill-shot system that rewards players for dispatching enemies in creative and often gory ways.
Also out this week is Knights Contract for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. Knights Contract sees players following the unlikely duo of the witch Gretchen and the immortal executioner Heinrich. Though Gretchen actually died at Heinrich’s hands, she has been resurrected and now controls the scythe-wielding warrior. Together, the pair struggles to save the world from a “black spell of death” and a supernatural army called the Harmonculous.
As Heinrich, gamers string together appendage-dismembering combos while the computer-controlled Gretchen uses her magic in a supporting role. Players will also be able to coordinate the pair’s attacks by issuing mid-melee commands to Gretchen, as well as executing finishing moves. While Heinrich is invincible, players will need to protect the vulnerable Gretchen if they want to complete their quest.
Gamers looking to get messy can pick up de Blob 2 this week. Unlike its predecessor, which debuted only on the Wii, the sequel hits the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, and DS on Tuesday.
In the console versions of de Blob 2, antagonist Comrade Black returns to suck the vivacity out of Prisma City, rigging an election to regain control of the commonwealth. As de Blob, players platform their way through the mired Prisma City, spreading color and restoring the city to its once-vibrant nature. de Blob will have a number of new moves and upgradable abilities, as well as a robot sidekick named Pinky. In addition to free-roaming levels, the console versions will feature a 2D underground component.
The DS version will feature exclusively 2D side-scrolling play. The handheld installment sees de Blob lounging in the tropics after having reclaimed Chroma City from the clutches of Comrade Black. In said jungle, however, the evil machinations of Comrade Black collaborator Dr. Von Bolt continue. He is conducting nefarious experiments on woodland creatures. New moves, compatriots, and enemies await de Blob in the DS adventure game.
For further details on the week’s games, visit GameSpot’s New Releases page. The full list of downloadable games on the PlayStation Store, Xbox Live Marketplace, and Wii Shop Channel will be revealed later this week. Release dates are based on retailer listings and are subject to change.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 21
Ys I and II Chronicles–PSP–Xseed Entertainment
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22
Bulletstorm–PC, X360, PS3–Electronic Arts
de Blob 2–DS, Wii, X360, PS3–THQ
The Dreamcast Collection–PC, 360–Sega
Fallout: New Vegas: Dead Money–PC, PS3–Bethesda Softworks
Gray Matter–PC–Viva Media
Killzone 3–PS3–SCEA
Knights Contract–PS3, 360–Namco Bandai Games
Radiant Historia–DS–DS–Atlus U.S.A. Inc.
Rec Room Games–DS–Destineer
Trackmania–Wii–Dreamcatcher
Trackmania Turbo–DS–Dreamcatcher
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 23
Bejeweled Blitz Live–X360–PopCap
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24
Gemini Rue–PC–Wadjet Eye Games
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25
Painkiller: Redemption–PC–DreamCatcher Interactive
Trapped Dead–PC–Iceberg Interactive
