And it’s a BIG lineup at that. Granted, this long as heck listing happens to includes both first and third-party Wii and DS releases, WiiWare and DSiWare exclusive titles as well as games that aren’t coming out until early 2010 (which is part of the 2009 fiscal year, so they’ll still count when profits are totaled). Release dates are yes, subject to change on some of these (as per usual with such a lengthy list of upcoming games).
Yikes. Well, I DID say it was going to be a busy week for games, soooo, here goes:
9/14/2009
Art Academy: First Semester (DS/DSi)
Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story (DS/DSi)
Mart Racer (Wii)
My Boyfriend (DS/DSi)
Oscar in Toyland (DS/DSi)
Princess in Love (DS/DSi)
Spaceball: Revolution (Wii)
Texas Hold ’em Poker (Wii)
9/15/2009
Age of Empires III: Complete Collection (PC)
Animal Planet: Vet Life (DS/DSi/Wii)
Ant Nation (DS/DSi)
Batman: Arkham Asylum (PC )
Bleach: The 3rd Phantom (DS/DSi)
Chicken Blaster (DS/DSi/Wii)
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (DS/DSi/PC/PS3/PSP/360/Wii)
Dreamer: Top Model (DS/DSi)
Heroes Over Europe (PS3/360)
Learn Geography (DS/DSi)
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 (DS/DSi/PS2/PS3/PSP/Wii/360)
Monster Trucks Mayhem (Wii)
NHL 2K10 (PS2/PS3/Wii/36o)
NHL 10 (PS3/360)
Need for Speed: Shift (PC/PS3/PSP/360)
Our House (DS/DSi)
Our House Party (Wii)
Pacific Liberator (Wii)
Pinball Hall of Fame – The Williams Collection (PS3/360)
Qubed: Lumines Live! (Xbox 360)
RACE On (PC)
Red Faction: Guerrilla (PC)
Resident Evil 5 (PC)
Runes of Magic Chapter II: The Elven Prophecy (PC)
Scribblenauts (DS/DSi)
Time of Shadows (PC)
Tornado Outbreak (PS3/Wii/360)
Toy Story Mania (Wii)
WET (PS3/360)
Women’s Murder Club: Twice in a Blue Moon (PC)
9/16/2009
Panzer General: Allied Assault (360)
9/17/2009
Madballs in Babo: Invasion (PC)
9/18/2009
Majesty 2: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim (PC)
Supreme Ruler 2020 Gold (PC)
“What, no B-A-G?” That’s probably what Julie Cheng was thinking when she got the very first retail copy ofScribblenauts... or what you’re probably thinking Julie Cheng was thinking if you look at that photo long enough. Yup, these press photo ops are so darn obvious, it’s a bit comical to the more snarky eyeball such as mine…
Ah well… I guess Middle America needs this super-clean version that can be shown at all hours of the day without the usual irate parents’ groups going off the deep end about the game for no reason at all other than it’ll make their kids see and use words in the dictionary that they’d rather them NOT know at all. Yeesh.
Anyway, go buy a copy when it hits stores on September 15!
Platform: Nintendo DS/DSi
Developer: GAMEINVEST
Publisher: O-Games
# of Players: 1
Rating: E(Everyone)
Official Site
Score: B-
Just as Tower Defense has spawned legions of clones, games such as Diner Dash have brought forth all sorts of fast-paced casual games across every platform where speed and timing are key in order to keep virtual customers happy and coming back for more. Hysteria Hospital: Emergency Ward takes this familiar formula and drops it into a medical-themed setting with over 60 levels of pill pushing, bed sheet changing, patient shifting total madness that can also be see as a playable analogy for the current health care system (if you choose to look at it that way). If you’re a DS owner looking for a little excitement in the ER, now you can have all the fun of being a nurse without changing bedpans, consuming too much caffeine or pulling a double shift.
One of the more impressive Nintendo DS games created to date is Fighting Fantasy: the Warlock of Firetop Mountain, created by London, Ontario-based Big Blue Bubble, Inc., published by Aspyr Media and set to hit stores on October 26, 2009.
What makes the game so amazing is how close it comes to replicating the experience of many great PC RPGs from years ago wile feeling completely fresh thanks to the DS touch screen and a dedicated team of artists and programmers looking to bring the book to life and beyond in portable form. FF looks to be a classic, deep first-person role-playing experience set in an huge game world running at a blazing 60 frames per second with full, intuitive touch screen controls and the ability to map locations as you like in order to uncover every nook and cranny of the world you’ll explore.
I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to ask Damir Slogar, Big Blue Bubble’s CEO and Goran Marinic, the game’s Lead Designer a few questions about the game, most of them submitted by fans over on the game’s Gamefaqs page. In addition, I’m more than pleased to show off the excellent concept art and weapon renders I just received, which hasn’t been published anywhere else online. Continue reading
In case you’re one of those folks that REALLY gets stuck when Scribblenauts launches on 9/15, here’s what to look for at your favorite game shop:
Since I’ve gotten a few e-mails about the Q & A’s I’ve set up, here’s a follow-up or two to fill you in:
1. I’m still waiting for the fine (and very busy) folks at Xseed to get those Valhalla Knights: Eldar Saga Q’s I sent off a while ago back this way. But remember, folks: Xseed is comprised of a really small team with multiple projects going simultaneously for the Wii and other platforms.
2. I have an interview coming back this way soon with a few team members at Big Blue Bubble, the folks working on Fighting Fantasy: The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, a great looking first-person RPG for the Nintendo DS set to be published by Aspyr. It would have been back sooner, but another site or magazine with more clout bumped my former “exclusive” so they could get their scoop first. And so it goes in this industry…. ah well.
I’m also working on a few other potential interview subjects for the near future – stay tuned…
Platform: Nintendo DS/DSi
Developer: Ivolgamus
Publisher: O-Games
# of Players: 1 – 6 (Wi-Fi/Hot Seat)
Score: B-
Having grown up playing plenty of board games as a kid before moving onto electronic entertainment, my interest in them has never really left as I’ve gotten older. It’s been pretty interesting over the years to see how different game developers translate classic table games into virtual form. Some conversions succeed better than others, but it’s certainly an odd balancing act at times. Go too far from the spirit of the original version and it’s sacrilege to the hardcore fans of the old game. On the other hand, too dry a digital translation, and modern gamers will ignore the product for something shinier with more moving parts. O-Games’ Hurry Up Hedgehog! definitely leans more into the latter category, but there’s a fair amount of depth under the simplistic presentation. If you’re a fan of classic board games with up to five like-minded friends, the game offers up quite a decent (if rather plain-looking) gameplay experience.
What time is it? It’s Infinite Space Anime teaser trailer time! These two are pretty cool – enjoy!
Other than Q2 2010, Sega hasn’t quite announced a concrete release date for this tactical space strategy RPG, but as long as they keep these videos rolling out, the wait isn’t so bad, huh?
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