Shippin' Out 10/8-10/13: Scarface, God Hand, MK: Armageddon

This week, familiar names and franchises you might have thought dead walk once more. The parade of undeath begins with Miami mobster Tony Montana resurrected for Scarface: The World Is Yours for the PC, PlayStation 2, and Xbox. The game is both an homage and a sequel to the cinematic manual on the gangsta lifestyle, taking place in an alternate version of the movie's story where Tony Montana survives the climactic shootout and must rebuild his empire.

Like Scarface, Spyro is also all about starting over, as the purple dragon makes his reappearance in The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning. Also no stranger to death, Mortal Kombat's Sub-Zero rallies a host of 60 other characters to finish the franchise's run on current-gen consoles with Mortal Kombat: Armaggedon for the PS2 (the Xbox version should follow next week).

While those characters may be traveling between life and death, the main character of God Hand for the PS2 is suspended between good and evil. Capcom's new beat-'em-up action game puts players in control of an adventurer blessed with divinely destructive arms, a rare power that is said to turn those who possess it into gods--or demons.

PC real-time strategy fans will be caught between the past and the future this week with the releases of Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Dark Crusade and The Guild II. Dark Crusade expands where Dawn of War proper left off, with the grim darkness of the future still consisting only of war. On the other hand, the historically minded The Guild II goes medieval with gameplay that could be described as The Sims set in the times of the bubonic plague.

This week's new releases are listed below (the list is taken from retailer information--actual dates may vary).

OCTOBER 8, 2006
Scarface: Money. Power. Respect. (PSP)
Scarface: The World Is Yours (PC, PS2, Xbox)

OCTOBER 9, 2006
Clubhouse Games (DS)
Hannah Montana (DS)
DIRT - Origin of the Species (PC)
Dual Sudoku (PC)
Family Feud (GBA, PS2)
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon (PS2)
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Dark Crusade (PC)
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 (PS2, PSP)