Shippin' Out December 3-7: Golden Compass, Alvin and the Chipmunks

Holiday-movie tie-ins headline a week that also sees DBZ: Budokai Tenkaichi 3, Godzilla, and Jenga on the Wii; Eternal Champions, Dynastic Hero, and Zanac on the Virtual Console.

As was the case last week, the gaming industry continues its slow descent into the new year by giving off a few last hoorahs and tying up some loose ends. Leading the first full week of December is Sega's holiday-movie tie-in The Golden Compass for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Wii, Nintendo DS, and PC. Sega's first adaptation of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, The Golden Compass follows the travails of Lyra, her shape-shifting demon accomplice Pan, and an articulate polar bear.

While the Jason Lee-led Alvin and the Chipmunks won't be in theaters until next week, Brash Entertainment is priming the waters this week with the multiplatform game tie-in. Brash, which formed earlier this year with the professed intention of focusing on film-to-game adaptations, is targeting best-selling platforms the Wii, DS, PS2, and PC with its kid-friendly rhythm game starring squirrelly crooners Alvin, Simon...Theodore.

As Atari frantically treads water in an effort to see the light of one more year, the publisher is releasing a handful of titles that have already appeared on other systems to the Wii. With its PS2 counterpart arriving at the end of November, Pipeworks Software's Godzilla Unleashed squares off a veritable who's who of seismic monsters in urban environments. While Atari's coveted Dragon Ball Z license remains in limbo, the publisher's power level is still high enough to unleash Budokai Tenkaichi 3 onto the Wii, with more than 160 Z-fighters in tow. Atari will also be stacking Jenga World Tour onto retail shelves this week.

With the bargain-bin Arcade Hits landing this week as part of the fall Xbox 360 fall dashboard update, Microsoft is taking a week off from its weekly Wednesday release. However, the Nintendo Wii's Virtual Console continues its steady revival of legacy-generation classics. Eternal Champions is a violent 2D fighter that not-so-discreetly borrows its visceral approach to the genre from Midway's Mortal Kombat series, and is available for 800 Wii points ($8). Also available on the VC this week is Hudson's action role-playing game The Dynastic Hero for 800 Wii points ($8) and Zanac, a vertically scrolling shoot-'em-up for 500 Wii points ($5).

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

DECEMBER 3, 2007
American Girl: Julie Finds a Way (DS)
Band of Bugs (PC)
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 (Wii)
Eternal Champions (Wii VC)
Manga Fighter (PC)
The Dynastic Hero (Wii VC)
Ultimate Duck Hunting (Wii)
Zanac (Wii VC)

DECEMBER 4, 2007
Alvin and the Chipmunks (Wii, DS, PS2, PC)
Atari Classics Evolved (PSP)
Beowulf (PSP)
Dance Dance Revolution Universe 2 (X360)
Draglade (DS)
Left Brain Right Brain (DS)
Pocket Pets (DS)
The Golden Compass (X360, PS3, PS2, PSP, Wii, DS, PC)
Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship 2008 (DS)

DECEMBER 5, 2007
Godzilla Unleashed (Wii)

DECEMBER 6, 2007
Warriors of the Lost Empire (PSP)

DECEMBER 7, 2007
Jenga World Tour (Wii)
Myth Makers: Super Kart GP (Wii)

37 Comments

  • ctg867

    Posted Dec 7, 2007 4:13 pm PT

    Only things worth even mentioning are DBZ Budokai, Atari Classics, Beowulf, DDR RU2, and Golden Compass. But they all suck. So why bother.

  • Zeus-Guy

    Posted Dec 7, 2007 12:51 am PT

    Number of games listed - 21
    Number of games listed that I'll play - 0

    These kinds of games almost always fail one way or another and the developers never try to fix it. When will they get the message; probably never.

  • XeroComplex

    Posted Dec 5, 2007 7:14 pm PT

    Movie Games are terrible. They exist to sucker those who don't know this.

  • lamprey263

    Posted Dec 5, 2007 4:37 pm PT

    Anybody know when Omega Five will be on XBLA?

  • ClassicPlayer

    Posted Dec 4, 2007 12:02 pm PT

    Not alot of good games coming out. The Golden Compass, Warriors of the Lost Empire and Beowulf. Apart from that, everything is yawnsville to me.

  • VegetaMaelstrom

    Posted Dec 4, 2007 10:50 am PT

    Eternal Champions? Sweet. Let the good times roll (again).

  • mikewalsh69

    Posted Dec 4, 2007 10:07 am PT

    who cares abot movie to games? they are awful

  • Bozanimal

    Posted Dec 4, 2007 5:57 am PT

    That giant sucking sound is the collective yawn of Gamespot users.

  • SavoyPrime

    Posted Dec 4, 2007 4:02 am PT

    *waves hand in front of nose* Pew! There is some crap games being released this week.

  • sean_ph

    Posted Dec 4, 2007 2:04 am PT

    so weak games...or maybe im just spoiled by having all the awesome games which came out this november...

  • annoyingslacker

    Posted Dec 3, 2007 9:40 pm PT

    nothing...until late January

  • zombey1333

    Posted Dec 3, 2007 6:12 pm PT

    I'm so looking foward to mindlessly beating the crap out of giant monsters on the Wii XD! F yeah Godzilla Unleashed! Don't know how good it'll be, I haven't played the other ones. MST3k's got me wanting to beat stuff up as the Jet Jaguar.

  • DDSolar

    Posted Dec 3, 2007 5:28 pm PT

    .. lame games

  • hatieshorrer

    Posted Dec 3, 2007 5:20 pm PT

    I recommend DONT BUY ULTIMATE DUCKHUNTING its a bad PC game that gos by the concept that real and, graphics are more important then being fun and I think there attempting to cash in on it having a similar name to the NES classic. There is a video review on youtube titled worst game ever made that actually suggest the reviewer committed suicide.

  • lamprey263

    Posted Dec 3, 2007 5:15 pm PT

    I remember Eternal Champions getting a lot of hype in its day, though, I can't remember anything else besides that, other than that it was on the Genesis. But I think I'll download that as there doesn't seem to be much else ot to buy.

  • SaintRasmus

    Posted Dec 3, 2007 4:55 pm PT

    Looks like that i am gonna save money this week !! What a bunch of weak games.

  • AnFangs_Endes

    Posted Dec 3, 2007 4:49 pm PT

    I still haven't finished WC2007, and I'm already planning to get WC2008.

  • Pete5506

    Posted Dec 3, 2007 4:01 pm PT

    nothing this week

  • vampiredust99

    Posted Dec 3, 2007 3:59 pm PT

    Is Band of Bugs the insect equivalent of Band of Brothers?

  • doctor_fury

    Posted Dec 3, 2007 3:17 pm PT

    I'm mildly curious to see how the Alvin & the Chipmunks game compares to the movie in terms of sheer horror; a rhythm game featuring covers of songs by bands like Smash Mouth sounds like something that would make your flesh fall off the bone just by being within a foot or so of the game.

  • _NeoN

    Posted Dec 3, 2007 3:10 pm PT

    Only one game has me in an uproar this week, The Golden Compass - so looking forward to catching the movie (Hope the game isn't a Narnia clone).

  • Chief_Kuuni

    Posted Dec 3, 2007 3:09 pm PT

    what games look good? questions questions

  • gnbfd

    Posted Dec 3, 2007 3:07 pm PT

    *sigh*

    69 more days till brawl

  • BorosHero

    Posted Dec 3, 2007 2:48 pm PT

    I saw Jenga for sale at Gamestop today. I doubt anyone really cares much for it, but it's out.

  • devilscry

    Posted Dec 3, 2007 2:36 pm PT

    Damnit wheres Neo Geo Battle Coliseum!?!?!

  • MasterChief725

    Posted Dec 3, 2007 2:19 pm PT

    Budokai Tenkaichi 3 and......Godzilla Unleased?....hmm, yah i guess thats it, disappointing week overall, but budokai tenkaichi 3 will make up for it....maybe ill pick up godzilla just for the heck of it

  • squirtle4

    Posted Dec 3, 2007 2:07 pm PT

    most those games look suckish

  • smith447

    Posted Dec 3, 2007 2:01 pm PT

    cant wait till next week with UT3 for PS3. I've been dying to try the game, but my pc won't handle it. Also..blacksite is at least worth a rent.

  • Loucetios

    Posted Dec 3, 2007 1:45 pm PT

    There won't be anything big until late Jan to middle February games wise. DMC4 in jan with Killzone 2 and LBL in feb, a 2 month break might do our wallets some good

  • NintendoWarrior

    Posted Dec 3, 2007 1:35 pm PT

    except for tenkaichi 3, the holiday must buy list is done

  • AnFangs_Endes

    Posted Dec 3, 2007 1:34 pm PT

    About damn time YGO!WC08 came out.

  • GregSnell

    Posted Dec 3, 2007 1:23 pm PT

    Too bad about Jeff. I really liked him. Maybe I should cancel my premium membership.

  • syk_gutt

    Posted Dec 3, 2007 1:09 pm PT

    Wow, games being released every day. Is it just because of the Christmas season, or are we constantly being bombarded with new games?

  • Brambler

    Posted Dec 3, 2007 1:06 pm PT

    hahah good one Fen. Poor guy. Who wouldn't hate Kane and Lynch? Give me a break.

    Anyways no more games for me the rest of the year.

  • ashuncc2

    Posted Dec 3, 2007 12:50 pm PT

    This year is pretty much over for the X360. Any owner should enjoy the release of all the great fall games. I wouldn't mind picking up some DS games.

  • Fen

    Posted Dec 3, 2007 12:47 pm PT

    Shipping out...Jeff.

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