Great week for some gamers, but not me. I've always hated MK, and Portal is WAY too overrated for my taste. Conduit 2 looks okay... but a rental is as high as I'll go.
Shippin' Out April 17-23: Portal 2, Mortal Kombat, SOCOM 4
Plentiful new release slate led by puzzle, fighting, and shooting games; Conduit 2, Xbox Live Arcade Triple Pack, Final Fantasy IV: Complete Collection also out.
It's a busy week at retail, as a slew of high-profile new releases make their debut on Tuesday, including Valve's long-awaited puzzle game and Warner Bros.' fighter reboot.
Leading the pack this week is Valve Software's Portal 2. The game follows the events of the first Portal, which saw gamers taking on the role of a human lab rat, Chell, who used a portal gun to create interdimensional openings on ceilings, walls, and floors in an effort to escape the Aperture Science labs. Along the way, players were guided through the diabolical tests by the deceptively sincere, yet altogether sadistic, artificial intelligence known as GLaDOS.
The game will feature a single-player campaign billed as being twice as long as the original's, but the real focus is on the new multiplayer cooperative mode. The co-op mode will tell a parallel story to the single-player adventure and last roughly as long. In it, players will take control of two robots, named simply Blue and Orange, and work together to tackle their own set of portal-related problems.
Also debuting this Tuesday will be NetherRealm's gruesome fighter reboot Mortal Kombat. The game's roster will be a throwback of sorts, full of fighters pulled from the first three games in the series. There is one particularly notable exception, as the PlayStation 3 version will feature God of War protagonist Kratos as a playable character.
Gamers looking to pick up a new contemporary shooter can grab SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs this week for the PlayStation 3. The game is set in Southeast Asia after a revolution endangers a vital shipping lane similar to the Strait of Malacca. Players assume the role of the commander of a five-man squad of NATO commandos dispatched to prevent international trade from being disrupted. Their mission will last only six days, a time limit that Sony says will add urgency to the campaign.
As is a staple for the series, SOCOM 4 will have an extensive multiplayer component, allowing for teams of players to shoot it out in 32-player matches. Terrain types will include a hostile jungle and half-ruined cities.
Wii owners wishing to continue their effort through the Conduit universe can grab the often delayed Conduit 2 this week. The single-player mode of Conduit 2 will pick up the original game's alien invasion storyline, with Sega promising dynamic environments, player customization options, and giant boss enemies. As for multiplayer, Sega will introduce new co-op modes for online play, or offline with up to four players sharing a split-screen. The publisher is also promising "increased multiplayer security" for the game, in light of the cheating that undermined the online play of the original game.
On-the-go Final Fantasy fans can pick up Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection on Tuesday. This set includes Final Fantasy IV--with revamped visuals to take advantage of the PSP's widescreen format--as well as its epilogue, Final Fantasy IV: The After Years. The episodic series of downloadable titles was originally released in 2009 on the Wii; this will mark the first time it has been available as part of a retail product.
Gamers looking to bundle up this week can pick up the Xbox Live Arcade Triple Pack, which contains Limbo, Trials HD, and Splosion Man, as well as 160 MS points, and a 48-hour Xbox Live Gold card.
Another bundle out this week is the Prince of Persia Classic Trilogy Pack HD for the PS3, which includes Sands of Time, Warrior Within, and Two Thrones.
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.
TUESDAY, APRIL 19
Arcana Heart 3--PS3--Aksys Games
Assassin's Creed: Ultimate Collection--PC--Encore Software Inc.
Brothers in Arms: Complete Collection--PC--Encore Software Inc.
Conduit 2--Wii--Sega
Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection--PSP--Square Enix
Majesty 2 Collection--PC--Paradox Interactive
Mortal Kombat--PS3, X360--Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Portal 2--X360, PS3, PC, Mac--Valve Software
Prince of Persia: Classic Trilogy HD--PS3--Ubisoft
SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs--PS3--SCEA
Triple Pack: Xbox Live Arcade Compilation--X360--Microsoft Game Studios
147 comments
Yes, will wait for Portal 2 and SOCOM 4 to drop in price (or buy used). Disappointed with graphics in SOCOM 4 (character movements look more like they are sliding along instead of actually running) but that's to be expected from Zipper Interactive (known to have so-so graphics). Portal 2 graphics look out-dated too, but not so critical in a puzzle game.
Here's hoping that this cross-platform gaming that's coming will actually allow PC gamers to consider other gamers 'gamers'. A lot of them seem up their own arse a lot of the time. Quite a good release list, nothing day 1 though for me to be honest. I'll pick up portal and SOCOM when the prices have dropped a bit. I have a huge amount of respect to anyone that is good at mortal kombat though, man i suck at that game. It takes actual skills!
if the xbox just gets puzzle kombat, motor kombat or both im ok if we dont get an exclusive character
@franzito Average list, your kidding right? Who doesn't wanna to play the new MK and Portal 2. Two of the best games this month out in the same week, oh well I guess its your lost then.
@Philly1UPer pretty much im playing the Gears 3 beta, its pretty cool and all but thats all it takes to win for sure, everybody uses that shotgun, and i dont understand why i cant kill them when they roll.. I CANT WIT FOR MORTAL KOMBAT, PORTAL 2, AND SOCOM4!!!
Wait, the Prince of Persia Trilogy comes out tomorrow? DO WANT. I've already reserved Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection, so I'll be picking that up tomorrow.
Portal 2 - bam! preordered, Mortal Kombat - bam! preorderd, SOCOM 4 - bam! preordered. Damn it's going to be a busy week.
When I can, I will probably pick up Portal 2, but I still have Crysis 2 going, so I'll have to wait till thats complete. Good week for gaming though.
@Philly1UPer The beta is pretty good and no it does not suck to be me. Good luck with a 60 dollar game that will give you about 4 hours of gameplay.
Definitely gonna get portal 2, too bad no PC version for Mortal Kombat, anybody knows if there will be a Pc version?
@charlieboomboom To answer you question, The reason PS3 owners are getting the PC version for free, is because Sony and STeam(Valves main source of gaming online) are teaming up to allow PS3 and PC gamers to cross over and game with each other. Something Microsoft will not allow.
@sleepnsurf Sucks to be you then I guess. Enjoy shooting at people as they spam roll, doing no damage to them at all as you watch your bullets go through their bodies before they spam melee you, before spamming shot gun shells all over you. Because thats all it takes to win in Gears. just roll, punch, shoot shotgun, repeat.
@bradlbauer No, its P-body and Atlas... Glados refers to them by their colors occassionally in promos I've seen. Once again, Gamespot is talking without knowing exactly what it is they're talking about.
Portal 2 is my most anticipated game of the year and I know it will be the best game we've seen this generation. I mean, just by watching a couple of videos in YouTube I know the puzzles will be a complete mind-twist. By the way, I hate you Ubisoft for releasing "Prince of Persia: Classic Trilogy HD" instead of working in new games.
Anyone know what happened to all the 360 exclusives :) Been playing Socom and Mortal Kombat since Friday. Both are great games and MK is far better on the PS3 controller.Kratos is also a plus. Sorry fanboys but it's true..
Amazon will give you $20 credit for pre-ordering Portal 2. And getting this game on PS3 gets you the PC/Mac version for free... *head explodes*
@monson21502 said : (mk would be cool if i was 10 again) If you were 10, o...k. Coming from someone that has a Heman avatar LMAO.
Gears 3 beta today. I could care less about Portal or whatever else is coming out until this beta is over.
A little worried about the line Portal 2 will be "twice as long as the first game". This means it'll still be really short... On a side note, Conduit 2 looks about as good as N64 graphics...
Mortal combat looks so awesome, really excited about this game and cant wait for portal 2, which looks amazing
Prepare your electronic visual stimulation system controlling apparati. Portal 2 comes April 19.
The PoP HD trilogy is going to be a blast... and three platinum trophies in one box is REALLY good value!
I'm definitely going to need a good Portal 2 partner for Xbox 360 multiplayer...read my profile to find my gamer tag..and add me serious Portal fans.
I'm so considering selling my 360.. where are the exclusives other than Gears 3 this year?? Thought I'd never say it, but because of it's exclusives.. the PS3 has become my primary console.
another dull week in the games front.. might dust off the psp for final fanasty but that wont be untill its cheaper. the last socom was utter trash and the first 2 were over rated.. so i wont even waste money on a rental. portal 2 will be good rental. mk would be cool if i was 10 again. maybe ill buy a ms points card and check out the ever growing good arcade games on there....
yet onther ps3 exclusive and the 360 still ant get no love, i love the 360 i really do but it dont deserve all this sales its getting since they still ant release any game up to now
Portal 2, Mortal Kombat 2K11, Prince of Persia Trilogy, AND Arcana Heart 3? my wallet hates its life right now...
@SDSkarface I guess you don't know the difference between minimum requirements and suggested requirements?
@Grubish360 Portal 2 on PC is only $35 on amazon. Really sweet deal for anyone that hasn't preordered it yet!
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