Vin Diesel's latest, Warner Bros. film adaptation, and Nintendo critter collector join Legends of Wrestlemania, Stormrise, and new Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles in stores this week.
After Midway declared bankruptcy earlier this year, there was some question about whether the publisher had shipped its last game. That question will be answered (sort of) with next week's release of The Wheelman for the PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. Although the Vin Diesel-starring action game is ready for release on March 24, Midway is able to do so only due to a strategic partnership with Ubisoft.
Check out the latest releases including Red Alert 3, Stormrise, Wanted, Pokemon Platinum, and Wheelman.
Being on substantially more solid financial footing, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment will be able to bring Wanted: Weapons of Fate to the PC, Xbox 360, and PS3 all by its lonesome. Picking up where last year's feature film left off, Wanted centers its action squarely on the "bullet curving" technique shown in the movie.
THQ's Legends of Wrestlemania also has movie ties, although they're more of the They Live, The Princess Bride, and Mr. Nanny sort. As the name implies, the newest WWE game features "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, Andre the Giant, Hulk Hogan, and a host of the wrestling company's biggest stars dating back to the early 1980s.
Although Final Fantasy XIII is still a long ways off, eager fans may tide themselves over with next week's launch of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time for the Wii and DS. The latest installment in the Crystal Chronicles spin-off series follows a teenage hero who sets out on a quest to save a similarly aged girl from a mysterious disease. It will support single-player action, but the game's most distinguishing feature is online multiplayer interconnectivity between the Wii and DS editions.
DS gamers looking for twists on other familiar franchises can also pick up Pokemon Platinum and Gardening Mama. The former game revamps and combines the features of Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl, whereas the latter takes Majesco's matriarch out of the kitchen to test her green thumb.
Finally, real-time strategy buffs have options to look forward to, given that Sega and The Creative Assembly release their original real-time strategy game Stormrise on the PC, Xbox 360, and PS3. Set in a postapocalyptic world, Stormrise was designed from the ground up to work on consoles, and casts players in the role of a frontline commander rather than the more typical omniscient general.
For RTS fans who like their genre a little more traditional, Electronic Arts is primed to finally release Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3 on the PS3. The Xbox 360 and PC editions were launched late last year.
Check back later in the week for GameSpot's reviews of the week's debuts. For a full rundown of every new game, check out the New Releases page.
Brendan Sinclair has been a games journalist since 1999. His tastes are eclectic, though he has a definite affinity for games with arcade roots. He's Canadian, but has also been at home in Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, and San Francisco.
Can't believe Wheelman is finally coming out. I remember hearing about that game YEARS ago. So you figured there were some internal issues. Then MW went bankrupt, so I thought for sure it wasn't coming out. It'll be interesting to see how good that game is. Same goes for FF:CC for Wii. Although early reviews are rather average, which means yet another ho-hum game for Wii. Wanted looks like total crap. The rest of the games are meh, depending on your tastes
And for anyone who cares, Burn Zombie Burn will be released on the PSN between March 26th and March 30th. (Different release dates on different web sites)
I purchased Platinum on my break, 15 minutes after I put it out on the shelves XP Got it from Sprawlmart, came with a neat case and figure. I look foward to the new Chrystal Chronicles, was horribly addicted to the one on the Gamecube :3
The Wheelman demo really surprised me? It was actually pretty fun, but the acting was vintage cheese vin diesel. I will definitely be renting it from GameFly.
meh. nothing for me this week. I might get Platinum, but I've put so much damn time into Diamond that I don't think it's worth it >_>
Bought pokemon when it came out on sunday :) I must say, alot of improvements there, especially the wifi features. Pretty much the only game worth getting as far as this article is concerned.
I'm glad I downloaded the demo of wheelman first, boy was it aweful. I'll wait for the reviews on this one, that way I'll see if they got it touched up for release.Wanted was OK , but with so many solid titles coming out, I don't know that it will warrant a purchase.
here is what i did... i was going to buy wanted but then i read a review that said it was like 5 hours long, so i reserved wheelman and im going to rent wanted
the wheelman demo was fun like GTA but arcady and a lot less to do its worth a rental.
Don't forget The Pitt DLC for Fallout 3 comes out Tuesday also everybody. That will be my one buy for this week and I think it has potential to make people relive Fallout 3 another time before Broken Steel comes out
Nothing good for me this week to get..i could get StormRise but i'm currently using an XP so no go on that game -__-
The demo for wheelman was so crappy that it was actually funny. Wont play this even for free!
im only concerned about Wanted WOF......the game will be good.......WB never fail you....as for wheel man i pity Midway..........
Not a bad week... Platinum has enough new offerings, Wanted will warrant a rental and Red Alert 3 for PS3, easily the best version, just might be worth a purchase, as I'm starting to like the RTS genre.
I tried the Wheelman demo, honestly didn't care for it. I'm a big Vin Diesel fan but the gameplay and that lady were just annoying, I say more power to the people who like it, but it's just not for me. Didn't seem like a *bad* game or anything, just not *good*. That said though I really liked the slow-motion shooting maneuvers. Ah well, I'll get my Vin Diesel fix when The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena comes out on April 7th. =)
I actually liked wheelman and how it was. The controls felt nice and I like how simple the car was to drive.
Picked up PokePlat and and Halo Wars today. Those Wii and DS Final Fantasy games look tempting. Oh well, I have a couple good time sinks on my hands. Platinum so far is pretty good. I like the little changes I have noticed so far. I can't wait to try out the new WiFi stuff.
What a lousy game WHEELMAN is.Downloaded the game and tried it for a minute then deleted it right away.WHAT an annoying game specially the lady beside you with her annoying accent and gameplay, this is a must rent first.
I don't feel like we are going to find any blockbuster games this week, but hopefully some very good games at least.
Picking up Wanted on PC this week. Can't wait. Loved the demo. Still getting Cryostasis, Demigod, Riddick, and Zeno Clash all on PC in the next month. This is a hell of a next 4 weeks.
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EA Labels boss Frank Gibeau describes new project as "open-world action adventure game." Full Story
Microsoft changing Xbox One policies
Xbox maker does away with all used game restrictions and 24-hour online check-ins; region-locks also no longer in place.
