Shippin' Out November 19-23: Rock Band, Mass Effect, Uncharted
By
Tom Magrino
Platform exclusivity runs rampant as headliners join Unreal Tournament III, Ghost Squad, Time Crisis 4, Mario Party DS, FFXII: Revenant Wings, Trauma Center: New Blood.
In October, Activision's Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock gave the performance of its life, racking up more than $115 million in first-week sales and accounting for four of the top 10 best-seller slots for October. This week, MTV Games and Harmonix will hit their opening chord in the Battle of the Bands with Rock Band on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. (A PlayStation 2 version is due out December 18.) In addition to toy guitars, Rock Band amps the rock-centric rhythm game action to...12...with a drum kit and mic and will retail stand-alone for $59.99 and in bundle form for $169. Rock Band's set list includes 58 songs from the likes of the Rolling Stones, Metallica, and Nirvana, with additional downloadable content slated to arrive day and date with the retail package.
Platform exclusivity is the name of the game this week, with nearly every system receiving its own hotly anticipated game. Fresh off its bout of legal wrangling in Singapore due to a steamy alien-on-alien love scene, BioWare's sci-fi space opera Mass Effect arrives for the Xbox 360. Naughty Dog's Indiana Jones-inspired action adventure Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and Namco Bandai's light-gun shooter Time Crisis 4 arrive on the PS3. While it's uncertain whether its PS3 counterpart will arrive before the end of the year, Epic Games' gladiatorial shooter Unreal Tournament III arrives a day before the November 20 salvo for the PC.
Retailers are arming themselves with the Wii Zapper this week, and in addition to the packed-in Link's Crossbow Training, Sega is shooting up the Wii arcade-style with Ghost Squad. Atlus hits the siren on Trauma Center: New Blood, while Namco Bandai eschews mano-a-mano brawling for action adventure gameplay in Soulcalibur Legends. The Nintendo DS also gets in on the action this week, with already-a-hit-in-Japan Mario Party DS arriving for the portable, while the world of Ivalice expands with Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings.
Chair Entertainment's Unreal Engine 3-powered downloadable title Undertow exerts its pull on Xbox Live this Wednesday. The underwater shooter features single- and multiplayer modes, as well as 16-player online action, and can be purchased for 800 Microsoft points ($10). In addition to working the pipes as a plumber and saving the Mushroom Kingdom as a superhero, Mario moonlights as a demolitions expert in Wrecking Crew (500 Wii points, $5) for the Wii Virtual Console. Also appearing on the Wii VC this week is Sonic 3D Blast (800 Wii points, $8) and Super Air Zonk (800 Wii points, $8).
This week's new releases are listed below (list taken from retailer information--actual dates may vary).
NOVEMBER 19, 2007
Avatar: The Last Airbender -- The Burning Earth (X360)
Baby Luv (PC)
College Hoops 2K8 (PS3, PS2, X360)
CSI: Dark Motives (DS)
Eschalon: Book I (PC)
Link's Crossbow Training (Wii)
Mario Party DS (DS)
Medal of Honor: Airborne (PS3)
Sega Rally Revo (PC)
Sonic 3D Blast (Wii VC)
Super Air Zonk (Wii VC)
Time Crisis 4 (PS3)
TimeShift (PS3)
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (PS3)
Unreal Tournament 3 (PC)
Wrecking Crew (Wii VC)
NOVEMBER 20, 2007
7 Wonders of the Ancient World (PS2)
AMF Bowling Pinbusters! (Wii)
Cabela's Monster Bass (PS2)
Final Fantasy XI: Wings of the Goddess (X360, PS2, PC)
Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings (DS)
Geometry Wars: Galaxies (Wii)
Ghost Squad (Wii)
Godzilla Unleashed (PS2)
Godzilla Unleashed: Double Smash (DS)
History Channel: Battle for the Pacific (PS2, PC)
Indoor Sports (Wii)
John Deere: Harvest in the Heartland (DS)
Kane & Lynch: Dead Men (PC)
Luxor: Pharaoh's Challenge (PS2)
Mass Effect (X360)
Monster Jam (Wii)
Phantasy Star Universe: Ambition of the Illuminus (X360, PS2, PC)
Rock Band (PS3, X360)
Showtime Championship Boxing (Wii)
Soulcalibur Legends (Wii)
Star Trek: Conquest (PS2, Wii)
Strawberry Shortcake: The Four Seasons Cake (DS)
Swashbucklers: Blue & Grey (PS2)
The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles (PS3)
Trauma Center: New Blood (Wii)
NOVEMBER 21, 2007
Incursion (PC)
Soldier of Fortune: Payback (PS3)
Undertow (XBL)
NOVEMBER 22, 2007
No releases announced.
NOVEMBER 23, 2007
Black College Football Experience (PC)
Fire Pro Wrestling Returns (PS2)
Petz: Hamsterz 2 (DS)
Petz: Dogz 2 (PS2)
The King of Fighters XI (PS2)
By
Tom Magrino
Tom Magrino has covered the games industry since 2006. He's been compared to Steve Martin by Ozzy Osbourne and Daniel Craig by Tim Schafer. His voice, heard largely on GameSpot's podcast, recalls that of Kermit the Frog. It ain't easy bein' Magreen.
107 comments
Sweet another good week in in releases... Just a pity my cash flow won't allow me to buy all of them.... Actually glad I only have a PS3 at the moment... Cause once I have my Xbox and Wii I'll be doomed for cash.... And now all the delays isn't really such an issue. Would have been able to buy them all before xmas either.
People should look out for those independent titles that no one recognizes...I have found "Eschalon: Book 1" quite enjoyable (even more than Halo 3).
Ghost Squad look really fun, plus it $30. Since I most likely getting a Wii Zapper, maybe I should get it.
Rock Band doesn't work with Guitar Hero Guitar unfortunately I will have to wait to have a bass player in my band. Although Rock Band is what Guitar Hero 3 should have been.
Shippin' out this November; My already meager funds XD Im really glad that GTA IV was delayed to next year, im already running a wee bit low on cash...
Rockband has wireless controllers only for the PS3. That is a big selling point for me over the 360 version.
I'm going to have to win lotto to keep up at the moment, so many great games coming out and my poor ole compy just can't handle the pace.
Damn, I won't be buying any of these games until next year. I can't wait to try them though.
Why isn't Rock Band coming out on Wii?! Nintendo should have at least tryed to get Rock Band on their console. Doesn't Harmonix know how many Wii's have been sold?? Stupid asses.
So I guess Gamespot gave Mass Effect a 8.5 out of ten just to be different, because just about everyone else gave it between a 9 or a 10.
Some cool Wii games there. You yanks are lucky to be getting them before us brits *grumble grumble*
dont turn thisinto a fanboy war guys, and great games are coming justin time for Christmas gifts!!
Already beat uncharted, stopped playing assassins creed, idk it just doesnt seem like big hit to me, getting Mass and effect and both FFXI exp pack and FFXII rev wings hopefully today or tomorrow.
off topic but the ps3 has outsold the wii and 360 combined in japan two weeks in a row now. http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/hell-freezing/ps3-outsells-wii-for-first-time-ever-324271.php
Oblivion: Game of the Year Edition on the Xbox 360 is a new version of Oblivion that includes the Knights of the Nine expansion, and the Shivering Isles expansion, along with the remixed graphic Shader program found on the PS3 version that was released a year after the Xbox 360 version. In other words, the truly ultimate version of Oblivion ever released is the Xbox 360 version of Oblivion: Game of the Year Edition.
ARIS (GameStop's Automated Reservation Information System) called 8 times tonight. Mass Effect, Trauma Center, Geometry Wars, Time Crisis, Final Fantasy XI, Final Fantasy XII, Soul Calibur, Ghost Squad. Still in the middle of Super Mario Galaxy, Assassin's Creed, and Resident Evil. .....I love this holiday. =D
Jesus!! i'm going to be bankrupt come december. Theres just too many games to choose from HELP!!
--thisissami -- LOL...welcome to the power of large install bases. If 5% of the DS owners buy a Petz game they will sell more copies and make more money then if 30% of PS3 owners buy Drakes.
another good week for games. i know rock band is going to kill guitar hero. it just has better songs
Petz: Hamsterz and Dogz? 2? wow... something like this made enough money to warrant a sequel... all i can say is wow....
already ordered Rock Band (Game Only) hopefully the rumors are true and the 360 GH controllers work..if not i'm sending it right back. Gonna wait to get the other games (Mass Effect, Uncharted) until next year. Both look good though looking forward to the reviews
Conversation powered by Livefyre
Content you might like…
-
MLG details pre-release Halo 4 Tournament for Dallas
343 Industries' new shooter making its tournament debut at Major League Gaming Fall Championship from November 2-4; four vs four tournament offers $40,000 in prizes.
- Sep 27, 2012
Users who looked at this article also looked at these content items.
Hot Stories
Newsmakers
-
Biden: No legal problem with taxing violent games
United States Vice President Joe Biden believes there is no legal restriction on ability to tax violent media. Full Story
- Posted May 13, 2013 12:50 pm PT
-
Just Cause dev promises 'holy f**king sh**' moments in future games
Avalanche Studios co-founder says developer's ambition is for action, not moments that make players cry; steampunk-style game on hold. Full Story
- Posted May 15, 2013 6:33 am PT
Featured Stories
-
Bungie shoots down Destiny for PS Vita rumor
Developer confirms image suggesting version of upcoming shared-world shooter in development for Sony's latest portable is a fake. Full Story
- Posted May 16, 2013 5:08 am PT
-
Ubisoft planning to release games more frequently
Assassin's Creed and Far Cry publisher says its network of 26 studios and over 7,000 developers will allow company to ship major franchises more regularly. Full Story
- Posted May 16, 2013 4:42 am PT
-
Metro: Last Light dev responds to workplace conditions claims
4A Games creative director Andrew Prokhorov thanks Jason Rubin for telling the studio's story, but says, "We deserve the ratings we get." Full Story
- Posted May 16, 2013 12:44 pm PT
-
EA opens DICE LA to make Star Wars games
DICE head would also like to poach top talent from rivals Infinity Ward and Treyarch. Full Story
- Posted May 15, 2013 3:28 am PT
-
EA dropping Online Passes - Report
Future EA games won't require Online Passes; the service is being scrapped after tepid player response. Full Story
- Posted May 15, 2013 8:28 pm PT
Submit News
Related Game
Mass Effect
- Publisher(s): Microsoft Game Studios
- Developer(s): BioWare
- Genre: Role-Playing
- Release:
- ESRB: M
Related Games
- Uncharted Drakes Fortune
- Unreal Tournament III
- FF XII: Revenant Wings
- Rock Band
- Medal of Honor: Airborne
- Soulcalibur Legends
- College Hoops 2K8
- PSU: Ambition Illuminus
- Trauma Center: New Blood
- The King of Fighters XI
- Ghost Squad
- Link's Crossbow Training
- Sonic 3D Blast
- Eschalon: Book I
- Time Crisis 4
- SoF: Payback
- Mario Party DS
- The History Channel: Battle for the Pacific
- BCFx
- Wrecking Crew
- Godzilla: Unleashed DS
- Avatar The Burning Earth
- 7 Wonders Ancient World
- Baby Luv
- Swashbucklers
- Sega Rally Revo
- Super Air Zonk
- Undertow
- Final Fantasy XI: Wings
- CSI: Dark Motives
- Strawberry Shortcake 2
- Petz: Hamsterz 2
- AMF Bowling Pinbusters!
- Star Trek: Conquest
- Petz: Dogz 2
- Indoor Sports
- Cabela's Monster Bass
- John Deere: Harvest
- 3rd Space Incursion
- Monster Jam
- ESIV: Shivering Isles
Recent News
-
Layoffs at Defiance dev - Report
Trion Worlds confirms job cuts as part of company reorganization, says 80 percent layoff figure "definitely exaggerated"; development on Rift, future...
