Shippin' Out March 22-28: Wheelman, Wanted, Pokemon Platinum

By Brendan Sinclair, GameSpotPosted Mar 22, 2009 3:58 pm PT

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.

New Releases March 22-28

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.

Vin Diesel is clearly vulnerable to the wiles of used-car salesmen.

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.

37 Comments

  • JackHoleFace00

    Posted Mar 24, 2009 12:49 pm PT

    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

  • mitchellt

    Posted Mar 24, 2009 10:36 am PT

    Im looking forward to ff crystal cronicles

  • Darth-Sifh

    Posted Mar 23, 2009 5:01 pm PT

    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)

  • 222007510

    Posted Mar 23, 2009 3:17 pm PT

    I like the write up, but bring back the list at the bottom.

  • zombey1333

    Posted Mar 23, 2009 2:21 pm PT

    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

  • ZedX-14Pilot

    Posted Mar 23, 2009 1:43 pm PT

    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.

  • Sins-of-Mosin

    Posted Mar 23, 2009 1:14 pm PT

    After playing the very fun Halo Wars, I have high hopes for Stormrise.

  • gnbfd

    Posted Mar 23, 2009 1:14 pm PT

    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 >_>

  • ShockerX01

    Posted Mar 23, 2009 12:11 pm PT

    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.

  • godzillavskong

    Posted Mar 23, 2009 11:20 am PT

    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.

  • flynnboy

    Posted Mar 23, 2009 9:29 am PT

    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

  • baystatethrashr

    Posted Mar 23, 2009 8:19 am PT

    the wheelman demo was fun like GTA but arcady and a lot less to do its worth a rental.

  • alkaline_DnB

    Posted Mar 23, 2009 8:01 am PT

    out of all the choices...pokemon ftw.

  • bIacklisted

    Posted Mar 23, 2009 7:16 am PT

    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

  • Sullivaineus

    Posted Mar 23, 2009 6:40 am PT

    i have no idea what to think...

  • PS3FTWLUF

    Posted Mar 23, 2009 6:04 am PT

    maybe the best game this week is Red alert 3 on ps3 ill buy it i guess

  • jakeboudville

    Posted Mar 23, 2009 5:45 am PT

    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 -__-

  • xplosiv_shift

    Posted Mar 23, 2009 5:40 am PT

    The demo for wheelman was so crappy that it was actually funny. Wont play this even for free!

  • MFDOOMED

    Posted Mar 23, 2009 5:20 am PT

    POOPY WEEK!

  • ChristSAKE

    Posted Mar 23, 2009 5:14 am PT

    im only concerned about Wanted WOF......the game will be good.......WB never fail you....as for wheel man i pity Midway..........

Wanted: Weapons of Fate Quick Links

Summary | Reviews | News | Previews & Features | Images | Videos | Downloads | Answers | Hints & Cheats | Forum | Check Prices

Check Prices

Amazon.com $19.99 SHOP ›
advertisement
Wanted: Weapons of Fate Boxshot Enlarge the boxshot
Wanted: Weapons of Fate

Game Stats

  • Rank:
    1,358 of 76,728
    (up by 144)
    PC Rank:
    454 of 12,547
    Highest Rank:
    13 in 2009
    Tracking:
    653 Track It»
    Wishlists:
    341 Wish It»
  • Player Reviews:
    29
    Player Ratings:
    663
    Users Now Playing:
    75
  • Top 5 User Tags:
    1. wanted
    2. weapons of fate
    3. grin
    4. fate
    5. wanted weapons of fate
  • Mature Rating Description

    Titles rated M (Mature) have content that may be suitable for persons ages 17 and older. Titles in this category may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language. Learn more

Full Game Details »Close
Also on

Games you may like…

Users who looked at content for this game also looked at these games.

See More Similar Games
advertisement