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Shippin' Out May 24-30: Infamous, Damnation, Up, Personal Trainer: Walking

By Tor Thorsen, GameSpotPosted May 24, 2009 9:47 am PT

[UPDATE] It's an electromagnetic/steampunk/helium balloon/DS pedometer jamboree in the final week before the Electronic Entertainment Expo, which runs June 1-4; Rock Band Unplugged not on sale this week.

Is it E3 already? Not quite. On June 1, the media hubbub surrounding the Electronic Entertainment Expo will kick off in Los Angeles with a day of conferences from Microsoft (10:30 a.m.), Electronic Arts (2 p.m.), and Ubisoft (a 5 p.m. event hosted by The Soup's Joel McHale). On Tuesday June 2--the day the E3 doors open to attendees--it's the turn of Nintendo (9 a.m.) and Sony (11 a.m.) followed by Konami at 3 p.m. on June 3. GameSpot will be covering all six events with live blogs and (in many cases) streaming video feeds and will be broadcasting live and podcasting from the show floor at the Los Angeles Convention Center throughout the week.

Crackdown + Force Unleashed = Infamous

With so much attention being laser-focused on the lead-up to E3, the previous week is a bit light on the releases side. The heaviest hitter by far is Infamous, the PlayStation 3 exclusive from publisher Sony Computer Entertainment America and developer Sucker Punch (Sly Cooper). The open-world action adventure chronicles the story of Cole, an average-joe-turned-electricity-wielding mutant who must grapple with the responsibility of doing good and the sheer enjoyment of being evil. That choice, of course, will be left to the player to make, as the game's open-world nature allows gamers to either save the fictional Empire City's denizens or whimsically wreak wanton carnage. Either way, GameSpot's reviewers were impressed, giving the game a 9.0/10.

Fans of the Steampunk sci-fi subgenre are the target audience for Damnation, from British publisher Codemasters and new developer Blue Omega. The Annapolis, Maryland-based studio won Epic Games' Make Something Unreal competition with the prototype of the shooter, which imagines what it would be like if the American Civil War extended well into the 20th Century. Players play as Hamilton Rourke, leader of a group of rebels fighting against a powerful industrialist who commands an army of mercenaries equipped with technology well ahead of its time. The game ships Tuesday for the PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360.

For those who want to walk off hours of game time on the couch, Nintendo is releasing Personal Trainer: Walking. Already available in Japan, the $49.99 DS game comes bundled with two pedometers, which count steps and wirelessly sync to the DS, where the data is analyzed. It then presents statistics about "life rhythm" patterns, such as when the most active and sedentary moments of a player's day are. The pedometers can also be attached to a family pet to monitor its activity levels.

Also shipping this week is Up!, THQ's adaptation of the already well-reviewed computer-animated Disney/Pixar film due out on Friday. Set for release on the Wii, Mac, PC, DS, PSP, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360, the game will offer an interactive version of the film, which follows a 78-year-old retiree and his young companion as they balloon down to a lost wilderness in the highlands of South America. There, they encounter a talking dog and a gangly flightless prehistoric bird, who join them in their adventures.

[UPDATE] Last but not least, a press release from the PR agency handling Rock Band Unplugged created some confusion about the game's release date. Though listed by GameStop as arriving on June 9, the first PSP outing of the billion-dollar rhythm franchise shipped to stores today--or their back rooms, anyway. Harmonix has confirmed that the title--which features 41 tracks from five decades as well as downloadable content--won't actually go on sale until two weeks from Tuesday.

For further details on the week's games, visit GameSpot's New Release page. Downloadable games on the PlayStation Store, Xbox Live Marketplace, and the Wii Shop Channel will be revealed later this week. Release dates are based on retailer listings and are subject to change.

MAY 25, 2009
Memorial Day (National US holiday)

MAY 26, 2009
Crimson Gem Saga--PSP--Role-Playing--Atlus Co.
Cross Edge--PS3--Role-Playing NIS--America
Damnation--PC, PS3, 360--Action--Codemasters
Infamous--PS3--Action--SCEA
Jake Hunter Detective Story: Memories of the Past--DS--Puzzle--Aksys Games
The Munchables--WII--Action--Namco Bandai Games
Personal Trainer: Walking--DS--Puzzle--Nintendo
Secret Agent Clank--PS2--Action--SCEA
Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper--PC--Adventure--Focus Home Interactive
Space Camp--DS, WII--Action--Activision
Up!-Wii, Mac, PC, DS, PSP, PS2, PS3, 360--Adventure--THQ

MAY 27, 2009
Imagine Boutique Owner--DS--Simulation--Ubisoft

MAY 28, 2009
Crazy Chicken: Atlantis Quest--DS--Action--MumboJumbo
Crazy Chicken: Star Karts--DS--Driving--MumboJumbo
Crazy Chicken: Pharaoh's Treasure--DS--Puzzle--MumboJumbo
Johnny Bravo: Date-O-Rama!--DS--Action--MumboJumbo

MAY 30, 2009
DragonSky--PC--Role-Playing--Aeria Games & Entertainment
Trash Panic--PS3--Puzzle--Sony Online Entertainment
Wallace & Gromit Episode 2: The Last Resort--X360--Adventure--Telltale Games

134 Comments

  • samarh

    Posted Oct 2, 2009 1:15 pm PT

    FFFF

  • Toon_Link_Fan

    Posted Jun 4, 2009 10:14 am PT

    inFamous is an awesome game.

  • pakhair

    Posted May 31, 2009 2:39 am PT

    Infamous is a great game.........

    I am really annoyed that none of the websites gave the review of Damnation



    Check out My Pre E3 Blog

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  • hhap52

    Posted May 29, 2009 6:15 pm PT

    looking forward to Secret Agent Clank

  • GrilledCharlie

    Posted May 26, 2009 2:17 pm PT

    Played the demo, and I have to say that I'm unimpressed. It was very repetitive. Enemies are unimaginative, environment is dull, and you can get injured from your own lightning grenade. Doesn't quite make sense. Anyway, I hope that the entire game isn't as repetitive as the demo.

  • shii666

    Posted May 26, 2009 1:40 pm PT

    Johnny Bravo game? I thought that franchise faded out of existence... I mean, I liked the show when it was on but... A game? Nonetheless, for a franchise that is seemingly dead?

  • Sins-of-Mosin

    Posted May 26, 2009 12:45 pm PT

    Wow, Damnation is getting destroyed in the press and from users. Seems like they needed to delay the game for another 3-6 months. Thou, a friend is begging that someone play co-op with him so might still give it a go. It's a shame that Fuel got delayed a week.

  • BigDaddy973

    Posted May 26, 2009 9:47 am PT

    Infamous is looking good, but I will gamefly it

  • gnbfd

    Posted May 26, 2009 9:32 am PT

    *is sad because inFamous doesn't arrive until June 1st*
    =(

  • alkaline_DnB

    Posted May 26, 2009 8:20 am PT

    wow, didn't think this game was going to rate so well. A 9 from GameSpot and an 8.7 average from the rest is a buy for me no matter what I originally thought.

  • nappan

    Posted May 26, 2009 8:14 am PT

    If Prototype turns out as well as inFamous, I hope that the FPS trend will turn a bit more towards more innovative combat styles. What happened to all of the great scifi? At some point all games with weapons had to be Pistol, Shotgun, SMG, Assault Rifle, Sniper Rifle, Rocket Launcher... and maybe a railgun or something. For over two decades... Heck Doom had more creative weapons. Heretic and Hexen tried something new... but even if it's a "plasma blaster"... it's still a pistol.

    Some of the abilities in inFamous are really unique. The choice of restraint vs. mass destruction is very cool too. Breakdown did something different... MGS always has the best gadgets and the best variety of weapons except for Ratchet and Clank. Maybe the shapeshifting mechanic in Prototype will also be more than a gimmick, and AC had some good stuff too.

    Lets just admit that the FPS as it exists today is almost perfectly balenced... but the same CAN be done with novel weapons and abilities... it just takes some vision and talent. Tribes did a pretty good job of it, and so did DN3D in some areas. I'm so ready for these open world games that have GOOD fighting and shooting int he,. There's no wandering around dozing off playing inFamous, unless you want ot die, or unless you've basically beaten the game.

  • zaphod_b

    Posted May 26, 2009 8:04 am PT

    Hmm, inFamous or Prototype? Electricity or shapeshifting? I guess I'm going to be busy gaming in the month of June because I can't pick just ONE!

  • dmish82

    Posted May 26, 2009 7:35 am PT

    @krauser12

    I'm almost halfway through, and same thing. Next time, full evil! lol.

  • dmish82

    Posted May 26, 2009 7:33 am PT

    I was lucky enough to get inFamous on Friday, and while it didn't blow me away at first, it is now. This game just gets progressively better and better.

  • raphaeljoash

    Posted May 26, 2009 6:39 am PT

    this year keeps getting better and better lots of games announced Call of Duty 4 modern warfare 2, assassins creed 2. infamous. prototype. damnation, red faction etc damn thats a lot of games so many games so little cash

  • Rottenwood

    Posted May 26, 2009 5:57 am PT

    Got a small sale on InFamous from Amazon, which sold for 52.99. Not much to sing about, but seven bucks is seven bucks.

  • nappan

    Posted May 26, 2009 3:12 am PT

    @suicidalblues: Is that Hemagglutinin on the outside of a virus in your avatar? It's eerily similar to the external structures of that, and neuraminidase spikes... Weird, but kind of cool.

  • beny_pimpster

    Posted May 26, 2009 12:31 am PT

    if you gonna ask me whats gonna make me buy a psp........BLEACH HEAT THE SOUL 6 lol

  • krauser12

    Posted May 26, 2009 12:07 am PT

    Got an early copy of infamous a week ago and I just finished it. Great game. I love the comic book feel to it and the creative ways they use electricity to give you all sorts of powers. I was surprised how long the game was; takes at least 20+ hours along with all the side missions. Unlike most open world games, a great and engaging story. Definitely worth the money. Next time, going full evil.

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