Shippin' Out: Sept. 20-26: Halo 3: ODST, Aion

By Tom Magrino, GameSpotPosted Sep 21, 2009 9:27 am PT

Microsoft and Bungie's latest sci-fi shooter joins NCsoft's angelic MMOG; Afrika, Katamari Forever roll to PS3, Spyborgs, TMNT Smash-Up brawl on Wii.

It's well into September, and that means big-name games are going to be the norm in the lead-up to the holiday shopping season. Microsoft and Bungie anchor the current week with the release of Halo 3: ODST, the latest Xbox 360-exclusive installment in their acclaimed sci-fi warfare franchise.

Prepare to drop...

Originally billed as a three-to-five hour expansion pack to 2007's smash hit Halo 3, Bungie's latest evolved into a more reaching (and full-priced) venture over the course of development. Swapping out Bungie's iconic Master Chief for a squad of orbital drop shock troopers, ODST tells a darker story set in the city of New Mombasa. Those who purchase ODST will also be offered a multiplayer beta voucher for Bungie's maybe-last Halo project, Halo: Reach, due next year.

A pair of massively multiplayer online role-playing games will accompany Halo 3: ODST to market this week. Korean MMOG maker Aion will launch its angels-and-demons-themed Aion on Tuesday. Last week, the publisher said that the game had already secured nearly 400,000 preorders, making Aion the biggest MMOG launch of 2009 so far. However, Aion will have a bit of competition from Icarus Games' Fallen Earth, a postapocalyptic sci-fi MMORPG.

Sony's PlayStation 3 has a pair of quirky titles on tap this week. Keita Takahashi's latest matter amalgamator Katamari Forever will offer, according to publisher Namco Bandai, the largest selection of stages, modes, and songs of any game in the series. Meanwhile, Natsume will bring over the Sony Japan-developed Afrika, a safari simulator that lets gamers snap photos of wild beasts on the African steppes. Atlus' original Shin Megami Tensei: Persona will be hitting the PSP, as well.

As will happen, the Wii has two kid-friendly titles coming to its library this week. Capcom's Spyborgs has been billed as an interactive version of "your favorite Saturday morning cartoon" and sees players assuming control of one of five bionically enhanced spies in an effort to take down one of their traitorous former compatriots. From Ubisoft comes Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up, a multiplayer brawler built in the style of Nintendo's highly popular Super Smash Bros. franchise.

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 the Wii Shop Channel will be revealed later this week. Release dates are based on retailer listings and are subject to change.

Sept. 21, 2009
Fabulous Finds--DS--THQ
Just in Time Translation--DS--THQ

Sept. 22, 2009
Afrika--PS3--Natsume
Aion: Tower of Eternity PC--NCsoft
Animal Kingdom: Wildlife Expedition--Wii--Natsume
Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2010--X360, PS3, Wii
Fallen Earth--PC--Icarus Games
Family Party: 30 Great Games Outdoor Fun--Wii--D3Publisher
Halo 3: ODST--X360--Microsoft Game Studios
Hidden Mysteries: Titanic--Wii, DS--Activision Value
Katamari Forever--PS3--Namco Bandai
Order of War--PC--Square Enix
Scooby-Doo! First Frights--Wii, PS2, DS--WBIE
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona--PSP--Atlus
Spyborgs--Wii--Capcom
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up--Wii--Ubisoft
The Price Is Right 2010 Edition--Wii, DS, PC--Ubisoft
Wacky World of Sports--Wii--Sep 22, 2009 Sega
Where's Waldo? The Fantastic Journey--Wii, DS, PC, MAC--Ubisoft
Women's Murder Club: Games of Passion--DS--THQ

Sept. 23, 2009
No new releases scheduled.

Sept. 24, 2009
Hardy Boys: The Hidden Theft--Wii--Dreamcatcher

Sept. 25, 2009
No new releases scheduled.

64 Comments

  • FF_fan2004

    Posted Oct 4, 2009 9:55 am PT

    The Price is Right 2010 seemed to remind me of Wheel of Fortune back when I was still in Primary school. And the point of having a game like this is because...?

    I'll only get Halo ODST when the price is right. No offence to anyone but a game that lasts a few hours single player at a high price isn't on my books of good value for money. It might be for others if they are into online multiplayer. Also I'm not into online plays at all, since I don't have Xbox live gold and don't play enough online to merit spending for a membership.

  • FF_fan2004

    Posted Oct 4, 2009 9:50 am PT

    @shawise
    I quite agree with you there.

  • tutt3r

    Posted Sep 23, 2009 5:18 pm PT

    Oh shiiii cant wait to get back from college and play this game

  • shawise

    Posted Sep 23, 2009 12:20 pm PT

    I'll start by saying i like halo I have 1-3 but if all they added was three new maps and a 6 hour campaign 60 bucks is a bit excessive and since half of you have already purchased the DLC prior to its release it makes little sense to purchase it again. It reminds me of Star Wars The Force Unleashed "I waited till the price dropped to 20 dollars before purchasing it". I refuse to by any game thats only 6 hours long for 60 dollars new or refurbed and as long as you continue to purchase games of this quailty riding only on their name you can exspect to see more of these games in the very near future. From a business stand point the game should've been priced at $39.99. You not only need to speak up but act on it as well.

  • lamprey263

    Posted Sep 22, 2009 10:42 pm PT

    @slimsammy - "ODST is WAYYY better than people made it out to be, i love it"

    I know, it's a lot of fun. I hate how people are knocking it and those same people haven't even bothered to try it. They're stuck up on the notion that this is a mini-expansion at full price and that the multiplayer hasn't changed and this is essentially Halo 3 branded at $60 once again. I shouldn't even bother with those people, their loss anyways.

  • slimsammy

    Posted Sep 22, 2009 7:30 pm PT

    ODST is WAYYY better than people made it out to be, i love it

    @lamprey263

  • ChidoriBoyU

    Posted Sep 22, 2009 3:16 pm PT

    forget halo (i want it too though XD)

    THE BLAST IS ON THE PSP

    PER-SO-NA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Sins-of-Mosin

    Posted Sep 22, 2009 2:59 pm PT

    ODST this month, Borderlands the next!

  • lamprey263

    Posted Sep 22, 2009 12:56 pm PT

    ^_^ got Halo ODST and Katamari Forever last night, I love the FireFight mode, it's lots of fun, I think this is a lot better than people claim about it being an over-glorified expansion

  • CodyTG

    Posted Sep 22, 2009 10:49 am PT

    A game that gets above an 80 on Metacritic is worth playing and is a good quality game.

  • taylormadederek

    Posted Sep 22, 2009 6:56 am PT

    Well ODST is really nothing special. Maybe an 8/10....8.5/10 at best (which is its aggregate score on Metacritic). \
    \
    Come on Modern Warfare 2 (Man I hate supporting Activision) and Dragon Age.

  • Vasot

    Posted Sep 22, 2009 5:10 am PT

    1) Borderlands looks promising .
    ...
    2) Uncharted 2 SUCKS it has an average gameplay and a cliche story. Do not believe the hype coming from the mouths of the fanboys

  • XeonForce

    Posted Sep 22, 2009 4:42 am PT

    In case anyone is wondering, Katamari Forever is by far the best in the series yet, even better than We Love Katamari. Looks good, plays smooth, tons of stuff = funny fun stuff.

  • mysarah6454861

    Posted Sep 22, 2009 2:27 am PT

    i am really excited about Aion:TOE.....just to think that the crysis engine running an MMORPG....if that is not exciting i dont know what is!!!!!!

  • dkpunk

    Posted Sep 21, 2009 7:36 pm PT

    Wow... Fanboys are coming out of the woodwork against ODST. Thumbs down for D3A7HJ0K3R not being able to afford a game? Come on now.

  • Niko_Bellic19

    Posted Sep 21, 2009 5:46 pm PT

    All those games suck. I want Uncharted 2 and Borderlands NOW!!!

  • enragedrenegade

    Posted Sep 21, 2009 4:21 pm PT

    ODST should be a good release tonight at midnight. It should be a nice new addition to the Halo story.

  • HyruleanLink

    Posted Sep 21, 2009 4:18 pm PT

    Good list. I am curious about TMNT but not risking $50 yet.

  • EmperorSupreme

    Posted Sep 21, 2009 4:15 pm PT

    Only MS can get away with re-releasing a 3 year old game with what essentially boils down to a mod pack and still get people to pay full price for it.

  • D3A7HJ0K3R

    Posted Sep 21, 2009 3:48 pm PT

    dammit im broke cuz i bought wireless adapter, live, and two games, for my 360 i got on my birthday, which was sunday. AGHHHHHH!!!!! I NEED ODST.

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