advertisement

Shippin' Out: Mario Strikers Charged, Marathon: Durandal

By Tom Magrino, GameSpotPosted Jul 30, 2007 1:21 pm PT

Mustachioed plumber dons his soccer cleats and leads Nintendo-loaded lineup this week; Halo forerunner blasts onto Xbox Live.

With August just around the corner, game publishers appear to be girding their loins for the impending holiday-season blitz, beginning with Madden NFL 08 on August 14. This week, though, saw only one major new game arrive on a single console--the Nintendo Wii.

Tomorrow, the House that Donkey Kong Built will ship Mario Strikers Charged. A sequel to 2005's Super Mario Strikers for the GameCube, Mario Strikers Charged returns the mustachioed plumber and his crew to the pitch for a rousing round of footie, as the Brits may or may not say. Mario Strikers Charged is the second game for the Wii to take advantage of Nintendo's Wi-Fi Connection for online play, with the first being Pok�mon Battle Revolution released in June. The game also bears the dubious distinction of being the first Mario-centric game to bear an E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older rating, due to its "crude humor and mild cartoon violence." Mario Strikers Charged retails for $49.99.

With the Nintendo DS's installed base expanding geometrically, it's no wonder the handheld receives a substantial weekly injection of games. Leading this week's DS lineup is Nintendo's puzzler Picross DS, a logic-based game where players use numbers to fill in a grid and create a picture. Players can create their own puzzles and send them to friends, as well as download classic Picross puzzles from previous iterations of the game through the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.

Accounting for the Xbox 360's only new releases this week is a pair of downloadable titles. Before Bungie was selling Xboxes with the original Halo, it was innovating in the first-person shooter space with Halo's forerunner, Marathon. An updated version of the second installment in the trilogy, Marathon: Durandal debuts on Xbox Live this week and can be had for 800 Microsoft points ($10). Also appearing on Xbox Live this week is Spyglass Board Games for 400 Microsoft points ($5). Included in the pack are the board-game staples chess, checkers, mancala, and reversi.

Today, Nintendo's Virtual Console receives its weekly update of retro titles. The vertically scrolling shooter Start Soldier for 500 Wii points ($5), the platformer Dynamite Headdy for 800 Wii points ($8), and the Breakout clone Drop Off for 600 Wii points ($6) are all now available.

This week's new releases are listed below (list taken from retailer information--actual dates may vary).

JULY 30, 2007
Mario Strikers Charged (Wii)
Picross DS (DS)
Drake & Josh: Talent Showdown (DS)
Chameleon: To Dye For! (DS)
Pet Alien (DS)
Bratz Ponyz (DS)
Star Soldier (Wii)
Dynamite Headdy (Wii)
Drop Off (Wii)

JULY 31, 2007
Glory Days 2 (DS)
Brave Story: New Traveler (PSP)
World Championship Cards (PS2)
World Championship Cards (PSP)
Attack on Pearl Harbor (PC)
Spelling Challenges and More! (DS)

AUGUST 1, 2007
Marathon: Durandal (X360)
Spyglass Board Games (X360)
Ride! Carnival Tycoon (PC)
Let's Ride: Friends Forever (PC)

AUGUST 3, 2007
Combat Mission: Shock Force (PC)

51 Comments

  • RgvXavi

    Posted Aug 6, 2007 3:19 pm PT

    some of you on XBL are not viewing the greater picture. so the XBLA titles are rolling out a little slower around this time... so what? why don't ya'll check out the movie and tv-series releases and not just focus on Arcade games? so while it may seem they Xbox Live isn't hitting you with new stuff, it really is ya'll just looking at the Arcade releases and not the OVERALL releases. so don't go all whiny an bi*ch about the lack of hot releases. if you can't find any Arcade titles you like then check out some UFC fights in HD, they got some new ones up. i just DLed Couture v Sylvia in HD. or maybe some SouthPark episodes you missed from any of the previous 10 seasons. yup XBL has all the season even this years. not to your fancy?.... then try DLing some Aquateen HF or SpaceGhost. want something more mature? try Reqium for a Dream or The Departed in HD. 300 will be available to DL within a week. there's plenty of stuff Xbox Live pumps out ya'll just gotta expand where you are looking and the content you are looking forward to DLing.

  • _NeoN

    Posted Jul 31, 2007 4:19 pm PT

    Just like SavoyPrime, if I had a PSP it would have been Brave Story cause there's nothing else there for me.

  • Zuul13

    Posted Jul 31, 2007 1:19 pm PT

    Cheese!

  • Jebril

    Posted Jul 31, 2007 11:53 am PT

    Mario Strikers and Marathon are the only good or at least somewhat good games coming out this week, either way I'm not getting them, not even in the middle of this gaming drought.

  • SavoyPrime

    Posted Jul 31, 2007 7:16 am PT

    Looks like an uneventful release week. Though if I had a PSP, I would look into Brave Story.

  • Sergsky

    Posted Jul 31, 2007 7:14 am PT

    The first Marathon was the best one, but it was developed only for the Macintosh.

  • HK-47-M4

    Posted Jul 30, 2007 7:04 pm PT

    Boring! Except maybe Strikers but I don't see enough of a differeence between that and the Gamecube version to justify the purchase,

  • -Squirrel-

    Posted Jul 30, 2007 5:48 pm PT

    Mario Strikers Charged is a must have for me. I adored Super Mario Strikers and everything I have read about this game sounds amazing. This is the beginning of the great titles Nintendo is putting out through the end of the year.

  • yyr57695

    Posted Jul 30, 2007 5:47 pm PT

    whoa, chess, checkers and Othello on XBLA, all for $5?

    That's a change...NOT milking people for all they're worth. I figured it would be $10 for EACH of those when they finally came out!

  • druggyjoe3000

    Posted Jul 30, 2007 5:38 pm PT

    wow nothing except martathon for my 360 and look it that no ps3 games (hahaha) and only two arcade games for my xbox this week thats sad this a bad drought

  • Pete5506

    Posted Jul 30, 2007 5:26 pm PT

    Nothing this week

  • rl_41

    Posted Jul 30, 2007 5:15 pm PT

    The summer drought is on.

  • Da_Meter

    Posted Jul 30, 2007 4:59 pm PT

    Striker's Charged is in my hands right now!!!

  • Ministry4390

    Posted Jul 30, 2007 4:53 pm PT

    Awesome week on XBLA!!

  • DoubleC3PO

    Posted Jul 30, 2007 4:48 pm PT

    LOL you can get marathon for free and readily available but theyll charge you for it. Keep milkin Bung!

  • 36O

    Posted Jul 30, 2007 4:31 pm PT

    Whoo! Marathon, even though im not buying it, I still like to mention that its a REALLY great game, a classic.

    And Mario Strkers charged looks awesome and Im thinkin about buyin it.

  • Red_Orbital_Facade

    Posted Jul 30, 2007 4:19 pm PT

    wow, cant believe people are calling marathon junk. marathon is practically the forefather to the modern shooter, as it took all the things doom failed at and achieved them. not to mention, its long been suspected that marathon takes place 200 years after the events of halo, and that the main character in marathon is actually master chief (the main character in marathon is an elite cybernetically enhanced soldier wearing Mjolnir IV armor). any halo fan owes it to themselves to play the marathon games.

  • R3V3N4N7

    Posted Jul 30, 2007 4:19 pm PT

    Marathon!

  • VagrantChild24

    Posted Jul 30, 2007 4:17 pm PT

    Mario Soccer is definately leading the week, but Marathon should be decent. Aside from that though, nothing really noteworthy

Spyglass Board Games Quick Links

Summary | Reviews | News | Images | DLC & Expansions | Answers | Hints & Cheats | Forum

advertisement
advertisement
Click Here
Spyglass Board Games Boxshot
Spyglass Board Games
  • Downloadable Game

Game Stats

  • Rank:
    22,841 of 78,243
    (down by 5,676)
    X360 Rank:
    1,203 of 1,923
    Tracking:
    63 Track It»
    Wishlists:
    7 Wish It»
  • Player Reviews:
    13
    Player Ratings:
    159
    Users Now Playing:
    10
  • Number of Players:

    1-2, 2 Online | Offline Modes: Competitive

  • Top 5 User Tags:
    1. spyglass board games
    2. board game
    3. microsoft game studios
    4. 2007
    5. august
  • Everyone Rating Description

    Titles rated E (Everyone) have content that may be suitable for ages 6 and older. Titles in this category may contain minimal cartoon, fantasy or mild violence and/or infrequent use of mild language. Learn more

Full Game Details »Close

Games you may like…

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

See More Similar Games
advertisement