section by: Justin
Clark and SCOTT!
MAFIA II
2K Czech
360, PS3, PC
8/24
MSRP: $59.99; $49.99 PC
The first Mafia was one of those games us poor console people got hosed on. That game, on PS2 and XBox, was utterly busted, while the PC iteration was, for its time, a thing of gritty beauty. Now everybody’s pretty much on the same playing field, but the gameplay hasn’t exactly jumped alone with the tech, it seems. For what its worth, early word on the story says that it’s aces, but for $60, you could buy this, and get a few more hours entertainment out of it without bothering with fuckawful driving physics.
GUNBLADE NY AND LA MACHINEGUNS ARCADE HITS PACK
Sega
Wii
8/24
MSRP: $29.99
It’s a minor title this week, but it’s one that’s gotta be close to any red blooded gamer’s heart. These two were the staples of any decent arcade for a couple of years, and having them all in one package, a la that blissful House of the Dead set from early on in the Wii’s lifecycle is a minor blessing from the Sega Gods, who have grown senile and hateful in their twilight years.
IVY THE KIWI
XSEED
Wii, DS
8/24
MSRP: $29.99 Wii, $19.99 DS
One should probably be wary of spending more than $10 on a title that started life as a Windows Mobile app, but if you’re gonna go colorful and cutesy on the Wii, you could do a lot worse. Some of these things look like the toilet of someone who drank all the colors in a Paas kit.
OOOHHHH: ON THE DLC TIP
SHANK
EA
XBox Live Arcade, Playstation Network
8/24 PSN, 8/25 XBL
$14.99/1200 MS pts
The past year or so has been very good to us old school brawler fans. Shank would have plenty going on for it with just the art style, but factor in a wild, fun-looking battle system, and a story penned by one of the brains behind God of War who isn’t a obnoxious (but brilliant) son of a bitch, and this is pretty much a must have title.
SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE WORLD: THE GAME
UbiSoft
XBox Live
8/25
800 MS pts
Now that XBox owners know the disgrace of owning the wrong system, they are allowed to share in the love. And yes, it is love. It’s a tough bastard of a game at times, one that speaks in an exclusive, terrible language made out of cheap hits, but the fantastic score, retro graphics, and humor are more than worth the asking price.
ROCK BAND TUESDAY
Disturbed Pack 03 ($5.49/440 MS pts)
- Another Way to Die
- Asylum
- The Animal
Universal Motown Republic Rock Pack 01 ($5.49/440 MS pts)
- Crash Kings – Mountain Man
- The Veer Union – Seasons +
- We Are the Fallen – Bury Me Alive
+=Available for Lego Rock Band
Tracks are $1.99/160 MS pts ea.
Yet more Disturbed next week. And screw you guys, this is not a bad thing. Indestructible was a better album than anyone will ever give it credit for, and Asylum sounds like another step forward. There’s a classic metal album in these guys somewhere, and they just keep inching towards it every time. As for Rock Band, all of their stuff is ridiculously fun to play (I maintain Inside The Fire has THE most fun solo in the game), and Harmonix has always chosen wisely which tracks have gotten in. In short: Yes, I approve.
Out of the Universal Motown stuff, only the Crash Kings track is really of note. The Veer Union track is nothing special. We Are The Fallen looks like Evanescence. Sounds like Evanescence. Has former members of Evanescence in it. Their name is a reference to Evanescence’s first album. But would like everyone to know that THEY ARE NOT EVANESCENCE.
……no. But thanks for trying.