CAG's shipwreck & mrs. shipwreck preview the new releases for the week of May 27th, 2008. After a few week's off, Shipwreck is back in the Midwest and ready to discuss the last two week's of releases. Plus we've got some outstanding prizes that will get your ass in shape and blow your mind.
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Multi-Platform
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars Dev. Z-Axis Pub. Activision Systems: 360, PS3 MSRP: $59.99
Last fall when the PC version of Enemy Territory: Quake Wars hit, it surprised me by receiving high scores for a franchise that had been falling behind more advanced and modern first-person shooters. This is not a traditional story-driven Quake game, but rather a twitchier version of a "Battlefield" style game. The console versions have been scaled back from 40 player to 16 player matches and each match pits the humans versus the Strogg as you select one of five different classes from each side. It's pretty much exactly what you would expect from this type of game: lots of vehicles and capturing of territories all wrapped up in the Quake art-style (whether that's for better or worse, I'll let you decide). Personally, I think this game is going to have a really tough time even causing a tremor in the already crowded console first-person shooter market. - ship
Best Deal:
Circuit City is offering a free $10 gift card with the purchase of either version of Enemy Territory: Quake Wars.
Purchase At Amazon $59.99 (Free shipping)
Purchase At Family Video $57.68 (99 cent shipping)
Purchase At Circuit City $59.99 (Free $10 gift card with purchase)
Purchase At Amazon $59.99 (Free shipping)
Purchase At Family Video $57.68 (99 cent shipping)
Purchase At Circuit City $59.99 (Free $10 gift card with purchase)
Lost Planet: Extreme Condition Colonies Edition Dev. Capcom Pub. Capcom Systems: PC, 360 MSRP: $29.99
(Deja Preview) Run through really pretty snow, cause really pretty explosions, and splatter really pretty space bugs in this third-person action game. The game mixes on-foot exploits with mech-based portions and there are plenty of insanely large boss battles. There's also plenty of really bad voice acting and questionable attire for females that are living on a planet that is entirely covered with snow. Regardless, at a reduced price, this is a pretty fun single-player romp that's rounded out with good online multiplayer. - ship
The "Colonies Edition" brings quite a bit more bug-killin' action to the table, with new multiplayer maps and modes including the ability to play as one of the giant insects against other human players. They've also spruced up the single-player game with new time trial and score attack modes as well as the ability to play as Luka (she lives on the second floor, yes, I think we've seen her before). The game also supports cross-platform play between the Xbox 360 and the PC, so if that keeps you warm at night, well... it's something. Seems to me, a more intriguing feature would be the ability to use your save file from the original game, but that didn't make the cut, so you're going to have to play through the entire game again to take advantage of the new single-player material. That's cold, Capcom, real cold. - ship
Best Deal:
There don't seem to be any specific deals for Lost Planet: Extreme Condition Colonies Edition.
Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free shipping)
Purchase At Family Video $27.64 (99 cent shipping)
Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free shipping)
Purchase At Family Video $27.64 (99 cent shipping)
UEFA Euro 2008 (Last Week) Dev. EA Canada Pub. Electronic Arts Systems: PS2, PSP, 360, PS3 MSRP: $29.99-$49.99
Currently sporting a Metacritic score of 80, I guess if you are looking for a European based soccer game, then you will be appeased. Truthfully, it's really hard to think up anything clever to say about soccer games anymore and I never got around to playing the demo on either the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360. I do know there is a "Captain Your Country" mode in which you control a single player in hopes of leading your country to soccer glory. - ship
Best Deal:
There don't seem to be any specific deals for UEFA Euro 2008.
Purchase At Amazon $49.99 (Free shipping)
Purchase At Deep Discount $48.99 (Free shipping)
Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free shipping)
Purchase At Family Video $27.94 (99 cent shipping)
Purchase At Amazon $49.99 (Free shipping)
Purchase At Deep Discount $48.99 (Free shipping)
Purchase At Amazon $39.99 (Free shipping)
Purchase At Deep Discount $38.99 (Free shipping)
Wii
Death Jr.: Root of Evil Dev. Backbone Entertainment Pub. Eidos Interactive Systems: Wii MSRP: $39.99
This title is the second Death Jr. title originally released for the PSP but is the first to be ported to the Wii. Game play involves both the Wii-mote and the Nunchuck, and the preview buzz surrounding this title is that the game is much better on the Wii than it was on the PSP. The Death Jr. characters are the same in all their quirky and grim glory, but the platforming/melee weaponry is greatly enhanced by the inter-activeness of the Wii. The big negatives associated with the PSP version, the aiming and the camera angles, are easily fixed on the Wii, and the graphics have been updated. Overall, this should be a decent platformer for the Wii. Although, I have to say I never got into this series; maybe the characters just aren't as appealing as others. - mrs. ship
Best Deal:
Circuit City is offering a free $10 gift card with the purchase of Death Jr.: Root of Evil.
Purchase At Amazon $39.99 (Free shipping)
Purchase At Circuit City $39.99 (Free $10 gift card with purchase)
Emergency Heroes Dev. Ubi Soft Reflections Pub. Ubi Soft Systems: Wii MSRP: $39.99
Hit the streets and clean up crime (like all that havoc you've been causing in GTA) in this futuristic mission-based driving game. Get behind the wheel of over 48 variants of police cars, ambulances, and fire trucks as you generally cruise around town and run into, pick up, or put out a set number of objectives within a time limit. The stylized cartoon style graphics aren't going to set your world aflame, but for a younger set, this looks to be a good action game. There's even a two-player co-op mode that allows you to help each other bump into things a predetermined number of times! - ship
Best Deal:
There don't seem to be any specific deals for Emergency Heroes.
Purchase At Amazon $39.99 (Free shipping)
Purchase At Deep Discount $38.99 (Free shipping)
Kawasaki Snowmobiles Dev. Data Design Interactive Pub. Bold Games Systems: Wii MSRP: $19.99
I'm envisioning Kawasaki Quad Bikes or Kawasaki Jet Ski, but with less ATV's and jet ski's and more snowmobiles. A lot more snowmobiles. No joke. - ship
Best Deal:
There don't seem to be any specific deals for Kawasaki Snowmobiles.
Purchase At Amazon $19.99 (Free shipping on orders over $25)
The Monkey King: The Legend Begins Dev. Stafish Pub. UFO Systems: Wii MSRP: $29.99
Apparently the title Monkey King is based loosely on a classic Chinese novel written during the Ming Dynasty and partly on an arcade classic. What looks to be a side-scrolling shooter with cartoon-inspired graphics is shrouded in mystery. Some sites show cover art that includes a small pink mouse creature with a bazooka, while others show a shadowy man with some armor standing on a cliff. I hope they went with the bazooka-wielding woodland creature. - mrs. ship
Best Deal:
Deep Discount is offering The Monkey King: The Legend Begins for $19 shipped.
Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free shipping)
Purchase At Deep Discount $18.99 (Free shipping)
Wii Fit (Last Week) Dev. Nintendo Pub. Nintendo Systems: Wii MSRP: $89.99
Every time I talk about this game, Ship just shakes his head and says, "They're going to sell a lot of those things." Fair enough, but coming from a girl who has no coordination and no flexibility, I wonder how much this thing really is going to strengthen my core. I think the Wii Board part of the game is going to make it much more marketable than Yourself Fitness (which, by the way, is backwards compatible on the 360 and playable on your PS3). Sure, it's a scale and there are BMI charts, yoga, and stretching, but I'm not sure I buy the aerobics part of it. I mean, jogging in place during free run sounds boring and really uninspiring. That said, check with me in 8 months when there's 6 feet of snow on the ground and I'm not feeling the morning jog. My tune most definitely will change.
Edit: So I'm now the proud owner of a Wii Balance Board, and I have to say that Wii Fit is pretty decent. My only complaints are that the moves (be they Yoga or strength training) are all isolated. What I mean is, they take you through the set number of reps and then kick you back out to the menu. I wish I could select all the stuff I want to do and have it link them together so there's not as much stopping and starting. There needs to be more fluidity. Also, many of the cut scenes involve pressing "A" on the Wii-mote, but it seems very awkward to keep it in your hand as you're working out. I think Wii Fit is a good first try, but there is definitely room for improvement. - mrs. ship
Best Deal:
There don't seem to be any specific deals for Wii Fit. In fact, it's sold out just about everywhere at the moment.
Purchase At Amazon $89.99 (Free shipping)
DS
Super Dodgeball Brawlers Dev. ARC System Works Pub. Akysys Systems: DS MSRP: $29.99
Everyone who played the original NES Super Dodgeball or the nearly identical arcade version has fond memories of smacking adorable Commies in the face with balls that they were supposed to be dodging. Ever since then we occasionally get another version of the game that never varies too much from the original, yet still somehow doesn't live up to it. Quite frankly, I'm really not sure what you can add to this series to improve it, but this latest iteration inserts punching and kicking (hence "Brawlers") and some light RPG character leveling. There's also 8-player single-card play, which is a nice touch, but the game really doesn't have any DS specific controls other than being able to select your special moves with the touch screen. All-in-all, I can't say that I'm optimistic that this is going to be an amazing game, but I can't deny that part of me wants to still try this game. I just wish it had come out for $20 instead of $30. And do we still get to laughably inflict pain on Commies? - ship
Best Deal:
Family Video is offering Super Dodgeball Brawlers for around $28.50 shipped.
Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free shipping)
Purchase At Family Video $27.64 (99 cent shipping)
USA Today Crosswords Challenge Dev. Destineer Pub. Destineer Systems: DS MSRP: $19.99
USA Today is giving the New York Times a run for their money outside of the print media market this week with the release of the newest crossword puzzle DS title. This EB/Gamestop exclusive has very little information available online other than "Take on crossword puzzles from USA Today" which is pretty much self-explanitory. If you've worn out your copies of Crosswords DS and NYT Crosswords, this comes just in time. - mrs. ship
Best Deal:
There are no deals for USA Today Crosswords Challenge because it is an EB/GameStop exclusive.
Purchase At EB Games $19.99 (EB/GameStop Exclusive)
PlayStation 3
Haze (Last Week) Dev. Free Radical Pub. Ubi Soft Systems: PS3 MSRP: $59.99
I had originally written up a pretty scathing preview about how it might not be such a hot idea to release a game in 2008 that reminded me of Goldeneye dropped into a FarCry locale with non-descript yellow-visored space marines and a core game mechanic that constantly points out how uninteresting the game is when you aren't using it. But then the reviews came out and pretty much took care of everything for me. (Plus I can't seem to find my original preview.) - ship
Best Deal:
There don't seem to be any specific deals for Haze.
Purchase At Amazon $59.99 (Free shipping)
Purchase At Family Video $57.68 (99 cent shipping)
SingStar (Last Week) Dev. SCE London Pub. Sony Systems: PS3 MSRP: $39.99, $59.99
This well-known karaoke franchise makes its PS3 debut with SingStar. The game includes a USB microphone and features songs from Weezer, Britney Spears, R.E.M., Gwen Stefani, and many more. If you don't like the songs that the title comes with, you can use the SingStore to download some of the titles featured on the PS2 games as well as a few new ones. The downloadable songs also allow you to view the music video. The title is compatible with existing PS2 microphones and the Eye Toy and the PS Eye. There are wireless Bluetooth microphones under development but sadly aren't available as of yet. Just don't trip over the cord while you're dancing in your living room. - mrs. ship
Best Deal:
There don't seem to be any specific deals for SingStar.
Purchase At Amazon $39.99 (Free shipping)
Purchase At Amazon $59.99 (Free shipping)
Purchase At Family Video $57.68 (99 cent shipping)
PlayStation 2
Garfield: Lasagna World Tour Dev. Eko System Pub. Conspiracy Systems: PS2 MSRP: $14.99
DIS GAME SUCKZ. KATS DOAN LIEK LASAGNA, WE LIEK TUNA. AN KATS HATE FLYIN AN WATR, SO WE R UNLIKELY 2 TRAVEL ACROS TEH OCEAN. - iPod the Cat
Best Deal:
There don't seem to be any specific deals for Garfield: Lasagna World Tour.
Purchase At Amazon $14.99 (Free shipping on orders over $25)
On The DL with the Shipwrecks
City Connection Systems: Wii Virtual Console (NES) MSRP: $5
Okay, so of course the first thing you would do if you owned a hatchback that could jump and paint roads white and shoot globs of oil at cats and police cars would be to shut this game off immediately and not do any of that stuff. Goodness gracious, who was really wanting to play some City Connection? I know you're just releasing ROMs on the Virtual Console, Nintendo, but did this one just come in some "Super Torrent Set", because I can't imagine you actively sought this one out. - ship
Metal Slug Dev. Pub. Systems: Wii Virtual Console (Neo Geo) MSRP: $9
Certainly a great game, but let's not forget that you can grab the Metal Slug Anthology which includes this game and six other Metal Slugs for less than $20 for either the Wii, PS2, or the PSP. - ship
Sky Kid (Last Week) Systems: Wii Virtual Console (NES) MSRP: $5
This horizontal scrolling shooter was originally released for the NES. The game play is simple: pick up your bomb, navigate through the level without getting your plane shot down, and drop bomb(s) on selected target(s). The only cool thing about this game (as far as I can tell) is that occasionally when you blow up your target, there's a hidden Namco character that appears under the rubble. Seems a meager treat for 500 Wii points, but if scrolling shooters are your cup of tea, you could do worse. - mrs. ship
Critter Round-Up (Last Week) Systems: WiiWare MSRP: $10
This animal-themed title involves a little man who builds fences on the fly and animals who just want to eat each other. The goal of the game is to build fences so that the lions don't eat the zebras and so on. There's 50 levels in the adventure mode, and there are quite a few little power-ups that drop from the sky periodically. There are also some mini-games that are a bit reminiscent of the arcade game Qix and the cell-phone blockbuster, Snake. The graphics are cute, but for $10, I need a bit more substance. - mrs. ship
Dr. Mario Online RX Systems: WiiWare MSRP: $10
It's the new and improved Dr. Mario, with online multiplayer and the same pill-popping game play goodness that we love. - mrs. ship
Family Table Tennis Systems: WiiWare MSRP: $5
Sure, it's not as much fun as real table tennis, but then you don't have to clear of the piles of laundry and random junk that's collected on the table since the last time you played. At least, I don't think you will. I'm not sure, the press release on this game is a bit scary: It’s time for some good old family fun, and what’s more fun than table tennis? Just like a real family, choose your character from a cast of four, which includes Daddy, Mommy, Sarah and Billy. There are four table tennis-tastic stages where it doesn’t matter if you’re an indoors or outdoors table-tennis player. Pick your poison from a gymnasium, a forest park, a beach or even an amusement park. Choose from Single or Versus mode, or select a minigame to play. In Versus mode, you and a friend can play against each other to see who is the better table-tennis player. And if Single and Versus modes aren’t enough, select between three minigames, which include Target Table Tennis, Thrilling Table Tennis and Matching Table Tennis. The appealing cell-shaded graphics and endearing music, on top of the super-fun game play, will have you and your family playing from morning till night. Get your paddles ready. - mrs. ship
Star Soldier R (Last Week) Systems: WiiWare MSRP: $8
Well, you can play this SHMUP two different ways: for 2 minutes or for 5 minutes. Then you can wonder where your $8 went for the rest of your life. Consisting of merely two levels that are broken down into the previously mentioned time limits, I can't imagine this holding anyone's attention for any length of time. But wait, act now and they'll throw in a third mode where you see how many times you can hit a button in 13 seconds. Quite a package. - ship
Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness - Episode 1 (Last Week) Systems: XBLA, PC MSRP: $20
As of writing this preview, I'm very close to completing the first episode of Penny Arcade Adventures. Clocking in around six hours or so, it's up to you whether you think that is worthy of your $20. For me, I think it was. Set in a 1920's Penny Arcade universe, the game is a cross of point-and-click adventuring and traditional turn-based RPG. It's all fairly linear and extremely easy, but it is an enjoyable trip for even casual readers of the comic. I'm definitely looking forward to the next episode... hopefully, it will come at a little bit of a discount price though. - ship
You can download the PC, Mac, or Linux versions for $19.95 from Greenhouse.
Purchase At Greenhouse $19.95
Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows (Last Week) Systems: Xbox Originals MSRP: $15
Based on 90% of television, people generally prefer to hang out in groups of four. I mean, you have the Golden Girls, The ladies from Sex in the City, even Seinfeld. So it goes that there are always four heroes needed to save the world and, as luck would have it, they all have different weapons of choice. Ship and I played through this title when it came out on the XBOX. I'm usually the mage/wizard or the valkyrie and Ship is usually the warrior or the elf/archer. This is your standard RPG that involves a large amount of button-mashing combat. Overall, we enjoyed it because of the co-op play and the ability to upgrade weapons, but it fell way short of the greatness of Baldur's Gate and Champions of Norrath. Now those are four titles they should release as XBOX Originals. - mrs. ship
Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel without a Pulse (Last Week) Systems: Xbox Originals MSRP: $15
As I mentioned on the CAGcast, Stubbs the Zombie is built squarely on top of the original Halo engine and it immediately shows with its good camera and controls (heck, it even has the same menu system). Stubbs is a humorous take on what it would be like to walk in the zombie's shoes for once and for the most part it succeeds. Two-player split-screen co-op is an enjoyable affair, but with the short storyline and no real reason for additional play-throughs, you're better off picking this one up for cheaper used. - ship
Feedback:
Did we miss a good sale on a game? Did we miss previewing a game completely? Well, the only way that everyone can know a better deal is out there is to let us know about it. Post deals you've found or games that we missed in the thread so that CAGs can make sure they are getting the absolute best prices on new releases.
You can now subscribe to Foreplay on iTunes by clicking this link: CAG Foreplay on iTunes
You can also contact us with any questions or comments at [email protected] or [email protected].
Special thanks to www.GoDaddy.com for providing CAG Foreplay listeners with a code for domain names for just $6.95 a year. Just enter code "GAMER1" when you check out to get your savings.
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[digg]http://digg.com/podcasts/CAG_Foreplay[/digg]Multi-Platform
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars Dev. Z-Axis Pub. Activision Systems: 360, PS3 MSRP: $59.99
Last fall when the PC version of Enemy Territory: Quake Wars hit, it surprised me by receiving high scores for a franchise that had been falling behind more advanced and modern first-person shooters. This is not a traditional story-driven Quake game, but rather a twitchier version of a "Battlefield" style game. The console versions have been scaled back from 40 player to 16 player matches and each match pits the humans versus the Strogg as you select one of five different classes from each side. It's pretty much exactly what you would expect from this type of game: lots of vehicles and capturing of territories all wrapped up in the Quake art-style (whether that's for better or worse, I'll let you decide). Personally, I think this game is going to have a really tough time even causing a tremor in the already crowded console first-person shooter market. - ship
Best Deal:
Circuit City is offering a free $10 gift card with the purchase of either version of Enemy Territory: Quake Wars.
Purchase At Amazon $59.99 (Free shipping) Purchase At Family Video $57.68 (99 cent shipping) Purchase At Circuit City $59.99 (Free $10 gift card with purchase) Purchase At Amazon $59.99 (Free shipping) Purchase At Family Video $57.68 (99 cent shipping) Purchase At Circuit City $59.99 (Free $10 gift card with purchase)Lost Planet: Extreme Condition Colonies Edition Dev. Capcom Pub. Capcom Systems: PC, 360 MSRP: $29.99
(Deja Preview) Run through really pretty snow, cause really pretty explosions, and splatter really pretty space bugs in this third-person action game. The game mixes on-foot exploits with mech-based portions and there are plenty of insanely large boss battles. There's also plenty of really bad voice acting and questionable attire for females that are living on a planet that is entirely covered with snow. Regardless, at a reduced price, this is a pretty fun single-player romp that's rounded out with good online multiplayer. - ship
The "Colonies Edition" brings quite a bit more bug-killin' action to the table, with new multiplayer maps and modes including the ability to play as one of the giant insects against other human players. They've also spruced up the single-player game with new time trial and score attack modes as well as the ability to play as Luka (she lives on the second floor, yes, I think we've seen her before). The game also supports cross-platform play between the Xbox 360 and the PC, so if that keeps you warm at night, well... it's something. Seems to me, a more intriguing feature would be the ability to use your save file from the original game, but that didn't make the cut, so you're going to have to play through the entire game again to take advantage of the new single-player material. That's cold, Capcom, real cold. - ship
Best Deal:
There don't seem to be any specific deals for Lost Planet: Extreme Condition Colonies Edition.
Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free shipping) Purchase At Family Video $27.64 (99 cent shipping) Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free shipping) Purchase At Family Video $27.64 (99 cent shipping)UEFA Euro 2008 (Last Week) Dev. EA Canada Pub. Electronic Arts Systems: PS2, PSP, 360, PS3 MSRP: $29.99-$49.99
Currently sporting a Metacritic score of 80, I guess if you are looking for a European based soccer game, then you will be appeased. Truthfully, it's really hard to think up anything clever to say about soccer games anymore and I never got around to playing the demo on either the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360. I do know there is a "Captain Your Country" mode in which you control a single player in hopes of leading your country to soccer glory. - ship
Best Deal:
There don't seem to be any specific deals for UEFA Euro 2008.
Purchase At Amazon $49.99 (Free shipping) Purchase At Deep Discount $48.99 (Free shipping) Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free shipping) Purchase At Family Video $27.94 (99 cent shipping) Purchase At Amazon $49.99 (Free shipping) Purchase At Deep Discount $48.99 (Free shipping) Purchase At Amazon $39.99 (Free shipping) Purchase At Deep Discount $38.99 (Free shipping)Wii
Death Jr.: Root of Evil Dev. Backbone Entertainment Pub. Eidos Interactive Systems: Wii MSRP: $39.99
This title is the second Death Jr. title originally released for the PSP but is the first to be ported to the Wii. Game play involves both the Wii-mote and the Nunchuck, and the preview buzz surrounding this title is that the game is much better on the Wii than it was on the PSP. The Death Jr. characters are the same in all their quirky and grim glory, but the platforming/melee weaponry is greatly enhanced by the inter-activeness of the Wii. The big negatives associated with the PSP version, the aiming and the camera angles, are easily fixed on the Wii, and the graphics have been updated. Overall, this should be a decent platformer for the Wii. Although, I have to say I never got into this series; maybe the characters just aren't as appealing as others. - mrs. ship
Best Deal:
Circuit City is offering a free $10 gift card with the purchase of Death Jr.: Root of Evil.
Purchase At Amazon $39.99 (Free shipping) Purchase At Circuit City $39.99 (Free $10 gift card with purchase)Emergency Heroes Dev. Ubi Soft Reflections Pub. Ubi Soft Systems: Wii MSRP: $39.99
Hit the streets and clean up crime (like all that havoc you've been causing in GTA) in this futuristic mission-based driving game. Get behind the wheel of over 48 variants of police cars, ambulances, and fire trucks as you generally cruise around town and run into, pick up, or put out a set number of objectives within a time limit. The stylized cartoon style graphics aren't going to set your world aflame, but for a younger set, this looks to be a good action game. There's even a two-player co-op mode that allows you to help each other bump into things a predetermined number of times! - ship
Best Deal:
There don't seem to be any specific deals for Emergency Heroes.
Purchase At Amazon $39.99 (Free shipping) Purchase At Deep Discount $38.99 (Free shipping)Kawasaki Snowmobiles Dev. Data Design Interactive Pub. Bold Games Systems: Wii MSRP: $19.99
I'm envisioning Kawasaki Quad Bikes or Kawasaki Jet Ski, but with less ATV's and jet ski's and more snowmobiles. A lot more snowmobiles. No joke. - ship
Best Deal:
There don't seem to be any specific deals for Kawasaki Snowmobiles.
Purchase At Amazon $19.99 (Free shipping on orders over $25)The Monkey King: The Legend Begins Dev. Stafish Pub. UFO Systems: Wii MSRP: $29.99
Apparently the title Monkey King is based loosely on a classic Chinese novel written during the Ming Dynasty and partly on an arcade classic. What looks to be a side-scrolling shooter with cartoon-inspired graphics is shrouded in mystery. Some sites show cover art that includes a small pink mouse creature with a bazooka, while others show a shadowy man with some armor standing on a cliff. I hope they went with the bazooka-wielding woodland creature. - mrs. ship
Best Deal:
Deep Discount is offering The Monkey King: The Legend Begins for $19 shipped.
Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free shipping) Purchase At Deep Discount $18.99 (Free shipping)Wii Fit (Last Week) Dev. Nintendo Pub. Nintendo Systems: Wii MSRP: $89.99
Every time I talk about this game, Ship just shakes his head and says, "They're going to sell a lot of those things." Fair enough, but coming from a girl who has no coordination and no flexibility, I wonder how much this thing really is going to strengthen my core. I think the Wii Board part of the game is going to make it much more marketable than Yourself Fitness (which, by the way, is backwards compatible on the 360 and playable on your PS3). Sure, it's a scale and there are BMI charts, yoga, and stretching, but I'm not sure I buy the aerobics part of it. I mean, jogging in place during free run sounds boring and really uninspiring. That said, check with me in 8 months when there's 6 feet of snow on the ground and I'm not feeling the morning jog. My tune most definitely will change.
Edit: So I'm now the proud owner of a Wii Balance Board, and I have to say that Wii Fit is pretty decent. My only complaints are that the moves (be they Yoga or strength training) are all isolated. What I mean is, they take you through the set number of reps and then kick you back out to the menu. I wish I could select all the stuff I want to do and have it link them together so there's not as much stopping and starting. There needs to be more fluidity. Also, many of the cut scenes involve pressing "A" on the Wii-mote, but it seems very awkward to keep it in your hand as you're working out. I think Wii Fit is a good first try, but there is definitely room for improvement. - mrs. ship
Best Deal:
There don't seem to be any specific deals for Wii Fit. In fact, it's sold out just about everywhere at the moment.
Purchase At Amazon $89.99 (Free shipping)DS
Super Dodgeball Brawlers Dev. ARC System Works Pub. Akysys Systems: DS MSRP: $29.99
Everyone who played the original NES Super Dodgeball or the nearly identical arcade version has fond memories of smacking adorable Commies in the face with balls that they were supposed to be dodging. Ever since then we occasionally get another version of the game that never varies too much from the original, yet still somehow doesn't live up to it. Quite frankly, I'm really not sure what you can add to this series to improve it, but this latest iteration inserts punching and kicking (hence "Brawlers") and some light RPG character leveling. There's also 8-player single-card play, which is a nice touch, but the game really doesn't have any DS specific controls other than being able to select your special moves with the touch screen. All-in-all, I can't say that I'm optimistic that this is going to be an amazing game, but I can't deny that part of me wants to still try this game. I just wish it had come out for $20 instead of $30. And do we still get to laughably inflict pain on Commies? - ship
Best Deal:
Family Video is offering Super Dodgeball Brawlers for around $28.50 shipped.
Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free shipping) Purchase At Family Video $27.64 (99 cent shipping)USA Today Crosswords Challenge Dev. Destineer Pub. Destineer Systems: DS MSRP: $19.99
USA Today is giving the New York Times a run for their money outside of the print media market this week with the release of the newest crossword puzzle DS title. This EB/Gamestop exclusive has very little information available online other than "Take on crossword puzzles from USA Today" which is pretty much self-explanitory. If you've worn out your copies of Crosswords DS and NYT Crosswords, this comes just in time. - mrs. ship
Best Deal:
There are no deals for USA Today Crosswords Challenge because it is an EB/GameStop exclusive.
Purchase At EB Games $19.99 (EB/GameStop Exclusive)PlayStation 3
Haze (Last Week) Dev. Free Radical Pub. Ubi Soft Systems: PS3 MSRP: $59.99
I had originally written up a pretty scathing preview about how it might not be such a hot idea to release a game in 2008 that reminded me of Goldeneye dropped into a FarCry locale with non-descript yellow-visored space marines and a core game mechanic that constantly points out how uninteresting the game is when you aren't using it. But then the reviews came out and pretty much took care of everything for me. (Plus I can't seem to find my original preview.) - ship
Best Deal:
There don't seem to be any specific deals for Haze.
Purchase At Amazon $59.99 (Free shipping) Purchase At Family Video $57.68 (99 cent shipping)SingStar (Last Week) Dev. SCE London Pub. Sony Systems: PS3 MSRP: $39.99, $59.99
This well-known karaoke franchise makes its PS3 debut with SingStar. The game includes a USB microphone and features songs from Weezer, Britney Spears, R.E.M., Gwen Stefani, and many more. If you don't like the songs that the title comes with, you can use the SingStore to download some of the titles featured on the PS2 games as well as a few new ones. The downloadable songs also allow you to view the music video. The title is compatible with existing PS2 microphones and the Eye Toy and the PS Eye. There are wireless Bluetooth microphones under development but sadly aren't available as of yet. Just don't trip over the cord while you're dancing in your living room. - mrs. ship
Best Deal:
There don't seem to be any specific deals for SingStar.
Purchase At Amazon $39.99 (Free shipping) Purchase At Amazon $59.99 (Free shipping) Purchase At Family Video $57.68 (99 cent shipping)PlayStation 2
Garfield: Lasagna World Tour Dev. Eko System Pub. Conspiracy Systems: PS2 MSRP: $14.99
DIS GAME SUCKZ. KATS DOAN LIEK LASAGNA, WE LIEK TUNA. AN KATS HATE FLYIN AN WATR, SO WE R UNLIKELY 2 TRAVEL ACROS TEH OCEAN. - iPod the Cat
Best Deal:
There don't seem to be any specific deals for Garfield: Lasagna World Tour.
Purchase At Amazon $14.99 (Free shipping on orders over $25)On The DL with the Shipwrecks
City Connection Systems: Wii Virtual Console (NES) MSRP: $5
Okay, so of course the first thing you would do if you owned a hatchback that could jump and paint roads white and shoot globs of oil at cats and police cars would be to shut this game off immediately and not do any of that stuff. Goodness gracious, who was really wanting to play some City Connection? I know you're just releasing ROMs on the Virtual Console, Nintendo, but did this one just come in some "Super Torrent Set", because I can't imagine you actively sought this one out. - ship
Metal Slug Dev. Pub. Systems: Wii Virtual Console (Neo Geo) MSRP: $9
Certainly a great game, but let's not forget that you can grab the Metal Slug Anthology which includes this game and six other Metal Slugs for less than $20 for either the Wii, PS2, or the PSP. - ship
Sky Kid (Last Week) Systems: Wii Virtual Console (NES) MSRP: $5
This horizontal scrolling shooter was originally released for the NES. The game play is simple: pick up your bomb, navigate through the level without getting your plane shot down, and drop bomb(s) on selected target(s). The only cool thing about this game (as far as I can tell) is that occasionally when you blow up your target, there's a hidden Namco character that appears under the rubble. Seems a meager treat for 500 Wii points, but if scrolling shooters are your cup of tea, you could do worse. - mrs. ship
Critter Round-Up (Last Week) Systems: WiiWare MSRP: $10
This animal-themed title involves a little man who builds fences on the fly and animals who just want to eat each other. The goal of the game is to build fences so that the lions don't eat the zebras and so on. There's 50 levels in the adventure mode, and there are quite a few little power-ups that drop from the sky periodically. There are also some mini-games that are a bit reminiscent of the arcade game Qix and the cell-phone blockbuster, Snake. The graphics are cute, but for $10, I need a bit more substance. - mrs. ship
Dr. Mario Online RX Systems: WiiWare MSRP: $10
It's the new and improved Dr. Mario, with online multiplayer and the same pill-popping game play goodness that we love. - mrs. ship
Family Table Tennis Systems: WiiWare MSRP: $5
Sure, it's not as much fun as real table tennis, but then you don't have to clear of the piles of laundry and random junk that's collected on the table since the last time you played. At least, I don't think you will. I'm not sure, the press release on this game is a bit scary: It’s time for some good old family fun, and what’s more fun than table tennis? Just like a real family, choose your character from a cast of four, which includes Daddy, Mommy, Sarah and Billy. There are four table tennis-tastic stages where it doesn’t matter if you’re an indoors or outdoors table-tennis player. Pick your poison from a gymnasium, a forest park, a beach or even an amusement park. Choose from Single or Versus mode, or select a minigame to play. In Versus mode, you and a friend can play against each other to see who is the better table-tennis player. And if Single and Versus modes aren’t enough, select between three minigames, which include Target Table Tennis, Thrilling Table Tennis and Matching Table Tennis. The appealing cell-shaded graphics and endearing music, on top of the super-fun game play, will have you and your family playing from morning till night. Get your paddles ready. - mrs. ship
Star Soldier R (Last Week) Systems: WiiWare MSRP: $8
Well, you can play this SHMUP two different ways: for 2 minutes or for 5 minutes. Then you can wonder where your $8 went for the rest of your life. Consisting of merely two levels that are broken down into the previously mentioned time limits, I can't imagine this holding anyone's attention for any length of time. But wait, act now and they'll throw in a third mode where you see how many times you can hit a button in 13 seconds. Quite a package. - ship
Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness - Episode 1 (Last Week) Systems: XBLA, PC MSRP: $20
As of writing this preview, I'm very close to completing the first episode of Penny Arcade Adventures. Clocking in around six hours or so, it's up to you whether you think that is worthy of your $20. For me, I think it was. Set in a 1920's Penny Arcade universe, the game is a cross of point-and-click adventuring and traditional turn-based RPG. It's all fairly linear and extremely easy, but it is an enjoyable trip for even casual readers of the comic. I'm definitely looking forward to the next episode... hopefully, it will come at a little bit of a discount price though. - ship
You can download the PC, Mac, or Linux versions for $19.95 from Greenhouse.
Purchase At Greenhouse $19.95 Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows (Last Week) Systems: Xbox Originals MSRP: $15
Based on 90% of television, people generally prefer to hang out in groups of four. I mean, you have the Golden Girls, The ladies from Sex in the City, even Seinfeld. So it goes that there are always four heroes needed to save the world and, as luck would have it, they all have different weapons of choice. Ship and I played through this title when it came out on the XBOX. I'm usually the mage/wizard or the valkyrie and Ship is usually the warrior or the elf/archer. This is your standard RPG that involves a large amount of button-mashing combat. Overall, we enjoyed it because of the co-op play and the ability to upgrade weapons, but it fell way short of the greatness of Baldur's Gate and Champions of Norrath. Now those are four titles they should release as XBOX Originals. - mrs. ship
Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel without a Pulse (Last Week) Systems: Xbox Originals MSRP: $15
As I mentioned on the CAGcast, Stubbs the Zombie is built squarely on top of the original Halo engine and it immediately shows with its good camera and controls (heck, it even has the same menu system). Stubbs is a humorous take on what it would be like to walk in the zombie's shoes for once and for the most part it succeeds. Two-player split-screen co-op is an enjoyable affair, but with the short storyline and no real reason for additional play-throughs, you're better off picking this one up for cheaper used. - ship
Feedback:
Did we miss a good sale on a game? Did we miss previewing a game completely? Well, the only way that everyone can know a better deal is out there is to let us know about it. Post deals you've found or games that we missed in the thread so that CAGs can make sure they are getting the absolute best prices on new releases.
