CAG Foreplay: New Releases (3/27/07) - iPod the Cat Edition

shipwreck

Moderator
Staff member
Feedback
91 (100%)
CAG's rocksolidaudio & shipwreck preview the new releases for the week of March 27th, 2007. This week we cover rehashes, ports, compilations, expansions, and even a few new games!

Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars Dev. Electronic Arts Pub. Electronic Arts Systems: PC MSRP: $49.99, $59.99
It's been a damn long time since Command & Conquer was a genuinely exciting series. For all intents and purposes, it's been at LEAST seven years. Well, EA are finally back at it (oh Westwood, we yearn for you) with C&C3, and from most accounts it's an exciting return to what makes those good ol' days of RTS mastery something worth reminiscing about. The new alien Scrin race are the biggest addition, and apparently fit right in to the very established C&C universe. And just when you thought it was okay to let your guard down around mustachioed bald guys, Kane is back in goofy full-motion video glory to yell at you. You're probably better off with Supreme Commander or Company of Heroes if you're looking for a bit of innovation in your RTS games, but C&C is always worth another shot, and this one seems damn fun. - rock

Best Deal:
Command & Conquer 3 comes in two flavors: Standard and Kane Edition. Along with the two versions, you have a few buying options as well. EB/Gamestop is charging MSRP, but they are including a box of goodies and an exclusive map. Circuit City is offering both games $10 below retail and Family Video is offering them for $5 less than retail. If you have a Fry's nearby, you can pick C&C3 up for $38.99 or $48.99.

:pc: Purchase At EB Games $49.99 (Exclusive map and much more)
:pc: Purchase At Circuit City $39.99
:pc: Purchase At Family Video $44.99 (99 Cent Shipping)
:pc: See fidodido's Fry's ad $38.99
:pc: Purchase At EB Games $59.99 (Exclusive map and much more)
:pc: Purchase At Circuit City $49.99
:pc: Purchase At Family Video $54.99 (99 Cent Shipping)
:pc: See fidodido's Fry's ad $48.99


Dance Dance Revolution Universe Dev. Konami Pub. Konami Systems: 360 MSRP: $49.99
Forgive me, but this one seems self-explanatory. It’s Dance Dance Revolution. The main novel feature that this game offers is a marathon co-op mode so that multiple players on a single team can take turns playing without missing a beat. It also has an online competition mode so that Shipwreck and Wombat can finally determine who has better moves. But most importantly, it’s purported to be the first DDR game with true beginner modes that cater to anyone and everyone who dares to step onto the mat. - mrs. shipwreck (CAG Foreplay 2-27-07)
DDR fanatics can stop complaining that they have to buy the bundled pad, and can now focus all their efforts on complaining that their last gen pads don't work on the 360. - ship


Best Deal:
EB/Gamestop is offering a free music CD with the purchase of DDR Universe. If you are just looking for the cheapest deal though, Family Video is selling the game for $46.87.


:360: Purchase At EB Games $49.99 (Bonus Music CD)
:360: Purchase At Family Video $46.87 (99 Cent Shipping)


The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles Dev. Bethesda Pub. 2K Systems: 360, PC MSRP: $29.99
For those looking to jump back into the largest, in-chargest, most spellbinding RPG adventure ever, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, this is the most exciting opportunity yet. There have been dungeons to explore and new sights to see, but Shivering Isles is a full-blown expansion, with new worlds, creatures, weapons, and land roughly 20% the size of Oblivion to explore; there's even some new achievement points to be won, for all of the nerd whores. The art design is much more fantastical and arguably more exciting, even if the value proposition isn't as monstrous ($30 for a 30-hour game isn't quite as hot as $60 for a hojillion-hour game). If you're still playing regularly you probably already have it by now (it's out, go!), and if you haven't burned all of your Marketplace points on the recent rash of good XBLA games this is a good kick in the ass to get playin' again. - rock

Best Deal:
There don't seem to be any specific deals for Shivering Isles.

:360: The Xbox 360 version is only available as a download through the Xbox Live Marketplace for 2400 points ($30).

:pc: Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free Shipping)
:pc: See fidodido's Fry's ad $27.99


Hard Rock Casino Dev. Crave Entertainment Pub. Crave Entertainment Systems: PSP MSRP: $29.99
Bucking the tradition of mediocre casino games, Hard Rock Casino is terrible. It does offer single disc multiplayer though, so you can subject your friends to it. 20 different games are included. Yipee! - ship

Best Deal:
There don't seem to be any specific deals for Hard Rock Casino. You can save a few cents at Family Video if you really need the game... and those pennies.

:psp: Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free Shipping)
:psp: Purchase At Family Video $28.84 (99 Cent Shipping)


Honeycomb Beat Dev. Hudson Soft Pub. Konami Systems: DS MSRP: $19.99
Like all great puzzle game concepts, Honeycomb Beat offers up a simple set of rules, a simpler explanation, and untold depths of addiction once you find your rhythm. Touch a piece of the honeycomb-shaped board, and all of the surrounding pieces will flip their color, with a couple special blocks thrown in to mix things up. Puzzle mode has you solving brain-bending puzzles where you really have to thinking nine steps ahead of yourself, while Exploration mode has you fighting off rising layers of the 'comb, in a Polarium-meets-Meteos kinda way. The visuals and sound integration are definitely trying to appeal on the same level as Q?'s games, though it feels a bit insubstantial compared to those synaesthetic masterpieces. It's a nice package for $20 though, and is sure to please brainy puzzle enthusiasts despite the mixed presentation. - rock

Best Deal:
There don't seem to be any specific deals for Honeycomb Beat.

:ds: Purchase At Amazon $19.99 (Free Shipping)


Konami Classics: Arcade Hits Dev. Konami Pub. Konami Systems: DS MSRP: $29.99
Fifteen classic games of varying fame are stuffed onto an itty bitty cartridge in an effort to remind you how overpriced downloadable content is. This collection includes Contra, Gradius, Rush'n Attack, Scramble, Time Pilot, Track and Field, and the rest of the filler classics. Wait, where are Frogger and Gyruss? - ship

Best Deal:
There don't seem to be any specific deals for Konami Classics: Arcade Hits.

:ds: Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free Shipping)


Made Man Dev. Silverback Studios Pub. Aspyr Systems: PS2 MSRP: $19.99
The third-person mafia game that garnered a universal "meh" from the Brits last year shakes off the cement shoes and washes up on our shores. General rule of thumb: if it's not a sports game and it features "real people" on the cover, stay away. - ship

Best Deal:
There don't seem to be any specific deals for Made Man.

:ps2: Purchase At Amazon $19.99 (Free Shipping)


Medal of Honor: Vanguard Dev. Electronic Arts Pub. Electronic Arts Systems: PS2, Wii MSRP: $39.99, $49.99
Another week, another game that doesn't need to be on the Wii. Or the PS2 for that matter, considering God of War II is still fresh and there are a few legitimate upcoming gems left in the line-up. Even if this game WERE great, what could be said about it that could excite you? It's Medal of Honor, a series that used to impressive with it's authenticity and engaging atmosphere, and is now a third-tier shooter at best. Until they add some sort of Cerebral Bore or Rocket Boots, you're probably better off continuing sticking to Call of Duty, or just, y'know, not a war game at all. - rock

Best Deal:
Amazon is offering the PS2 version of Medal of Honor for $35.99. Family Video is offering the Wii version for $44.99.

:ps2: Purchase At Amazon $35.99 (Free Shipping)
:wii: Purchase At Family Video $44.99 (99 Cent Shipping)


Meet The Robinsons Dev. Avalanche Software Pub. Beuna Vista Games Systems: Everything MSRP: $29.99, $49.99
Meet your next shameless movie tie-in game. Travel through time and use wacky gadgets to reach the ultimate goal of appeasing the little kids in your life. Here's hoping that they at least include the subtitled T-Rex who isn't afraid to admit his shortcomings. I would be 100% more excited about this game if it was simply called "Things T-Rex's Can't Do In Our Modern World". Now that'd be a game. - ship

Best Deal:
There don't seem to be any specific deals for Meet The Robinsons, but Family Video has the games for a few cents cheaper.

:360: Purchase At EB Games $49.99
:360: Purchase At Amazon $49.82 (Free Shipping)
:360: Purchase At Family Video $48.07 (99 Cent Shipping)
:ds: Purchase At EB Games $29.99
:ds: Purchase At Amazon $29.82 (Free Shipping)
:gba: Purchase At EB Games $29.99
:gba: Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free Shipping)
:gba: Purchase At Family Video $28.84 (99 Cent Shipping)
:gc: Purchase At EB Games $29.99
:gc: Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free Shipping)
:gc: Purchase At Family Video $28.84 (99 Cent Shipping)
:ps2: Purchase At EB Games $29.99
:ps2: Purchase At Amazon $29.82 (Free Shipping)
:wii: Purchase At EB Games $49.99
:wii: Purchase At Amazon $49.82 (Free Shipping)
:wii: Purchase At Family Video $48.07 (99 Cent Shipping)


Metal Slug Anthology Dev. SNK Playmore Pub. SNK Playmore Systems: PS2 MSRP: $39.99
The long delayed compilation of seven games in the Metal Slug series might be coming out this week, but I wouldn't be surprised to be reading this same preview in weeks to come. Fans of scrolling shooters will certainly be happy to get their fill of rescuing hostages and plowing through thousands of poorly trained militants on the go. Will this game come out this week, who knows, but the sooner it comes out the sooner it can drop from it's lofty $40 price tag. - ship (CAG Foreplay 2-20-07)

Best Deal:
There don't seem to be any specific deals for Metal Slug Anthology.

:ps2: Purchase At Amazon $39.82 (Free Shipping)


Petz Vet Dev. Ubi Soft Pub. Ubi Soft Systems: GBA MSRP: $29.99
Learn how to treat everything from frogs to dogs in this malpractice training game. Trust me, it's a lot cheaper than the 100 grand real vet school will run you, but this game screams for a stylus. If you are going to check a cat's temperature or give a dog an enema, you'd really like precise stylus control. - ship

Best Deal:
There don't seem to be any specific deals for Petz Vet.

:gba: Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free Shipping)


Pogo Island Dev. Electronic Arts Pub. Electronic Arts Systems: DS MSRP: $29.99
Okay, I've said I'm not a PC gamer in the past and that includes web games as well. Apparently there is a popular site out there called Pogo.com that is full of word and puzzle games. Well, you get six of those games here (Word Whomp, Poppit!, Phlinx, Tri-Peaks, Solitaire, and Squelchies) and they are all built around an island themed board game. Through the power of wizardry, you can also upload your tokens to the website (whatever that does for you). While I do enjoy puzzle games, Puzzle Quest is currently monopolizing my time on the crapper, so either I'm going to pass this one by or start eating a whole lot of prunes. - ship

Best Deal:
Target is offering Pogo Island this week for $24.00.

:ds: Purchase At Amazon $29.95 (Free Shipping)
:ds: Purchase At Target $24.00


Purr Pals Dev. Crave Entertainment Pub. Crave Entertainment Systems: DS MSRP: $29.99
Yet another pet simulator for the DS that simply makes me wonder why we haven't seen NintenCats yet. It's your usual fare here: adopt a kitten, care for it, buy it accessories, eventually forget about it. This one seems to include a lot of activites for your kitty though including what appears to be cat karaoke. That's right folks, it might be time to give Jingle Cats a run for their money. See if you can overstimulate your digital feline and reach the cat nirvana simply known as "iPod the Cat's overwhelming Christmas encounter". - ship

ipod.jpg


Best Deal:
There don't seem to be any specific deals for Purr Pals.

:ds: Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free Shipping)
:ds: Purchase At Family Video $28.84 (99 Cent Shipping)


Splinter Cell: Double Agent Dev. Ubi Soft Pub. Ubi Soft Systems: PS3 MSRP: $59.99
Okay, I could have sworn one of us would have written about this game in a past Foreplay, but I didn't see any write up. Quite stealthy. Oh, and Splinter Cell: Double Agent is coming out for the PS3. - ship

Best Deal:
There don't seem to be any deals for Splinter Cell: Double Agent.

:ps3: Purchase At Amazon $59.99 (Free Shipping)
:ps3: Purchase At Family Video $57.68 (99 Cent Shipping)


Virtua Tennis 3 Dev. Sumo Digital Pub. SEGA Systems: PSP MSRP: $29.99
Great-looking with solid, accessible game mechanics, Virtua Tennis 3 seems a worthy followup to it's predecessor's legacy. It would be nice to see a little innovation to go with the refinement, but I suppose this is more to please casual fans than draw in new ones. - rock (CAG Foreplay 3-20-07)

Best Deal:
There don't seem to be any specific deals for Virtua Tennis 3.

:psp: Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free Shipping)
:psp: Purchase At Family Video $28.84 (99 Cent Shipping)


On The DL:

Jet Pac Refueled Systems: 360 MSRP: $5
Just like what seems like the majority of Live Arcade games, Rare's arcadey space shooter redux finds you zipping around shooting and avoiding enemies and setting off the odd bomb. Simple stuff. Thankfully it's refreshingly cheap, there's 128 levels (as well the entire 16-level, 24 year-old original), and simultaneous multiplayer action. And leaderboards, achievements, blah blah blah. It's pretty too, if you can get past the almost obnoxiously colorful art design. Jury's still out, but you'll more than likely get your five bucks worth, and then some. - rock

Romance of the Three Kingdoms IV: Wall of Fire Systems: Wii MSRP: $8
As I've said before, somebody likes these games or they wouldn't have so many Roman Numerals after them. Well if you want an old version of the feudal China strategy series, it's going to cost you VIII dollars. - ship


General Deals that could be applied to save you some money:

As always Best Buy's Gamer Gift Card $5 Coupon can be applied to save you $5 on any of these games. Check out all the details here.

(Please note that you must have already signed up for both of the following deals, but the purchase periods are still active.)

Paypal is currently offering a $15 rebate on qualifying $30 purchases. Check out all the details here.

Google Checkout is still running their $10 off any $10 or more purchase for new users. Check out the details here.


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.
 
I won't believe Metal Slug Anthology for PS2 has been released until I'm holding it in my own hands. I've been waiting since fall of last year for that one...
 
[quote name='CheapyD']Can we get some more info on "iPod the Cat's overwhelming Christmas encounter"?[/QUOTE]

Well, as you can see, mrs. shipwreck gave him quite a few toys for Christmas along with some catnip. He was riding pretty high there for about an hour and then just passed out surrounded by all his new possessions.
 
Shivering Isles for PC is $24.99 next week at Best Buy, if anyone wants to wait until Sunday to save $5.

lol ship, once again you provide the hilarity.
 
[quote name='Roufuss']Shivering Isles for PC is $24.99 next week at Best Buy, if anyone wants to wait until Sunday to save $5.

lol ship, once again you provide the hilarity.[/QUOTE]

understand that i'm not trying to write about these releases comically. i'm glad shipwreck does, and i'm glad we have a good mix, but you can stop being casually insulting towards me every week. if you (or anyone else) would prefer i approach the big releases with a more comedic eye i can certainly do that, but as you said yourself, i'm writing closer to the kind of approach IGN or similarly well-regarded sites would have, with a bit more focus on actual game value for CAG. if it's too dry, let me know. if you (or anyone else) have constructive criticism or requests, let's hear it. this is a very flexible feature and i'd love much more community feedback, not just compliments or quiet complaints.
 
[quote name='rocksolidaudio']understand that i'm not trying to write about these releases comically. i'm glad shipwreck does, and i'm glad we have a good mix, but you can stop being casually insulting towards me every week. if you (or anyone else) would prefer i approach the big releases with a more comedic eye i can certainly do that, but as you said yourself, i'm writing closer to the kind of approach IGN or similarly well-regarded sites would have, with a bit more focus on actual game value for CAG. if it's too dry, let me know. if you (or anyone else) have constructive criticism or requests, let's hear it. this is a very flexible feature and i'd love much more community feedback, not just compliments or quiet complaints.[/QUOTE]

I wasn't being casually insulting at all, I've been pretty straight forward in making it clear that Shipwreck adds the touch that really makes this unique. Sorry if you think I'm "insulting" you. And every week? I only started reading these last week, and this week I only complimented Shipwreck... there was nothing in my post even directed to you. Toughen up.

No offense, but if I want some dry, run of the mill previews, I'll just go to IGN, Gamespot, or hell even Gamestop.com and read the little preview blurbs they give.

The little bit of hilarity that Ship adds is the one thing that makes me want to read these, rather than just completely skip over them, because who knows what he'll write or say. Maybe I'm in the minority.
 
[quote name='rocksolidaudio']what's the consensus, readers? would you like more fun, irreverent coverage of the larger releases or more serious coverage? feedback, please![/QUOTE]
I'm a big fan of sarcasm, so most of the time I enjoy what shipwreck has to say. :)
 
[quote name='rocksolidaudio']what's the consensus, readers? would you like more fun, irreverent coverage of the larger releases or more serious coverage? feedback, please![/QUOTE]



It all needs to be a bit more dynamic and proactive....to the max.

nah, i dunno. I haven't really paid attention to the varying styles, but it's a good balance this week-- Shipwreck provides humor and succinct previews and you provide some more in depth previews for the games that need them. I think you hit points and provide opinions that the larger sites wouldn't include for fear of scaring off the less-hardcore readers, which is always nice to read.
 
[quote name='CheapyD']Personally, I like the combo platter that we've got going on right now...[/quote]

I agree. Games like Made Man almost have to be reviewed with some humor, but people want an interesting but informative review about games like Shivering Isles. Don't be so hard on yourself.
 
Yeah, I like your previews RSA. I think it helps to have two very distinct voices with something like this. Plus, when I review games that I actually give two squats about, I take a more straightforward approach as well. I don't think you could just post a picture of your cat and call it a Shivering Isles preview.
 
[quote name='shipwreck']I don't think you could just post a picture of your cat and call it a Shivering Isles preview.[/QUOTE]

what about a picture of my hell demon?
 
[quote name='SilverPaw750']I won't believe Metal Slug Anthology for PS2 has been released until I'm holding it in my own hands. I've been waiting since fall of last year for that one...[/QUOTE]

Ditto. If this version doesn't have hitflashes, requires you to use the analog stick, has terrible slowdown like the PSP version, or is fucked up in some way that only SNKPUSA could come up with, I'm going to be pissed.
 
[quote name='rocksolidaudio']what's the consensus, readers? would you like more fun, irreverent coverage of the larger releases or more serious coverage? feedback, please![/QUOTE]

I like the classic comedy duo thing you guys have going on, where you're Bud Abbott and Shipwreck is Lou Costello. It works out pretty good for me.

Also, a sincere thank you for what you're doing. This is a *great* service to the CAG community and the best thing to hit so far in 2007. Long may it last!
 
I think both you guys do a great job and keep up the great work. As shipwreck said most of the "crappy" games he puts in his sarcasm and I like your in depth views of the titles you review.

To put a spin on things, how about maybe sometimes switching who reviews what. If RSA is interested in being comedic why not one week have him review the games no one is interested in and have shipwreck review the "big" titles.

Anyway this is a great addition to CAG and keep up the good work, both of you!
 
bread's done
Back
Top