CAG Foreplay: New Releases (4/24/07) - Check out the pair of Pokemons on her Edition

CAG's shipwreck previews the new releases for the week of April 24th, 2007. This week I go it alone and cover an array of games that we'll most likely see on the bargain rack shortly. Oh yeah, the new Pokemon game is out too.

Don't worry, mrs. shipwreck will be back helping me again next week.


Aedis Eclipse: Generation of Chaos Dev. Idea Factory Pub. NIS America Systems: PSP MSRP: $39.99
Last year's Generation of Chaos was met with mixed reviews as the deep and unforgiving learning curve pissed off many a gamer. Well, the follow-up is coming Stateside, and now it seems as though they've dumbed down the game to turned-based "strategery" and now critics are upset that it is too easy. I tell ya, it's like ing Goldilocks around here. - ship

Best Deal:
There don't seem to be any specific deals for Aedis Eclipse: Generation of Chaos.

Purchase At Amazon $39.99 (Free shipping)


Bionicle Heroes Dev. Traveller's Tales Pub. Eidos Interactive Systems: Wii MSRP: $39.99
The other LEGO game from Traveller's Tales comes to the Wii. So if you want a single player LEGO Star Wars without the recognizable characters, but with tacked on Wiimote controls, your dreams have been answered. Back in my day our action figures were action figures and our building blocks were building blocks. - ship

Best Deal:
There don't seem to be any specific deals for Bionicle Heroes.

Purchase At EB Games $39.99


Cube Dev. Metia Interactive Pub. D3 Systems: PSP MSRP: $19.99
A disorienting take on action-puzzling where you navigate a cube around suspended mazes made up of more cubes. It's kind of like the game "Mercury", but with an even blander art style and a camera that dares you to keep your lunch firmly in your belly. Add in some overly-complicated puzzle elements and several dashes of tedium, and it's clear why D3 is releasing this as a budget title. If I worked in their marketing department, I'd package it with a box of Dramamine and sell it as a "Limited Collector's Edition". Blargfh. - ship

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

Purchase At Amazon $19.99 (Free shipping on orders over $25)


F.E.A.R. Dev. Day 1 Studios Pub. Vivendi/Sierra Systems: PS3 MSRP: $59.99
Or as I've come to know it, Feigning Enjoyment Ardously and Repeatedly. Way back in the year two-thousand and five, critics were pouring on the acclaim for the PC version of this first-person shooter and willy-nillying around comparisons to Half-Life 2. Two years later and I just don't see it. F.E.A.R. is a by-the-book corridor shooter that is just plain boring. Sure there's the horror element that is thrown in, but it does very little other than to nudge the story along while you are shooting the same three bad guys garbed in black over and over again. Granted these fodder show flashes of good AI from time to time, but as soon as you throw on the slow-mo, it's basically a shooting gallery in a hallway. I'm a fan of both first-person shooters and horror games, but with so many next-gen shooters that are actually enjoyable available, I really can't recommend this one - especially for this $60 port. Keep playing Resistance, PS3 faithful. - ship

Best Deal:
There are a couple different deals for F.E.A.R. Target is offering a free $10 gift card and Fry's is beating that by selling the game for $48.99.

Purchase At Amazon $59.82 (Free shipping)
See speedy1961's Target Ad $59.99 (Free $10 Gift Card with purchase)
See fidodido's Fry's Ad $48.99


The Fast and the Furious Dev. Namco Bandai Pub. Namco Bandai Systems: PSP MSRP: $29.99
The license that never dies. Another street racing game comes to the PSP. Join me in a collective "meh". - ship

Best Deal:
There don't seem to be any specific deals for The Fast and the Furious.

Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free shipping)


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 unabashedly 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.

Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free shipping)


The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar Dev. Turbine Pub. Midway Systems: PC MSRP: $49.99, $59.99
Because where else are you going to get your MMORPG fantasy fix? Middle Earth is beckoning, can you resist her? - ship



Best Deal:
The Lord of the Rings Online comes in two flavors: Original and Hobbitastic. There are several deals for both versions including a free $10 gift card from Best Buy. Target is also offering the regular version for $43.97 and Fry's is again serving up the cheapness at $39.99.

Purchase At Target $43.97
See speedy1961's Best Buy Ad $49.99 (Free $10 Gift Card with Purchase
See fidodido's Fry's Ad $39.99
Purchase At Amazon $59.99 (Free shipping)
See speedy1961's Best Buy Ad $59.99 (Free $10 Gift Card with Purchase


Pokemon Diamond / Pokemon Pearl Dev. Game Freak Pub. Nintendo Systems: DS MSRP: $34.99
I've never played a Pokemon game. Well, I did play a Pokemon themed version of Memory with one of my nieces a couple of years ago. I really don't want to talk about the outcome, but I'm pretty convinced that she cheated. But yeah, the newest Pokemons are available and if you're interested you've already bought it by now. - ship

Best Deal:
You have a couple of options for your Pokemon fix. Circuit City is offering the game for $27.99, but if you have a Fry's nearby, they are undercutting that by a buck.

Purchase At Circuit City $27.99
See fidodido's Fry's Ad $26.99
Purchase At Circuit City $27.99
See fidodido's Fry's Ad $26.99


Rayman: Raving Rabbids Dev. Ubi Soft Pub. Ubi Soft Systems: 360 MSRP: $49.99
The limbless wonder brings his collection of mini games to the Xbox 360 with optional camera gesture controls; you know, just in case you don't feel like having the on-screen action correlate with your intentions. Here's hoping you can see this gesture, Rayman, because I'm doing it as hard as I can. All that Totemball practice is really going to pay off. - ship

Best Deal:
Family Video is offering Rayman: Raving Rabbids for $46 shipped.

Purchase At Family Video $44.99 (99 cent shipping)


SNK Vs. Capcom Card Fighters DS Dev. SNK Playmore Pub. SNK Playmore Systems: DS MSRP: $29.99
The series considered one of the darlings of the Neo Geo Pocket is finally being released on a system people actually own. Like the previous versions, you collect cards of your favorite Capcom characters and then battle them against the vaguely recognizable SNK roster. This typically isn't my genre of choice, but I can't say that the inclusion of Phoenix Wright didn't perk my interest. - ship

Best Deal:
There don't seem to be any specific deals for SNK vs. Capcom Card Fighters DS.

Purchase At Amazon $29.82 (Free shipping)



On The DL with Shipwreck

Battle Load Runner Systems: Wii MSRP: $6
Here's something I'd like to see more of: a game that never came to North America is being released on the Virtual Console. If you've never played Lode Runner, it's a very enjoyable action/puzzler that kept me captivated for months on my Macintosh LCIII. The TurboGrafx-16 version adds some multiplayer modes, hence the "Battle" moniker. - ship

Eets: Chowdown Systems: 360 MSRP: $10
This 2D action/puzzler is certainly worth giving a go this week and is being compared to "Lemmings" and "The Incredible Machine". With its quirky art style and sense of humor, Eets looks like something I could gobble up. (Yes, I know that sentence was absolutely dreadful.) - ship

Gradius III Systems: Wii MSRP: $8
Fly right and shoot. Yep, it's the SNES port of Gradius III alright. The slowdown is emulated magnificently which is probably why they feel it's worth $8. - ship

Pinball FX Systems: 360 MSRP: $10
It's a pinball game with three different tables. Those of you with the Vision Camera can choose to control the flippers by moving your arms. Because they could, that's why. - ship

Wonder Boy in Monster World Systems: Wii MSRP: $8
I spent my Tenacious D reference on the last Wonder Boy release, so I'm at a bit of an impasse here. Part platformer, part RPG, all $8. This is not the greatest preview in the world, no no, this is just a tribute. - 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.

Everyone who wants to see a Japan-only game released on the Wii VC should buy Battle Lode Runner to let the game companies see that we want them here in the U.S. Plus, Battle Lode Runner is a fun game. Definite purchase for me.

Thank you, shipwreck, for another entertaining mid-week read.

Aedis Eclipse? man I hope it's better than the first Generation of chaos port for the PSP that was a steaming pile of dog crap complete with flies. I'm hopeful but I'l so totally waiting for a review.

Cube is by D3 which autmatically makes it a budget title, it's like being released by XS if it comes from one of these companies it should be less than half the price of a normal title because that's usually how much time they spent developing it. Oneechan Bara and that monster shooting thing for the 360 should be proof enough of that (Though I hear the multiplayer is good that last game production values look piss poor.)

I'm pretty interested in Card Fighters DS. I have the original version for the NeoGeo Pocket color but never got too far because of the lackof a back light and having to strain to see things, if it has improved graphics it could prove a pretty fun distraction.

[quote name='soonersfan60']Everyone who wants to see a Japan-only game released on the Wii VC should buy Battle Lode Runner to let the game companies see that we want them here in the U.S. Plus, Battle Lode Runner is a fun game. Definite purchase for me. [/quote]
I also definitely want to see some more games on VC, maybe even XBLA, which were never released in the United States.

I will certainly look into Battle Lode Runner specifically in hopes that it will catch the attention of publishers.

Oh, and Pokemon rocks!

My Pokemans....Let me show you them.

Thanks, Ship! The ing Goldilocks reference made me smirk--talk about a whiny, high maintenance bitch. You know she really wants it hard from behind, though.

The only other thing I'm interested in this week besides catching them all, is Card Fighters DS. I'm really not a TCG kind of guy, but throw some Capcom and SNK characters in and you've peaked my interest. I guess I'm just a whore for those companies...

You should mention that the PS3 Version of F.E.A.R. has had critics screaming over the graphics. For some reason the devs just did a quick and dirty port, and the graphics look absolutely terrible.

Right now the write-up just has your opinion on the game. But for those who liked the game on the PC and are considering picking up the PS3 version, they should be warned about the attrocious graphics.

[quote name='PyroGamer']You should mention that the PS3 Version of F.E.A.R. has had critics screaming over the graphics. For some reason the devs just did a quick and dirty port, and the graphics look absolutely terrible.

Right now the write-up just has your opinion on the game. But for those who liked the game on the PC and are considering picking up the PS3 version, they should be warned about the attrocious graphics.[/QUOTE]

Yes, thanks for the reminder. I guess I got carried away talking about the mediocrity and forget to mention that the PS3 version goes the extra mile with a shoddy port as well.

[quote name='PyroGamer']You should mention that the PS3 Version of F.E.A.R. has had critics screaming over the graphics. For some reason the devs just did a quick and dirty port, and the graphics look absolutely terrible.

Right now the write-up just has your opinion on the game. But for those who liked the game on the PC and are considering picking up the PS3 version, they should be warned about the attrocious graphics.[/QUOTE]

For those who liked the game on the PC, they should stick to the PC version.

The PC version is miles ahead of both the 360 / PS3 ports... the 360 port was ass too, and I believe the same company (Day 1 Studios?) has been involved with both ports. I don't think Monolith helped at all. I remember the demo on the 360 had horrible graphics as well... the game even stuttered going down a ladder.

The game was amazing on the PC, it's sad to think they butchered it when they ported it, but it was to be expected with a no name developer handling it.

It's also sad to see people who rag on the game, after only playing the console ports, call it bad. I just got done playing Fear on the PC, and the graphics and AI were top notch, and the story definitely picked up near the end. Definitely one of the better FPS's I've played lately.

Extraction Point was even better, imo. Too bad it was so short. If anyone is interested, and their computer can handle it, just get F.E.A.R Gold at CC for $28 this week, instead of $60 for shitty ports.

There is more than three enemy types too... I can think of at least 8 different types of enemies, not even counting all the variations each of them had, which is standard for most FPS's.

[quote name='Roufuss']For those who liked the game on the PC, they should stick to the PC version.

The PC version is miles ahead of both the 360 / PS3 ports... the 360 port was ass too, and I believe the same company (Day 1 Studios?) has been involved with both ports. I don't think Monolith helped at all. I remember the demo on the 360 had horrible graphics as well... the game even stuttered going down a ladder.

The game was amazing on the PC, it's sad to think they butchered it when they ported it, but it was to be expected with a no name developer handling it.

It's also sad to see people who rag on the game, after only playing the console ports, call it bad. I just got done playing Fear on the PC, and the graphics and AI were top notch, and the story definitely picked up near the end. Definitely one of the better FPS's I've played lately.

Extraction Point was even better, imo. Too bad it was so short. If anyone is interested, and their computer can handle it, just get F.E.A.R Gold at CC for $28 this week, instead of $60 for shitty ports.

There is more than three enemy types too... I can think of at least 8 different types of enemies, not even counting all the variations each of them had, which is standard for most FPS's.[/QUOTE]

I think it may just be a difference in what PC gamers want in a FPS and what console gamers want in a FPS, because this whole thing felt extremely dated. And I didn't even think the graphics were bad and I didn't really notice any major stuttering. I didn't have technical issues with the game, it was the game itself that I just didn't find entertaining.

There are just so many other FPS that are already available on the next-gen systems that I enjoyed a lot more than FEAR.

[quote name='Roufuss']For those who liked the game on the PC, they should stick to the PC version.[/QUOTE]
You're absolutely right, but some people's computers just can't handle it.

Here are some decent deals from www.bullmoose.com

Aedis Eclipse: Generation of Chaos (PSP) $36.63
Bionicle Heroes (Wii) $36.30
F.E.A.R (PS3) $55.52
Cube (PSP) $17.77
Fast & Furious (PSP) $27.47
SNK vs Capcom Card Fighters (DS) $25.75

Standard shipping is $1.99 for all games, so add $1.99 to any of those prices to get the shipped price.