[preview][img-l=1]2[/img-l]CAG's shipwreck & mrs. shipwreck preview the new releases for the week of October 17th, 2008. Honestly, even with all the games being released, we've both been in a bit of a gaming funk lately. Maybe we'll find something this week to bust us out of it.
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[podcast]31[/podcast]
Download - 69 minutes, 32MB
[/preview]
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Multi-Platform
[img-l=4772]2810[/img-l]Avatar: The Last Airbender - Into the Inferno Dev. THQ Studio Australia Pub. THQ Systems: PS2, Wii MSRP: $19.99, $29.99
Following the events of the third and final season of the cartoon, the Airbender Aang and his crew of adolescent element wielders go on a bogus journey to battle the forces of the Fire Nation. Fans of the series should be familiar with the brawling platformer type of gameplay by now, but you can now use gestures with the Wiimote to control your character's supernatural abilities when attacking or solving puzzles. Those of you that buy the PlayStation 2 version miss out on the gesture controls, but you can mockingly wave the $10 you saved in the nearest Wii's general direction. - ship
Purchase At Amazon $19.99 (Free shipping on orders over $25)
Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free shipping)
[img-l=4772]2812[/img-l]Blitz: The League II Dev. Midway Pub. Midway Systems: 360, PS3 MSRP: $59.99
Get juiced because Lawrence Taylor is back with another season of 'roided up outside the lines football. Featuring the same gruesome, bone-breaking, tendon-tearing gameplay found in the previous version, this promises to be another fun-filled gridiron romp for those that aren't concerned with staying true to the NFL license. (And being a Bengal fan, I don't mind that one bit.) Along with a new storyline, the RPG-lite team-building elements are back, and the "Clash" mechanic has been refined to unleash even more punishing hits and straight-arms. And for fans of the older Blitz games, late hits have returned to ensure that there is never a dull moment. - ship
Purchase At Amazon $59.99 (Free shipping)
Purchase At Amazon $59.99 (Free shipping)
[img-l=4772]2814[/img-l]Bratz: Girls Really Rock Dev. THQ Pub. THQ Systems: DS, PS2, Wii MSRP: $19.99, $29.99
Here are the two things you need to know about this game: yes, there’s a movie coming out too, and yes, there’s a makeover station. ‘Nuff said. – mrs. ship
Purchase At Amazon $19.99 (Free shipping)
Purchase At Amazon $19.99 (Free shipping on orders over $25)
Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free shipping)
[img-l=4772]2815[/img-l]Cake Mania: Baker's Challenge Dev. Coresoft Pub. Destineer Systems: PS2, PSP MSRP: $19.99
I enjoyed playing the Cake Mania 2 demo on my DS, so I gathered up enough interest to research the franchise’s newest title for a few minutes. Apparently the girl in Cake Mania is named Jill, and she returns to her hometown to save her grandparents’ defunct bakery. In addition to the baking and the icing and the taking of money, this title features things like saving money to upgrade the kitchen, hoping to one day restore the bakery to its original glory. I’m not sure this title piques my interest enough to pay $20 for it, but this style of strategy gameplay is addicting. – mrs. ship
Purchase At GameStop $19.99 (Free shipping on orders over $25)
Purchase At Amazon $19.99 (Free shipping on orders over $25)
[img-l=4772]2816[/img-l]Cesar Millan's Dog Whisperer Dev. UbiSoft Pub. UbiSoft Systems: PC, DS MSRP: $19.99, $29.99
Do your Nintendogs just not give you the respect you deserve? Do your Dogz chew up your furniture and whizz in your houseplants? Well, Cesar Millan is here to help you leash in your pet problems with a game that not only gives you virtual doggies to play with, but teaches you how to make them subservient. Whether it's learning how to walk with a dog, teach them tricks, or use them as a wingman to pick up ladies at the park, this game has it all. Except for the last part. It does teach you how to rollerblade while walking your dog though, and that's about as far away from picking up ladies in the park as your going to get. Seriously, it's 2008, let the rollerblades go... - ship
Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free shipping)
Purchase At Amazon $19.99 (Free shipping on orders over $25)
[img-l=4772]2817[/img-l]Dead Space Dev. EA Redwood Shores Pub. Electronic Arts Systems: 360, PS3 MSRP: $59.99
Expanding on Dino Crisis 3's horror game in outer space idea, but replacing dinosaurs with more traditional zombie type creatures, EA's Dead Space has been receiving positive early reviews. I guess people don't like dinosaurs. Or maybe a Resident Evil 4 style of game with BioShock style telekinesis and stasis powers where you can systematically dismember your enemies would have worked with dinosaurs as well. I'd like to think it would. Regardless, the game looks like a solid over-the-shoulder shooter set in a moody atmosphere. And the main character is an engineer. You can't get much cooler than that now can you? - ship
Purchase At Amazon $59.99 (Free shipping)
Purchase At Circuit City $59.99 (Free $10 gift card)
Purchase At GameStop $59.99 (Free in-game Scorpion Rig suit)
Purchase At Amazon $59.99 (Free shipping)
Purchase At Circuit City $59.99 (Free $10 gift card)
Purchase At GameStop $59.99 (Free in-game Scorpion Rig suit)
[img-l=4797]2833[/img-l]Dokapon Kingdom Dev. Sting Pub. Atlus Systems: PS2, Wii MSRP: $39.99
I am a huge fan of board-game video games. I played Carcassonne for hours on end. As you can imagine, I’m pretty excited for this RPG/board game hybrid. The gameplay (at its simplest) involves spinning, moving around a board, and then fighting monsters/questing, etc… based on RPG battle elements. The cover art looks a bit childish, but I’m okay with that. This may be the next two-player obsession for Ship and I. Never mind the fact that we haven’t played Lego Batman yet. – mrs. ship
Purchase At Amazon $39.99 (Free shipping)
Purchase At Amazon $39.99 (Free shipping)
[img-l=4772]2818[/img-l]FIFA Soccer 09 Dev. EA Canada Pub. Electronic Arts Systems: Everything MSRP: $29.99-$59.99
By all accounts, this is the best FIFA Soccer game to date with all the latest and greatest improvements that the other EA sports games have been seeing this year: better player physics, tighter controls, "Be A Pro" mode, and insane online matches featuring up to twenty players. I know some soccer fans will really get into controlling a single player throughout entire matches and even seasons, but depending on your teammates propensity for passing, this has the potential to be the best Jogging Around A Grass Field game to date. Nevertheless, soccer fans don't have to worry about this year's FIFA not being a kick in the grass. – ship
Purchase At Amazon $59.99 (Five free music tracks from the game)
Purchase At GameStop $59.99 (Free mini FIFA soccer ball)
Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Five free music tracks from the game)
Purchase At GameStop $29.99 (Free mini FIFA soccer ball)
Purchase At Amazon $36.99 (Five free music tracks from the game)
Purchase At Amazon $39.99 (Five free music tracks from the game)
Purchase At GameStop $39.99 (Free mini FIFA soccer ball)
Purchase At Amazon $59.99 (Five free music tracks from the game)
Purchase At GameStop $59.99 (Free mini FIFA soccer ball)
Purchase At Amazon $39.99 (Five free music tracks from the game)
Purchase At GameStop $39.99 (Free mini FIFA soccer ball)
[img-l=4772]2819[/img-l]Golden Axe: Beast Rider Dev. Secret Level Pub. SEGA Systems: 360, PS3 MSRP: $59.99
Axing it’s co-op origins in favor of creating a more Heavenly Sword type of experience, “Beast Rider” looks to have completely missed the mark on what made the series successful to begin with. Let’s just say early reviews haven’t exactly been golden. - ship
Purchase At Amazon $59.99 (Free shipping)
Purchase At GameStop $59.99 (Free art book)
Purchase At Amazon $59.99 (Free shipping)
Purchase At GameStop $59.99 (Free art book)
[img-l=4797]2836[/img-l]Littlest Pet Shop Dev. EA Salt Lake Pub. Electronic Arts Systems: PC, Wii MSRP: $29.99, $39.99
Collect 32 of your favorite pets with freakishly large heads and eyes that pierce your very soul. There's plenty of mini-games to be played and accessories to buy as you explore four different environments including a garden, a jungle, and the artic. Dear God, make them stop staring at me. I'll collect you all, just stop looking at me like that. - ship
Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free shipping)
Purchase At Amazon $39.99 (Free shipping)
[img-l=4772]2826[/img-l]Rock Revolution Dev. Zoe Mode Pub. Konami Systems: DS, 360, PS3 MSRP: $29.99, $49.99
Konami created Guitar Freaks ages ago, yet it took them this long to release a current-gen, Rock Band/Guitar Hero-esque title. While this new title uses the guitars for Guitar Hero, it comes with its own drum pad with seven buttons that aren’t in a straight (and easily memorable) line. There’s not much about this game that is spectacularly different, but I’d guess if you’re one of those gamers that sick of beating the drum parts in Rock Band on expert, you might find this title a bit more challenging. – mrs. ship
Purchase At Amazon $49.99 (Free shipping)
Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free shipping)
Purchase At Amazon $49.99 (Free shipping)
[img-l=4772]2827[/img-l]Saints Row 2 Dev. Volition Pub. THQ Systems: 360, PS3 MSRP: $59.99
Stillwater has changed a lot since the last time we've visited it. As well as the city getting a significant facelift, Volition has expanded every area of the previous game by adding more activities, more vehicles, more customization, and drop-in/drop-out co-op play. Looks like Saints Row stuck with what made the first game so much fun rather than try to challenge the direction GTAIV took, and I've got to say that I'm happy to see that. Now where are my Rims of Destiny? - ship
Purchase At Amazon $59.99 (Free shipping)
Purchase At Best Buy $59.99 (Free Boyz N the Hood DVD and ringtone and wallpaper pack)
Purchase At Circuit City $59.99 (Free $10 gift card)
Purchase At Fry's $52.99 (Free t-shirt)
Purchase At GameStop $59.99 (Free code for PeeWee Mini Bike and D-Stroy UFO, free gang territories poster, and free Windows desktop packs)
Purchase At Amazon $59.99 (Free shipping)
Purchase At Best Buy $59.99 (Free Boyz N the Hood DVD and ringtone and wallpaper pack)
Purchase At Circuit City $59.99 (Free $10 gift card)
Purchase At Fry's $52.99 (Free t-shirt)
Purchase At GameStop $59.99 (Free code for PeeWee Mini Bike and D-Stroy UFO, free gang territories poster, and free Windows desktop packs)
Purchase At Amazon $79.99 (Free shipping)
Purchase At Best Buy $79.99 (Free Boyz N the Hood DVD and ringtone and wallpaper pack)
Purchase At Circuit City $79.99 (Free $10 gift card)
Purchase At GameStop $79.99 (Free code for PeeWee Mini Bike and D-Stroy UFO, free gang territories poster, and free Windows desktop packs)
Purchase At Amazon $79.99 (Free shipping)
Purchase At Best Buy $79.99 (Free Boyz N the Hood DVD and ringtone and wallpaper pack)
Purchase At Circuit City $79.99 (Free $10 gift card)
Purchase At GameStop $79.99 (Free code for PeeWee Mini Bike and D-Stroy UFO, free gang territories poster, and free Windows desktop packs)
[img-l=4772]2831[/img-l]Tak: Guardians of Gross Dev. THQ Pub. THQ Systems: PS2, Wii MSRP: $19.99, $39.99
Tak is back and tasked with tackling four gross giants in this platformer of colossal proportions. As per usual (okay, I’ve seen the show a couple of times), Tak has accidentally unleashed something that is threatening to destroy the tribal village in which he lives. This time it happens to be the Stink Giant, the Slime Giant, the Landfill Giant, and the Molten Cheese Giant. Tak’s adventures have been decent romps in the past, so climbing, jumping, swinging, and wall-running up a large dude made out of nacho cheese can’t be all bad. - ship
Purchase At Amazon $19.99 (Free shipping on orders over $25)
Purchase At Amazon $39.99 (Free shipping)
Wii
[img-l=4772]2809[/img-l]Army Men: Soldiers of Misfortune Dev. Pub. Zoo Games Systems: Wii MSRP: $29.99
I'm trying to come up with a witty opening for this preview, but, damn, there’s a new entry into the Army Men franchise? Unlike most of the games in this storied franchise, Soldiers of Misfortune actually has you playing as a boy who has been "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids"-inized. As Timmy, you must do battle with the tan soldiers throughout the rooms of his house in the suburbs. You see, in a “Small Soldiers”-esque twist, the plastic tan soldiers have turned evil, captured the green soldiers, and are determined to conquer your home. To win this Toy Story, you’re going to have to turn your formerly mundane toys into whimsical weapons and adeptly use the cover that throwing all those temper tantrums in the Target toy aisle has provided you. – ship
Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free shipping)
[img-l=4772]2813[/img-l]Boogie Superstar Dev. EA Montreal Pub. Electronic Arts Systems: Wii MSRP: $59.99
Sorry guys, unlike the previously androgynous first game, Boogie Superstar is meant for the ladies. The ToeJam & Earl style of character design has been replaced with more of a Polly Pocket look. Along those lines, the game is just as much about making your character look fashionable as it is about busting a move and screeching out your favorite Fergie joint. Straight from the pages of Tiger Beat, forty of your favorite artists are here ranging from Rihanna to Britney Spears to Maroon 5. So grab up to three of your BFF’s and get that slumber party rockin’. - ship
Purchase At Amazon $59.99 (Free shipping)
[img-l=4797]2837[/img-l]Penny Racers Party: Turbo Q Speedway Dev. Tomy Pub. Tomy Systems: Wii MSRP: $29.99
I loved these things when I was small lad. Right up to the point that I inevitably pulled them back one too many clicks. Fortunately, it doesn't look like you have to deal with that sort of self-loathing regret when it comes to Penny Racers Party. By now it's kind of cliche, but somehow it's still undeniably appealing to race tiny cars around seemingly giant-sized household locations. Not surprisingly, the cars are of course the adorably squatty dimensions that we're familiar with. What is surprising is that there are licensed cars in this game like the Lancer Evolution and that you can not only customize the looks with paint jobs and crazy body parts, but you can also upgrade your ride's engine and performance parts as well. With four-player split-screen and Wii-motion steering, I'm really hoping this turns out to be a better experience than a box full of plastic cars that no longer wind up. - ship
Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free shipping)
[img-l=4772]2828[/img-l]Sam & Max: Season One Dev. TellTale Games Pub. Dreamcatcher Interactive Systems: Wii MSRP: $29.99
After numerous delays, it appears that the Wii is finally getting the first season of the episodic Sam & Max point and click adventures. If you've played through TellTale's StrongBad games, you know what to expect here. I've got little else to say here. Adventure forth with the pointing and the clicking. - ship
Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free shipping)
Purchase At GameStop $29.99 (Free bonus CD)
[img-l=4797]2839[/img-l]Ten Pin Alley 2 Dev. Pronto Games Pub. XS Games Systems: Wii MSRP: $19.99
It’s bowling for the Wii! That’s about all the information I can muster online this morning, but it’s all the information you really need. – mrs. ship
Purchase At GameStop $19.99 (Free shipping on orders over $25)
DS
[img-l=4772]2811[/img-l]Battle of the Giants: Dinosaurs Dev. UbiSoft Quebec City Pub. UbiSoft Systems: DS MSRP: $29.99
Okay, I've got to admit it; that colon in the title intrigues me. Why is it there, are we going to be battling other giants? And if so, what? Well, while we all wait for the answers, for now it is dinosaurs. You can choose from twenty-six different species of them and customize your dino of choice with spikes, feathers, bony armor, and different colors and patterns. Then you fight another dinosaur and unlock new upgrades. I think there's some message about evolution in here somewhere, but I'm not sure that involved grafting spikes on the tail of my purple, tiger-striped T-Rex with absolutely gorgeous plumage. What? He's fierce, dammit. - ship
Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free shipping)
[img-l=4772]2820[/img-l]Kage Densetsu: The Legend of Kage 2 Dev. Taito Pub. Square Enix Systems: DS MSRP: $19.99
When you're a ninja it's not unusual to go into hiding for long periods of time. Well, Kage must be one hell of a ninja because he's been M.I.A. for over twenty years following his debut on the NES. But now he’s back, and if you’re looking for a difficult old-school Ninja Gaiden/Shinobi/Ninja Five-O type of 2D action game, then Kage is ready to take your $20. - ship
Purchase At Amazon $19.99 (Free shipping on orders over $25)
[img-l=4772]2821[/img-l]Littlest Pet Shop: Garden/Jungle/Winter Dev. EA Salt Lake Pub. Electronic Arts Systems: DS MSRP: $29.99
Aaah! They're back. This time you have to choose which kind of animals you want to have pity on. Can you possibly be cruel enough to buy just the monkey and leave that poor bunny and... maybe that's a cat or a bear of some sort, ooh penguin, you can't leave him behind! And these feature the same type of mini-game set-up as the console versions. - ship
Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free shipping)
Purchase At Circuit City $29.99 (Free Littlest Pet Shop stylus)
Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free shipping)
[img-l=4772]2822[/img-l][img-r=4772]2823[/img-r] Purchase At Circuit City $29.99 (Free Littlest Pet Shop stylus)
Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free shipping)
Purchase At Circuit City $29.99 (Free Littlest Pet Shop stylus)
[img-l=4797]2840[/img-l]Lovely Lisa Dev. Tomy Pub. Tomy Systems: DS MSRP: $29.99
Whatever you do, don’t Google “Lovely Lisa” without the “DS” behind it - just a warning. This fashion simulation title is geared toward the young girl gamer, and, at $30, is way overpriced. – mrs. ship
Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free shipping)
[img-l=4797]2834[/img-l]My Dress Up Dev. Oxygen Studios Pub. O-Games Systems: DS MSRP: $29.99
Dress up your avatars and have dress-up parties. – mrs. ship
Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free shipping)
[img-l=4797]2901[/img-l]My MakeUp Dev. Oxygen Studios Pub. O-Games Systems: DS MSRP: $29.99
Put make up on your avatars and have face-painting parties. – mrs. ship
Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free shipping)
[img-l=4797]2835[/img-l]My Secret Diary Dev. Oxygen Studios Pub. O-Games Systems: DS MSRP: $29.99
Compatibility quizzes, a simulated Magic 8-ball, secret journal and much, much more. Oh, and help planning your parties. – mrs. ship
Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free shipping)
[img-l=4772]2824[/img-l]My Japanese Coach Dev. UbiSoft Pub. UbiSoft Systems: DS MSRP: $29.99
I can’t possibly think of a new, unique way to describe one of these UbiSoft titles. They’re solid titles that are supposed to be good at the task at hand: teaching a foreign language. So far gamers can learn Chinese, French, Spanish, and even improve their English vocabulary. If you’ve got a trip to Japan looming in your future, you may think about picking this title up. – mrs. ship
Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free shipping)
[img-l=4772]2825[/img-l]Naruto: Path of the Ninja 2 Dev. Tomy Pub. Tomy Systems: DS MSRP: $29.99
This Naruto RPG features an original storyline. That's the good part. The bad part? It's still about Naruto. I'm sure fans will get some pleasure out of creating teams of their favorite characters, but with so many other RPG's on the DS, this will most likely become a path less travelled for non-Naruto aficionados. - ship
Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free shipping)
[img-l=4797]2841[/img-l]Prey the Stars Dev. Koei Canada Pub. Koei Systems: DS MSRP: $29.99
Any game with a shark on the cover must be fun, right? RIGHT! This new DS “puzzle” title features four sharks that are running rampant around a local city, devouring everything in their way. Of course, the gameplay could as easily feature a small prince with a toy ball rolling things up from the universe, if you catch my drift. That being said, it’s probably a pretty fun buy for your DS, although maybe not at the original $30 price tag. – mrs. ship
Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free shipping)
[img-l=4797]2843[/img-l]Smart Boy's: Toy Club Dev. Starfish Pub. UFO Interactive Systems: DS MSRP: $19.99
These games are for moms who don’t know which games their kids really want, but who will buy these just because they’re specifically labeled for smart kids. “Why yes, that’s my little Billy, he’s a smart boy…” SOLD. – mrs. ship
Purchase At Amazon $19.99 (Free shipping on orders over $25)
[img-l=4772]2829[/img-l]Smart Girl's: Party Games Dev. Starfish Pub. UFO Interactive Systems: DS MSRP: $19.99
These games are for moms who don’t know which games their kids really want, but who will buy these just because they’re specifically labeled for smart kids. “Why yes, that’s my little Becky, she’s a smart kid…” SOLD. – mrs. ship
Purchase At Amazon $19.99 (Free shipping)
[img-l=4797]2842[/img-l]Smart Kid's: Party Fun Pack Dev. Starfish Pub. UFO Interactive Systems: DS MSRP: $29.99
These games are for moms who don’t know which games their kids really want, but who will buy these just because they’re specifically labeled for smart kids. “Why yes, that’s my little Pat, he's/she’s a smart kid…” SOLD. – mrs. ship
Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free shipping)
[img-l=4772]2832[/img-l]Tak: Mojo Mistake Dev. THQ Pub. THQ Systems: DS MSRP: $29.99
A side-scrolling platformer where Tak must recapture a bunch of magical creatures that he created that are now out of hand. There are mini-games sprinkled throughout and a unique mechanic where you hold the DS horizontally for normal levels and vertically for JuJu Realm levels. - ship
Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free shipping)
PS3
[img-l=4772]2830[/img-l]SOCOM: Confrontation Dev. Slant Six Games Pub. Sony Systems: PS3 MSRP: $39.99, $59.99
The first PlayStation 3 installation of the popular third-person military shooter releases this week as a multiplayer only game. With a similar upgrade and customization system to “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare”, “Confrontation” offers matches with up to thirty-two participants. The Beta left me with a little bit of a “been here, done this” feel, but SOCOM fans are going to feel right at home and Sony is sure to support this with plenty of additional content to keep you enlisted for a long time. - ship
Purchase At Amazon $39.99 (Five free exclusive music tracks)
Purchase At Amazon $59.99 (Five free exclusive music tracks)
PS2
[img-l=4797]2845[/img-l]The DOG Island Dev. Yuke's Media Creations Pub. UbiSoft Systems: PS2 MSRP: $9.99
(Deja Preview) For this preview, we're going to play a little game, similar to Simon Says in which there are instructions as to how to move and respond as you're reading this post. Here goes.
This adventure/RPG game is based on those close-up, big-head characters known as "The Dog". Allow your brain time to process that. It's an adventure game in which the main character is a dog Sigh of annoyance at Ship for making me preview this game who has no offensive attack moves Place your finger and your thumb in the shape of an L on your forehead . Instead, the dog character runs about sniffing for stuff to collect wrinkle nose . Oh, and there are mini-games groan, the wii-mote controls questionably roll eyes, and the camera is horrible roll eyes the opposite direction. And Ubisoft expects us to pay $30 for this picture images of game in large bargain bin . - mrs. ship
Purchase At Amazon $9.99 (Free shipping on orders over $25)
[img-l=4797]2844[/img-l]Nitrobike Dev. Left Field Productions Pub. UbiSoft Systems: PS2 MSRP: $9.99
The former Wii exclusive races to the the PS2 for the price of a couple of gallons of gas.
(Deja Preview) In case your trucks are all out of excitement, former Excitebike 64 developer "Left Field Productions" has strapped rockets onto some dirt bikes in a bid to up the ante on extremitude. When you boil everything down, you get something similar to Pod Racing, but replace any Star Wars references with really big jumps and nac-nacs. Those familiar with the tilty steering of Excite Truck will be right at home and, surprisingly enough, Nitrobike offers six-player online racing. There's also a bowling mini-game to mix in the mandatory amount of zaniness, so those of you looking for an arcade-style racer might have some fun with Nitrobike. - ship
Purchase At Amazon $9.99 (Free shipping on orders over $25)
PC
[img-l=4797]2909[/img-l]Brain Training for Dummies Dev. Beanbag Studios Pub. Electronic Arts Systems: PC MSRP: $19.99
Using the "for Dummies" branding, EA is releasing a brain training game a year or two too late. There are the usual games based upon the theoretical improvement of memorization, spatial relationship, logic skills and the ilk. This type of game has been done a hundred times over, and EA shilling this on the PC is almost a little insulting. There are thousands of Flash-based puzzle games that already do this, but, then again, their market consists of "dummies" anyway. – Treehouse Gamer
Purchase At Amazon $19.99 (Free shipping on orders over $25)
[img-l=4797]2910[/img-l]Combat Wings: Battle of Britain Dev. City Interactive Pub. Navarre Systems: PC MSRP: $19.99
How do you ruin your chances of selling a combat flight sim? Well, developer City Interactive decided to only allow you the ability to fly one of four different planes - half of which are unlockable. The screenshots are especially awesome as it looks like the entire game takes place inside of soupy clouds. Funny enough, the press release already spoils the ending (hint: Berlin goes down in flames). – Treehouse Gamer
Purchase At Amazon $19.99 (Free shipping on orders over $25)
[img-l=4797]2911[/img-l]Deer Hunter Tournament Dev. Southlogic Studios Pub. Atari Systems: PC MSRP: $19.99
Well, golly! Atari done did serve us up another one. While my cousin Billy Bob is a-courting my sister Louanne, I'll be putting on my fancy pants and heading on down to the Wal-Mart to get me some of this action. Hell, I'll probably pick up fourteen of these - one to go with each of my Prison Tycoons! God, sometimes I hate PC gamers. – Treehouse Gamer
Purchase At Amazon $19.99 (Free shipping on orders over $25)
[img-l=4797]2912[/img-l]Etch A Sketch Dev. GameShastra Pub. Mumbo Jumbo Systems: PC MSRP: $19.99
If you plan on buying this, I hate you. – Treehouse Gamer
Purchase At Amazon $19.99 (Free shipping on orders over $25)
[img-l=4797]2914[/img-l]Hot Dish Dev. ValuSoft Pub. ValuSoft Systems: PC MSRP: $19.99
This is like a strange crossbreed between Diner Dash and CakeMania. This is also known as a budget version of Order Up. Starting from an Italian restaurant cook towards becoming a five-star French chef, you have to balance your time cooking while still delivering the food to the tables. This game breaks two fundamental rules: 1. Italian food is better than French food. 2. Five-star chefs don't serve food. Pick up any of the afforementioned cooking titles as an alternative to wasting your time. – Treehouse Gamer
Purchase At Amazon $14.49 (Free shipping on orders over $25)
[img-l=4797]2915[/img-l]SpongeBob SquarePants: The Game of Life Dev. ValuSoft Pub. ValuSoft Systems: PC MSRP: $19.99
ValuSoft keeps setting them up, and I keep dying a little bit from the inside. Scoring an incredible 4.3 from IGN, it's pretty much a guarantee that this game is a bad idea. Everyone knows that the fun part of The Game of Life is spinning the little number wheel. However, if this game had Novint Falcon support for dynamic haptic feedback, I'd be all over it. I'd still hate myself, though. – Treehouse Gamer
Purchase At Amazon $19.99 (Free shipping on orders over $25)
Tales Runner Dev. Rhaon Entertainment Pub. GALA-NET Systems: PC MSRP: $
This is a racing game based on various fairy tales like Aladdin, Jack and the Beanstalk, etc. By some fairy godmother miracle, they were able to tweak the netcode enough to allow for up to thirty players racing simultaneously. What's even more amazing is that despite this, there are only 8 characters to choose from. Somebody at Rhaon did not do so well at math. What sounds hilariously horrendous is that the game features Inverted Style Courses - apparently, the first online racing game where you are driving towards the screen! This sounds awful! – Treehouse Gamer
[img-l=4797]2913[/img-l]Exodus from the Earth (Last Week) Dev. Strategy First Pub. Strategy First Systems: PC MSRP: $29.99
Developed by the studio behind Galactic Civilization, Exodus from the Earth is a story-based FPS based during a time period where Earth has been compromised by the ever-expanding sun. There's something about a re-colonization of another planet and generic sci-fi set pieces and plot devices ensue. I really want to give Strategy First the benefit of the doubt (since GalCiv II was so good), but this title looks so bland. Some companies should expand outside of their comfort genre, but the world does not need another sci-fi FPS. Also, the complete lack of any preview builds recorded is not a good sign. – Treehouse Gamer
Pet Pals: New Leash on Life (Last Week) Dev. Legacy Interactive Pub. Legacy Interactive Systems: PC MSRP: $19.95
"In Pet Pals: New Leash on Life, players can take part in each animal's story and control their fate." That is IGN's preview in its entirety. All that is known is that you do something with over thirty animals. Judging by the title, there's probably some dichotomy between the life and death of cute furry things that the player must deal with. Either that, or it's a victim of horrible naming conventions. My soul hurts for Mrs. Shipwreck. – Treehouse Gamer
On The DL
Art Style: CUBELLO Systems: WiiWare MSRP: $6
Another simplistic looking puzzler that's hard to describe, but garnering good reviews. Kind of a spherical take on Tetris. - ship
World of Goo Systems: WiiWare MSRP: $15
This new title is a downloadable gem that I’d place alongside Pixel Junk Monsters for originality. Based on a PC game, the gameplay revolves around building towers and structures out of goo. There are many types of goo: green goo is rearrange-able, while the black goo isn’t. Red goo forms balloons that give your structures lift. In each level there are pipes in which you’re trying to get the goo blobs: the more goo blobs you save, the better, but if you get too stingy on the number of blobs used to build with, your whole structure may collapse. My only wish is that the game was somehow for two players, but I can’t quite figure out how that would work. If you liked Elefunk for the PS3, you’ll love this title. All in all, it’s worth the $15 easily. – mrs. ship
Secret of Mana Systems: Wii VC (SNES) MSRP: $8
The overhead, co-op action-RPG that set the bar so high that not a single Mana sequel has been able to match, let alone surpass it. - ship
Street Fighter II': Special Champion Edition Systems: Wii VC (Genesis) MSRP: $8
This is the version I spent the most time with growing up and I certainly have fond memories for it, but unless you've passed on all the past Street Fighter II releases, I really don't think you need to spend $8 on this one. - ship
Age of Booty Systems: XBLA MSRP: $10
A hex-based real-time strategy game based in a pirate universe, Age of Booty features colorful graphics, a map editor, and support for up to eight players online. I haven't gotten my sea legs with it quite yet, but it has some promise. - ship
CrazyMouse Systems: XBLA MSRP: $5
At first glance, I was thinking this would play somewhat like ChuChu Rocket, but I was sadly mistaken. While it does feature mice, and by the title I presume they are somehow crazy, this game is kind of like a multi-player Pac-man affair with collectible power-ups. Race your rat around the maps eating as much food as possible while grabbing bonuses that can be deployed to give you a leg up on the other rodents. That sentence may have made this game sound more exciting than it is. - ship
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[podcast]31[/podcast]
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Multi-Platform
[img-l=4772]2810[/img-l]Avatar: The Last Airbender - Into the Inferno Dev. THQ Studio Australia Pub. THQ Systems: PS2, Wii MSRP: $19.99, $29.99
Following the events of the third and final season of the cartoon, the Airbender Aang and his crew of adolescent element wielders go on a bogus journey to battle the forces of the Fire Nation. Fans of the series should be familiar with the brawling platformer type of gameplay by now, but you can now use gestures with the Wiimote to control your character's supernatural abilities when attacking or solving puzzles. Those of you that buy the PlayStation 2 version miss out on the gesture controls, but you can mockingly wave the $10 you saved in the nearest Wii's general direction. - ship
Purchase At Amazon $19.99 (Free shipping on orders over $25) Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free shipping)[img-l=4772]2812[/img-l]Blitz: The League II Dev. Midway Pub. Midway Systems: 360, PS3 MSRP: $59.99
Get juiced because Lawrence Taylor is back with another season of 'roided up outside the lines football. Featuring the same gruesome, bone-breaking, tendon-tearing gameplay found in the previous version, this promises to be another fun-filled gridiron romp for those that aren't concerned with staying true to the NFL license. (And being a Bengal fan, I don't mind that one bit.) Along with a new storyline, the RPG-lite team-building elements are back, and the "Clash" mechanic has been refined to unleash even more punishing hits and straight-arms. And for fans of the older Blitz games, late hits have returned to ensure that there is never a dull moment. - ship
Purchase At Amazon $59.99 (Free shipping) Purchase At Amazon $59.99 (Free shipping)[img-l=4772]2814[/img-l]Bratz: Girls Really Rock Dev. THQ Pub. THQ Systems: DS, PS2, Wii MSRP: $19.99, $29.99
Here are the two things you need to know about this game: yes, there’s a movie coming out too, and yes, there’s a makeover station. ‘Nuff said. – mrs. ship
Purchase At Amazon $19.99 (Free shipping) Purchase At Amazon $19.99 (Free shipping on orders over $25) Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free shipping)[img-l=4772]2815[/img-l]Cake Mania: Baker's Challenge Dev. Coresoft Pub. Destineer Systems: PS2, PSP MSRP: $19.99
I enjoyed playing the Cake Mania 2 demo on my DS, so I gathered up enough interest to research the franchise’s newest title for a few minutes. Apparently the girl in Cake Mania is named Jill, and she returns to her hometown to save her grandparents’ defunct bakery. In addition to the baking and the icing and the taking of money, this title features things like saving money to upgrade the kitchen, hoping to one day restore the bakery to its original glory. I’m not sure this title piques my interest enough to pay $20 for it, but this style of strategy gameplay is addicting. – mrs. ship
Purchase At GameStop $19.99 (Free shipping on orders over $25) Purchase At Amazon $19.99 (Free shipping on orders over $25)[img-l=4772]2816[/img-l]Cesar Millan's Dog Whisperer Dev. UbiSoft Pub. UbiSoft Systems: PC, DS MSRP: $19.99, $29.99
Do your Nintendogs just not give you the respect you deserve? Do your Dogz chew up your furniture and whizz in your houseplants? Well, Cesar Millan is here to help you leash in your pet problems with a game that not only gives you virtual doggies to play with, but teaches you how to make them subservient. Whether it's learning how to walk with a dog, teach them tricks, or use them as a wingman to pick up ladies at the park, this game has it all. Except for the last part. It does teach you how to rollerblade while walking your dog though, and that's about as far away from picking up ladies in the park as your going to get. Seriously, it's 2008, let the rollerblades go... - ship
Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free shipping) Purchase At Amazon $19.99 (Free shipping on orders over $25)[img-l=4772]2817[/img-l]Dead Space Dev. EA Redwood Shores Pub. Electronic Arts Systems: 360, PS3 MSRP: $59.99
Expanding on Dino Crisis 3's horror game in outer space idea, but replacing dinosaurs with more traditional zombie type creatures, EA's Dead Space has been receiving positive early reviews. I guess people don't like dinosaurs. Or maybe a Resident Evil 4 style of game with BioShock style telekinesis and stasis powers where you can systematically dismember your enemies would have worked with dinosaurs as well. I'd like to think it would. Regardless, the game looks like a solid over-the-shoulder shooter set in a moody atmosphere. And the main character is an engineer. You can't get much cooler than that now can you? - ship
Purchase At Amazon $59.99 (Free shipping) Purchase At Circuit City $59.99 (Free $10 gift card) Purchase At GameStop $59.99 (Free in-game Scorpion Rig suit) Purchase At Amazon $59.99 (Free shipping) Purchase At Circuit City $59.99 (Free $10 gift card) Purchase At GameStop $59.99 (Free in-game Scorpion Rig suit)[img-l=4797]2833[/img-l]Dokapon Kingdom Dev. Sting Pub. Atlus Systems: PS2, Wii MSRP: $39.99
I am a huge fan of board-game video games. I played Carcassonne for hours on end. As you can imagine, I’m pretty excited for this RPG/board game hybrid. The gameplay (at its simplest) involves spinning, moving around a board, and then fighting monsters/questing, etc… based on RPG battle elements. The cover art looks a bit childish, but I’m okay with that. This may be the next two-player obsession for Ship and I. Never mind the fact that we haven’t played Lego Batman yet. – mrs. ship
Purchase At Amazon $39.99 (Free shipping) Purchase At Amazon $39.99 (Free shipping)[img-l=4772]2818[/img-l]FIFA Soccer 09 Dev. EA Canada Pub. Electronic Arts Systems: Everything MSRP: $29.99-$59.99
By all accounts, this is the best FIFA Soccer game to date with all the latest and greatest improvements that the other EA sports games have been seeing this year: better player physics, tighter controls, "Be A Pro" mode, and insane online matches featuring up to twenty players. I know some soccer fans will really get into controlling a single player throughout entire matches and even seasons, but depending on your teammates propensity for passing, this has the potential to be the best Jogging Around A Grass Field game to date. Nevertheless, soccer fans don't have to worry about this year's FIFA not being a kick in the grass. – ship
Purchase At Amazon $59.99 (Five free music tracks from the game) Purchase At GameStop $59.99 (Free mini FIFA soccer ball) Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Five free music tracks from the game) Purchase At GameStop $29.99 (Free mini FIFA soccer ball) Purchase At Amazon $36.99 (Five free music tracks from the game) Purchase At Amazon $39.99 (Five free music tracks from the game) Purchase At GameStop $39.99 (Free mini FIFA soccer ball) Purchase At Amazon $59.99 (Five free music tracks from the game) Purchase At GameStop $59.99 (Free mini FIFA soccer ball) Purchase At Amazon $39.99 (Five free music tracks from the game) Purchase At GameStop $39.99 (Free mini FIFA soccer ball)[img-l=4772]2819[/img-l]Golden Axe: Beast Rider Dev. Secret Level Pub. SEGA Systems: 360, PS3 MSRP: $59.99
Axing it’s co-op origins in favor of creating a more Heavenly Sword type of experience, “Beast Rider” looks to have completely missed the mark on what made the series successful to begin with. Let’s just say early reviews haven’t exactly been golden. - ship
Purchase At Amazon $59.99 (Free shipping) Purchase At GameStop $59.99 (Free art book) Purchase At Amazon $59.99 (Free shipping) Purchase At GameStop $59.99 (Free art book)[img-l=4797]2836[/img-l]Littlest Pet Shop Dev. EA Salt Lake Pub. Electronic Arts Systems: PC, Wii MSRP: $29.99, $39.99
Collect 32 of your favorite pets with freakishly large heads and eyes that pierce your very soul. There's plenty of mini-games to be played and accessories to buy as you explore four different environments including a garden, a jungle, and the artic. Dear God, make them stop staring at me. I'll collect you all, just stop looking at me like that. - ship
Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free shipping) Purchase At Amazon $39.99 (Free shipping)[img-l=4772]2826[/img-l]Rock Revolution Dev. Zoe Mode Pub. Konami Systems: DS, 360, PS3 MSRP: $29.99, $49.99
Konami created Guitar Freaks ages ago, yet it took them this long to release a current-gen, Rock Band/Guitar Hero-esque title. While this new title uses the guitars for Guitar Hero, it comes with its own drum pad with seven buttons that aren’t in a straight (and easily memorable) line. There’s not much about this game that is spectacularly different, but I’d guess if you’re one of those gamers that sick of beating the drum parts in Rock Band on expert, you might find this title a bit more challenging. – mrs. ship
Purchase At Amazon $49.99 (Free shipping) Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free shipping) Purchase At Amazon $49.99 (Free shipping)[img-l=4772]2827[/img-l]Saints Row 2 Dev. Volition Pub. THQ Systems: 360, PS3 MSRP: $59.99
Stillwater has changed a lot since the last time we've visited it. As well as the city getting a significant facelift, Volition has expanded every area of the previous game by adding more activities, more vehicles, more customization, and drop-in/drop-out co-op play. Looks like Saints Row stuck with what made the first game so much fun rather than try to challenge the direction GTAIV took, and I've got to say that I'm happy to see that. Now where are my Rims of Destiny? - ship
Purchase At Amazon $59.99 (Free shipping) Purchase At Best Buy $59.99 (Free Boyz N the Hood DVD and ringtone and wallpaper pack) Purchase At Circuit City $59.99 (Free $10 gift card) Purchase At Fry's $52.99 (Free t-shirt) Purchase At GameStop $59.99 (Free code for PeeWee Mini Bike and D-Stroy UFO, free gang territories poster, and free Windows desktop packs) Purchase At Amazon $59.99 (Free shipping) Purchase At Best Buy $59.99 (Free Boyz N the Hood DVD and ringtone and wallpaper pack) Purchase At Circuit City $59.99 (Free $10 gift card) Purchase At Fry's $52.99 (Free t-shirt) Purchase At GameStop $59.99 (Free code for PeeWee Mini Bike and D-Stroy UFO, free gang territories poster, and free Windows desktop packs) Purchase At Amazon $79.99 (Free shipping) Purchase At Best Buy $79.99 (Free Boyz N the Hood DVD and ringtone and wallpaper pack) Purchase At Circuit City $79.99 (Free $10 gift card) Purchase At GameStop $79.99 (Free code for PeeWee Mini Bike and D-Stroy UFO, free gang territories poster, and free Windows desktop packs) Purchase At Amazon $79.99 (Free shipping) Purchase At Best Buy $79.99 (Free Boyz N the Hood DVD and ringtone and wallpaper pack) Purchase At Circuit City $79.99 (Free $10 gift card) Purchase At GameStop $79.99 (Free code for PeeWee Mini Bike and D-Stroy UFO, free gang territories poster, and free Windows desktop packs)[img-l=4772]2831[/img-l]Tak: Guardians of Gross Dev. THQ Pub. THQ Systems: PS2, Wii MSRP: $19.99, $39.99
Tak is back and tasked with tackling four gross giants in this platformer of colossal proportions. As per usual (okay, I’ve seen the show a couple of times), Tak has accidentally unleashed something that is threatening to destroy the tribal village in which he lives. This time it happens to be the Stink Giant, the Slime Giant, the Landfill Giant, and the Molten Cheese Giant. Tak’s adventures have been decent romps in the past, so climbing, jumping, swinging, and wall-running up a large dude made out of nacho cheese can’t be all bad. - ship
Purchase At Amazon $19.99 (Free shipping on orders over $25) Purchase At Amazon $39.99 (Free shipping)Wii
[img-l=4772]2809[/img-l]Army Men: Soldiers of Misfortune Dev. Pub. Zoo Games Systems: Wii MSRP: $29.99
I'm trying to come up with a witty opening for this preview, but, damn, there’s a new entry into the Army Men franchise? Unlike most of the games in this storied franchise, Soldiers of Misfortune actually has you playing as a boy who has been "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids"-inized. As Timmy, you must do battle with the tan soldiers throughout the rooms of his house in the suburbs. You see, in a “Small Soldiers”-esque twist, the plastic tan soldiers have turned evil, captured the green soldiers, and are determined to conquer your home. To win this Toy Story, you’re going to have to turn your formerly mundane toys into whimsical weapons and adeptly use the cover that throwing all those temper tantrums in the Target toy aisle has provided you. – ship
Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free shipping)[img-l=4772]2813[/img-l]Boogie Superstar Dev. EA Montreal Pub. Electronic Arts Systems: Wii MSRP: $59.99
Sorry guys, unlike the previously androgynous first game, Boogie Superstar is meant for the ladies. The ToeJam & Earl style of character design has been replaced with more of a Polly Pocket look. Along those lines, the game is just as much about making your character look fashionable as it is about busting a move and screeching out your favorite Fergie joint. Straight from the pages of Tiger Beat, forty of your favorite artists are here ranging from Rihanna to Britney Spears to Maroon 5. So grab up to three of your BFF’s and get that slumber party rockin’. - ship
Purchase At Amazon $59.99 (Free shipping)[img-l=4797]2837[/img-l]Penny Racers Party: Turbo Q Speedway Dev. Tomy Pub. Tomy Systems: Wii MSRP: $29.99
I loved these things when I was small lad. Right up to the point that I inevitably pulled them back one too many clicks. Fortunately, it doesn't look like you have to deal with that sort of self-loathing regret when it comes to Penny Racers Party. By now it's kind of cliche, but somehow it's still undeniably appealing to race tiny cars around seemingly giant-sized household locations. Not surprisingly, the cars are of course the adorably squatty dimensions that we're familiar with. What is surprising is that there are licensed cars in this game like the Lancer Evolution and that you can not only customize the looks with paint jobs and crazy body parts, but you can also upgrade your ride's engine and performance parts as well. With four-player split-screen and Wii-motion steering, I'm really hoping this turns out to be a better experience than a box full of plastic cars that no longer wind up. - ship
Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free shipping)[img-l=4772]2828[/img-l]Sam & Max: Season One Dev. TellTale Games Pub. Dreamcatcher Interactive Systems: Wii MSRP: $29.99
After numerous delays, it appears that the Wii is finally getting the first season of the episodic Sam & Max point and click adventures. If you've played through TellTale's StrongBad games, you know what to expect here. I've got little else to say here. Adventure forth with the pointing and the clicking. - ship
Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free shipping) Purchase At GameStop $29.99 (Free bonus CD)[img-l=4797]2839[/img-l]Ten Pin Alley 2 Dev. Pronto Games Pub. XS Games Systems: Wii MSRP: $19.99
It’s bowling for the Wii! That’s about all the information I can muster online this morning, but it’s all the information you really need. – mrs. ship
Purchase At GameStop $19.99 (Free shipping on orders over $25)DS
[img-l=4772]2811[/img-l]Battle of the Giants: Dinosaurs Dev. UbiSoft Quebec City Pub. UbiSoft Systems: DS MSRP: $29.99
Okay, I've got to admit it; that colon in the title intrigues me. Why is it there, are we going to be battling other giants? And if so, what? Well, while we all wait for the answers, for now it is dinosaurs. You can choose from twenty-six different species of them and customize your dino of choice with spikes, feathers, bony armor, and different colors and patterns. Then you fight another dinosaur and unlock new upgrades. I think there's some message about evolution in here somewhere, but I'm not sure that involved grafting spikes on the tail of my purple, tiger-striped T-Rex with absolutely gorgeous plumage. What? He's fierce, dammit. - ship
Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free shipping)[img-l=4772]2820[/img-l]Kage Densetsu: The Legend of Kage 2 Dev. Taito Pub. Square Enix Systems: DS MSRP: $19.99
When you're a ninja it's not unusual to go into hiding for long periods of time. Well, Kage must be one hell of a ninja because he's been M.I.A. for over twenty years following his debut on the NES. But now he’s back, and if you’re looking for a difficult old-school Ninja Gaiden/Shinobi/Ninja Five-O type of 2D action game, then Kage is ready to take your $20. - ship
Purchase At Amazon $19.99 (Free shipping on orders over $25)[img-l=4772]2821[/img-l]Littlest Pet Shop: Garden/Jungle/Winter Dev. EA Salt Lake Pub. Electronic Arts Systems: DS MSRP: $29.99
Aaah! They're back. This time you have to choose which kind of animals you want to have pity on. Can you possibly be cruel enough to buy just the monkey and leave that poor bunny and... maybe that's a cat or a bear of some sort, ooh penguin, you can't leave him behind! And these feature the same type of mini-game set-up as the console versions. - ship
Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free shipping) Purchase At Circuit City $29.99 (Free Littlest Pet Shop stylus) Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free shipping)[img-l=4772]2822[/img-l][img-r=4772]2823[/img-r]
Purchase At Circuit City $29.99 (Free Littlest Pet Shop stylus) Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free shipping) Purchase At Circuit City $29.99 (Free Littlest Pet Shop stylus)[img-l=4797]2840[/img-l]Lovely Lisa Dev. Tomy Pub. Tomy Systems: DS MSRP: $29.99
Whatever you do, don’t Google “Lovely Lisa” without the “DS” behind it - just a warning. This fashion simulation title is geared toward the young girl gamer, and, at $30, is way overpriced. – mrs. ship
Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free shipping)[img-l=4797]2834[/img-l]My Dress Up Dev. Oxygen Studios Pub. O-Games Systems: DS MSRP: $29.99
Dress up your avatars and have dress-up parties. – mrs. ship
Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free shipping)[img-l=4797]2901[/img-l]My MakeUp Dev. Oxygen Studios Pub. O-Games Systems: DS MSRP: $29.99
Put make up on your avatars and have face-painting parties. – mrs. ship
Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free shipping)[img-l=4797]2835[/img-l]My Secret Diary Dev. Oxygen Studios Pub. O-Games Systems: DS MSRP: $29.99
Compatibility quizzes, a simulated Magic 8-ball, secret journal and much, much more. Oh, and help planning your parties. – mrs. ship
Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free shipping)[img-l=4772]2824[/img-l]My Japanese Coach Dev. UbiSoft Pub. UbiSoft Systems: DS MSRP: $29.99
I can’t possibly think of a new, unique way to describe one of these UbiSoft titles. They’re solid titles that are supposed to be good at the task at hand: teaching a foreign language. So far gamers can learn Chinese, French, Spanish, and even improve their English vocabulary. If you’ve got a trip to Japan looming in your future, you may think about picking this title up. – mrs. ship
Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free shipping)[img-l=4772]2825[/img-l]Naruto: Path of the Ninja 2 Dev. Tomy Pub. Tomy Systems: DS MSRP: $29.99
This Naruto RPG features an original storyline. That's the good part. The bad part? It's still about Naruto. I'm sure fans will get some pleasure out of creating teams of their favorite characters, but with so many other RPG's on the DS, this will most likely become a path less travelled for non-Naruto aficionados. - ship
Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free shipping)[img-l=4797]2841[/img-l]Prey the Stars Dev. Koei Canada Pub. Koei Systems: DS MSRP: $29.99
Any game with a shark on the cover must be fun, right? RIGHT! This new DS “puzzle” title features four sharks that are running rampant around a local city, devouring everything in their way. Of course, the gameplay could as easily feature a small prince with a toy ball rolling things up from the universe, if you catch my drift. That being said, it’s probably a pretty fun buy for your DS, although maybe not at the original $30 price tag. – mrs. ship
Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free shipping)[img-l=4797]2843[/img-l]Smart Boy's: Toy Club Dev. Starfish Pub. UFO Interactive Systems: DS MSRP: $19.99
These games are for moms who don’t know which games their kids really want, but who will buy these just because they’re specifically labeled for smart kids. “Why yes, that’s my little Billy, he’s a smart boy…” SOLD. – mrs. ship
Purchase At Amazon $19.99 (Free shipping on orders over $25)[img-l=4772]2829[/img-l]Smart Girl's: Party Games Dev. Starfish Pub. UFO Interactive Systems: DS MSRP: $19.99
These games are for moms who don’t know which games their kids really want, but who will buy these just because they’re specifically labeled for smart kids. “Why yes, that’s my little Becky, she’s a smart kid…” SOLD. – mrs. ship
Purchase At Amazon $19.99 (Free shipping)[img-l=4797]2842[/img-l]Smart Kid's: Party Fun Pack Dev. Starfish Pub. UFO Interactive Systems: DS MSRP: $29.99
These games are for moms who don’t know which games their kids really want, but who will buy these just because they’re specifically labeled for smart kids. “Why yes, that’s my little Pat, he's/she’s a smart kid…” SOLD. – mrs. ship
Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free shipping)[img-l=4772]2832[/img-l]Tak: Mojo Mistake Dev. THQ Pub. THQ Systems: DS MSRP: $29.99
A side-scrolling platformer where Tak must recapture a bunch of magical creatures that he created that are now out of hand. There are mini-games sprinkled throughout and a unique mechanic where you hold the DS horizontally for normal levels and vertically for JuJu Realm levels. - ship
Purchase At Amazon $29.99 (Free shipping)PS3
[img-l=4772]2830[/img-l]SOCOM: Confrontation Dev. Slant Six Games Pub. Sony Systems: PS3 MSRP: $39.99, $59.99
The first PlayStation 3 installation of the popular third-person military shooter releases this week as a multiplayer only game. With a similar upgrade and customization system to “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare”, “Confrontation” offers matches with up to thirty-two participants. The Beta left me with a little bit of a “been here, done this” feel, but SOCOM fans are going to feel right at home and Sony is sure to support this with plenty of additional content to keep you enlisted for a long time. - ship
Purchase At Amazon $39.99 (Five free exclusive music tracks) Purchase At Amazon $59.99 (Five free exclusive music tracks)PS2
[img-l=4797]2845[/img-l]The DOG Island Dev. Yuke's Media Creations Pub. UbiSoft Systems: PS2 MSRP: $9.99
(Deja Preview) For this preview, we're going to play a little game, similar to Simon Says in which there are instructions as to how to move and respond as you're reading this post. Here goes.
This adventure/RPG game is based on those close-up, big-head characters known as "The Dog". Allow your brain time to process that. It's an adventure game in which the main character is a dog Sigh of annoyance at Ship for making me preview this game who has no offensive attack moves Place your finger and your thumb in the shape of an L on your forehead . Instead, the dog character runs about sniffing for stuff to collect wrinkle nose . Oh, and there are mini-games groan, the wii-mote controls questionably roll eyes, and the camera is horrible roll eyes the opposite direction. And Ubisoft expects us to pay $30 for this picture images of game in large bargain bin . - mrs. ship
Purchase At Amazon $9.99 (Free shipping on orders over $25)[img-l=4797]2844[/img-l]Nitrobike Dev. Left Field Productions Pub. UbiSoft Systems: PS2 MSRP: $9.99
The former Wii exclusive races to the the PS2 for the price of a couple of gallons of gas.
(Deja Preview) In case your trucks are all out of excitement, former Excitebike 64 developer "Left Field Productions" has strapped rockets onto some dirt bikes in a bid to up the ante on extremitude. When you boil everything down, you get something similar to Pod Racing, but replace any Star Wars references with really big jumps and nac-nacs. Those familiar with the tilty steering of Excite Truck will be right at home and, surprisingly enough, Nitrobike offers six-player online racing. There's also a bowling mini-game to mix in the mandatory amount of zaniness, so those of you looking for an arcade-style racer might have some fun with Nitrobike. - ship
Purchase At Amazon $9.99 (Free shipping on orders over $25)PC
[img-l=4797]2909[/img-l]Brain Training for Dummies Dev. Beanbag Studios Pub. Electronic Arts Systems: PC MSRP: $19.99
Using the "for Dummies" branding, EA is releasing a brain training game a year or two too late. There are the usual games based upon the theoretical improvement of memorization, spatial relationship, logic skills and the ilk. This type of game has been done a hundred times over, and EA shilling this on the PC is almost a little insulting. There are thousands of Flash-based puzzle games that already do this, but, then again, their market consists of "dummies" anyway. – Treehouse Gamer
Purchase At Amazon $19.99 (Free shipping on orders over $25)[img-l=4797]2910[/img-l]Combat Wings: Battle of Britain Dev. City Interactive Pub. Navarre Systems: PC MSRP: $19.99
How do you ruin your chances of selling a combat flight sim? Well, developer City Interactive decided to only allow you the ability to fly one of four different planes - half of which are unlockable. The screenshots are especially awesome as it looks like the entire game takes place inside of soupy clouds. Funny enough, the press release already spoils the ending (hint: Berlin goes down in flames). – Treehouse Gamer
Purchase At Amazon $19.99 (Free shipping on orders over $25)[img-l=4797]2911[/img-l]Deer Hunter Tournament Dev. Southlogic Studios Pub. Atari Systems: PC MSRP: $19.99
Well, golly! Atari done did serve us up another one. While my cousin Billy Bob is a-courting my sister Louanne, I'll be putting on my fancy pants and heading on down to the Wal-Mart to get me some of this action. Hell, I'll probably pick up fourteen of these - one to go with each of my Prison Tycoons! God, sometimes I hate PC gamers. – Treehouse Gamer
Purchase At Amazon $19.99 (Free shipping on orders over $25)[img-l=4797]2912[/img-l]Etch A Sketch Dev. GameShastra Pub. Mumbo Jumbo Systems: PC MSRP: $19.99
If you plan on buying this, I hate you. – Treehouse Gamer
Purchase At Amazon $19.99 (Free shipping on orders over $25)[img-l=4797]2914[/img-l]Hot Dish Dev. ValuSoft Pub. ValuSoft Systems: PC MSRP: $19.99
This is like a strange crossbreed between Diner Dash and CakeMania. This is also known as a budget version of Order Up. Starting from an Italian restaurant cook towards becoming a five-star French chef, you have to balance your time cooking while still delivering the food to the tables. This game breaks two fundamental rules: 1. Italian food is better than French food. 2. Five-star chefs don't serve food. Pick up any of the afforementioned cooking titles as an alternative to wasting your time. – Treehouse Gamer
Purchase At Amazon $14.49 (Free shipping on orders over $25)[img-l=4797]2915[/img-l]SpongeBob SquarePants: The Game of Life Dev. ValuSoft Pub. ValuSoft Systems: PC MSRP: $19.99
ValuSoft keeps setting them up, and I keep dying a little bit from the inside. Scoring an incredible 4.3 from IGN, it's pretty much a guarantee that this game is a bad idea. Everyone knows that the fun part of The Game of Life is spinning the little number wheel. However, if this game had Novint Falcon support for dynamic haptic feedback, I'd be all over it. I'd still hate myself, though. – Treehouse Gamer
Purchase At Amazon $19.99 (Free shipping on orders over $25)Tales Runner Dev. Rhaon Entertainment Pub. GALA-NET Systems: PC MSRP: $
This is a racing game based on various fairy tales like Aladdin, Jack and the Beanstalk, etc. By some fairy godmother miracle, they were able to tweak the netcode enough to allow for up to thirty players racing simultaneously. What's even more amazing is that despite this, there are only 8 characters to choose from. Somebody at Rhaon did not do so well at math. What sounds hilariously horrendous is that the game features Inverted Style Courses - apparently, the first online racing game where you are driving towards the screen! This sounds awful! – Treehouse Gamer
[img-l=4797]2913[/img-l]Exodus from the Earth (Last Week) Dev. Strategy First Pub. Strategy First Systems: PC MSRP: $29.99
Developed by the studio behind Galactic Civilization, Exodus from the Earth is a story-based FPS based during a time period where Earth has been compromised by the ever-expanding sun. There's something about a re-colonization of another planet and generic sci-fi set pieces and plot devices ensue. I really want to give Strategy First the benefit of the doubt (since GalCiv II was so good), but this title looks so bland. Some companies should expand outside of their comfort genre, but the world does not need another sci-fi FPS. Also, the complete lack of any preview builds recorded is not a good sign. – Treehouse Gamer
Pet Pals: New Leash on Life (Last Week) Dev. Legacy Interactive Pub. Legacy Interactive Systems: PC MSRP: $19.95
"In Pet Pals: New Leash on Life, players can take part in each animal's story and control their fate." That is IGN's preview in its entirety. All that is known is that you do something with over thirty animals. Judging by the title, there's probably some dichotomy between the life and death of cute furry things that the player must deal with. Either that, or it's a victim of horrible naming conventions. My soul hurts for Mrs. Shipwreck. – Treehouse Gamer
On The DL
Art Style: CUBELLO Systems: WiiWare MSRP: $6
Another simplistic looking puzzler that's hard to describe, but garnering good reviews. Kind of a spherical take on Tetris. - ship
World of Goo Systems: WiiWare MSRP: $15
This new title is a downloadable gem that I’d place alongside Pixel Junk Monsters for originality. Based on a PC game, the gameplay revolves around building towers and structures out of goo. There are many types of goo: green goo is rearrange-able, while the black goo isn’t. Red goo forms balloons that give your structures lift. In each level there are pipes in which you’re trying to get the goo blobs: the more goo blobs you save, the better, but if you get too stingy on the number of blobs used to build with, your whole structure may collapse. My only wish is that the game was somehow for two players, but I can’t quite figure out how that would work. If you liked Elefunk for the PS3, you’ll love this title. All in all, it’s worth the $15 easily. – mrs. ship
Secret of Mana Systems: Wii VC (SNES) MSRP: $8
The overhead, co-op action-RPG that set the bar so high that not a single Mana sequel has been able to match, let alone surpass it. - ship
Street Fighter II': Special Champion Edition Systems: Wii VC (Genesis) MSRP: $8
This is the version I spent the most time with growing up and I certainly have fond memories for it, but unless you've passed on all the past Street Fighter II releases, I really don't think you need to spend $8 on this one. - ship
Age of Booty Systems: XBLA MSRP: $10
A hex-based real-time strategy game based in a pirate universe, Age of Booty features colorful graphics, a map editor, and support for up to eight players online. I haven't gotten my sea legs with it quite yet, but it has some promise. - ship
CrazyMouse Systems: XBLA MSRP: $5
At first glance, I was thinking this would play somewhat like ChuChu Rocket, but I was sadly mistaken. While it does feature mice, and by the title I presume they are somehow crazy, this game is kind of like a multi-player Pac-man affair with collectible power-ups. Race your rat around the maps eating as much food as possible while grabbing bonuses that can be deployed to give you a leg up on the other rodents. That sentence may have made this game sound more exciting than it is. - ship
Feedback:
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Apple, get a PC laptop 
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