Eidos' comic-book action-adventure game committed to X360, PS3; Square Enix's Final Fantasy 3D fighter hits PSP, with Professor Layton rolling onto DS and Metroid Prime Trilogy for Wii.
Although Madden NFL 10 kicked off two weeks ago, this month has yet to see a deluge of noteworthy titles. That will change this week with the debut of numerous prominent titles, including Batman: Arkham Asylum, Dissidia: Final Fantasy, Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box, and Metroid Prime Trilogy.
Published by Eidos Interactive, Batman: Arkham Asylum follows the caped crusader as he takes on the Joker and other supervillains in the titular madhouse. Cowritten by Paul Dini, producer of TV's Batman: The Animated Series, the game heats up when the Joker wreaks havoc in Arkham. There, he orchestrates a plan to kill Batman and terrorize Gotham City with the help of myriad accomplices. As an added incentive, PS3 gamers will be able to play as Gotham City's quintessential madman in the game's challenge map modes. The PC version of the game, however, won't come out until September 15.
Meanwhile, the PSP will see the release of Dissidia: Final Fantasy, from Eidos parent company Square Enix. The 3D fighter features more than 20 characters from the first dozen Final Fantasy games. In addition to series protagonists, such as Squall, Cloud, and Tidus, the roster includes more villainous entrants, such as Sephiroth. Dissidia retains many Final Fantasy conventions, including summon attacks and role-playing-game-style character development. Alongside the game's August 25 release, GameStop will feature an exclusive, limited-edition PSP bundle package. It includes Sony Pictures' Final Fantasy VII Advent Children on UMD, a 2GB Memory Stick Pro Duo, and a Mystic Silver PSP-3000--all for $200.
Moving from Sony's handheld to Nintendo's, Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box will roll onto the DS on Monday. The puzzle game takes the inquisitive scholar on a quaint train ride through a fictional European landscape to solve the mystery of the Elysian box. The sequel to 2008's Professor Layton and the Curious Village, the upcoming Nintendo title features more than 150 puzzles and a tea-brewing minigame.
Another Nintendo-published title, Metroid Prime Trilogy, will charge onto the Wii on Monday. The compilation will include 2007's current-generation debut of the space-faring adventure franchise--Metroid Prime 3: Corruption--as well as revamps of the series' two GameCube installments on a single disc. Both the original Prime and Echoes will be updated with motion controls along the lines of those featured in Corruption. The two games will also support widescreen displays, and players will be able to unlock art and music by achieving a number of in-game objectives.
The Wii will also see the debut of an action adventure game, ominously titled Cursed Mountain. As a mountaineer trekking through abandoned villages and decrepit Buddhist temples, players battle ghosts and solve puzzles through roughly 20 hours of gameplay. Meanwhile, Koei's Warriors Orochi 2 is heading to the PSP following its release on the PS2 and Xbox 360 in 2008. The upcoming hack-and-slash game will introduce new modes, including Dream, Versus, and Survival.
PC gamers will be able to purchase CrimeCraft, an online first-person shooter set in a gritty modern gangland. Players assemble fellow thugs to battle over urban turf in 14 combat instances. On the Xbox 360, 2K Games' NBA 2K10: Draft Combine will slam onto Xbox Live for 400 Microsoft points ($5). Players can create their own players using more than 300 different attributes, compete in five-on-five matchups, and try out other various minigames. The PlayStation Network release is due out September 3.
Meanwhile, Namco Bandai's hand-to-hand action game Invincible Tiger: The Legend of Han Tao will slam onto Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network. Players embark on a quest to recover a powerful artifact from an onslaught of the evil Overlord's forces. The 2D-style game offers several modes, including story, online, and endurance. The XBLA edition comes out Wednesday, with the PSN version due out the next day.
With Watchmen: The End Is Nigh Part 2 already out for the PlayStation 3, users of the Xbox 360 and PC will now be able to pick up the same title Wednesday. Based on the Watchmen comic book, the superheroes Rorschach and Nite Owl team up to solve the case of the missing Violet Greene.
PC and Xbox 360 users can also purchase a new retail bundle of Fallout 3 add-ons this week. Bethesda's Fallout 3 Game Add-On Pack: Broken Steel and Point Lookout combines two expansions to the postapocalyptic role-playing game--both of which were previously available for individual download--into one $19.99 retail package for the PC and 360. Rounding out the week's releases is The Sims 2 University Life Collection for the PC, which will pack together The Sims 2 University, The Sims 2 IKEA Stuff, and The Sims 2 Teen Style Stuff.
For further details on the week's games, visit GameSpot's New Releases page. The full list of downloadable games on the PlayStation Store, Xbox Live Marketplace, and the Wii Shop Channel will be revealed later this week. Release dates are based on retailer listings and are subject to change.
AUGUST 23, 2009
No new releases scheduled.
AUGUST 24, 2009
Metroid Prime Trilogy--Wii--Nintendo
Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box--DS--Nintendo
The Sims 2 University Life Collection--PC--Electronic Arts
AUGUST 25, 2009
Batman: Arkham Asylum--PS3, X360--Eidos Interactive
The Clique: Diss and Make Up--DS--Warner Bros.
CrimeCraft--PC--Vogster
Cursed Mountain--Wii--Deep Silver
Dissidia: Final Fantasy--PSP--Square Enix
Fallout 3 Game Add-On Pack: Broken Steel and Point Lookout--PC, X360--Bethesda
Harvest Moon: Frantic Farming--DS--Natsume
Harvest Moon: Magical Melody--Wii--Rising Star Games
Imagine: Teacher Class Trip--DS--Ubisoft
Logic Island--DS--No Company
Mahjongg Ancient Mayas--DS--Cerasus Media
Mana Khemia 2: Fall of Alchemy--PS2--NIS America
Princess Lillifee's Magic Fairy--DS--DreamCatcher Interactive
Reel Fishing: Angler's Dream--Wii--Natsume
Warriors Orochi 2--PSP--Koei
Wizards of Waverly Place--DS, Wii--Disney Interactive
AUGUST 26, 2009
Invincible Tiger: The Legend of Han Tao--X360--Namco-Bandai
NBA 2K10: Draft Combine--X360--2K Games
Watchmen: The End Is Nigh Part 2--X360--Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
AUGUST 27, 2009
Invincible Tiger: The Legend of Han Tao--PS3--Namco-Bandai
Shimano Xtreme Fishing--Wii--Mastiff
AUGUST 28, 2009
Beach Fun Summer Challenge--Wii--Midway
AUGUST 29, 2009
No new releases scheduled.
I know its strange to post this in this article, but if you have second thoughts about BAA, and are waiting for the reviews, than you really need to try it, reviews are awesome, and even so, ignore them, its just as awesome I just got it the day it came out, and it is TOTALLY worth it, lives up to the hype, like The Dark Knight. Finally, a Batman game you can not only stand to play for an hour, but have a hard time getting off the game!
@cocomacoco Check the user reviews and also check Gamestats.com to get a good range of gaming website reviews. That's what I do anyway.
Arkham, Layton, Dissidia, Prime Trilogy. Thats my Wii, PS3, DS and PSP all covered for awesome games. A good month for games IMO :D
@TheArcade I'm glad I'm not the only one who remembered 'The Adventures of Batman & Robin' on the MegaDrive/Genesis, what an awesome game! Can't wait for Akham Asylum, sounds like there's a lot of game to be had there!
is the batman game really that good? i didn't felt that on the demo, though for me was a very different approach every time I've played it I liked it more, so was like a big learning curve for it. Please PM me your opinions if you have played the game and what do you think of it from 1 to 10, thanks
Easily Batman and the Fallout 3 addon. Thou I'll wait a week as I'm trying to finish up a old game before the end of the month.
Batman Arkham Asylum will without a doubt be one of the best (if not game of the year) games out there. This isnt Protype this game will probably be remebered as the greatest superhero game of all time not to mention one of the greatest of our generation
I think I shall be gripping Dissidia instead of Arkham. Arkham from what i played demo wise is beyond vicious and fun...But funds are low, and Like Portable Ops (Which very very very hard to find right now in my area) Dissidia will probably be worth getting just because it feels like it has some replay value....Plus I wold love to beat the living crap out of Tidus over and over and over again with Sephiroth
Ill maybe get Batman only maybe, the rest isnt good thou....Too Bad Dissidia isnt turning out to be an epic game...its has gotten blah reviews!! could have bought a psp for it but no thanks
@JannettyTRocker... You're right about everyone wanting the next big thing... but that's not exclusive to gaming. Unfortunately, that's the way it is with everything these days. People don't appreciate the things they have because all they can think about is the things they don't have... and it's usually someone else's fault when they don't get them. Anyway... Batman could be a GOTY contender.
I really do hope the Batman game recieves good reviews. There really needs to be another solid Batman game besides - .
On my Birthday 3 games come out for my PC : Batman Arkham Asylum Resident Evil 5 NFS:Shift and i have already booked my copy of Dirt 2
Exclusive expansions like this are the reason why I purchased Fallout 3 for Xbox 360. Modern Warfare 2 is also a game I'm automatically getting for Xbox 360 because it is launching with exclusive maps and content for Xbox 360. That and being able to play with so many more people online.
Wait, wait, wait... Batman has gotten 9-10 from pretty much every reviewer, yet, in a time when there's like... nothing worth playing coming out, some of you are saying you'll wait for a price drop? I thought the point was that we should support the good games. I'm getting Dissidia for sure, but damned if the Batman isn't going home with me at the same time, lol.
and ill be getting dissidia over batman, and i must say i also thought the batman demo was real good, but ill wait for the price to drop for that one, i dont like paying 60 dollars for a game.
The demo on Batman was surprisingly good, even after all the insane hype. I can't wait for tomorrow!
Dissidia's already on the shelves where I am (not the US). It's pretty cool. Be warned though - it's a huge FF c**k tease. You better have SOME real FInal Fantasy game around to play, because it's going to get you all riled up and in the mood then leave you hanging.
My vacation from work starts tomorrow. Couldn't have come at a better time. Batman FTW!
Jannetty, you're probably right. Batman strikes me as one of those games like Prototype that's huge for a week or two, then disappears off the charts and piles up in trade-in bins. Such is the fate of the high-profile actioner. The competition's lack of staying power is the key to Nintendo's recent success. They have games that have been in the Top 10 for years. And I mean years literally, not for exaggerative effect. Wii Mario Kart, Wii Fit, Super Mario Bros. DS, etc. You can make a buck or two with a huge sales explosion, but the real money is in durability. Of course, it doesn't hurt that Nintendo has adjusted their focus to a target audience that has disposable income and doesn't pirate. I just hope gaming can avoid the one-weekend-then-goodbye model that is making film such a difficult industry.
batman reviews around the net have been expectional,this could be or maybe already is a surprise hit, am def looking into buying this game,superman legacy always overated ;p
The sad thing is, most of you will go out and buy Batman : Arkham Asylum, Metroid Prime Trilogy, and some of these other games. But with in a few weeks, you'll be trading the games in to get the "new big game releases" and you'll forget about these gems........One of the things that frustrates me about most gamers, their need for the "next big thing". But whatever, enjoy your games, I know I will.
"Alongside the game's August 25 release, GameStop will feature an exclusive, limited-edition PSP bundle package. It includes Sony Pictures' Final Fantasy VII Advent Children on UMD, a 2GB Memory Stick Pro Duo, and a Mystic Silver PSP-3000--all for $200." Just in time for my birthday... and then there's Batman AA...I haven't played a decent Batman game since the SNES version of Adventures of Batman and Robin, and I was highly impressed by AA's demo. A great time for gaming...a bad time for my limited gaming dollar.
damn this week sucks... for my wallet Dissidia, Batman, Professor Layton, Metroid Trilogy, **** that's almost $200 :( I'll get em eventually
Thank GOD there's finally a quality Batman game.Y'know, i guess, much like for the LotR movies, or Watchmen, it just took the evolution of technology to be able to finally get it right.
Less than 24 hours till a lot of the these great games are released. Its a great way to conclude a summer and ending it on a high note. For me, im looking forward to playing Batman Arkham Asylum.
But will players be able to solve the Diabolical Box's biggest mystery of all: why is Professor Layton travelling around the world with a young boy he's not related to?
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