New Releases for the Week of Jan.30th-Feb.5th, 2013

Dead Space 3Just as February often brings the first reprieve from winter’s austere temperatures, turning the calendar page reveals a number of new releases capable of warming the hearts of gamers. From Isaac Clarke’s third confrontation with necromophs in Dead Space 3, using the Hokuto Shinken to reduce opponents into bloody viscera in Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage 2, or the return of the beloved thievius raccoonus in Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time, this week’s itinerary of titles offers a pleasing selection of familiar faces.

360
Dead Space 3
Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage 2
Special Forces: Team X (XBL, $15)

PS3
Dead Space 3
Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage 2
Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time

Wii
Metal Slug 4 (Virtual Console, $TBA)
We Sing: 80s

Wii U
Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage 2

3DS
Bloody Vampire (eShop, $TBA)
Fire Emblem: Awakening
Ikachan (eShop, $TBA)
Witch’s Cat (eShop, $TBA)

DS
99Moves (DSiWare, $1.99)

Vita
Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time

PC
Dead Space 3
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim-Dragonborn

Robert’s Pick: Ever since Fire Emblem‘s first stateside release in 2003, I’ve been hooked on Intelligent Systems exemplary strategy role-playing series. Part of the franchise’s appeal stems from it’s integration of ‘perma-death’, where careless decisions can lead to the elimination of a character for the duration of the campaign. As XCOM: Enemy Unknown recently demonstrated, this mechanic can bring a sense of urgency that’s often missing from similar genre entries. While the casual difficulty of Fire Emblem: Awakening removes this nuance, you’ll really want to play in Classic Mode to revel in the series’ intensity and engaging tactics.

Fire Emblem Awakening

Eric’s Pick: Did someone say they wanted a game by Cave Story creator, Pixel, starring a cute, little squid? No? Well, you’re getting it anyways. Ikachan for the Nintendo 3DS has you controlling the game’s namesake to help it escape from an underwater cave. Fans of “Metroidvania” will feel right at home here as the gameplay is just like that of those 2-D classics. Visually, its style bares a strong resemblance to the pixel art found in Cave Story. Ikachan isn’t a very long game (about two hours), but it should be worth a look, nonetheless.

Ikachan
Samurage’s Pick:  I was only able to recently delve into the Dead Space series, even though I’ve known for a long time that it was a great game. As I’ve made my way through the controller-clenching terror that comprised Issac’s nightmarish trials, I found myself growing increasingly enamored by the story line and game play.  So it’s no surprise that my pick this week is for Dead Space 3.  Through the in-game graphicsdon’t quite resemble was was shown in the trailers, I’m still excited to give it a shot. My only fear is that the series will start to get over commercialized, like so many other continuing sequels converted into cash-cows.

Dead Space 3 (2)

About Robert Allen

Since being a toddler, Robert Allen has been immersed in video games, anime, and tokusatsu. Currently, his days are spent teaching at two southern California colleges. But his evenings and weekends are filled with STGs, RPGs, and action titles and well at writing for Tech-Gaming since 2007.

25 comments

  1. When micro-transactions add up to $50, are they really “micro” anymore?

    • I haven’t really been following DS3, but I did see thew rumor that they give an advantage in MP? So has this been confirmed?

  2. So is there an update on Full Front Assault for Vita? Is that version gets canned, I want the big, bald head of Desert on a platter.

  3. I’m worried about Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time not being developer by Sucker Punch.

    • Ive seen a bit of Thieves in Time. It stays pretty true to the series. As long as you’re not expecting revolution, it will be pretty fun.

      • Might want to put that it’s $39.99 and Cross buy enabled.

        Jeremy, Robert, and Sean, help dig Sony out of their rut.

  4. You probably should have showed a non-paper doll pic for Fire Emblem: Awakening!

  5. I might be the only one who liked Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage. I haven’t met anyone else, or even read any reviews that have praise. With that, I’m interested in the sequel, but now a few years later my shamestack is pretty high. I won’t get it at launch, but I can see myself grabbing it in a few months.

    • You’re not the only one.

      It was a little too much like DW for me, but that didn’t keep me from having a good time, beating the crap out of fools. Saw some review that were less than a 4.0 which were just hatin’. Fun game and I’ll probably get the sequel.

  6. That Dancing Turtle

    The DS3 demo was a mixed bag. They added cover to a game that doesn’t need cover. They took away disarmed the necros, which was one of the more intense parts of the game.

    But it’s not all bad. They opening up the environments and they’re not all dark now and there’s humans to fight for variety. My takeaway. I like Visceral, but they won’t be getting my $60 out the game.

  7. So are any of you playing Fire Emblem: Awakening yet? What’s the verdict?

  8. I swear that Special Forces: Team X is a made up name.

  9. Can I borrow your new release info as long as I supply a link back?

  10. Dead Space 3 is such a bamboozle it’s not even funny. EA you’re not getting my money for stupid money-grubbing practices.

  11. Fire Emblem. This Sunday!

  12. Is bloody vampire a finger-licking simulation?

  13. Ikachan will be $5 and hard to resist. XD

  14. The only thing worth paying full price for is Fire Emblem: Awakening. Mark my words.

  15. Sage your appreciation for Dead Space 3 has me both worried and relieved.

    I don’t know how you can overlook the move toward micro-transactions. Its shameless and $50 worth of multiplayer performance enhancements has no business in a $60 game. It’s a dangerous trend pushing MP into pay (not play) to win territory.

    Then part of me wants to hug you for being able to overlook the greed and enjoy the game that the designers and artists made. I’m torn!

    • Sage, you better accept that hug from Sektor. No one denies a cyborg ninja assassin and lives to tell the tale.

    • Sektor’s getting the love knife ready!

    • At the end of the day, its how the gamer chooses to play the game. Integrity in gaming, or anything else for that matter, seems to be a disappearing concept, but it really is up to the individual gamer to choose how they play. If you don’t want paid micro transactions, then don’t utilize them.
      As you mentioned Sektor, I see a difference between the game designers/design and the publishers. Publishers can do underhanded crappy things, but it doesn’t mean that the game design elements aren’t worth enjoying.
      That said, if the two are fused too directly, for example, if it is impossible to beat the game without paying for downloadable content, that’s where I draw the line. If those things are honestly optional, then its a practice of forcing you to pay more money in order to play the game at all, or at least to play the game and have any fun. thats like stopping people at the top of a carnival ride to insist they pay another 5$ to ride down to the bottom.

      And Sektor, I’d hope all of you wants to hug me either way :p

      • “thats like stopping people at the top of a carnival ride to insist they pay another 5$ to ride down to the bottom.”

        Why do you have to give them ideas, Sage?

  16. So WHATS the big deal with Dead Space 3’s transactions? They allow you to speed through the game. Which is weird because if I spend $60 on a game, I want to experience every goddamn minute.

  17. I think I’ll pass on Dead Space 3. The first two games were $20 within 3 months of release.