New Releases for the Week of July 15th, 2012

French critic Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr once wrote, “The more things change, the more they stay the same”. While the novelist surely didn’t use the epigram to refer to a medium which wouldn’t be created for another hundred years, the quote seems like an accurate way to summarize this week’s new releases. From a return to the beloved half-pipe in Tony Hawk Pro Skater HD to skulking through Raccoon City in Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles and The Umbrella Chronicles, progress looks a lot like the past, albeit in 1080p.

360
Mass Effect 3: Earth (DLC, Free)
Tony Hawk Pro Skater HD (XBLA, $15)

PS3
Dyad (PSN)
Mass Effect 3: Earth (DLC, Free)
Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles
Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles

3DS
Heroes of Ruin
The Phantom Thief Stina and 30 Jewels (eShop)

DS
Petit Computer (DSWare)

Vita
No Releases

PC
Anna
Maestia: Rise of Keledus
Mass Effect 3: Earth (DLC, Free)
Max Payne 3: Local Justice Map Pack (DLC)
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Collection

DesertEagle’s Pick: After nearly a year and a half at retail channels, the 3DS library has grown to include most of the major genres, with fighters, racers, and even a shmup or three offered to owners. This week, the platform’s dearth of dungeon crawling experiences gets a quick fix from n-Space (Geist, Die Hard Trilogy 2: Viva Las Vegas). After playing a bit of Heroes of Ruin at E3, all the requisite elements seem to be in place: a quartet of classes, 80,000 pieces of loot of unearth, and the ability for your 3DS owning friends to tag along on the expedition.

 BlueSwim’s Pick: PC gamers, I’m not sure how you couldn”t have crossed paths with Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic at some point. BioWare’s two epic RPG’s are among the Star Wars game elite because of their incredible branching stories (the first game’s being the better of the two), lovable characters, and addictive combat. Reminiscing about KOTOR makes me want to grab my Xbox copies of both games and play through them again. That’s no small feat mind you, as you can get three digits worth of hours out of each if you set out to see everything the light and dark sides of the force have to offer. If, by some chance, you haven’t played these games before, the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic I & II PC Bundle Pack should be on your shopping list, especially since it’s only $20. Buy it…meatbags.