Tech-Gaming Technology, Gaming, and Culture
With Brown Thursday, Black Friday, and any other color-coded shopping days behind us, the number of new retail titles has certainly decreased. Yet, thanks to digital download services, several notable releases will week from being empty of new entertainment options. From Mass Effect DLC which returns players to the lawless space city of Omega to the latest entry in the Ratchet & Clank series, there are a high-profile offerings apt to tempt gamers. Veteran players will likely be drawn to the remake of 1984’s Karateka, which represents creator Jordan Mechner’s return to gaming after a nine year hiatus.
360
Mass Effect 3: Omega (DLC, XBLA, $15)
Fighting Vipers (XBLA, $5)
Sonic The Fighters (XBLA, $5)
Virtua Fighter 2 (XBLA, $5)
PS3
Fighting Vipers (PSN, $5)
Karateka
Mass Effect 3: Omega (DLC, PSN, $14.99)
Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault (PSN, $19.99, Cross-Buy Enabled)
Sonic The Fighters (PSN, $5)
Under Defeat HD
Virtua Fighter 2 (PSN, $4.99)
Wii U
Cloudberry Kingdom
3DS
Aero Porter (eShop, $4.99)
American Mensa Academy
Classic Games Overload: Card and Puzzle Edition
Jett Tailfin
DS
Invasion of the Alien Blobs! (DSiWare, $1.99)
Jewel Master: Egypt 2
Vita
Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault (PSN, $19.99, Cross-Buy Enabled) Delayed until Jan. 2013
PC
Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition
Close Combat: Panthers in Fog
Frozen Hearth
Karateka
Mass Effect 3: Omega (DLC, $14.99)
Miner Wars 2081
Red Johnson’s Chronicles: One Against All – Part 2
Stronghold HD
Stronghold Crusader HD
Robert’s Pick: Save for the misstep of last year’s All 4 One, the Ratchet & Clank series has delivered superlative shooting and platforming for ten years. This week’s release of Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault for the PlayStation 3 and PS Vita is poised to bring the series back on track, returning the franchise’s classic camera perspective and power-up system. While the addition of tower-defense elements might seem a bit tripe, I’m hoping that Insomniac puts their typical, playful twist on the mini-game.
Sean’s Pick: Those of you spending Black Friday searching for one of the many $200 + pack-in-game deals on the Vita probably don’t need to buy anything else this week – especially if you download that flurry of free games from PS+. If you do happen to need something else to play on the go, Ratchet and Clank: Full Frontal Assault is a pretty safe bet. Insomniac is a very solid team, and it’s nice to see them finally spreading their love to the Vita.
Eric’s Pick: Sega’s back with three more downloadable re-releases just begging to be bought. This trio of AM2 arcade ports are Virtua Fighter 2, Fighting Vipers, and Sonic The Fighters. Each one of these old-school 3-D fighters has been updated with achievements or trophies and online play. Now here’s the best part; they’re only $4.99/400MSP a piece. Of the group, I’m looking forward to Fighting Vipers the most since it’s a franchise I’ve yet to cross paths with.
I really wish SEGA would offer a B2G1 free deal on their Saturn games. Oh, and 4:3? Really guys? I guess that’s why it’s $5.
No price on Karateka? I’m still interested. After playing 100s of games over the years, the ending of Karateka still sticks with me.
Sean, you’re not planning on going back to Red Johnson’s Chronicles?
I might. That episode has been out on PSN for a few weeks now, and if I decide to play it, I’ll stick with PS3.
Really who can resist the Red Johnson?
(only the girl from Avatar, I guess)
I loved the Stronghold and Stronghold Crusader. Can’t wait for the HD versions.
http://www.fireflyworlds.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=540&Itemid=1
I have way too many BF purchases to buy anything new for at least a month.
I picked up:
Forza Horizon, Dance Central 3, Sniper: Elite (on Desert’s recommendation) and Grand Slam Tennis 2 ($7.99)
I picked up Sniper Elite and have been playing it all morning. I can see a certain podcast personality jizzing in his pants over a 1000 yard headshot in this game.
So far, I really like it. Good call.
I don’t have a problem with DLC.
I do have a problem when a 5 hour expansion is 3/4 of the cost of the game. Mass Effect 3 is $19.99 at most places, so Omega seems way overpriced for $15.
If Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault is more than 5 hours long, I might give that a whirl.
I’m glad to hear Sean isn’t too jaded on the Vita.
Was Sonic The Fighters liked by anyone beside diehard ‘even Sonic 3D Blast is good’ Sega fans?
I like 3D Blast, but not The Fighters. Soooo….no?
When I was a kid I pronounced Karateka as Cara-techa. Consider a purchase of the remake as my apology Mr. Mechner.
I could never finish the game but I loved it anyway. Did you know that Mechner mocapped his friend for the game?
Is Under Defeat HD going to be a disk release or download?
I could be down for a little Virtua Fighter 2. $5 is about the right price.
I hope Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault price means Sony and Insomniac are being aggressive and not that they’re giving up 1/4 of a full game.
Nothing for me this week. I spent way too much today.
It’s been about three weeks since I’ve heard from Sage. Is everything ok? Can I get a status updates, please?
Have you checked your basement? 😉
How’s the murder case going?
Sage has been really busy with Phoenix Wright school lately. Don’t worry, she still loves you (even if she can’t admit it because of her sensei forbidding love). 😀
Sage, I hope you make the next show. The shown isn’t the same without you.
Ratchet and Clank looks cool. I liked Quest for Booty, so I’ll grab this.
You forgot Cyber Monday!
Saw, your comment on Little Big Planet Karting. Can I expect a full review from you guys?
I’ve been going crazy with the Microsoft sale. Now I’m broke. Still games for $10 can’t be beat.
So guys, what happened to the WiiU launch? I’ve seen them on store shelves and now they’re saying the system isn’t as powerful as the 360.
Methinks it’s the second coming of the PlayStation 3 launch….. or Nintendo doing an excellent job of keeping a steady supply of systems flowing into stores. Maybe a little from column A and a dash from column B?
There’s a lot of casuals in my family. They all knew just before the Wii was coming out from where ever they get their news from.
This year, they didn’t know about the Wii U. The one that did, thought it was just another version of the Wii that game with a DS pad. Using the old controllers seems to fix up the feeble minded.
So basically, where there was hype before, now there’s confusion. Oh, the the last one was about exercise which got some crossover appeal. This is about…sharing the TV.
Nintendo isn’t pushing it to the “non-core” audience like they did at the Wii’s launch. On whatever Good-Morning-America-Like that my GF’s mom was watching on Thankgiving, they were going over what the “Must Have” Christmas gifts were this year, and when they got to electronics, they showed an XBox 360 and a Vita. Low-and-behold, when I went on the hunt for a new Vita over the weekend, I couldn’t find one, but there were WiiUs, PS3s and 3DSes in every single store I went to.
Also (and I know these stories are 100% anecdotal) when we went to see Wreck-it-Ralph this weekend, there was a WiiU commercial. My girlfriend (who ingests a lot more main-stream media than I do) leaned over to me and asked “so when’s that coming out?” I told her that it came out a week ago, and she asked “then why is this the first time I’ve seen one?”
I think if they wanted a more successful launch, they needed to make themselves known outside of the neckbeard circle.
Same story here. Family over for Thanksgiving. None knew about the Wii U. When I mentioned it, either the concept didn’t excite them or my explanation was poor. All they asked was “so you can’t exercise with it”? and looked puzzled.
As for Vita, I really don’t think that has gone mainstream. Just a good price, so all the people sitting on the fence picked one up.
Calling enthusiasts “neck beards” wasn’t funny when McElroy was doing it months ago. Now, it’s just pathetic.
Pipe down, Wiitard.
The Wii U was on the Today show this morning and failed horribly.
http://kotaku.com/5963408/the-today-show-fails-at-the-wii-u
I’m thinking not being on the show might have been better than this.
“An iPad mixed with a a Wii”
Gawd, I hate when they dumb things down for ‘mericans. Every tech needs a point of reference with another piece of tech.
BTW- Who is the blond lady. A Nintendo rep or a Today personality. Either way, she’s awful.
The Today show fails at everything. Serious, who watched that shit. It’s unbearable. They should torture terrorists by making them watch 24 hours of it.
That said, why does Kotaku post so many anti-Wii U articles? What do they have against Nintendo?
Its how Kotuku works. Controversy grabs hits. If there’s a post that’s anti-anything, watch it catch like wildfire between fanboys, haters, and curious observers.
I’ve been fooled too many time by Kotaku and Joystiq. The text doesn’t match the juicy headline 95% of the time. And that’s after they spoiled major games without warning.
I’m waiting for Kotaku to post the “Jesus walks the Earth Again” headline where clicking on it tells the story of some Hispanic guy who broke his leg last week.
Clickbait and Doritogate.
I’m getting forearm tattoos that say “Clickbate” and “Doritogate”
So, what did everybody get this Black Friday?
Dragon’s Dogma, Forza Horizon and DC3 from Microsoft all for $40 (plus tax) shipped.
Greatest thing Microsoft has even done!
Glad to see you got Forza Horizon. I started playing it last night and it’s awesome. Well worth $15.
Correction: its great at $25 and a steal at $15. But $50 for a Season Pass is crazy.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Ultimate Collection Vol.3 Hardcover – $25
49 Piece Tupperware set with swivel drawer – 2 at $10 each
PepperSpray – $2
Barbecue lighters – 10 at $1 each
Tron USB stick – 2 at $1 each
RC Helicopter – $45
Seat Cushions – 2 at $15 each
All from Fry’s “Electronics” except the seat cushions.
You do write for a gaming website, Sean. 😉
I always hear about Fry’s, like it’s this Akihabra-like Mecca of games and electronics. If I ever go, I’ll probably spend an entire paycheck.
Does Deagle/Sage hand out there as well?
Fry’s is crazy. The best part is that each one is themed, and they go way overboard with some of them. The Fountain Valley one (which is where I was on Friday) is Greek Ruin themed, which is pretty underwhelming. The one in Manhattan Beach is Tiki themed, which is fun, but the one in Burbank is 1950s B-SciFi Movie themed, and it is AWESOME! The front of the store has a flying saucer that has crashed into it, and you walk under it to enter the store. When you get inside, there is a diner (where all the registers are located) and there are aliens deboarding the saucer and climbing onto the diner! Also, in the back of the store, there is an army dude on an old Harley and a giant ant that would give Blue the biggest chubber of his life. That one is by far my favorite.
Here’s the entrance: http://www.weirdca.com/gallery/var/albums/Weird/Sets/Frys/Burbank/CIMG0422.JPG
I thought this would be your favorite–
In NorCal we have Mayan and Egyptian themed stores. 90% dudes at each store.
ROFL!!! $5 says I would have some sort of mental breakdown in the middle of the store and start tossing things at said giant ant. XD
“49 Piece Tupperware set with swivel drawer”
So, a 50 piece set, then?
No, it’s actually a 48 piece set – the 49th piece is the swivel drawer.
Now that I’ve gotten shipping confirmations on everything, here’s my haul:
Forza Horizon – $15
BlazBlue: Continuum Shift EXTEND Limited Edition – $20
Lollipop Chainsaw – $10
Call of Duty: World At War – $10
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Storm Generations – $10
Sonic Generations – $10
Street Fighter X Tekken – $10
Daytona USA – $5/400MSP
Magic: The Gathering – Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 – $5/400MSP
Also, I’m pretty sure someone in my family tracked down Tekken Tag Tournament 2.
MTG: Duels of the Planeswalkers is a great deal at $5. I was surprised how much I enjoyed it.
Wow, nice pick ups. Let me hear your thoughts on Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Storm Generations and Lollipop Chainsaw.
I like the combination of tupperware, pepperspray, lighters, and a RC copter. Seems you could MacGuver a awesome practical joke that will make Deagle cry more than two seasons of NIS Anime.
YouTube that!
Speaking of DEagle and NIS, Robert really needs one of these if he doesn’t already have one. BAD ASS!
http://store.nisamerica.com/Collectibles/Prinny-Hoodie-Towel
Saw that and had to order one, dood. Thanks for the tip.