New Releases for the Week of November 4th, 2012

Halo 4

While this week’s new release schedule looks to be dominated by Master Chief Petty Officer John-117, a few other notable titles are scheduled to hit store shelves and download services. THQ’s release of Saints Row The Third: The Full Package unites the sandbox game’s collection of three  DLC mission packs and thirty bonus items, while Midway Arcade Origins brings together 30 coin-op favorites to console owners evading the traditional piece-meal approach. Speaking of breaking collections up, while the Sega Vintage Collection: ToeJam & Earl collection on XBLA delivers both Genesis-based adventures of the aliens rappers, PlayStation owners will discover two seperate releases on Tuesday.

360
Halo 4
History Legends of War: Patton
Mass Effect Trilogy
Midway Arcade Origins
NASCAR The Game: Inside Line
Nickelodeon Dance 2
Saints Row The Third: The Full Package
Sega Vintage Collection: ToeJam & Earl (XBLA, $10)

PS3
Dragon Ball Z Budokai HD Collection
History Legends of War: Patton
LittleBigPlanet Karting
Midway Arcade Origins
NASCAR The Game: Inside Line
ToeJam & Earl (PSN, $4.99)
ToeJam & Earl: Panic in Panic on Funkotron (PSN, $4.99)

Wii
NASCAR The Game: Inside Line
Nickelodeon Dance 2
Pro Evolution Soccer 2013

Wii U
Mass Effect 3 Wii U Special Edition

3DS
Freakyforms Deluxe: Your Creations, Alive!
Harvest Moon 3D: A New Beginning
Petz Countryside
Pokedex 3D Pro (eShop, $14.99)
Rayman Origins

DS
Come On! Dragons
Nickelodeon Bubble Guppies
Poptropica Adventures

PSP
Pro Evolution Soccer 2013
Ragnarok Tactics

PS Vita
History Legends of War: Patton

PC
Angry Birds Star Wars
Chaos on Deponia
Cherry Tree High Comedy Club
Emergency 2013
History Legends of War: Patton
Mass Effect Trilogy

Robert’s Pick: Like any other red-blooded XBOX 360 owner, I’ll be picking up Halo 4 this week. Driven by a nagging sense of obligation, curiosity for 343’s new enemies- the Prometheans, and a slight interest in the first installment of The Reclaimer Saga, I’ll be reuniting with Master Chief and Cortana. Strangely, I’m even more excited for Midway Arcade Origins. Although I own all 30 games on the collection scattered somewhere around the office having Rampage, Total Carnage, and Robotron: 2084 on the same disk has me a bit giddy.

Rampage Midway Arcade Collection

Sean’s Pick: High-fiving in videogames may be all the rage nowadays, but let’s not forget that it all started with ToeJam & Earl. Wars have been waged over whether or not the side-scrolling Panic on Funkatron is in fact better than the original Rogue-like; you may want to pick up both, just in case.

ToeJam and Earl HD

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.

53 comments

  1. Mastah Cheev! Mastah Cheev!

    (Don’t know what accent that is supposed to but instead an indication that I’ll be grabbing Halo 4). Don’t disappoint me, 343.

    • 343 is no 989. This will only make sense to anyone old enough to remember the PSX.

      • “Old enough to remember the PSX.” Is this a qualifier now?

        Oh man, that statement is making ME feel old, I can only imagine the damage you’re doing poor DEagle. They’re moving him out of my old folks home and into the one for people “old enough to remember Zork.”

        • Old dudes are taking over. The IGN Skylander review said he was 40 and had his kids so some of the reviewing for him.

          Deagle, where’s the next-generation?

        • NOLA, you’re undermining my antiquity. I remember Tank and Pongs games that would hook up directly to your TV, offering about a dozen variations of the same damn game. Top that readers!

        • Playing game when you’re closing in on 30 in sad. Nearly 40? Pathetic.

          • Your sentiment is one of the reasons why I continue to play games.

            In the podcast thread, a number of readers spoke of games as a medium, a concept I completely agree with. Like film or books, they are a medium for conveying information or a story. Sure most games have a specific goal, but then again so do sports, and I don’t recall hearing anyone ever say, “You’re too old to watch baseball”.

            Likewise, the idea that someone has matured to a certain level and no longer can derive pleasure from reading or watching a movie is silly. So why do we treat games differently?

          • I’m 48 and probably quite a bit older than most of the readers here. That said, Bravo Robert. I think I’d rather be gaming that putting myself in midlife crisis territory by listening to people who say “what you should do” at this stage of life.

            Gaming requires thinking, which is far more than I can say about most television programs which by current standards are perfectly ok for any age.

          • If you’re 30 and still reading books, you’re pathetic.

          • if you’re still reading ‘books’ you’re pathetic. It’s all about tablets and ereaders, baby!

          • If you’re between the ages of 3 and 55 and commenting on a blogpost about upcoming videogame releases, then you’re an abomination.

        • Listen here, young’n. Games were big before Zork. The 2600 was ruling for three years before people were typing ‘verb noun’ commands.

  2. Question:

    Are you guys going to review the Dragon Ball Z Bukakki HD Collection?

    • I hope that’s an auto-correct error. I really do.

      • It’s not. But can you imagine phones that throw “bukakki” into sentences?

        My boss said my Bukakki pants are ok for work. But only on Fridays.

        I heard there’s a new bukakki in town that serves up the most mouth-watering goodies.

    • HAHA. Best post ever!

      Old guys like old games this week.

      One question is Pokedex 3D Pro really $14.99? Seems like a lot for a game that’s an upgrade over the free version.

  3. Mass Effect 3 for the Wii U is coming out this week? Whoa, two weeks before the Wii U launch? That’s crazy.

  4. Hello, Halo 4.

  5. LittleBigPlanet Karting.

    Can I just say I’m 26 and holding and feel very old now because of this thread. Can we just lock it up, Polygon-style? Please?

    • Dude, do you even REMEMBER the N64?!

      • Dude, I still own one!

      • The N64 came out senior year of high-school. Just because we laugh at you poop/tentacle jokes doesn’t mean we are are all little kids. 🙂

        • I know, I was just letting the above age joke seep into the rest of the comments.

          • Just make sure the poop jokes don’t seep into the reviews, ok?

            BTW- Why are you and especially Deagle so serious in your reviews and pretty lively on the podcast? You’re like too different people sometimes.

          • Believe it or not, when we started the podcast, we wanted it to be much more serious than it is now. One of the things that has always bothered me about modern enthusiast press – this goes for videogames, tech, movies, comics, etc. – is that there seems to be a lot of pressure to be a comedian or entertainer first, and a consumer watchdog second. The most successful people in those industries are usually the funniest; I mean look that Greg Miller or Ryan Davis. But then again, you could also make the argument that those are two people that have tremendous insight, and THAT’S why they are so successful.
            In the end, our show is a recording of a couple friends talking, and that’s always bound to get a little silly. On the occasion that Deagle and I go our for lunch (which admittedly doesn’t happen as often as it should) the conversations have a tendency to get a lot deeper than they do on the show, and while I do think that would make for great audio, the one or two episodes that really were just us talking about the nitty-gritty of games were also our least popular.
            I think what I’m getting at is that we have a very entertaining show, but the reviews will always carry a certain weight of responsibility to them. You listen to the podcast to be entertained, you read the articles to stay informed.

          • That makes sense. I mean Ryan and the guys are funny, but they also don’t write reviews like you guys. If they wrote a review about Okami and used the metaphor of a flower, I think a lot of their readers would be like “WTF is this”? (BTW- great job, I can see you were trying to capture the beauty of the game).

            But hearing you guys on the podcast, it sounds like you don’t get along that well. Is that a front?

          • Make no mistake: I love Deagle to the point of impropriety. There is no man I’d rather spend 2 hours of my time arguing with about dumb shit that doesn’t matter. If it comes across that we don’t like each other, that’s only because I am a cantankerous hermit.

          • HAHA, you’re too “hard on” yourself.

            For the rest of the writers, that right there is how you deliver a dick joke.

          • Deagle’s cool and all, but I’d take Jeremy over him. That’s just me.

          • So surprise here,but Sage would be my conversational choice.

          • If Sektor and Sage ever do hookup, I can say I was witness to the whole thing.

          • I take it back. We really are incapable of having a serious conversation.

          • Sounds like you’re either the problem or the solution, NOLA. 😉

          • Boys will be boys? I always say, “men will be boys”.

  6. Are you guys sure than History Legends of War: Patton is coming out for Vita?

  7. Here’s the Midway Aracde Origins list before someone asks:

    720° – Skateboard through the neighborhood and earn a ticket to compete at the big skate park.
    A.P.B. – Drive around as Officer Bob to ticket and arrest law-breakers and meet your ticket quota.
    Arch Rivals – Outscore your opponent in this classic basketball game.
    Bubbles – Maneuver around dirty objects as a soapy bubble trying to clean a kitchen sink.
    Championship Sprint – Race to the finish in this classic speed game.
    Tournament Cyberball 2072 – Control a robotic football team and score touchdowns with exploding Cyberballs and short-circuiting robo-offenders.
    Defender – Defend a far-off planet from waves of invading aliens while protecting the human race in this shooting game.
    Defender II – Deliver humans to safety through the teleporting gateway, all while defending against attacking alien forces.
    Gauntlet – Venture through dungeons as one of four fantasy-based characters to vanquish enemies and collect treasures and potions.
    Gauntlet II – Reprise the role of your favorite fictional characters to embark on a new quest with all new levels, enemies and challenges.
    Joust – Mount a flying ostrich and fly through levels by toppling groups of buzzard-riding knights.
    Joust 2 – Transform your ostrich into a powerful Pegasus to defend against the enemy buzzard-riding knights.
    Marble Madness – Glide a marble through mazes and obstacles in this platform game.
    Pit-Fighter – Be the last man standing to punch, kick, and beat your opponent in the fighting pit.
    Rampage – Take control of gigantic mutants to demolish the city and terrorize civilization.
    Rampart – Defend your castles by attacking oncoming forces and repairing any damage done to your territory.
    Robotron 2084 – Battle waves of robots to protect the last human family from annihilation.
    Root Beer Tapper – Serve up mugs of root beer to thirsty patrons before the time runs out.
    Satan’s Hollow – Build a bridge across a lava river and destroy gargoyles in order to reach the final level, a battle against Satan himself.
    Sinistar – Blast planets and collect crystals to create deadly Sinibombs to defeat the evil Sinistar.
    Smash TV – Advance through a vicious game show by playing for cash, keys, and the ultimate prize, your life.
    Spy Hunter – Hunt down enemy agents while cruising for weapons and protecting civilians.
    Spy Hunter II – Gather weapons and set-up obstacles to destroy enemy agents in a 3D view.
    Super Off Road – Race around the tracks in an off-road truck to beat the other contenders.
    Super Sprint – Speed around twisty tracks and advance through the circuit to be named the racing champion.
    Toobin’ – Splash through rivers in an innertube to collect treasures and race against opponents.
    Total Carnage – Play as the Doomsday Squad to rescue hostages and capture the evil dictator
    Vindicators Part II – Power up to fill your depleting fuel tank and escape from oncoming attacks.
    Wizard of Wor – Navigate through monster-filled dungeons to defeat the creatures within.
    Xenophobe – Wander around a space station and shoot killer aliens before the time runs out.
    Xybots – Dash through the 3D maze to fight Xybot robots bent on human destruction.

  8. Also, Ragnarok Tactics looks pretty good. I could go for a new SRPG.

  9. If there’s a demo of LittleBigPlanet Karting (I missed the beta) I could be persuaded.

  10. Halo 4 this week. Just the regular edition.