New Releases for the Week of October 7th, 2012

Dishonored

From massacring waves of encroaching mutons in XCOM: Enemy Unknown to moving it to Nicki Minaj’s “Super Bass” in Just Dance 4, this week’s collection of new releases has something to offer both hardcore strategy buffs as well as casual booty shakers. For Xbox owners thinking about retiring their Kinect to the confines of a hall closet, three new games hope to reinvigorate interest in the motion sensing peripheral. Meanwhile, cross-game integration seems to be on the rise, with at least releases (Fable: The Journey, Pokemon Dream Radar) unlocking content in affiliated titles.

360
Dishonored
Dragon Ball Z for Kinect
Fable: The Journey (Kinect Required)
Happy Wars (XBLA, Free)
Harry Potter for Kinect
Just Dance 4
Naughty Bear: Panic in Paradise (XBLA, $15)
Of Orcs and Men
Port Royale 3: Pirates and Merchants
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier-Khyber Strike (DLC, $10)
Walking Dead, Episode 4: Around Every Corner (XBLA, $5)
Worms Revolution (XBLA, $15)
XCOM: Enemy Unknown

PS3
Dishonored
Just Dance 4
King of Fighters XIII (PSN, Free for PS+)
Of Orcs and Men
Naughty Bear: Panic in Paradise (PSN, $15)
Port Royale 3: Pirates and Merchants
Retro City Rampage (PSN, $14.99, Cross-Buy Enabled)
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier-Khyber Strike (DLC, $9.99)
Walking Dead, Episode 4: Around Every Corner (PSN, $5)
Warlords (PSN, $9.99)
Worms Revolution (PSN, $14.99)
XCOM: Enemy Unknown

Wii
Just Dance 4

3DS
Code of Princess
Crazy Kangaroo (eShop, $4.99)
Pokémon Dream Radar (eShop, $2.99)
Nurikabe by Nikoli (eShop, $4.99)
Spy Hunter

DS
Pokémon Black Version 2
Pokémon White Version 2

Vita
Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock (PSN, $TBA)
Retro City Rampage (PSN, $14.99, Cross-Buy Enabled)
Spy Hunter
SunFlowers (PSN, $3.99)

PC
Dishonored
Of Orcs and Men
Port Royale 3: Pirates and Merchants
Walking Dead, Episode 4: Around Every Corner
Worms Revolution
XCOM: Enemy Unknown

DesertEagle’s Pick: While some of my colleagues are unabashed dieselpunk fetishists, I cannot make that claim. Rather, My interest in Dishonored is driven by the game’s ability to straddle the action and stealth genres in a engaging sandbox environment. As long as I’m sneaking and slaying, almost any milieu is fine with me.

Dishonored

Jeremy’s Pick: I usually treat the New Release recommendations as a casual guideline on my personal opinions about entertainment prospects in the coming week. This time, reader, I want to make sure you understand my explicit demand that you spend your time and money on XCOM:  Enemy Unknown, to the exclusion of all else if necessary. The new XCOM takes the often celebrated (but never quite duplicated) turn-based strategy formula of X-COM: UFO Defense and updates it with the care and thought that existing fans will truly appreciate. All the faux-RPG elements we used to pretend were in the old game (specializations and abilities, “narrative” elements, etc) have now been added in truth in Enemy Unknown, along with actual story hooks, cinematic touches, more interesting and interactive environments, but leaves the core play fully intact. All that’s missing is the hyphen.

XCOM Enemy Unknown

SeanNOLA’s Pick: After what seems like an eternity of development and legal posturing, Retro City Rampage is finally hitting digital shelves. I’m excited to finally get my hands on it, if for no other reason than to see what elements that they initially lifted wholesale from NES games made their way to the final version. Maybe Nickelodeon let them keep the Turtle Wagon in tact, but I doubt it.

Samurage’s Pick: I don’t think anyone will be surprised by my pick this week. Intelligent gaming, the ability to choose between stealth and brute force, a steam/diesel punk veneer – color me thrilled. My pre-order is in, and I’ve been building and modding steam and cyber punk guns all week in anticipation. This week, I’m happy to be Dishonored.

Dishonored

BlueSwim’s Pick: A couple of months back, I was scrolling through the 3DS section on Amazon when I came across an Atlus game named Code of Princess. The cover sported a hot blond in some very skimpy armor, so it immediately grabbed my attention. After some digging, I found out that Code of Princess features a mixture of RPG elements, 2-D side-scrolling action, and beat ’em up brawling. It reminds me a bit of the PlayStation 2 classic, Odin Sphere, but with faster combat pacing. Also worth mentioning is that the game supports local and online multiplayer for up to four people playing either together or competitively. And, yes, you can use your characters from the single player mode. Atlus is going all out with Code of Princess by packaging the “Sound and Visual Book” (art book and eight-song soundtrack CD) with launch copies.

Code of Princess

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.

31 comments

  1. Hey, I’m first! woo-hoo.

    My copy of $29.99 XCOM is preloaded. I love Steam.

  2. Nicki Minaj is an abomination to the music world. I can’t stand the noise she makes.

    The way I look at it, Dishonored and XCOM are the two big titles this week. I want them both, but I’ll let my finances decide.

  3. Ok, I want Dishonored but knowing how Bethesda treats PS3 players like stepchildren, I don’t really want to give them any of my money.

  4. Pokemon, if only you evolved as much as your namesake, I’d still love you.

  5. Pokemon White Version 2 in 2 days.

  6. Dishonoured. Yes, with a ‘U’ because…well I want to get more for my money.

  7. The lack of randomization in XCOM: Enemy Unknown worries me a bit, but I still might have to take a chance on it.

  8. So many games I want this week!

    I will play dishonored before the holidays. The game looks real cool and reminds me a bit of BioShock in an open world.

    Even though XCOM: Enemy Unknown is a remake, I love the perspective and visuals. I’m sure they’re be a few surprises.

    Pokemon Black/White 2. Sure I’ve played this game already, many time over. But you know what? I still love it every single time. Here, Nintendo, take my money, because you’ve made the perfect portable gaming experience.

  9. Give me a game where I can hunt down a virtual Nikki Minaj.I’d love that.

  10. SunFlowers price (and the lack of any other Vita software) may force me to pick it up.

  11. Retro City Rampage is finally getting a release or are you guys toying with me.

  12. Sean, maybe we need to get Sage on this but isn’t parody protected? (Turtle Wagon)

    • In the early videos of the game, they had lifted the Turtle Wagon sprite directly from TMNT on NES without any alterations. It wasn’t parody.

      • Ok, that’s probably stealing. But if it’s 8 bit art, how hard would it be to recreate something pixel for pixel. I mean could Taito claim copyright on the Space Invader designs?

      • Here’s the sprite Sean is taking about. Don’t Ask me if it’s a pixel for pixel copy because I haven’t played TMNT for 50 years.

        • That’s it. I’m have Leo file in the morning then have Donatello serve the papers. Things haven’t been this bad since Nolan North did voice over for Ralph for the last movie.

  13. I may have to go with Jeremy’s pick. XCOM for me.

  14. I usually don’t comment unless there’s good game coming out.

    Dishonored, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, Pokemon Black/While 2, Retro City Rampage.

    Wow, this week is epic.

  15. Always bet on Black. Pokemon Black Version 2.

  16. So XCOM: Enemy Unknown, PS3 or console. Which version is better?

  17. I was Dishonored.

  18. I want to know what kind of guns you’re building Sage. Can you post pics/links.

  19. I really hope that RCR has some kind of demo.

  20. After hearing that Dishonored is 4-6 hours long are you guys still so hot for the game?

  21. I’ll take some free KoFXIII.