New Game Releases: June 13th-19th, 2014

Battle Princess of Arcadias (0)

With most of the industry recovering from the four-day deluge of games known as E3, this week offers up a quantity of conventional titles. Beyond Electronic Art’s simulation of mixed martial arts in EA Sports UFC, a solid stable of Steam-based releases, and a pair of Pac-Man games, the lone oddity is the eShop appearance of Van Helsing Sniper Zx100. Transported to a futuristic setting, the vampire hunter is tasked with using the gyroscopic functionality of the 3DS to eliminate threats like low-poly flying blood-suckers. Perhaps the most fiendish element of the game is its price, with players asked to ante up six dollars and sixty-six cents to step into the professor’s shoes.

PlayStation 3
Battle Princess of Arcadias (PSN, $29.99)
MotoGP 13 (Now on PSN, $39.99)
Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time (Now on PSN, $9.99)
Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction (Now on PSN, $9.99)
Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs Attack (PSN, $7.99)
Tales of Space: Mutant Blobs Attack Delicious Bundle (PSN, $11.49)

PlayStation 4
EA Sports UFC (also on PSN, $59.99)

Wii U
Pac-Land (eShop, $4.99)
PAC-MAN Collection (eShop, $6.99)
Soccer (eShop, $4.99)

Xbox One
EA Sports UFC

3DS
AiRace Xeno (eShop, $2.49)
Double Dragon II: The Revenge (eShop, $4.99)
Van Helsing Sniper Zx100 (eShop, $6.66)

PS Vita
Doodle God & Mahjong Royal Towers Bundle (PSN, $9.99)
Magical Beat (PSN, $9.99)
Tales of Space: Mutant Blobs Attack Delicious Bundle (PSN, $11.49)

PC
A Wizard’s Lizard (Steam, $TBA)
Battle Group 2 (Steam, $TBA)
Derrick The Deathfin (Steam, $TBA)
Knightmare Tower (Steam, $TBA)
Pro Cycling Manager 2014 (Steam, $35.99)
Probability 0 (Steam, $TBA)
Rhythm Destruction (Steam, $TBA)
Shadows: Heretic Kingdoms (Steam, $TBA)
Space Run (Steam, $TBA)
The Entente Gold (Steam, $TBA)
Viktor (Steam, $TBA)
Zoo Park (Steam, $TBA)

Robert’s Pick: Although NIS America is primarily known for their role-playing experiences, every once in a while the publisher puts out a game like The Witch and The Hundred Knight, Black Rock Shooter: The Game or Cave Story 3D which shuns the usually turn-based fights.  Like Dragon’s Crown or Odin Sphere the release of Battle Princess of Arcadias’ exhibits the mixture of light role-playing elements with an ample supply of hack-and-slack action. While Arcadias might not have the visual fluidity of a Vanillasoft title, the game looks to make amends by offering intricacies like a catalog of over 900 weapons (some of which can even evolve), an inventory of seven different classes, and character switching that’s no fast that the title nearly feels like a tag-team fighter.

Battle Princess of Arcadias (1)
Gonçalo’s Pick:
 I absolutely loved Dragon’s Crown when it released last year, however, now that I’m done with the game I’ve been looking for something to fill the void. Enter Battle Princess of Arcadias, a title very similar in style and gameplay. While it may not be a Vanillaware title it features a large roster of weapons and classes. My only complaint so far is that the game is relegated to a PSN release, a shame considering I‘d prefer owning a retail copy.

Battle Princess of Arcadia (2)

Jeremy’s Pick: Beat-em-up style games have a spotty track record, and it’s an easy formula to get wrong. Even the old greats, like Double Dragon II can sometimes suffer in translation to ports to Android/iOS or loosely-based arcade remakes like Double Dragon II: Wander of the Dragons (incidentally one of my top 2 picks for worst game of its console generation). Therefore I’m happy to see when a faithful port or ROM-emulation comes to a current platform. My grandma, rest her soul, may have teased me about the fists-up fighting stance of Billy and Jimmy Lee, but she’s dead now, and Double Dragon II lives on. The Nintendo eShop version only runs you a fiver, but you just can’t put a price tag on comparative quality.

Double Dragon 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.

19 comments

  1. I hope Battle Princess of Arcadias comes in for under $30.

  2. Is EA Sports UFC one of those exercise games or an actual fighter?

  3. I remember Jeremy talked about Derrick The Deathfin a while ago on the podcast. I’m not interesting enough for a full price purchase (FPP), but I’d love to see it in a Steam bundle now.

    • Its a good little game. Pretty good art style.

    • Derrick is really cute. And yeah, I can see people not wanting to pay a lot for it, but it’s one of those games where I feel like the people who made it really went the extra mile. So if kind of situation is worth a little extra monetary support to anybody, at least have a look! 🙂

  4. I’ll see what the review score look like for Battle Princess of Arcadias before buying.

  5. Pretty empty week.

  6. A NIS game with lolis always gets the pick of the week.

  7. Battle Princess does sound kind of fun. But have to wait for those reviews.

  8. The Van Helsing game for PC kicked ass. A good Diablo clone.

  9. Why have I heard next to nothing about Battle Princess???? I’m up on my Japanese games.

  10. Your grandmother played DD, Jeremy? Tre cool! Sorry to hear she’s gone.

    Didn’t someone’s grandfather really like Tiger Woods? Deagle, probably?

    • Well, she didn’t actually play it, she just watched me play and then said “Why are they walking around like this?” and put her fists up and did a funny walk. LOL.

      My Nana watching me play Double Dragon was the original Twitch.tv.

      • That’s the way I want to spend my twilight years- watching grandkids play through Final Fantasy XXVIII….

        🙁

  11. My grandfather loved Mario Bros. more than grandma.

  12. A Wizards Lizard forcme this week.

  13. Ive seen next to no buzz on EA UFC. Potential bomba.