New Releases for the Week of February 13th-19th, 2013

Beyond a pair of heavy hitters- Crysis 3 and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, several other notable new releases will be competing for discretionary income. The first of The Tyranny of King Washington’s three-part installment, entitled The Infamy, begins endowing Assassin Creed III’s Ratonhnhaké:ton with supplementary powers. Unsurprisingly, these new powers will be useful in usurping command from the totalitarian first ruler. This week’s other foray into alternative history arrives courtesy of The Capcom Arcade Cabinet’s 1943: The Battle of Midway, which imagines the sinking of the battleship Yamato, not but torpedoes and bombs, but by a P-38 Lightning armed with a shotgun.

360
Assassin’s Creed III: The Tyranny of King Washington-The Infamy (XBL, DLC, $9.99)
Black Tiger, Avengers, 1943: The Battle of Midway (XBL, $4.99)
Crysis 3
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
Serious Sam Double D XXL (XBL, $9.99)

PS3
Assassin’s Creed III: The Tyranny of King Washington-The Infamy (PSN, DLC, $9.99)
Black Tiger, Avengers, 1943: The Battle of Midway (PSN, $4.99)
Crysis 3
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim-Hearthfire (PSN, DLC, $2.49 during launch week)

Wii U
No releases

3DS
New releases announced 2/22

PSP
Generation of Chaos: Pandora’s Reflection (PSN, $19.99)
Hakuoki: Warriors of the Shinsengumi (PSN, $29.99)

Vita
No releases

PC
Assassin’s Creed III: The Tyranny of King Washington-The Infamy (DLC)
Crysis 3
March of the Eagles
Renaissance Heroes
The Bridge

Robert’s Pick: I know- last week’s pick was a bit misguided. Allow me to make amends with the recommendation of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. For anyone who has avoided the Metal Gear series due to the protracted Codec conversations, know that Kenji Saito, the director and programmer behind Bayonetta, Viewtiful Joe, and R4: Ridge Racer 4 is behind the game. As such, players can expect a substantial amount of sinuous katana-wielding, largely discretionary stealth elements, and a minimal amount of banter.

Sage’s Pick: As a counter to Robert, my pick for the week is to continue playing Aliens: Colonial Marines. I’m about halfway through the campaign, and while I do see the flaws and failings that he’s is talking about, I think the game has is merits and is still worth playing.  The game is a a bit of a let down in the areas Robert mentioned, and some of the graphics are sub par.  However, I think the ambiance is suspenseful, and does a good job of matching the feel of the film, and that overall the gameplay is enjoyable. I’m looking forward to finishing the campaign, delving into multiplayer, and seeing if the game holds up as being a decent game and sequel to the movie, even if it isn’t GOTY caliber.

Jeremy’s Pick: Naysayers to the quality of Assassin’s Creed III be damned. The game was full of neat ideas and some genuinely cool narrative hooks, and after 12 million sales of AC3 the folks at Ubisoft are ready to unleash an alternate-universe villainization scenario to rival that of Red Son. “The Infamy,” the first episode of The Tyranny of King George DLC arc, supposes that the heroic general and first US President, George “I Cannot Tell a Lie” Washington, has been corrupted by the Apple of Eden. Connor may have to deal with the tyrant, but we have to deal with the cognitive dissonance.

Eric’s Pick: It’s hard to believe that Raiden has evolved into such a bad ass that he can get his own game. It seems like just last week he was disappointing me with his whiny, non-Snake-like wussiness in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. But, having seen Metal Gear Rising in action, it’s hard to say that Jack the Ripper doesn’t slice-and-dice with the best of them. The combat is fierce and intense, much like that of the modern Ninja Gaiden titles. Platinum Games has a habit of churning out quality action games and it looks like Revengance will continue this trend.