Star Wars: Force Unleashed II
First up this week is the sequel Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II. In this new entry in the franchise, (for which the story would have made a more interesting trilogy of movie prequels than the one which was actually used) players again take on the role of Starkiller. He has been imprisoned by the Empire, with the story opening on his escape. This game continues the dark themes and plot of the first one, even becoming a darker, more introverted story. As for features, this title adds the ability to wield dual light-sabers with augment crystals, and direct dismemberment of opponents. In addition, the gameplay will be more varied with puzzles to solve, and even a Tie-fighter to pilot. Finally, the developers promise that many of the features of the first title which received negative marks from reviewers and fans, like the targeting system and the Force Choke controls, have been fixed, and that the game more fully utilizes the Havok engine in general.
LEGO Universe
While many of us have been comparing the indie Minecraft to LEGO, LEGO Universe has been quietly completing its development and hits shelves this week. The LEGO MMO is not as sandbox-ey as one might hope, but there is certainly a lot to like here for LEGO fans. With multiple factions to join, lots of character customization, and a seemingly deep plot, it might even be worth playing for the actual gameplay. The mechanics of adventuring are very similar to the LEGO adventure games we’ve already seen, like Indiana Jones and Star Wars. The building mechanics, however, are what really make the game stand out. Some building will be accomplished automatically, like in the adventure games, but there will be times when the player will be left to use the pieces they have found in the environment to build their own designs, even going as far as to claim their own plot of land, UO-style, and build a house or business on the plot. How flexible and interactive this mechanic is is yet to be seen, and unfortunately, all of the marketing seems to be directed at children, so the content may not stand up to adult scrutiny for very long. A full Icrontic review is forthcoming.
Fable 3
Also out this week is Fable III. This series was one of the first to use the ‘your decisions change the game’ elements, and in this new chapter, these elements are brought into yet clearer focus. As before, the character’s appearance will change to become more beautiful or ugly depending on the morality of their choices, but here the character will only recieve one weapon, and its appearance and function will change depending on how it is used, and not just on the good/evil axis—it will also change its appearance depending upon what tactics and attacks the character uses most often. In addition, once the character becomes the King or Queen of the realm, the entire landscape will change depending on his decisions. If he treats people poorly, they will begin to appear downtrodden, and heckle the character as he passes throughout their villages. If the player overtaxes an area, its buildings will begin to look dirtier and eventually might collapse. Conversely, treating the people well will bring brightness and cheer.
Rock Band 3
The Icrontic Spotlight this week illuminates the stage in preparation for the entrance of Rock Band 3.The first two Rock Band titles brought people everywhere together in harmony (even if it kept them apart spatially), allowing groups of friends to play out their rock star fantasies in their living rooms, and to work together to generate stars and fans. The biggest limitation of the games was the number of players. Only four people could join in effectively, and the band was kept relatively small, and none of the instruments (save the microphone) was particularly melodic. Both of these limitations have been addressed in the new Rock Band with the addition of two more microphones, which allow singing in harmony a la The Beatles Rock Band, and a new instrument, the keyboard, which players may choose to play in either ‘normal or ‘pro’ mode. In the normal mode, the keyboard plays similar to the drums, where there are several colored sections of the board, and the player must simply strike the appropriate sections at the right time, ignoring actual notes. The ‘pro’ mode, however, requires players to actually strike the specific key indicated on the screen. With upgraded instruments, players can choose ‘pro’ mode on the guitars and drums as well, with the drums requiring the player to distinguish between the drum pads and cymbals (not necessary on ‘normal’), and the guitar will better track the player’s note accuracy, rather than simply timing. If they were looking to give us a compelling reason to buy a whole new set of Rock Band instruments, I believe they succeeded.
Following is a full list of this week’s announced North American releases:
Windows
- Blood Bowl: Legendary Edition
- Challenge Me: Brain Puzzles 2
- CSI: Fatal Conspiracy
- DeathSpank
- Lego Universe
- Millennium 3
- Reload: Target Down
- Shank
- Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II
- The Ball
- The Sims 3: Late Night Expansion Pack
Wii
- Bit.Trip Fate
- Cabela’s Dangerous Hunts 2011
- Challenge Me: Brain Puzzles 2
- Chevrolet Camaro
- Chuck E. Cheese’s Kart Racing
- CSI: Fatal Conspiracy
- Deca Sports 3
- Disney Channel All Star Party
- Dora’s Big Birthday Adventure
- Family Party: 90 Great Games Party Pack
- Hasbro Family Game Night 3
- Mathews Bowhunting
- Monopoly Streets
- My Planetarium
- NERF N-Strike Double Blast Bundle
- Remington Super Slam Hunting North America
- Rock Band 3
- Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II
- Tony Hawk: Shred
- WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011
DS
- Art Academy
- Casper’s Scare School: Classroom Capers
- Crafting Mama
- Dora’s Cooking Club
- Flashlight
- Go Series: Defense Wars
- Go! Go! Island Rescue!
- Go, Diego, Go! Mega Bloks Build & Rescue
- Imagine Fashion Stylist
- Intellivision Lives!
- Monopoly
- Petz Catz Playground
- Petz Nursery 2
- Rock Band 3
- Spot the Difference
- Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II
- The Sims 3
- Zhu Zhu Pets: Kung Zhu
Xbox 360
- Cabela’s Dangerous Hunts 2011
- CSI: Fatal Conspiracy
- Fable III
- Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition
- Hasbro Family Game Night 3
- NHL 2K9
- Pinball FX 2
- Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare Pack
- Rock Band 3
- SBK X: Superbike World Championship
- Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II
- The Sims 3
- Tony Hawk: Shred
- WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011
PS3
- Cabela’s Dangerous Hunts 2011
- CSI: Fatal Conspiracy
- Hasbro Family Game Night 3
- Monopoly Streets
- Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare Pack
- Rock Band 3
- SBK X: Superbike World Championship
- Shaun White Skateboarding
- Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II
- Superstars V8 Racing
- The Fight: Lights Out
- The Sims 3
- Tony Hawk: Shred
- WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011
PSP
- Mercury Limited Edition Bundle
- WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011
- Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s Tag Force 5
- Z.H.P. Unlosing Ranger vs. Darkdeath Evilman
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