New Releases for The Week of Slot Cars and Magic Nazis

Sideswiped

This week on the DS we find Sideswiped, a Burnout-esque game of racing and crashing. Choose from a wide selection of vehicles, and cause as much damage as you can in several game modes. You can race for best time, if you really want, but the modes you’ll really want to play are Crash Race and Bomb. In Crash Race mode, the position doesn’t matter, only how much trouble you can get into along the way; smash through obstacles and other cars to earn points. In Bomb mode, the race turns into a sort of hot potato game as players pass the bomb from car to car, trying not to be the one caught with it when it goes off. Supports multi-player from one cartridge.

Shadow Complex

Available for download to your XBox 360 this week, Shadow Complex is a 3D side-scrolling platformer. The visuals are slick, and the gameplay itself is fairly straightforward: run, jump, shoot things, collect power-ups, and save the day. The thing that makes this one stand out from the crowd is the story. The game takes place in the world of the Orson Scott Card  novel, Empire (a good read, if you haven’t picked it up yet), and the plot was written by award-winning “writer of stuff” Peter David.

Family Slot-Car Racing

On WiiWare this week, Family Slot Car Racing might be a title for those who miss their old slot-car set, or perhaps those who like racing games, but don’t like having to steer. Unlock vehicles with various stats, and lots of twisty courses to run on. Compete split-screen with your friends in either automatic mode or manual, where you will use your WiiMote as a slot-car trigger. Too much power in the curves will spin out your cars, but not enough in the straightaway will see you fall behind.

Wolfenstein

This week’s Icrontic Spotlight belongs to the cross-platform release Wolfenstein. The Nazis are trying, once again, to win the war by mastering the forces of the occult. This time, by attempting to harness the forces of an extra-dimensional entity known as the Black Sun. The player takes on the role of Agent William “B.J.” Blazkowicz, the man single-handedly responsible for every failure of the Nazis to create any form of magical advantage over the allies. The game runs on an improved version of the id Tech 4 engine (Doom 3 and Quake 4). Features include lots of weapon, both real and fantastic, and an array of paranormal Nazi enemies, including Scribes, scholars empowered with ancient magic and busty Elites, who harness the power to bring fellow soldiers back as undead. The multi-player mode will feature class-based deathmatch, allowing players to choose from Soldier, Medic, or Engineer, each with their own unlockable paranormal powers.

Following is a list of this week’s announced releases for North America:

PC

• Death to Spies: Moment of Truth
• Euro Truck Gold
• Pizza Morgana
• Raven Squad: Operation Hidden Dagger
• Sudoku Ball – Detective
• Tales of Monkey Island Chapter 2: The Siege of Spinner Cay
• The Mystery of the Mary Celeste
• War Leaders: Clash of Nations
• Wolfenstein

PS3

• Wolfenstein
• Smash Cars (PSN)

Wii

• Peppa Pig
• Spectrobes: Origins
• Speed Zone
• Family Slot Car Racing (WiiWare)
• PictureBook Games: Pop-Up Pursuit (Wii Ware)

DS

• All Star 5-A-Side Football
• Ant Nation
• DJ Star
• Marker Man Adventures
• My Dress-Up
• My Friends
• My Make-Up
• Paws & Claws Pet Vet Australian Adventures
• Shorts
• Sideswiped
• Sudoku Ball – Detective
• Brain Age Express: Sudoku (DSiWare)
• Guitar Rock Tour (DSiWare)
• The Revenge of Shinobi (VC – Sega Genesis)

Xbox 360

• Raven Squad: Operation Hidden Dagger
  Wolfenstein
  Shadow Complex (LIVE)