Alan Wake
First up, we’re getting Alan Wake for the Xbox 360. In this psychological survival thriller, players take on the role of a horror writer whose wife has mysteriously disappeared along with their vacation home. Struggling to figure out what happened to him during a week of missing time, Alan must find his wife and solve the mystery of The Taken. The game is presented in episodic form, seemingly influenced by television mystery thrillers, with each piece of the puzzle presented as a smaller mystery which all add up to the full plot arc. Remedy Studios has also said that Alan Wake is only the first “season” of a larger story.
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands
One of the cross-platform releases this week is Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands. Ubisoft calls this game a return to the “Prince of Persia roots”, which, as I’ve mentioned before, is completely untrue, since Sands of Time is not even close to the “roots” of Prince of Persia. Besides that, Sands of Time and especially Warrior Within were complete crap compared to the style and gameplay introduced in the 2008 Prince of Persia. Is that going to stop me from playing The Forgotten Sands? Probably not, but I will surely be ranting and shaking my fist the entire time. I suppose I should be grateful that it’s not a movie tie-in.
Split/Second
Another cross-platform game coming this week is Split/Second. This crash and smash racing game has an interesting gimmick, in that the players will have some (very destructive) control over the track itself. Each course is studded with traps and destructive events, which the players can trigger during the race. Blow up a nearby tanker truck as your rivals pass, drop a cargo crate on one of your opponents, or cause a smokestack to fall across the path with just barely enough time for your own car to pass under. Timing is essential to win, but we all know that you’ll only be playing it to crash into stuff spectacularly, a la Burnout.
Red Dead Redemption
The Icrontic spotlight this week shines on the glistening flanks of Red Dead Redemption. This cross-platform release has been described by many as GTA in the old west, and as it’s a Rockstar game, that may be pretty apt. Play as John Marsten, former outlaw, as he rides across the lawless west in an effort to save his family from corrupt federal agents. Complete missions for various NPCs and kill outlaws who get in your way. Develop relationships with ladies in poofy dresses and steal lots of horses. There are plenty of weapons, a wide variety of wild animals to hunt, and several multi-player modes, for up to 16 players, including a basic open-world mode called “Free Roam” in which the players simply log into the world and do whatever they want. Other features include a social club, a fame system, achievements, and a tiered multi-player profile which advances with good performance.
Following is a full list of this week’s announced North American releases:
PC
- Dragon Age: Origins – Darkspawn Chronicles
- EVE Online: Tyrannis
- Fantasy Earth Zero
- Runaway: A Twist of Fate
- Shrek Forever After
- Split/Second
- Sword of the Stars: Complete Collection
Wii
- Attack of the Movies 3D
- Backyard Sports: Sandlot Sluggers
- Bit.Trip Runner
- Blood Beach
- Boot Camp Academy
- Canada Hunt
- Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands
- Shrek Forever After
- Trauma Team
- Kirby Super Star (VC -SNES)
DS
- A Topsy Turvy Life: Turvy Drops
- Backyard Sports: Sandlot Sluggers
- Blue Dragon: Awakened Shadow
- Flips: More Bloody Horowitz
- Frogger Returns
- Imagine: Animal Doctor Care Center
- Looksley’s Line Up
- Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands
- Shrek Forever After
Xbox 360
- Alan Wake
- Attack of the Movies 3D
- Avatar Racedrome
- Backyard Sports: Sandlot Sluggers
- Dragon Age: Origins – Darkspawn Chronicles
- Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands
- Red Dead Redemption
- Shrek Forever After
- Split/Second
- Team Chess
PS3
- Dragon Age: Origins – Darkspawn Chronicles
- Gundemonium Recollection
- Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands
- Red Dead Redemption
- Rocket Knight
- Shrek Forever After
- Split/Second
- Supermarket Mania
PSP
- Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands
- Supermarket Mania
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