Need something to offset all that Dragon Age 2 you’ve been playing? How about the adventures of a resistance fighter fighting for good ol’ US of A? No? How about a Japanese mobster set in Tokyo? Not interested? Little dog with magical powers? Geez you’re hard to please aren’t you?

Remember. Release dates are quite literally made at the whims of the publisher.  The following are subject to change without any warning.

Releases To Watch For This Week

Ever since the one time it got held up, White Castle took security very seriously

Homefront (Xbox 360, PS3)

Tuesday March 15, 2011
I don’t know if Homefront is more known for its take on a chilling American future history or the PR stunts they’ve pulled off like the one during GDC and pamphlets sent directly to your homes. Either way, it’s certainly a different take on the military FPS that we’ve all grown to be bored by love. It’s 2027. Through various turns of events, the US has lost much of its power and dominance now ripe for occupation by the newly formed Greater Korean Republic. Resistance cells have started popping up all over the place, and you’re their newest member. If you’re looking for something unique mechanically like Resistance’s laundry list of weapons or Halo Reach’s Armor loadouts, don’t bother. Homefront aims to deliver a story, and Kaos Studios chose the FPS to be the delivery mechanic. The multiplayer is a little bit of a different story though.

The multiplayer takes place two years earlier when the US army is still actively fighting the GKR’s invasion. You play as either the Koreans or the US Army in various modes like control points or deathmatches among other options. Taking cues from Call of Duty because everyone else is doing it, you get to pick out your loadouts in between spawns. Also like Call of Duty, you get certain bonuses like rocket launchers and even tanks, but the difference here is that you don’t need kill streaks to do it. You just need to accumulate enough battle points to buy them. You earn battle points by just generally playing the game. Killing enemies give you points. Headshots give you a little bit more. Capturing control points give you more. You get the picture.

Am I the only one who thinks that this game resembles somewhat eerily to that Project HL thingy? Whatever the case, it’s nice to see the FPS trying to do something that isn’t completely Call of Duty.

Okamiden (DS)

Tuesday March 15, 2011
Let me guess. You’re playing Marvel Vs. Capcom 3, and you’re wondering what the hell a dog is doing on the roster. For those people, I would point them towards the PS2/Wii game Okami. If either is inaccessible, than Okamiden should do the trick. Okamiden is the direct sequel to Okami. You don’t get to play the Sun God wolf, Amaterasu though for story reasons. Instead you play as, what I’m guessing, the newly minted Sun God wolf Chibiterasu, which might explain why you’re an uber cute puppy. A new evil has risen in Nippon and has once again left various parts of the world in a state of darkness and death. Chibiterasu, accompanied by various partners/riders, must fight to bring life and beauty back into the world. From the looks of it, Okamiden isn’t veering too far from the structure laid down by Okami, which in itself was basically a Zelda game. You learn new brush techniques, which you execute via stylus naturally. You go into dungeons and use your most recently learned brush stroke to solve puzzles and defeat enemies. You beat the big boss of the dungeon. New areas open up. Repeat. Okamiden sports one new mechanic though. Different riders have different capabilities and can dismount from Chibiterasu. They can be directed by your stylus and presumably do something like step on switches or something like that. Okami was a success in terms of artistic direction and charm, but not so much in the sales deparment. Here’s to hoping Okamiden can change the franchise’s fortune for the better.

Honorable Mention

Yakuza 4 (PS3)

Tuesday March 15, 2011
Sega’s one persistent publisher aren’t they? For all the brouhaha that Yakuza 3 had about whether or not it’ll be localized in the US, I didn’t even know that Yakuza 4 even existed, and just out of the blue, it showed up on the releases. Unlike the previous games, the story plays out through the viewpoint of series mainstay Kazuma and three other people: An escaped convict, a loan shark, and a detective. If the series past is anything to go by, expect plenty of twists and turns and some deep gangster politics. From the looks of it, not much has changed here since Yakuza 3. You explore the game’s version of the real life red light district of Tokyo, Kamurocho, which will undoubtedly be very detailed and true to life. Combat is basically done in an action RPG style where you gain experience by fighting random battles on the streets of Kamurocho. Beat up enough enemies and you can pull off a cool looking finishing move. The real star of Yakuza 4, and really the Yakuza games before it, lies in the side quests and side activities available to you. The infamous hostess club remains intact this time around along with a slew of other activities like billiards and bowling. Like Monster Hunter, Yakuza’s popularity remains largely in Japan, but if we can love a movie like Godfather, surely we can make some room for one more, albeit one with a very foreign flavor to it.

Coming This Week

Tuesday March 15, 2011

Top Spin 4 (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii)

It’s been nearly three years since tennis fans got their fix from a new Top Spin game, but the wait is nearly over with the pending release of Top Spin 4. With this new release 2k Sports is taking tennis to the next level making the game feel as real as ever by adding over 4,000 signature animations, brand new crowd FX that make you feel the thrill of match point, and the most players you’ve ever seen in the Top Spin series. Fret not Wii owner 2k Sports wouldn’t put you down 40-love, as the Wii version features controls that mimic the feel of actual tennis while also allowing you to create your own player.  I don’t think I’ve met my sport pun quota so here goes, it’ll be a grand slam!
-Mario Marquez

Warriors: Legends of Troy (Xbox 360, PS3)

Koei. Enough said.

Dance on Broadway (PS3 Move)

If you Broadway-fied a Just Dance game, Dance on Broadway is what you get. In other words, you get a list of songs from well known musicals, and with a Move controller in one hand, you dance along with the song. The lyrics scroll across the top for your singing convenience, but as far as I can tell, the game doesn’t care one way or another. Your neighbor, on the other hand, might have a couple of choice words to say about it.

Top Shot Arcade (Wii)

What do you do when you can’t come up with a good shooting gallery game? Make 75 of them! Top Shot Arcade comes with 75 shooting galleries set in 15 North American location for you and up to 3 of your buddies. That’s nice and all, but the real story here is the Top Shot Elite Gun peripheral that comes in the bundle edition. This is an Activision game, and do you remember that one peripheral maker who partnered up with Harmonix a good number of years ago and rocked both the video game world and the music industry? That’s right! Red Octane designed this peripheral. My how low the mighty have fallen.

Thursday March 17, 2011

Jikandia: The Timeless Land (PSP)

One look at the box art, and you’d think Jikandia is some kind of JRPG or something. Nope. Jikandia is actually a very old school looking, sprite graphics, 2D platformer. When I say very old school looking, I mean you can transport this game back to the 8-bit era, and people wouldn’t know the difference! I don’t think it even uses parallax for its backgrounds!

If my description for Warriors: Legends of Troy wasn’t enough, just look up Dynasty Warriors, look at the title for Warriors: Legends of Troy, and connect the dots. Anyways, I don’t know if I care for Homefront even if it does veer away from the Call of Duty formula, but I did like Okami way back yonder. How about you guys? Anyone itching to break out your jazz hands?

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