Somewhat of a respite from the torrent of awesomeness of late, this week’s releases doesn’t contain one prominent title that everyone will be rushing out to get. That’s not to say there isn’t some real doozies here; Just Cause 2 alone should help rekindle the shocking decline in grappling hook based crime over the last few years.
But it’s a quiet week compared to the last few, something we’re thanking the Gods of Gaming for. At least this week we’ll (possibly) not miss meals entirely.
Tuesday:
How To Train Your Dragon – The Game
Release date: March 23rd
Platforms: PS3 / 360
Publisher: Dreamworks
Developer: Activision
Synopsis: If there’s a new Dreamworks animated movie coming, you can get your bottom dollar a game tie-in isn’t too far behind. How To Train Your Dragon is a simple coming of age tale highlighting the usual pit-falls all young adolescents have to deal with. Overbearing parents, not knowing what you want to do with your life, pet dragon won’t stop killing people … the list goes on.
The game-based-on-the-movie-based-on-the-book cleverly focuses on the training part, with players able to school their personal draco in certain disciplines before unleashing them on fellow wyrm-wranglers. Kind of like Pokemon – but with more barbeque.
It might not be the most novel of ideas, but kudos to Activision for playing to the property’s strengths. The game doesn’t look like much though we’re assured it is in fact a this-gen game. There’s even a website and a trailer. Look! We’re not making this up!
Friday:
Prison Break: The Conspiracy
Release date: March 26th
Platforms: PS3 / 360
Publisher: Deep Silver
Developer: Zootfly
Synopsis: Prepare to return to Fox River State Penitentiary as original character Tom Baxton, also soon to be known as ‘New Fish,’ ‘Sweetness,’ or a host of other endearing pet names you’ll soon be screaming in your sleep from a bottom bunk for the next ten to fifteen years.
Prison Break: The Conspiracy has an interesting and somewhat chequered past itself. Originally set to be published by Brash Entertainment, wardens got wind of their frantic tunnelling shenanigans and shut down the covert operation. Admirably, Zootfly just picked up the shovel-shaped toothbrush and self-funded the project for a further year to completion. At which point new publisher Deep Silver appeared and provided a much-needed boost over the prison wall to freedom.
The game runs parallel with the first (and widely accepted as “the only good”) season of the popular TV show. Expect to meet the likes of Michael Scofield, Lincoln Burrows, Brad Bellick, Fernando Sucre, Theodore Bagwell and John Abruzzi as you engage in stealthily high-jinx while trying not to get yourself shanked in the process.
Just Cause 2
Release date: March 26th
Platforms: PS3 / 360
Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: Avalanche Studios / Eidos Interactive
Synopsis: Voted “Game Most Likely To Cause Your Physics Teacher An Aneurysm” three years in a row, Just Cause 2 is the epitome of what we love about gaming. Big explosions, huge action, and one giant middle finger to the boring concept of conceivability. Rico’s back with his usual swagger and a penchant for latching grappling hooks on to buildings, vehicles and even people.  The recent demo was a showcase of the pure, unadulterated mindless fun capable in an open world with very few rules. You can commandeer a car, drive it over someone, and then pop up and surf the bloody thing like a testosterone-fuelled Teen Wolf as you take pot-shots at some other random goons. What’s not to love?
BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger
Release date: March 26th
Platforms: PS3 / 360 / PSP
Publisher: pQube / Zen United
Developer: Arc System Works
Synopsis: Finally getting a EU release thanks to a consortium of Japanese developers (Zen United) who actually care about the European market, for the uninitiated, BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger is a 2D fighter high on spectacle and “advanced tactics.” It’s also a bit risqué so best tell your Mom that that’s just how all Japanese women dress when they’re out shopping for sushi. The game is still a year old no matter how you spin it, but fans of the genre should get something out of the fighter.
Finally, the PSP version doesn’t have a European release date. We’re looking into why.
Resonance of Fate
Release date: March 26th
Platforms: PS3 / 360
Publisher: Sega
Developer: tri-Ace
Synopsis: Known of End of Eternity in Japan, Resonance of Fate is your typical JRPG tale of ecological forewarning and pointed social commentary. It’s the future, and instead of eating our food through straws, poisonous gases have rendered the surface of the world inhabitable. Faced with little option, mankind has built up toward the clouds around the purification tower of Basel (sounds familiar). As is the requirement of any game where society is restructured vertically, the rich live in decadence at the top, while the poor fight for scraps below.
The game sports some interesting visuals (a heady mix of steam-punk and film noire comes to mind) and what’s known as the tri-Attack Battle System. Out a couple of months in its native Japan, Famitsu gave it 34/40 – which is not bad in anyone’s book. The last time Sega published an RPG (Valkyria Chronicles) people, for whatever reason, decided not to bite despite its obvious winning charms. VC is now a cult classic. Could Resonance of Fate follow a similar path? We shall have to wait and see.
The Last Rebellion
Release date: March 26th
Platforms: PS3
Publisher: Tecmo Koei
Developer: Nippon-Ichi
Synopsis: JRPGs are like buses – after spending months waiting for one to arrive, a whole bunch of them turn up and admonish you for not taking care of the planet better. A PS3 exclusive (a rarity for the RPG genre these days), The Last Rebellion sees you play Nine Asfel, a powerful Blade in a world where two gods wage a perpetual war of attrition. It has characters with eyes the size of Frisbees along with the amazing gift of being able to move in slow-motion. They also have great (and varicoloured!) hair. What more do you want?
Batman: Arkham Asylum – Game of the Year Edition
Release date: March 26th
Platforms: PS3 / 360
Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: Rocksteady
Synopsis: Fresh from their well-deserved BAFTA win, Rocksteady will release Batman: Arkham Asylum GOTY Edition this week. The big selling point? 3D. And to help experience those batarangs flying straight out of the screen at you, the GOTY Edition ships with not one but two branded 3D glasses. You also get the previously DLC-only challenge maps. Not a bad deal if you’re one of the few who didn’t pick up Ole Bats last year.
Here’s what the glasses actually look like.
You can show your appreciation of TSA and buy most of the above here.
Please note: while every attempt is made to get both the dates accurate and every applicable game included, we are not infallible and mistakes will be made. Feel free to mention any omissions or corrections in the comments below. We’ll endeavour to correct the above and even thank you personally. We’re good like that. Finally, all dates are the official EU dates. Actual release dates in your country may vary to the dates shown above.