Plentiful new release slate sees Microsoft’s full-body motion control tech and launch titles hit shelves; portable Kratos adventure, pair of 007 titles round out the week.
Last week’s new release roster included heavyweights Rock Band 3, Fable III, and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II. This week the ante is upped even further.
Leading the pack this week is Microsoft’s full-body motion control technology, Kinect, and a smattering of launch titles for it. The camera controller goes on sale Thursday, November 4, for $150 by itself (Kinect Adventures included) and in Xbox 360 bundles starting at $299. According to a recent poll, Kinect is pegged to be a “big winner” this holiday, with Microsoft expecting to sell more than 3 million units by year’s end.
The list of launch titles for Kinect runs 17 deep and includes titles like Harmonix’s Dance Central (see video at bottom), Microsoft’s Kinectimals, as well as games like Konami’s MotionSports and Sega’s Sonic Free Riders.
Also being released this week is God of War: Ghost of Sparta. The latest PSP-exclusive installment in the multimillion-selling PlayStation-exclusive franchise will also be available as part of a hardware bundle. The God of War: Ghost of Sparta Entertainment Pack contains the game, a two-tone red and black PSP-3000, a download voucher for God of War: Chains of Olympus, a copy of the recent comic-book action movie Kick-Ass on UMD, and a 2GB Memory Stick Duo.
Ghost of Sparta is the second God of War game to be released on Sony’s portable. The title was developed at Irvine, California-based Ready at Dawn, which also handled development duties for Chains of Olympus.
While the fate of the James Bond film franchise remains uncertain, there are two video games attached to the series due out this week. GoldenEye 007 hits the Wii exclusively on Tuesday, and James Bond 007: Blood Stone comes to the PC, DS, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 on the same day.
Although GoldenEye 007 bears the same title as the Nintendo 64 title it’s based on, the new Wii title is not a simple remake of the intensely popular original. On top of a new single-player campaign starring Daniel Craig, GoldenEye 007 will include online multiplayer, a functionality its N64 cousin could not offer. In addition, players will be able to take part in 16 game modes, including GoldenEye 007 N64 favorites Paintball, Melee Only, and You Only Live Twice. On top of that, players can square off against each other in the game’s adversarial modes, with the roster including eight characters from the revered Bond classic, as well as 40 other unnamed virtual soldiers.
The other Bond game due out on Tuesday is James Bond 007: Blood Stone. Developed by Bizarre Creations (Blur, Project Gotham Racing series), the title stars Daniel Craig as the international superspy and features hand-to-hand combat, cover-based shooting, and driving sequences.
The single-player game will feature a brand-new story spanning Athens, Istanbul, Monaco, and Bangkok, with both land- and sea-based action. Blood Stone also sports 16-player multiplayer modes based around spies-versus-mercenaries team play.
Blood Stone will also feature the voices and likenesses of Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, and Joss Stone. As well as appearing in the game, Stone will be providing an original musical track, titled “I’ll Take It All,” written and performed by her and Dave Stewart. Development of the DS version is being handled by n-Space.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 1
Chuck E. Cheese’s Game Room–DS–UFO Interactive
Chuck E. Cheese’s Playhouse–DS–UFO Interactive
Haunted Domains–MAC, PC–Alawar Entertainment, Inc.
Hello Kitty Party–DS–Majesco Games
Learning to Spell–DS–505 Games
Monopoly Streets–X360, Wii, PS3–Electronic Arts
Pokepark Wii: Pikachu’s Adventure–Wii–Nintendo
Robox–Wii–Dreambox Games
Sushi Bar Express–PC–Xing Interactive
Tommy Tronic–PC–Oasis Games
World Championship Spelling–DS–505 Games
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2
Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader Back to School–Wii, DS–THQ
Art of Murder: FBI Top Secret–DS–City Interactive
Atari’s Greatest Hits Volume 1–DS–Atari
Auditorium–PS3, X360–Zoo Games
Battle of Giants: Dinosaur Strike–Wii–Ubisoft
Blood Drive–PS3, X360–Activision
Busy Scissors–DS–Little Orbit
Cabela’s Dangerous Hunts 2011–Wii–Activision
Dora’s Big Birthday Adventure–PS2–Take-Two Interactive
Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2–X360, PS3-Namco Bandai Games
Eye Pet–PSP–SCEA
Family Party: 90 Great Games Party Pack–Wii–D3Publisher
Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage–PS3, X360–Tecmo
God of War: Ghost of Sparta–PSP–SCEA
GoldenEye 007–DS, Wii–Activision
Imagine Fashion Stylist–DS–Ubisoft
James Bond 007: Blood Stone–DS, PC, PS3, X360–Activision
Jeopardy–DS, Wii–THQ
Megamind: Team Unite–Wii–THQ
Megamind: The Blue Defender–PSP, DS–THQ
Megamind: Ultimate Showdown–PS3, X360–THQ
Mercury Limited Edition Bundle–PSP–Ignition Entertainment
Minute to Win It–Wii–Zoo Games
Noah’s Ark–DS–SouthPeak Games
Penguins of Madagascar–DS–THQ
Petz Nursery 2–DS–Ubisoft
Pro Evolution Soccer–PSP, PS2–Konami
Remington Super Slam Hunting Africa–Wii–Mastiff
The Amazing Race–Wii–Ubisoft
Toy Story 3–PS3–Disney Interactive Studios
Wheel of Fortune–DS, Wii–THQ
Winter Sports 2010: The Great Tournament–PS3, X360–RTL
Witches & Vampires: Secrets of Ashburry–DS–Crave
Ys: The Oath of Felghana–PSP–Xseed Games
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 3
The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match–X360–SNK Playmore
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 4
Adrenalin Misfits–X360–Konami
Dance Central–X360–Microsoft Game Studios
Dance Masters–X360–Konami
Fighters Uncaged–X360–Ubisoft
Kinect Adventures–X360–Microsoft Game Studios
Kinect Joyride–X360–Microsoft Game Studios
Kinect Sports–X360–Microsoft Game Studios
Kinectimals–X360–Microsoft Game Studios
MotionSports–X360–Ubisoft
Sonic Free Riders–X360–Sega
The Biggest Loser Challenge–Wii–THQ
The Biggest Loser Ultimate Workout–X360–THQ
Your Shape: Fitness Evolved–X360–Ubisoft
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 5
Babysitting Mama–Wii–Majesco Games
Football Manager Handheld 2011–PSP–Sega
Football Manger 2011–MAC–Sega
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