Yeah, I know someone does this for the front page of Dtoid already but one of the things I did over on my old blog, and a slight habit of mine to get myself pumped up for whatever was to come out in a given week, is to do a blog post on the subject.

So here we go?

Remember release dates are subject to change, so some of the things on this list could, and most likely will, be pushed back. These are coming the week of March 23rd through the 29th to North America. Sorry, English readers -- though I sympathize, I don't have Rock Band yet either. I'm stuck fake-strumming my whonky Fischer Price guitar to some shitty GH3 tracks remember how friggin cool this was just two years ago.

And if I forgot any titles, just let me know. Of course, I forgot PC titles but that hasn't been my forte in years.

NINTENDO DS

[b]Harvest Moon DS Cute
Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword
Plushees
Mazes of Fate DS[/b]



Of course you can't go wrong in picking up the first two titles on the list, both being proven franchises. Actually I guess you can screw up the first one, if you already have Harvest Moon DS and have a penis. The Cute part doesn't make the game any more sugary sweet than before, it just makes the main character a girl and instead of impressing some bimbo named Muffy and a curry addicted bitch named Flora, you get to be subjegated to a bunch of douches with names like Griffin, Gustafa, Marlin, Rock and ooooh (so dreamy) Skye. Or you can bag Doctor Trent apparently. And mama's boy, Rick. Oddly, I'm more interested in this title than I was a few minutes ago....hmmm

I know I should never doubt Ninja Gaiden but when I saw Dragon Sword I didn't feel too impressed and I still didn't like the all stylus control. Though thankfully all-stlyus was done perfect in Phantom Hourglass so my defenses were dropped. And dropping your defenses around ninjas is never a good thing. But I guess in this case -- it is.

Seeing as I'm close to finishing Kirby: Squeak Squad, the main adventure of Puzzle Quest and my second play-thru of Mega Man ZX Advent, I probably do need another game on the go soon. I'm a bit worried about the criticism of length and lack of difficulty but its a portable game -- why is everyone bitching about it being only 7 hours? Hello -- its a portable. Granted I'll probably only go through it once before selling it.

Not that it matters but does anyone know how DS fits in-canon?

I can't find crap on Plushees other than its a pet sim. I assume some plush toys came to life and now you have to care for them. Isn't that a bit freaky though? Because of my girlfriend's obession with Webkinz and Build-A-Bear we have a fluffly animal army. If they all came to life, they'd either be able to take over the world or eat us out of house and home. And then take over the world.

I actually liked the original Mazes of Fate for the GBA. It wasn't great but it was rather old-school and was challenging. Took more than just level grinding to get through most of the fights. Apparently this is just an update that takes advantage of the dual screens but I'm in. No price point, even on Amazon, so I got a feeling this might be pushed back.

WII

[b]Emergency Mayhem
MiniCopter: Adventure Flight
Obscure: The Aftermath
Octomania
Opoona
Rebel Raiders: Operation Nighthawk
Summer Sports: Paradise Island[/b]

Quality over quantity needs to be adressed with the Wii. Yeesh. Emergency Mayhem's a game that's been canned on pretty much every system but the Wii. Reminds me a lot of Crazy Taxi minus the Offspring and the 'edgy drivers.' I liked Crazy Taxi (at some time) and I wouldn't mind trying this out for $20 or less. Too bad it looks to be hitting the shelves at $50. I'd steer clear.

I like RC Coptors as much as the next guy....uhm how much is that? And I'm kinda hoping its like some of the RC car games like Re-Volt and Micro Machines, I'm just not holding my breath. Still I'm delightfully interested at $30. It's a new developer so we might get surprised. Yeah, I'm a sucker.

Obscure: The Aftermath is also hitting the PS2 and I enjoyed the first one despite some flaws. I really ought to just take the plunge and get the fan translation of Sweet Home. Seeing as I got the first Obscure in a bin for $5 I'm going to hold off on this one but anyone looking for a co-op survival horror game, might want to check this one out.

Octomania's cutesy cover almost had me sold. The $20 price tag almost had me sold. Then I realized it was essentially Puyo Puyo. They promise online play to up to four players but on the Wii, I'll believe when I see it. Which is probably soon because I just added it to my online cart. There's a chance that it might not be there when I "proceed to checkout" after writing this but I'll probably cave. Goddamn cutesy characters.



If there's one title I'm highly intrigued by this week its Opoona because I need yet another RPG (and Wii game) to collect dust in my 'need to finish' pile. Yeah, I haven't finished Twilight Princess, Corruption or Galaxy yet. Sorry -- just didn't quite enjoy them. Galaxy I'm the closest to finishing and probably actually will if I could ever find the time to eject Brawl or if I run out of Wii Points.

Opoona's dubbed a "lifestyle RPG" -- I don't know what that means. But it has something to do about getting a job and meeting new people. Awe shit -- this better not be the Sims again. But an RPG centered around building relationships worked for Persona 3. Granted demons and kids shooting themselves in the head to J-pop music helped. A tiny bit.

Rebel Raiders came out on the PS2 back in 2006. And from what I remember it wasn't any good. Why the hell would you bring it now, in 2008, to the Wii? No, bad Nintendo. Bad. Very bad dog.

I won't even bother with Summer Sports but I'll post the description,

Summer Sports: Paradise Island uses your Wii system to turn your room into a luxurious island resort! Check into the Paradise Island Resort and explore the vast array of recreational activities in this lush tropical environment, such as Basketball, Croquet, Lawn Darts, Badminton, Volleyball, Horse Shoes, and Mini-Golf. Bump, set, spike, throw, putt, shoot, swing, and more -- all with intuitive Wii Remote gestures! Summer Sports: Paradise Island - Enjoy your stay!

Anyone getting it? I didn't think so.

PLAYSTATION 2

[b]Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 3
Obscure: The Aftermath[/b]

Next week and April are going to be awesome. Fatal Furty Battle Archives 2, Mana Khemia, Arcana Heart, Baroque, Persona 3: FES, Chaos Wars!!!

Until then we get Obscure 2 (talked about above on the Wii) and Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 3. Which if anyone actually knows where my 'handle' came from, you already know I'm a sucker for shonen stuff. Is it good for me? Probably not, but I can't help it.

I like the Naruto games because while they're never flat out amazing, they're still really solid and you know a new one is going to be out next year. So I usually snap up the Naruto titles right after the new one comes out. Of course that means I'll probably be picking up Ultimate Ninja 2 real soon. I've found its usually hard to be unhappy with a $20 or less game. Just a nice rule to live by for other gamers out there.

PLAYSTATION PORTABLE

[b]Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
Warriors Orochi[/b]

Crisis Core better be amazing because there's not one PSP title on the horizon until the end of April. It probably will be because I have liked the collection of post-FF7 stuff (granted this is a prequel) despite not really being a fan of the original game. To date, its the only Final Fantasy I haven't played entirely through twice. I even suffered through the hell that is Final Fantasy II when it came over on Origins and then later on Dawn of Souls. Twice all the way through. I deserve a freakin medal for that crap. Or an apology from Square. I'm sure the difficulty was tuned down but the stupid leveling system wasn't.

Warriors Orochi is the same thing you bought on the PS2, which was pretty good. Not one of the better Koei efforts despite the cast. Not sure why I'd buy it again for my PSP though.

[b]PLAYSTATION 3

Dark Sector
Viking: Battle for Asgard[/b]

Maybe its just me but has it been forever waiting for Dark Sector? Maybe its because I don't have either console but I don't think I'll be urging my friend to get it so I can play it. Can someone convience me other wise?

Another rule of tumb -- Vikings are awesome. Viking hats make everything awesome. Flavor Flav? That guy would be just another strung out, crazy black guy much like the one you see every day waiting at the bus stop (or in the asylum.) Put a viking helmet and a clock on him and he's TV gold.

How this rule will work for Battle for Asgard? Well its hack and slash with Norse gods and vikings. And a lot of blood and gore, although not enough to curb my Viking bloodlust. This won't be anything on par with Egil's Saga but still it'll be a simple, satisfying romp. Maybe not at the original $60 price but it's definitely on my bargain bin radar.

[b]360

Dark Sector
Universe at War: Earth Assault
Viking: Battle for Asgard[/b]

Ok, I lied. I'm not entirely out of the PC gaming loop. My rig sucks but I've at least played Universe at War and I defintely want more, although I'm afraid if I do get more, I might see another addiction. Can they translate the RTS experience to the console? We'll see this week.
[b]
WHAT I'M GETTING[/b]

Well so far I'm getting Opoona this week. Probably pick up Dragon Sword within the month. Octomania is out of my cart but I'll be glued in for reactions, anything postive and I'm dropping the $20. Might do that anyway. Already had Crisis Core pre-ordered.

Harvest Moon Cute I'll buy for my girlfriend and say its for her, all the while people start to wonder why I go out to my car for my breaks at work.

Once they hit bargain bins -- Ultimate Ninja 3, Obscure 2, Battle for Asgard.

And well, MiniCopter I just might get against my better judgement.

So, whew, what is everyone else getting this week?