And the hits just keep on coming! With Borderlands 2 leading the fall release madness, we’re getting yet another triple-A title this week along with a number of other games hoping to catch your eye as you peruse the shelves looking for that triple-A title that just came out. Sneaky.

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

Dead or Alive 5 (Xbox 360, PS3)

Tuesday September 24, 2012

Most fighters fall in between either the incredibly hardcore Virtua Figher series hailed by many as a deep fighter with mechanics that takes months to master and Mortal Kombat known far more for its outlandish Finishing Moves and gore than its actual depth. Then the Dead of Alive series came around making an entirely new end of the spectrum: The jiggly boob fighter.

After four mainline iterations, the developers, Team Ninja, promised that Dead or Alive 5 would move away from that niche they’ve found themselves in attempt to class the joint. On a more surface level, DOA5 includes a couple of characters from the Virtua Fighter series, namely Akira, Sarah, and Pai. Their inclusion show’s the dev team’s appreciation for the series, which has inspired the original Dead or Alive’s creation in the first place. These characters are joined by two new characters new to the Dead or Alive series: The MMA fighter hopeful, Mila, and the fighter without a past, Rig.

On a deeper more mechanical level, DOA5 does include two new mechanics meant to add more complexity. The Critical Burst system presents attackers with a new way to sidestep the series’ signature Hold system, which basically gives defenders the ability to counter an enemy attack. In most of the series, going on a full offensive has always been a risky strategy given how powerful the Hold system can be, and Critical Burst has the potential to put the power back to aggressive players. The Power Blow gives the losing player a way to turn the table. Unlocked only if the player’s health reaches below 50%, these powerful strikes deal a good chunk of damage and will stagger any player that attempts to block it. Although it takes a while to charge up, they won’t be completely defenseless. They can be cancelled with a sidestep opening up avenues of counterattacks and adding an element of risk to the player trying to interrupt a Power Blow.

These inclusions do seem to support Team Ninja’s hope to add more class to the series. News of the various pre-order bonuses like the bunny swimsuit costumes seem to show otherwise. (Insert leopards and spots saying here.).

 

Coming This Week

Tuesday September 25, 2012

Angry Birds Trilogy (Xbox 360, PS3, 3DS)

Ever wish you could play Angry Birds, Angry Birds Seasons, or Angry Birds Rio on your TV? For ten times the price that you paid for it? You must have rubbed the right lamp, because you just got your wish.

Disney Princess: My Fairytale Adventure (Wii, DS)

If your generic third person platformer needs something to make it appetizing to the gaming consumer market, you have two options. Get a property license to skin the whole game or… ummm, actually that’s it. I suppose you could actually try and come up with an utterly original world that will draw anyone with functional eyeballs in accompanied by a fresh mechanic so revolutionary every video game afterwards will copy it endlessly. Nah, too much work.

FIFA 13 (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, 3DS, Vita, PSP)

The king of the soccer world has arrived, and it's totally a big deal, that is unless you live in the US. Think of this as the world's Madden. Unfortunately just like Madden the FIFA series has found a winning formula and is sticking to their guns. To their credit the core of FIFA was revamped less than 5 years ago, in the process pushing the series miles ahead of the competition. This years version adds incremental updates like Kinect and Move controls, international team management in career mode, and a career mode to the already deep FIFA ultimate team. Let's hope FIFA 13 takes a good game and makes it great instead of just a marginal update.
-Wolf96

Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 (Xbox 360, PS3)

Pro Evolution Soccer 2013, Konami's answer to FIFA Soccer, was once hailed as the king of soccer sims. Sadly this is no longer the case, and the PES series has been playing in what seems to be relegation. PES 13 promises a return to the games roots giving gamers unmatched ball control, unparalleled amounts of signature moves, celebrations, and likenesses, and not to mention the upgraded AI that makes your players respond individually for more tactical precision. PES 13 makes a lot of promises. We'll have to wait and see if it can cut into FIFA's fan base, or have to settle for it's usual niche audience.
-Wolf96

The Testament of Sherlock Holmes (Xbox 360, PS3)

It must be nice to be able to spot the littlest things in life and instantly deduce the truth out of it. Since I can’t actually do that, I’ll have to settle playing as the guy who supposedly can do that. Here Sherlock Holmes must solve the case where he himself is the primary suspect. I don’t know about you, but I’m team Holmes all the way.

Wipeout 3 (Xbox 360 Kinect, Wii, 3DS)

Can’t get enough Wipeout? Not the venerable futuristic racing game, mind you. The TV show about watching people fall off of obstacle courses for our enjoyment. If you truly can’t get enough of it and the last two Wipeout just wasn’t enough, may I recommend www.epicfail.com where you have access to all the fail videos you can possibly ask for. That is the reason you’re craving to play the Wipeout games right? Right?

Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception Game of the Year Edition (PS3)

Somehow you managed to escape Nathan Drake’s charm and not buy his third game last year, but by accident you glanced into his steely gaze on the box cover of Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception. Despite your considerable willpower, Drake’s eyes simply ensnared you, and now that’s all you think about. If this describes you, do yourself a favor and don’t buy Uncharted 3. Instead by Unchartd 3: Drake’s Deception Game of the Year Edition. It comes with the various DLCs for the game. You’re welcome.

 

If you enjoy this article, please visit our website at www.rrbgames.com.  This feature is released every Monday.