Best New Games This Week
May 27, 2008
Ain't cooperation marvelous? There's a pleasing symmetry to this week's new releases, as one console smash from last year moves to the PC while a hit PC game makes the leap to the consoles. Even the Wii comes in for a little trans-platform love courtesy of the former PSP-exclusive, Death Jr. And if you already miss that school commute, you can pretend to drive a bus on your PC. The long weekend might be over, but the summer fun is only just beginning.
Top Three:
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars
With its emphasis squarely on multiplayer, this shooter should please PS3 and Xbox 360 owners. It certainly did well on the PC last year, landing a creditable aggregate score in the mid-80s. The game is a sort of hybrid, owing its sci-fi theme to the spectacularly successful Quake series and its competitive, team-based gameplay to the equally popular Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory. It's also a personal favorite of Y! Games' bigwig Rich Greenhill, who didn't stop flapping his jaw about the PC version for months. This'll probably set him off again.
Lost Planet
Gamers looking for some serious action get the pick of the litter with two Lost Planet releases this week: it debuts at full price on the PC, and as a budget-priced buy for the Xbox 360. Now may be the perfect time to experience Capcom's frosty sci-fi shooter, which features numerous multiplayer modes and high-octane combat between humans, mechs, and aliens.
Mass Effect
Look beyond the overblown naked-alien controversy, and you'll find this space opera is a compelling RPG gem. The action-heavy battle system keeps encounters interesting, the plot is presented beautifully, and the dialogue is some of the best you'll find anywhere. The PC version's remapped controls are reported to work brilliantly, and the downloadable content released on the 360 is coming to the PC, too. What's not to like?
Best of the Rest
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Bus Driver
Yup, you drive a bus. Oddly, it's more fun than it sounds. -
Lost Planet
Two releases for Lost Planet this week: it debuts at full price on PC, and in the 360's budget range. -
Stronghold Crusader Extreme
We really wish this was the extreme-sports version of medieval castle-builder Stronghold Crusader, complete with motocrossing cavalry and base-jumping axemen. But it isn't. -
Death Jr.: Root of Evil
From PSP to Wii, this Tim Burton-esque action-adventure makes an unusual platform shift. -
Super Dodgeball Brawlers
It's Dodgeball. It's on the DS. It's (ostensibly) super. What more do you need to know? -
Looney Tunes: Cartoon Conductor
Use the DS stylus to conduct classic Looney Tunes... tunes.