Who’d have guessed that the last week of September would be so packed full of videogame releases? ‘Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light’ finally comes to PS3, ‘Sid Meier’s Pirates’ hits the Wii, and ‘Front Mission Evolved’ hits both high-def systems. But even those are small change compared to the really big titles being released this week.
Final Fantasy XIV (PC)
It’s finally here. The latest MMO from Square-Enix (which I prefer to refer to as Squeenix) is out and ready to be picked up by eager PC gamers. From what Squeenix has said, there’s been a lot of improvement since ‘Final Fantasy XI.’ If you have any doubts, you may want to wait a month or two to get a good feeling for how it’s all turning out. PS3 owners will have to wait either way – the game is slated for a March 2011 console release.
Dead Rising 2 (360, PC, PS3)
The original ‘Dead Rising’ is still one of my favorite games for the Xbox 360 despite plenty of significant flaws and a range of game mechanics that I can’t stand. There’s something so satisfying about tearing through a horde of proper slow-moving zombies. ‘Dead Rising 2’ promises more zombie killing fun, but it ditches the photography mechanic that gave variety to the original game. Still, this is one to check out for sure.
FIFA Soccer 11 (360, DS, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii)
As you may have noticed, ‘FIFA Soccer 11’ is coming out for every home console still being made. The latest installment introduces features like Pro Passing (which bases the accuracy of your passes on your accuracy with the analog stick) and Creation Center, which lets you create custom content. It also has everything else you’d expect, like an updated roster, soundtrack and even a mode where you can play solely as the goalkeeper.
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock (360, PS3, Wii)
For some reason, I thought that we – and by “we” I mean the entire gaming community – had decided that we were done with ‘Guitar Hero’ games, and had opted instead for downloadable song packs. ‘Warriors of Rock’ is a ‘Guitar Hero’ game, and as such consists of you playing songs on your plastic guitar, just like every other ‘Guitar Hero’ game. To be fair, the 2112 section, based on the 20 minute Rush song of the same name, seems pretty cool.
