MARCH 22
Monster Tale
Platform: DS
The premise behind this side-scrolling platformer is that while you control a character named Ellie on the upper screen, the lower screen contains a “Pet sanctuary” in which a cute monster named Chomp lives. You can feed him collectibles so he can learn new abilities. Chomp can also jump up to the top screen to engage in combat and help solve puzzles. Over time, Chomp learns to transform into new forms. The game’s story follows Ellie as she finds a bracelet in the woods that transports her into Monster World, where she meets Chomp. Ellie must find a way to get home, but will she be able to bring loveable Chomp with her?
Assassin%26rsquo;s Creed: Brotherhood
Platform: PC
EU release: March 26, 2011
While it’s not Assassin’s Creed III, Brotherhood – finally coming to PC after its console debut last November – isn’t just another inconsequential spinoff or side-story, either. Continuing the awesome plotline from Assassin’s Creed II, the sequel takes place almost entirely in Rome, where master assassin Ezio Auditore gradually builds an underground empire of assassin recruits and front businesses, although you can expect plenty of cutaways to Ezio’s modern descendant, Desmond. Brotherhood is huge, and if that isn’t enough, there’s the stealthy assassinate-or-be-assassinated multiplayer to look forward to.
The SimsMedieval
Platform: PC, Mac
EU release: Mar 25
Admit it – the first thing you did in The Sims was torture someone by removing the door to whatever room they were in, which invariably led to them lying motionless in a pool of their own urine. The second thing you did was probably to coax your hottest sim into a same-sex romance with your next-hottest sim. And the third most likely involved lawn gnomes in some way. The point is, the game was open-ended, but you gave yourself tangible goals anyhow. That’s the angle behind this Arthurian-themed reinvention of the series, which finds you playing as the king… and also the wizard, the spy, the priest, and the doctor, all of whom you’ve created. The game gives you goals – say, disposing of a troublesome sorceress or settling a dispute between peasants – which can be achieved in several different ways. Just beware of each character’s “fatal flaw”, or this fable will go from lighthearted comedy to Shakespearian tragedy in no more time than it takes to replace a door with a wall.
Dynasty Warriors 7
Platform: PS3, 360
EU release: Apr 1
By our count, there have been at least 22 Dynasty Warriors games over the last 11 years – although there are four more due this year that’s not counting the Samurai Warriors or Warriors Orochi games. So we get why many players never want to see another one of these. But that’s also a testament to how effective the whole “one person sawing through several hundred others and winning the battle singlehandedly” formula really is. Predictably, this latest entry doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it does add a fourth kingdom to represent (the Wu, Shu, and Wei kingdoms are joined by Jin), and each character has a much wider range of weapon choices now (“cannon” seems legitimately interesting to us) – you can even switch weapons mid-combo, creating new death-dealing maneuvers.
PlayStation Move Heroes
Platform: PS3
EU release: TBA
It’s been a long time since Ratchet, Jak and Sly Cooper have shared a release year, so it’s pretty significant that Sony’s three mascot franchises are about to share a game. We do kind of wish it wasn’t a Move-dependent platformer/minigame-collection developed by Nihilistic (makers of Conan and Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects), but it’s important to keep an open mind about these things. Especially considering just how much fanservice is in the above trailer.
Naruto Shippuden: Kizuna Drive
Platform: PSP
EU release: Mar 25
Historically, ninjas were nigh-invisible assassins, stealth operators who preferred shadowy sneaking, subterfuge and gadget-like spy weapons to face-to-face brawling. Naruto, on the other hand, wears what looks like a bright orange prison jumpsuit and would like nothing better than to skydive onto the field during the super bowl, summon a naked lady illusion, and then pummel both teams until everyone’s unconscious – which sounds better than reality to us. Granted, there have been plenty of Naruto games already, but this one adds four-player co-op play, an all-new story, and a new battle system with a twist – your combos can be larger, but if you mess them up, you’ll take damage yourself.
Tomb Raider Trilogy
Platform: PS3
EU release: Mar 25
We have to take issue with calling this a trilogy: a trilogy involves three sequential entries in a series, so this game should really be called Tomb Raider Three Random Games from this Enormous Series. The included games are Tomb Raider Anniversary, Tomb Raider Legend, and Tomb Raider Underworld. What they are is the most recently released Tomb Raider games, which means they’re the easiest to update with extra-HD graphics. Aside from additional tweaks to the visuals that are supposed to be better than their 360 counterparts, the disc is said to include over an hour of new cutscenes. Regardless of new stuff, these three games are some of the best in the series, so if you’ve ever wanted to brush up on Lara’s adventures, it might not be a bad way to go.
LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars
Platform: PS3, 360, Wii, PC, DS
EU release: Mar 25
If you’ve played any of the LEGO games, you know what to expect from The Clone Wars: cute characters, a charming take on slightly more serious source material, and a whole lot of collecting goodies. This entry has taken a more realistic approach to its environments, which makes everything look pretty but may turn off LEGO diehards. There will also be free-flying space battles and proper boss fights for once, so the game side of the equation seems to be getting a bit more… gamey. Can this take on the prequel timeline actually make us care about the Clone Wars? We’ll have to wait and see.
Crysis 2
Platform: PS3, 360, PC
EU release: Mar 25
After making PCs everywhere bow down and beg for mercy just a few years ago, the Crysis series is finally moving to consoles. How is this possible? With some new tech of course. The setting has also changed dramatically: the original Crysis took place on a tropical island where a huge alien ship was discovered buried inside a mountain, with American and North Korean forces vying for control of the alien tech, while Crysis 2 goes from the jungle to Manhattan, but of course the aliens are still around to stir up the pot. The series’ main gameplay still focuses on the Nanosuit, a piece of tech that turns ordinary men into super soldiers with increased speed, super jumps, super strength (you can kick a car into an opponent) and Predator-like cloaking.
Dissidia 012[duodecim] Final Fantasy
Platform: PSP
EU release: Mar 25
Continuing Square Enix’s grand tradition of ever-more-confusing titles, Dissidia 012[duodecim] is actually the second game in its series, and it brings a lot more to the table than its predecessor did. At its heart, [duodecim] is still a Final Fantasy fighting game, albeit a crazy aerial one set in huge, free-roaming arenas for you and your opponent to chase each other through. But now its single-player mode will have more of an RPG structure than its straightforward predecessor, with players able to visit shops and chat up friendly characters between battles. And like any good fighting game, [duodecim] expands its roster with a host of “new” characters, including FFIV’s Kain (spelled “Cain”), FFX’s Yuna, FFVII’s Tifa and FFXIII’s Lightning.
Continuing Square Enix’s grand tradition of ever-more-confusing titles, Dissidia 012[duodecim] is actually the second game in its series, and it brings a lot more to the table than its predecessor did. At its heart, [duodecim] is still a Final Fantasy fighting game, albeit a crazy aerial one set in huge, free-roaming arenas for you and your opponent to chase each other through. But now its single-player mode will have more of an RPG structure than its straightforward predecessor, with players able to visit shops and chat up friendly characters between battles. And like any good fighting game, [duodecim] expands its roster with a host of “new” characters, including FFIV’s Kain (spelled “Cain”), FFX’s Yuna, FFVII’s Tifa and FFXIII’s Lightning.
