Apologies for the lateness of this week’s update, but I figured with Madden coming out on a Friday with the gaming world’s largest multimedia/cultural blitz behind it, it probably isn’t relying on my preview to move copies. Half the folks who plan to play it probably have already procured a copy at this point.
“Madden NFL 10” (rated E, $60 on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, $50 on Wii, $40 on PlayStation Portable and PS2): It’s the big football game everyone buys every year. Honestly, I don’t have a lot of insight to add on this one. Eight years of working every Sunday, the salary cap and the increased meatheadedness of the way the college and pro games are marketed have made me something of a casual football fan at best. One of these years, I’m going to pick up a “Madden” game and get into the sport all over again, but there are too many other titles on the market right now.
“Tecmo Bowl” (rated E, $6 on Wii, via Virtual Console): Don’t want to spend $50 on “Madden” for the Wii? The NES version of this game has been available for download for $5 for a while, but this $6 game is a port of the arcade version.
“Super Star Wars” (rated E, $8 on Wii, via Virtual Console): Back in 1992, this platform-jumping, jedi-themed title was pretty much the gold standard for movie tie-in games.
“Red Faction Guerrilla” (rated M, $60 on Xbox 360 and PS3, $40 on PC): This third-person shooter has become something of a cult favorite thanks to its Casual mode, which lets players smash everything to bits with extreme prejudice. It got its first downloadable add-on this week, a single-player prequel chapter called “Demons of the Badlands.” It sells for $10 on the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live. Go get ’em.
“Trials HD” (rated T, $15 on Xbox Live Arcade): This motorcycle-based stunt game looks fantastic for an arcade title and supports a robust level creation and sharing system. Fans of racing/stunt games would do well to at least download the demo and give it a whirl.
“Marvel vs. Capcom 2” (rated T, $15 on PlayStation Network): This 10-year-old fighter has been updated for current-generation consoles and brings together more than 50 characters from the Marvel (Spider-Man, X-Men, etc.) and Capcom (Ryu, Guile, etc.) universes. It debuted a couple of weeks ago on the Xbox 360.
“Tomb Raider” (rated T, $10 PlayStation Network download, playable on PS3 or PSP): At this point, Sony is rolling out the retro PlayStation games faster than Nintendo is bringing new titles to the Wii’s Virtual Console. If you’re a nostalgic Lara Croft fan, this is your chance to relive past pixelated glories.
What I’m playing this weekend: “The Bigs 2,” “Wii Sports Resort” and maybe a little “The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition,” all fodder for possible upcoming reviews.
