“Super Street Fighter IV” (rated T, $40 on Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3): This update to one of last year’s top fighting games features 10 all-new characters, rebalanced gameplay and a number of new modes. Like all classic Capcom year-later remakes, it becomes the definitive version of the game to own, forcing die-hards to repurchase, and ensures we’ll still be seeing the first version of “Street Fighter IV” in GameStop clearance bins five years from now.
“2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa” (rated E, $60 on Xbox 360 or PS3, $50 on Wii, $40 on PlayStation Portable): At the time of the last World Cup, the Xbox 360 was less than a year old and the Wii and PS3 weren’t even on the market. Needless to say, the Xbox 360 version cost $10 more than the PS2 and Xbox versions, featured considerably fewer gameplay options and cost $10 more. True soccer video game fans gave it a pass in favor of the core “FIFA” game or “Pro Evolution Soccer.” Now that it’s firmly established what console generation we’re in, Electronic Arts appears to have done this game properly.
“Record of Agarest War” (rated T, $60 on Xbox 360, $45 PlayStation Network download): It’s too bad the only U.S. retail version of this game is a “limited edition” that comes with a pillowcase featuring an anime character and a “Sensual 3D Vira-Lorr mouse pad” with real fake boobs you can fondle. “Agarest War,” which lets you play as multiple generations of the same family of heroes, looks like a legitimately intriguing mashup of strategy role-playing game and dating sim. But, thanks to the limited edition accouterments, it seems like they kind of thing where, if you bought it, the law would require you to go door-to-door to tell all your neighbors about the purchase. (GameStop isn’t even selling the thing.) And this game is rated T? If you’re the sort of person who buys obscure video games, never opens them and eBays them years later for a healthy profit, this one seems like a prime candidate. (After all, who’s gonna want to buy this game used? Wait, don’t answer.) If the burning shame of owning a boobified mouse pad is gonna keep you from buying the title on Xbox 360, it’s available on a download-only basis for the PS3.
“Pixeljunk Eden,” “Pixeljunk Monsters,” and “Pixeljunk Shooter” (rated E or E10+, downloadable for PS3): These three downloadable titles, normally $10 each, are all on sale for $5. You can also get all three in a bundle for $10, through Monday. All of ’em can accurately be called PlayStation Network classics, if you don’t mind calling something so new a classic.
What I’m playing: This week, I finished up “Final Fantasy XIII.” I still have a bunch of those pesky post-game missions to wrap up, and I wouldn’t mind gunning for some more PlayStation trophies on the game. (That one for getting every item in the game, though? A long shot, at best.) But I have too many other games to play, namely “Alan Wake,” “Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Conviction” and “God of War III,” plus the “Halo: Reach” beta that I got an early access code for. Oh, and there’s the new “Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse,” plus some older titles I’ve barely touched. I’m looking at you “Deadly Premonition” and “Battlefield: Bad Company 2.” Did I mention I’m also playing “God of War” and “God of War II” from the relatively recent “God of War Collection?” Oh, and I expect I’ll follow my own advice and pick up those PixelJunk games, which I missed the first time around. Yeah, I’ve got a backlog. Did I mention I’m working all weekend?
