Big releases this week look like Gunstringer for the XBox 360 and NHL 12 for multiple platforms. It should also be noted that as of this posting, Nintendo 3DS releases have finally been added to this list and Playstation Vita games will be added once they start being released as well. If you are interested in any of the games listed, please remember to purchase through the links below to help the site!

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Spore was perhaps Will Wright and Maxis’ most ambitious game to date. Although it wasn’t perfect, it’s level of customization is rivaled only by Maxis’ other big franchise, The Sims. While it may have caught some heat with the whole creationism vs evolution debates, a key part of its gameplay is how things evolve over time. Like Enix’s EVO from nearly 2 decades prior, Spore’s big hook is that it makes a controversial subject such as evolution a fun part of the gameplay.
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This is why I love arcade games from the 85 – 95 period. One look at a cabinet like this, and it isn’t hard to see what inspired this game. Modeled after buddy cop flicks like Tango and Cash, Starsky and Hutch, and Miami Vice, Lucky and Wild is an on-rails shooter/racing hybrid. You set out to catch a series of drug dealers by driving and shooting at them. The cabinet has a steering wheel and two guns attached. The idea is that player one uses the wheel and first gun while player 2 uses the second gun. Of course there are several unofficial ways to play the game as well, either increasing or decreasing the difficulty. Player two can use player one’s gun (thus saving quarters), player two can use both guns (thus freeing player one for driving), or a player can use player two’s gun while player two uses player one’s gun. It’s not the end-all of arcade games, but it was a pretty clever concept, one that could use a revisit in this age of motion capture gameplay.

Madden NFL 12. This is really the only big release this week, but be sure to look at the rest of the release list after the jump.

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If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. That’s what 2k Interactive (standing in for Irrational) must have been thinking when making this follow up to one of 2007’s most beloved new IPs. Bioshock 2 is more of the same, but when the original was as good as it was, fans won’t mind.
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Time Crisis was, and is still a trendsetter in the Arcades. Along with it’s polygonal graphics (which were pretty cutting edge at the time and still hold up well even to this day), the game also added a key innovation to the light-gun genre: the Duck Pedal. When you pressed the pedal, you popped out from under cover ready to take on enemies. When the pedal was depressed, you hid behind a nearby object where you could reload. However, each section was on a strict time limit, so you couldn’t hide underneath forever. When you played the game with another person in the game’s sequel, they played on another screen that was hooked up to the arcade cabinet, and they saw the action from a slightly different viewpoint. This was in contrast to two people looking at the same screen and being forced to take every bullet shot at them like other light gun games have done for years. Time Crisis Project Titan was a PlayStation-exclusive entry in the series. Playing as Richard Miller of the V.S.S.E, you fight to clear your name for the attempted assassination of Cuba’s President. The game contains the series’ signature duck and hide action, and you can even hide in different places by shooting the yellow arrows while the player is hiding. Oh yeah, and if you didn’t get it with the original PlayStation port of Time Crisis, TCPJ comes with a guncon for PS1. Of course it’s painted in a day-glow orange color so police won’t recognize it as a real weapon. Although TCPJ’s graphics were a bit dated at the time compared to the rest of the series, the game is still a fun light gun shooter with a gimmick that’s still clever even today.

A few of you Poweteers might remember a little known PC game called MAD TV. In it, you played as a TV exec who competed against other execs for TV ratings, TV/Movie licensing deals, lucrative advertising contracts, and the affections of the lovely nature show producer on the top floor. Obviously it wasn’t based on the sketch comedy show of the same name (although they were both inspired by the same satire magazine). Although it received little fanfare, it was unique and fun. Years later, Realmforge and Kalypso Media released M.U.D TV (which stands for Mad, Ugly, Dirty Television), a game that is more than inspired by the classic title, although the developers claimed they never played it. Anyway, the game is just as fun as the game it apparently isn’t based on, even if the game gets a bit too difficult at times.
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Based upon the 1991 movie, which was based upon the 80s comic, which was a homage to 30s and 40s era pulp action comics, The Rocketeer was a fun side scrolling platformer for the NES which is reminiscent of The Batman game that came out for the NES. You play as Cliff Secord, who recently discovered a rocket pack stashed away in one of the planes. Suddenly you have to battle against legions of mobsters, gangsters, and undercover Nazis in order to keep you and your friends safe. You have an assortment of weaponry at your disposal, and if you have gas, you can fly. There are also boss battles, in-game cinematics, and the music is pretty catchy as well. Like the film it’s based on, the Rocketeer may have been forgettable, but it’s a fun ride while it lasts. And really, who doesn’t want to fly around in a jetpack killing Nazis? Hopefully it shouldn’t be too much trouble for iIntendo to get this on Virtual Console. While we’re at it, lets bring back the comic series.