Shippin’ Out March 20-26: Crysis 2, Lego Star Wars III, Dissidia 012

Posted on Mar 21, 2011 11:17:07 AM

New release slate championed by Crytek’s multiplatform shooter, TT Games’ latest block game, and Square Enix’s fighting game; The Sims Medieval, Ghostbusters: SOS, Tomb Raider, Splinter Cell Trilogies, and Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood PC also out.

Next Sunday Nintendo will release its new portable, the 3DS. But this week’s focus is placed on aliens, building blocks, and fighting.

Leading the week is Crytek’s Crysis 2 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and the platform that birthed the series, the PC. The shooter sees players fend off an alien threat once again, aided by a nanosuit that grants the user superhuman abilities ranging from speed boosts to active camouflage.

The sequel features two major distinctions from its predecessor. The original Crysis featured lush tropical environments, but Crysis 2 takes place in the urban jungle of New York City. And, as said, the game will see release on consoles in addition to the PC.

Gamers looking to grab the latest Traveller’s Tales Lego game this week can pick up Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars. The game will introduce new battle modes, including close-encounter combat techniques and the ability to build customized bases and fortresses. Gamers can take the side of either a Jedi or a Separatist, each of which comes with its own special abilities.

On-the-go gamers looking for a new title to play can pick up Square Enix’s Dissidia 012 Duodecim this week for the PSP. The game features multiple roster additions, including Final Fantasy IV’s lance-wielding dragoon Kain. A number of familiar faces will also be returning, including Sephiroth, Tifa, Onion Knight, Cecil, Golbez, Zidane, and Terra.

While the action is still primarily one-on-one, Square Enix is implementing a new assist feature that will let players summon backup allies in battle. Dissidia 012 Duodecim will also include new game modes, items, and costumes, as well as the ability to play through a storyline focused on the character Chaos.

The Sims franchise continues to grow this week. The Sims Studio unleashes The Sims Medieval on Tuesday for the PC/Mac. Announced in early August, The Sims Medieval is a stand-alone Sims spin-off from the creators of The Sims 3 and other series entries.

The title, the first in a series, will have players create heroes, venture on quests, build and control a kingdom, and play every “hero sim” character in the game. Additionally, The Sims Medieval gives players the chance to control people from all walks of life, including kings, queens, knights, wizards, blacksmiths, and bards.

On the download front, Atari will release Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime this week on the Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network. The top-down game set in New York City will be a cooperative adventure title playable online or offline with up to four players. It will drop players into the boots of the Ghostbuster team’s newest recruit and task them with working cooperatively to take down “gigantic bosses.” Also, gamers will have a range of weaponry at their disposal, including the proton stream, the plasma inductor, and the fermion shock.

Though the official start to the spring season is this week, gamers looking to bundle up can grab the Tomb Raider and Splinter Cell trilogies this week for the PS3. The Lara Croft bundle will include Tomb Raider: Underworld, as well as high-definition remastered versions of Tomb Raider: Anniversary and Tomb Raider: Legend. As for the Splinter Cell Trilogy, that pack will contain the original Splinter Cell, Splinter Cell: Pandora, and Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory.

PC gamers looking to leap into the stealth killing Assassin’s Creed series this week can pick up Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood on Tuesday. The game has ditched Ubisoft’s embattled always-on DRM, and its single-player component sees Ezio assuming control of an assassin network, commanding the combined effort to rid Rome of its corruption and the Templar order.

In Brotherhood’s multiplayer mode, players can align themselves with the pharmaceutical company Abstergo–which kidnapped the series’ contemporary protagonist Desmond–and aid the Templar order. Players have a range of characters to choose from in multiplayer, each of which has signature weapons and assassination techniques. Brotherhood’s online component also includes a variety of competitive modes.

For further details on the week’s games, visit GameSpot’s New Releases page. The full list of downloadable games on the PlayStation Store, Xbox Live Marketplace, and Wii Shop Channel will be revealed later this week. Release dates are based on retailer listings and are subject to change.

TUESDAY, MARCH 22
Asphalt 3D: Nitro Racing–3DS–Ubisoft
Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood–PC–Ubisoft
Chainz Galaxy–DS–Jack of All Games
Combat of Giants: Dinosaurs 3D–3DS–Ubisoft
Crysis 2–PC, PS3, X360–Electronic Arts
Dissidia 012: Duodecim Final Fantasy–PSP–Square Enix
Europa Universalis III Chronicles–PC–Paradox Interactive
Hoard–PSP–Big Sandwich Games Inc.
IL-2 Sturmovik: Cliffs of Dover–PC–Ubisoft
Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars–PS3, X360, DS, PSP, Wii, PC–LucasArts
Mayhem 3D–X360, PS3–Zoo Games
Naruto Shippuden: Kizuna Drive–PSP–Namco Bandai Games America
PlayStation Move Heroes–PS3–SCEA
Rayman 3D–3DS–Ubisoft
Raving Rabbids Collections–Wii–Ubisoft
Ridge Racer 3D–3DS–Namco Bandai Games
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars–3DS–Ubisoft
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Classic Trilogy HD–PS3–Ubisoft
The Sims Medieval–PC, MAC–Electronic Arts
The Tomb Raider Trilogy–PS3–Square Enix