TWiG 2008-08-04: At Least My Daughter’s Excited

A moment of silence for the PSP’s release schedule.  This is the...third?  Fourth?  Actually, I’ve lost count of just how many weeks it’s been since I haven’t had to be a smartass about just how few games are getting released for the PSP this summer.  Thank goodness Madden ‘09 is coming out next week, so I know that I’m not going to have to exclude any of these precious machines of gaming.

That said, I’ve heard nice things about Braid and all, but for one week, I’m turning this into a vanity project (SHHH!): The release that’s going to get the most play in this house is...Hannah Montana: Spotlight World Tour.  Yes, it’s another Hannah Montana game, and the fact that it came out on the Wii, oh, last year doesn’t exactly bode well for its sales prospects, but I do know that my daughter was looking over my shoulder as I put together this week’s release list, saw the name Hannah Montana, and proceeded to ask me why I was typing about Hannah Montana in about seven different ways.  So this one’s for her.  Hannah Montana wins, because you get to be a star just like Hannah (just ask the press release!), and play simple rhythm games mostly for the sake of hearing her songs.  Because no, I haven’t heard them enough.

Okay, Braid: It’s a platformer where you CONTROL TIME.  I have no idea whether that’s a recipe for WIN or if it’s just another gimmicky side scroller, but I’m leaning toward the former.  For all the complaining I’ve done about the dearth of releases this summer, Xbox Live Arcade has had one hell of a season, and it doesn’t look to be slowing down any time soon.  On the PS3 side, Monster Madness: Grave Danger looks like just the sort of thing that next-gen shooter fans would get a kick out of, something like, oh, the Dreamcast’s Expendable updated in all the important ways.

Here’s something I’m ashamed to admit: I had no idea they ever released a Sonic the Hedgehog game for the Sega Master System.  I had assumed that they stopped supporting that poor little system by the time Sonic was even a twinkle in Sonic Team’s collective eye, but apparently a version of the blue hedgehog’s adventures did come out for the Master System, and you’ll be able to download it for your Wii today.  New levels?  New challenges?  Another reason to take down Robotnik/Eggman?  Sign me up.

All right, I give up.  Where’s the hidden treasure on this list?  Somebody help me find a place for my disposable income—my wallet’s just too damn heavy.

The full list is after the jump, along with, yes, a trailer for Hannah Montana: Spotlight World Tour.  Enjoy!

Xbox 360:

Crash Time: Autobahn Pursuit (05 August)
Braid (Xbox Live Arcade, 06 August)

PSP:

ONE WEEK ‘TIL MADDEN

PS3:

Monster Madness: Grave Danger (05 August)

DS:

GRID (05 August)
Little League World Series 2008 (05 August)
Puzzler Collection (05 August)
Quick Yoga Training (05 August)
The Cheetah Girls: Passport to Stardom (05 August)

Wii:

King of Clubs (04 August)
Summer Athletics (04 August)
Wild West Guns (WiiWare, 04 August)
Sonic the Hedgehog (Master System Version) (Virtual Console, 04 August)
Splatterhouse 2 (Virtual Console, 04 August)
Little League World Series 2008 (05 August)

PS2:

B-Boy (05 August)
Hannah Montana: Spotlight World Tour (05 August)

PC:

Beijing 2008 - The Official Video Game (05 August)
Ford Racing: Off Road (05 August)
Fate: Undiscovered Realms (08 August)

—Mike Schiller