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ShareIt is a slow, slow week on the gaming front, but as is ever the case, a little digging reveals a few gems among the coal. Did you like that metaphor? No? I’ll try harder next week, bound to be another slow week in this, the doldrums of the gaming year.
This week, Sacred 2: Fallen Angel hits the consoles, having been out on the PC for the last six months or so. The PC version was somewhat derided for its bugs, but hopefully the many delays that have hit the console versions of the game indicate a commitment to ironing out whatever bugs were there. It’s been nine years now since Diablo II, and even the most devoted Diablophiles will be hungry for something just a little bit different. Sacred 2 borrows Diablo‘s isometric viewpoint and punishing difficulty, and adds a world that’s a little bit brighter and, perhaps most importantly, a little bit funnier. Don’t be mistaken—if you’re new to this sort of game, you’ll find the difficulty of it awfully oppressive; stick with it, however, and you find a game that actually doesn’t take itself too seriously, making it an awfully pleasant diversion that may just last you until Diablo 3 shows up, unicorns, rainbows and all.
The PlayStation 2, perhaps surprisingly, has another potential cult classic on its hands thanks to Atlus, who will be releasing the oppressively titled Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon on the still-slowly-fading system tomorrow. The game’s got style—you can see that much simply from the few trailers that are out. If it can have half the narrative strength and beautifully balanced gameplay of Atlus’ Persona series of games, PS2 hangers-on are in for another treat.
Desktop Tower Defense is arriving on the DS this week, which seems like a perfect fit for the little system, even if the low resolution of the tiny screen might have made for a difficult implementation…it’ll be interesting to see how it translates from PC to portable. If Left 4 Dead fatigue has set in, Killing Floor is another zombie shooter that’ll be seeing the light of day on Steam this week. And, of course, Pirates vs. Ninjas Dodgeball finally arrives on the Wii this week, a game whose name, well, it speaks for itself.
Me? Aw, hell, I’m playing Halo 3 this week. The full release list, and a trailer for Sacred 2, is after…the jump.
Wii:
Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus (12 May)
Help Wanted (12 May)
Pirates vs. Ninjas Dodgeball (12 May)
Puzzle Kingdoms (12 May)
Xbox 360:
Battlestations: Pacific (12 May)
Sacred 2: Fallen Angel (12 May)
Texas Cheat ‘Em (13 May, Xbox Live Arcade)
DS:
Desktop Tower Defense (11 May)
Magician’s Quest: Mysterious Times (11 May)
My Farm Around the World (11 May)
Drama Queens (12 May)
Dreamer: Shop Owner (12 May)
History Great Empires Rome (12 May)
PS3:
Sacred 2: Fallen Angel (12 May)
Texas Cheat ‘Em (14 May, PlayStation Network)
ZEN Pinball (14 May, PlayStation Network)
PS2:
Short Track Racing: Trading Paint (11 May)
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon (12 May)
PC:
Age of Pirates 2: City of Abandoned Ships (12 May)
Battlestations: Pacific (12 May)
Killing Floor (14 May)
Hinterland: Orc Lords (15 May)
PSP:
...it’s oh so quiet…
