TWiG 2009-01-05: What a Way to Start a Year

Way back in June, back when “The Week in Games” was still relatively new (because, well, Moving Pixels was still relatively new), it seemed like kind of a big deal that a game was coming out for every single platform in a single week. It’s the sort of event that takes serious coordination on the parts of both developers and publishers, and it usually signals the arrival of a pretty major release.

Well, I’m never going to make a big deal about it again, because this week another game is coming out for every platform imaginable, and that game is…Hotel for Dogs. Look, I didn’t even know this thing was based on a Nickelodeon movie starring Emma Roberts and Diego’s voice until I started madly Googling for information on this game…information that is surprisingly hard to find, as it turns out. There’s barely a whisper of the game on the movie’s official website, the usually comprehensive gametrailers.com yields nothing on the search results, and searching on YouTube reveals but a single trailer for the Wii/DS side of the gaming equation, which looks really terrible. Chances are, even high-end graphics won’t save this thing. Of course, it’ll probably still sell more than LittleBigPlanet.

If you’re going to go after anything, your best bet this week would probably be to give Saints Row 2 a runthrough if you haven’t yet. The game is the type that seems to divide critics and players, but if you’re into the whole sandbox thing and you don’t mind a hefty dose of highly immoral behavior, it’ll probably entertain you until next week. Otherwise, Fishing Master World Tour for the Wii is the sequel to the highly underrated Fishing Master, which actually makes fishing fun with a pleasing, cartoony presentation style and a surprisingly fast-paced take on reeling ’em in. Honestly, if you’re looking for a family game, you’ll probably have about ten times as much fun with Fishing Master World Tour as you ever will with Hotel for Dogs.

That said, I’m putting the Hotel for Dogs trailer after the jump anyway, just because there’s a place for “hilariously bad” when nothing quite qualifies as “highly anticipated”. Enjoy!

Nintendo DS:

Paws & Claws: Pampered Pets (5 January)

Big Bang Mini (6 January)

Bigfoot (6 January)

Hotel for Dogs (6 January)

Jumble Madness (6 January)

Retro Game Challenge (6 January)

Animated (9 January)

Xbox 360:

Hotel for Dogs (6 January)

PSP:

Hotel for Dogs (6 January)

PS3:

Hotel for Dogs (6 January)

Wii:

Paws & Claws Pet Resort (5 January)

Fishing Master World Tour (6 January)

Hotel for Dogs (6 January)

PS2:

M&Ms Adventure (5 January)

Hotel for Dogs (6 January)

PC:

Saints Row 2 (5 January)

Hotel for Dogs (6 January)