Street Fighter IV
System: Multi-Platform
Release Date: 2/17/2009
Fighting games haven’t exactly been the force that they once were in gaming these days, but Street Fighter IV might just be the game to change that. The first numbered Street Fighter sequel in 10 years, SFIV combines modern technology with the beloved characters and gameplay from the arcade original that started the whole fad in the first place. Anyone with any interest in fighting games should pick this up without question, as it promises to be the most visually appealing and well-balanced fighter ever produced. Even those that are new to the genre will probably find the online competition more than sufficient to warrant a purchase. It’s just too bad that EGM folded a mere month before their famous April Fool’s joke, Sheng Long, came to consoles in the (digital) flesh.
Tenchu: Shadow Assassins
System: Nintendo Wii
Release Date: 2/3/2009
The last couple of Tenchu games, admittedly, haven’t been that great. That’s why the original developer behind the first couple of excellent titles, Acquire, was brought back for this Wii-exclusive sequel. Going back to the roots of the series, you will have greater freedom as to how you accomplish missions, and the tone will be more classically Japanese. The Wii controls look to be well implemented on unobtrusive, and it’s been awhile since we’ve had a really good ninja game that wasn’t a controller snapper like Ninja Gaiden, amirite? Here’s hoping for a return of the irresistible, poisoned rice ball!
F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin
System: Multi-Platform
Release Date: 2/10/2009
In this horror/sci-fi shooter, you take on the persona of a Delta Force operative charged with combating a supernatural menace. This evil force is being perpetuated by a powerful psychic and failed military experiment named Alma, who appears as a creepy little girl bearing a striking resemblance to Dakota Fanning. F.E.A.R. 2 promises to balance the atmospheric terror with the bloody gunplay in such a way that will please both the Call of Duty and the Silent Hill camps.
Onechanbara: Bikini Samurai Squad
System: Xbox 360
Release Date: 2/10/2009
This game is about butchering zombies. As a hot chick in a bikini. I don’t know what more you could possibly need to know about it than that. Looks awesome.
X-Blades
System: Multi-Platform
Release Date: 2/10/2009
X-Blades is pretty much the Hentai version of Devil May Cry, with a sexy, thong clad swordswoman as its protagonist. Between this chick, Sega’s Bayonetta and the Bikini Samurai Squad, Lara Croft is looking more and more tame every day.
Killzone 2
System: Playstation 3
Release Date: 2/27/2009
This heavily atmospheric shooter is just the kind of exclusive FPS that the PS3 needs to win over gamers that are still playing Gears of War 2 online. While the first person experience of Killzone 2 looks pretty good, it’s the multiplayer that really shines with class-based, squad combat that includes multiple match types, weapons and vehicles. There is a lot of positive buzz on this game, so if you have a PS3, this is probably the title to watch out for this month.
The Sims 3
System: PC
Release Date: 2/20/2009
Do you have a PC? If so you’ll get this game eventually, don’t even try to kid yourself. With the kind of sales numbers that Sims games do, it’s pretty much mandatory at this point. In this installment, your attention to minor details like eating and taking dumps is loosened up a bit so that you can get out and explore the world without fear of passing out or pissing your pants or whatever 2 hours after you leave your house. Additionally, load times between areas have allegedly been eliminated, which is awesome.
(This just in: The Sims 3 has been delayed until June 2 because EA forgot to advertise it or whatever. Sorry! -ed.)
50 Cent: Blood on the Sand
System: Multi-Platform
Release Date: 2/24/2009
In this long-delayed cash-in, you play as 50 Cent and a bunch of his groupies in a game that is so incredibly inappropriate that it’s mere existence is sort of unintentionally hilarious. The plot is basically this: 50 Cent performs a show in the Middle East but the promoter gets robbed and can’t pay him. So he’s all like “Gimme my mothafuckin money, son!” and the promoter is like “Here, take this 1000 year-old diamond encrusted crystal skull, I guess”. But then some dudes take it from him and he has to kill like 10,000 Arabs to get it back while yelling stuff like: “Yo, where my mothafucking crystal skull at, bitches?!”, or some such shit. I don’t know if Fiddy realizes that: A) we still have troops in the Middle East, risking their lives for like $40k a year, B) Fundamentalist Muslim people will probably find this game mildly offensive, and their usual response to modern offense is suicide bombing, or that C) We’re in the middle of a f**king RECESSION, nobody wants to hear about 50 Cent’s diamond encrusted crystal skull money problems (though I suppose some of us would kill to get our hands on on right about now, too...)
LocoRoco 2
System: PSP
Release Date: 2/10/2009
The first LocoRoco was a pleasantly weird and enjoyable surprise. The basic premise of the gameplay in LocoRoco is that you tilt the world in which the LocoRocos live, maneuvering their jelly-like bodies through maze-like environments. The sequel is looking to be more of the same, and has a price tag of only about 20 bucks. This is pretty much a no-brainer if you have a PSP. Definitely a must-buy.
Retro Game Challenge
System: Nintendo DS
Release Date: 2/10/2009
This is a title that would probably fall underneath most people’s radar because its outward appearance is that of your average crappy shovelware. But don’t be fooled, Retro Game Challenge is a nostalgic spoof of the golden age of gaming that so thoroughly nails the subject matter, it actually looks like an old school Namco collection or something. In actuality, all of the games in Retro Game Challenge were created especially for this title, painstakingly recreating the look, feel and sound of NES-era shooters, platformers, RPGs, etc. and putting them into a WarioWare-type setting for people with slightly longer attention spans. Any gamer in their mid-to-late 20s and older will probably have a great time with this game.
Also releasing this month:
The House of the Dead: Overkill, Nintendo Wii, 2/10/2009
Legacy of Ys: Books I and II, Nintendo DS, 2/10/2009
Onechanbara: Bikini Zombie Slayers, Nintendo Wii, 2/10/2009
Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection, Multi-Platform, 2/10/2009
X-Blades, Multi-Platform, 2/10/2009
Flower, PSN, 02/12/09
The Godfather II, Multi-Platform, 2/24/2009
Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride, Nintendo DS, 2/17/2009
Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost & Damned, XBLA, 2/17/2009
Star Ocean: The Last Hope, Xbox 360, 2/24/2009
Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop, Nintendo Wii, 2/24/2009
Blue Dragon Plus, Nintendo DS, 2/24/2009
