The Week In Games

Flag
9:00AM August 31, 2009 | David Wildgoose

Yes, Batman is out this week. Yes, you should go buy it. But there are also a few other games, too.

Most surprising is the quantity of PSP releases, with half of all this week’s releases arriving on UMD. Still, Batman is definitely the game to get. What are you picking up this week?

New releases for the w/c August 31:

Academy of Champions (Wii)
What Is It? Pele-endorsed soccer game set in a Hogwarts-style school.
Should You Care? No idea if it’s any good. Ubi have kept their cards close to their chest.

Batman: Arkham Asylum (360, PS3)
What Is It? Stealth brawler with a strong Metroidvania vibe and exceptional production values.
Should You Care? It’s pretty much the perfect Batman game.

Dissidia: Final Fantasy (PSP)
What Is It? One-on-one fighter featuring a cast of characters spanning the entire FF series.
Should You Care? Really solid combat mechanics, though it helps if you’re an FF fan.

IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey (360, PS3, PSP)
What Is It? Action-oriented take on the veteran PC chopper combat sim.
Should You Care? Is this the only chopper combat sim on these consoles?

Metal Slug 7 (DS)
What Is It? Old-school side-scrolling platformer shmup.
Should You Care? You should know by now if you need another Metal Slug game.

Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny (PSP)
What Is It? Very good-looking handheld version of the console fighting franchise.
Should You Care? Get this if you’re a fighting fan, but not a Final Fantasy fan.

Supercar Challenge (PS3)
What Is It? Oft-delayed release of also-ran PS3-exclusive racing sim.
Should You Care? Not with Need For Speed: Shift and Gran Turismo 5 on the way.

Warriors Orochi 2 (PSP)
What Is It? Dynasty Warriors spin-off makes a very belated journey to Sony’s handheld.
Should You Care? Surely you’re not this desperate for some hardcore hack and slash.

Comments

  • Dean Henderson

    August 31, 2009 at 9:22 AM

    So DAvid after playing Batman over the weekend are you now in agreement with all the reviews or do you still think they are a little exaggerated?

    • Sam Lawrence

      August 31, 2009 at 10:27 AM

      I’m also interested in finding this out.

      Also David what were you opinions of Bioshock and Dead Space.

  • Mark

    August 31, 2009 at 9:25 AM

    I thought IL2 was a WW2 combat flight sim. Not sure there’s choppers in it.

    • AussieSniper

      August 31, 2009 at 10:04 AM

      Kotaku’s editors are extremely ignorant when it comes to flight games of any kind.

      • David Wildgoose

        August 31, 2009 at 10:08 AM

        Totally. I hope that came across in my IL-2 write-up!

  • Chuloopa

    August 31, 2009 at 9:27 AM

    Wow.. after a few quiter weeks, there’s some really solid releases this week!

  • Friar Tuck

    August 31, 2009 at 9:43 AM

    The 8-9/10 reviews are spot on (see Eurogamer for a great one), and Batman: AA is a bang on great game for this otherwise unremarkable time in gaming.

    Roll on Borderlands/Shift/GT5/Forza3/Scribblenauts I say!!

  • HotDamn!

    August 31, 2009 at 11:06 AM

    I’m still not sure about Batman. I’ve just never been into superhero games. To buy or not to buy. Hmmm…

  • fORS4kEN

    August 31, 2009 at 11:07 AM

    So has Batman’s street date officially been broken???

  • Ema Nymton

    August 31, 2009 at 12:43 PM

    Firstly, Everything I’ve read says the “official” release date of Batman was 25/08 (USA) and 28/08 (Rest of the world)… Is Australia not part of the world? Why is it only this week?

    Secondly, Which consol should I get it on (PS3 or 360)? … and not the typical fanboy responses to this sort of question. Has anyone compared the demos?

  • Sing Nguyen

    August 31, 2009 at 12:56 PM

    In the US they were giving away Batman as a free download for those that purchase selected NVidia cards (http://www.kotaku.com.au/2009/08/nvidia-bundles-batman-with-graphics-card/). Anyone know if there’s a similar deal happening here?

    Ding!

  • peaky01

    August 31, 2009 at 4:14 PM

    Woohoo

    Batman and Dissidia this week (both preordered collector’s eds)

    I can hear my wallet crying in the background

  • Aaron K

    August 31, 2009 at 4:38 PM

    Batman: Arkham Asylum, Dissidia: Final Fantasy, Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny and Warriors Orochi 2 are ringing in my ears.

    This is getting exciting!

  • Neil Williams

    August 31, 2009 at 4:39 PM

    Wasn’t Guilty Gear 2: Overture due out this week on the 3rd? I know I’m probably the only person who cares, but even still, I’m curious.

  • scotty

    August 31, 2009 at 10:27 PM

    i have batman on ps3 and 360.dont ask why lol.ps3 has afew joker challenge rooms but the 360 version looks abit better.these joker challenge rooms will appear as dlc for 360 by the end of the year so to anybody out there who needs to choose a format,360 just wins it.the 360 pad just feels right with it also.

Post Your Comments