The Week In Games

Perhaps the most controversial game of the year is released this week. Valve’s Left 4 Dead sequel arrives, minus corpses, dismemberment and blood spatter.

Of course, the gameplay remains essentially the same in the censored Australian edition, while those PC gamers who understandably want the full experience will be able to find a way. I’m curious to hear how many Xbox 360 owners are going to pick up Left 4 Dead 2 this week. Are you?

Elsewhere, I’d be spending my money on Assassin’s Creed 2 (and possibly its handheld spin-offs), Men of War, Divinity II and A Boy and His Blob, the last of which was delayed a week from its planned launch. All in all, a very good week for gaming!

What are you spending your moneypoints on this week?

New releases for the w/c November 16:

A Boy and His Blob (Wii)
What Is It? Gorgeous platformer where you use your blob’s abilities to solve puzzles and find your way home to Earth.
Should You Care? It has a hug button.

Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines (PSP)
What Is It? Continues the tale of Altair to fill in the story between original and sequel.
Should You Care? It meant to be a proper Assassin’s Creed game, too.

Assassin’s Creed II (360, PS3)
What Is It? Open world action/adventure that marries parkour, sneakiness and violent combat.
Should You Care? Ubisoft seems to have fixed many of the problems of the original.

Assassin’s Creed II: Discovery (DS)
What Is It? Side-scrolling spin-off that takes ACII star Ezio to 16th century Spain.
Should You Care? I haven’t played it, but it looks much better than the previous DS outing for the series.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (PS3, Wii, DS, PC)
What Is It? Movie tie-in platformer with a smattering of puzzles that is aimed squarely at the kids.
Should You Care? Might be a decent Xmas gift for your 8-year-old nephew.

Divinity II (360, PC)
What Is It? Belgian-developed RPG where you play a dragon slayer, and also get to fly them.
Should You Care? Recommended for fans of Gothic and other Euro RPGs.

Dragon Age: Origins (PS3)
What Is It? PS3 version of Bioware’s classical RPG, released two weeks earlier on PC and Xbox 360.
Should You Care? If you can’t get it on PC then the PS3 version is just as good as the 360.

Dragon Ball: Raging Blast (360, PS3)
What Is It? Another Dragon Ball fighting game, this time bringing a hefty suite of online tournament options.
Should You Care? Apparently there are better Dragon Ball games out there already. I really wouldn’t know.

EA Sports Active: More Workouts (Wii)
What Is It? I’m guessing this is probably more workouts for EA Sports Active. Just a hunch.
Should You Care? For when too many workouts are barely enough.

F1 2009 (PSP, Wii)
What Is It? Reasonably serious F1 racing simulation from Codemasters, makers of DiRT and GRiD, but strangely not releasing on PC, 360 or PS3.
Should You Care? There’s definitely room for a proper racing sim on Wii.

Ghostbusters (360, Wii, DS, PC)
What Is It? Hooray, non-PS3 gamers can now play this fairly average third-person shooter.
Should You Care? Too little, too late, I think.

Invizimals (PSP)
What Is It? Pokemon-esque animal collecting and duelling that uses the PSP camera to augment reality.
Should You Care? The camera novelty should keep the kids entertained.

Jak & Daxter: The Lost Frontier (PS2, PSP)
What Is It? Action adventure that mixes 3D platformer with some air combat.
Should You Care? Where’s our PS3 Jak & Daxter game?

Killing Floor (PC)
What Is It? Disc release of the previously download-only co-op zombie shooter.
Should You Care? At $30 it’s worth it. (Or $US20 on Steam!)

Left 4 Dead 2 (360, PC)
What Is It? The fastest sequel in Valve history brings new characters, maps and modes to the definitive co-op zombie shooter.
Should You Care? 360 owners will be stuck with the censored version.

LittleBigPlanet (PSP)
What Is It? Play 30 new levels, create your own, and share them with the PSP community.
Should You Care? The only thing missing from the PS3 version is multiplayer.

Medieval Games (Wii)
What Is It? Minigame collection with a “ye olde worlde” vibe, including jousting and potion making.
Should You Care? Sounds like some amusing Xmas Day nonsense for the family.

Men of War (PC)
What Is It? Thrilling tactical combat game set during World War II that offers strategic play and direct control over your men.
Should You Care? One of the year’s best strategy titles.

Monster 4×4 Stunt Racer (Wii)
What Is It? Amazingly, it’s a monster truck racer with an emphasis on stunts! How cunning.
Should You Care? The 4-player split-screen mode is a welcome addition.

Princess Melody (DS)
What Is It? “Use your magical fairy powers of singing, dancing and drawing to help the Fairies defeat the Witch who has suppressed the art of music.”
Should You Care? Um… OK!

The Sims 3: World Adventures (PC)
What Is It? Expansion pack lets you take your sims on holiday to Egypt, China and France.
Should You Care? Only you know whether you need more Sims.

Style Boutique (DS)
What Is It? Manage your own fashion boutique and help your customers find their own style.
Should You Care? ARGH!

Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World (Wii)
What Is It? Belated local release of a year-old Japanese RPG with a focus on monster hunting and training.
Should You Care? Decent but not great, yet your RPG options on Wii are limited.

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