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Fancy buying a video game or two this week? There’s a lot out there– and that’s where Nintendojo’s Now Playing column comes in. Check out the list, and lean back as we figure out just what these games are all about.
Note: titles in grey apply to Europe only.
Wii
October 31, 2011
NCIS (Ubisoft)
November 1, 2011
Country Dance 2 (GameMill)
Puss in Boots (THQ)
November 4, 2011
Get Up And Dance (O-Games)
Generator Rex: Agent of Providence (O-Games)
Go Vacation (O-Games)
WiiWare
November 3, 2011
Gnomz (QubicGames)
3DS
November 1, 2011
Rabbids: Travel in Time 3D (Ubisoft)
November 4, 2011
BlazBlue Continuum Shift 2: Manga Edition (Zen United)
Generator Rex: Agent of Providence (Activision)
Nintendo eShop
November 3, 2011
House M.D. – Episode 4: Crashed (Legacy Interactive)
November 4, 2011
Balloon Kid (Nintendo)
Nintendo Video
November 4, 2011
The Legend of Zelda Main Theme Medley (Nintendo)
Nintendo DS
November 1, 2011
Moxie Girlz (GameMill)
Pillow Pets (GameMill)
Puss in Boots (THQ)
Zoobles (Activision)
Generator Rex: Agent of Providence (Activision)
DSiWare
November 4, 2011
1950s Lawn Mower Kids™ (Zordix AB)
If NAMCO-BANDAI was a nice company, it would release Tales of the Abyss for 3DS already, but since the game’s been delayed to 2012 in North America, there’s probably no chance we’ll see it anytime soon. Well, no, that’s a lie– the Europeans on staff will see Tales of the Abyss in exactly three weeks! Yeah, sure, it’s a port, but it’s on the 3DS. That makes everything better. Right, Link? Right, Fox?
Right.
Honestly, in the deluge of licensed games that are coming out these week– apparently Generator Rex is a kid with gadgets and not, as I previously surmised, a dinosaur with electrical manipulation capabilities– it’s hard to be happy about releases for Nintendo systems. Note, of course, that we say it’s hard– but some of these games are actually kind of sweet-looking! Balloon Kid, which released on Game Boy Much Too Long Ago, is of course one of those games that actually improved from their NES iterations. BlazBlue: Continuum Shift 2: Manga Edition, exclusive for Europe, includes all DLC characters for the former, along with an exclusive manga volume that’ll finally reveal whatever the heck BlazBlue is actually about. 1950s Lawn Mower Kids™ is so dull-sounding that it actually ignites the imagination (though, from reviews, it doesn’t look that great.) And Gnomz, a multiplayer arcade fightfest, honestly looks like one of the most vibrant and creative games to be on WiiWare in a while, even if it does look like it’d only be fun with at least one other friend. It’s not much, sure, but it’s something.
Actually, isn’t it odd how these games, with the exception of BlazBlue, are only for online? There was a time when big-name games shared retail space with lesser games, and while that still happens, it seems like much of the retail recently has been stuff like, well, Generator Rex: Agent of Providence. Meanwhile, WiiWare has finally come into its own with games like last week’s ANIMA Ark of Sinners, or Sabarasa’s Horizon Riders. (We’re ignoring 101-in-1 Explosive Megamix from two weeks ago.) The point is, download kind of gets a bad rap! Retail gets bad games, too. Such as, I don’t know, games based on Pillow Pets (those things you see in mall aisles that are actually surprisingly adorable, but probably make bad video games) or Moxie Girlz (which we assume are like girls, only with more “‘tude” and “moxie”).
In any case, we have no idea what those games are about, so we’ll leave you with this lovely picture of a character from Gnomz looking into your soul.
Any of these games catch your eye? Or are you just going to listen to the Zelda theme? Let us know in the comments!
