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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 16, 2011
Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure (Activision)
WiiWare
October 20, 2011
Fish Tank (iFunforAll)
3DS
October 16, 2011
Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure (Activision)
October 18, 2011
The Sims 3 Pets (EA)
October 20, 2011
Les Sims 3 – Animaux et Cie (EA)
Pyramids (Nintendo)
Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn (Ubisoft)
Nintendo eShop
October 20, 2011
Double Dragon (Nintendo)
Nintendo Video
October 20, 2011
Night of the Living Carrots Part 2 (DreamWorks Animation)
DreamWorks Animation Halloween Collection (DreamWorks Animation)
Nintendo DS
October 17, 2011
Professor Layton and the Last Specter (Nintendo)
DSiWare
October 20, 2011
Castle Conqueror – Revolution (CIRCLE Entertainment Ltd.)
How long has it been since absolutely nothing came out on retail shelves for Nintendo DS? Yeah, we can’t remember, either. It’s had a long run though, honestly, and while nothing’s come out this week for retail, you can bet that there’ll still be plenty of games on DSiWare. Even better, if you’re one of those 3DS owners who didn’t invest in a Nintendo DSi, you, too, can participate in conquering castles this week! That’s probably one of the cooler things about 3DS, by the way. Forget 3D, now you can play Shantae: Risky’s Revenge without buying a DSi!
UPDATE: Just kidding, some of us apparently can’t Internet-sling to save our lives. Professor Layton and the Last Specter, of course, came out on October 17, and if we didn’t mess up here we’d say it’s probably one of our more anticipated games. There’s the usual puzzle-solving, sure, but there’s also Layton’s London Life, a spin-off, full-length role-playing game built into Last Specter and made by RPG stalwart Brownie Brown. Yes, the same Brownie Brown that developed Mother 3. Yes, you should get the game. Thanks xeacons!
This week, the other big news is Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure. “But it’s been so long since Spyro was extraordinary,” we hear you say– but honestly, The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon (among the rest of the Legend of Spyro franchise reboot) was pretty decent, and had some great voice acting to boot. (Besides, these days, more people badmouth the likes of Spyro and Crash Bandicoot than have actually played their games.) Skylanders, though, looks like the biggest fourth-wall breaker since Pokémon Heart Gold & Soul Silver, and actually, is bigger than anything we’ve seen in recent times. Even stalwart crowd-pleaser Monster Rancher, with its disc-creating-monster-craziness capabilities, fights for exposure with this game.
We’re excited.
If you’re unfamiliar with Skylanders, the hook essentially is being able to buy action figures that can link to the game (Wii and DS versions both), and then being able to play as those same figures in-game. Penny-Arcade described it as being “League of Legends for kids”, which we guess is not a bad comparison! (We only have a problem with the “for kids” part, because, well … look, we don’t have to defend ourselves.) Our very own Kevin Knezevic wrote a preview of the game here, and let’s just say that if this game gets anywhere near us, we’re probably going to spend Too Many Dollars just like that. Us video game enthusiasts, we’re funny that way.
Meanwhile, we can consider 3DS a stable competitor in the handheld environment at the rate that games are coming out for the system. And thank third parties for that, because Nintendo wasn’t about to make The Sims 3 Pets or Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn. And people are going to buy these games no matter how you cut it– I mean, one’s a spinoff of one of the most popular franchises in history (with cute animals), and another’s a movie adaptation. They might not sell units, but they’ll certainly make people happy with their 3DS purchases. Maybe core gamers won’t be so happy, but hey, anything that keeps the 3DS afloat for now is good in our book.
Finally, hey, Double Dragon is here! We can’t say anything here that hasn’t been said before (like, decades before), but it’s a Game Boy game, and it’s Double Dragon, so that’s pretty much all that needs to be said anyway. It’s like the NES version, but with all moves unlocked at the start, and with different levels. Never played it? Hey, here you go.
Any of these games catch your eye? Gonna spend a ton of cash on Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure? Let us know in the comments!
Excuse me? Nothing on DS this week? What have we been talking about all week long, in the articles, on Dojo Show Go? Professor Layton! The Last Spectre came out Oct 17. And if you’re going to have videos up there, might as well mention Dreamworks is now selling their animated clips (The pig who cride werewolf, night of the living carrots) on the eShop, for keeps, $1.99 a piece.
How could I forget? Thanks for the heads-up.
No prob, bob.