New Releases - 17/09/04

Have you got some spare cash burning a hole in your pocket? Thinking of buying a game, but not sure what's come out today? Then you need this weeks New Release list.

First up is the PlayStation 2:

Cabela's Dangerous Hunts
Crisis Zone
Madden NFL 2005
Resident Evil Outbreak

Comment: Hmm, not a whole lot to choose from this week. The most interesting game here is Resident Evil Outbreak, but even that isn't perfect. As you may be aware the online mode has been completely removed from the PAL release, and the controls, interface and puzzles are as clunky as ever. The sooner Resident Evil 4 arrives on the Gamecube the better.

Speaking of the Gamecube, let's see what's out today:

Madden NFL 2005
WWE Day of Reckoning

Wow, what a selection. I don't know about you but neither of these float my boat. Let's hope this is just the lull before the Christmas season tidal wave of gaming goodness.

So, to the Xbox then - are things any better here?

Madden NFL 2005
Silent Hill 4: The Room

Hmm, oh dear. Silent Hill 4 could be worth a look I suppose but if you ask me the series is getting a little stale.

Let's check out the GBA releases:

Mario Golf: Advance Tour

Just the one game, but boy is it a good one. This game kept me glued to my GBA for months when it was released in the US, and now it's officially available in Europe. It even manages to breath new life into Mario Golf on the Gamecube, with its ability to carry your leveled up characters over.

How does the PC fare this week?

Barbie: The Prince and the Pauper
Final Fantasy XI
Kohan 2: Kings of War
The Sims 2

If you disregard Barbie, this is a pretty respectable selection. FF XI is way overdue in Europe, but at least in comes with the two expansion packs. Expect it to eat into your free time and money in a big way though. Another time-sink of a game, The Sims 2 arrives and it has a wide range of improvements over the original. If you like that sort of thing (and thousands of you do) it's sure to keep you happy for a long time to come.

Finally, for all you importers, Fable was recently released on the Xbox in the US. While initial opinions are that it doesn't quite live up to all the hype the magazines have been doling out over it for the last few years, it is still a very enjoyable game, so it's worth keeping an eye on.

So, a pretty poor selection all in all. I'll be back next week to see if there's any improvement.