Batman: Arkham City. Now this is a game that a lot of people have been waiting for. Visually it’s sublime – Rocksteady have managed to master the Unreal Engine in a way that only Epic themselves have. They’ve also managed to give us the first decent rendition of Robin. Robin often looks a bit camp or scrawny (or both) but Rocksteady’s reimaging casts him as a muscular, angst ridden teen with a shaven head. A few fans are miffed about Catwoman being a playable character, which is understandable seeing she’s not quite as an exciting a character as the dynamic duo, but her inclusion is hardly going to ruin the game. With reviews including a 9 from Eurogamer we will be very surprised if it doesn’t enter at the top of the chart next week.
Ratchet and Clank: All 4 One isn’t another half-arsed affair like PlayStation Move Heroes, but the start of a new trilogy with Insomniac at the helm. Games Radar gave it a 7. They liked the co-op aspects but didn’t like the fact that puzzles are repeated, and suggested that it may have worked better on PSP. Eurogamer Sweden liked it a bit more, giving it an 8.
Dance Central was one of the best Kinect launch games. Unless something has gone badly wrong there’s no reason to doubt that Dance Central 2 is just as good. PlayStation 3 owners shouldn’t feel left out – Sony are this week unleashing Dance Star Party to the dance-crazed masses.
Ubisoft’s The Adventures of TinTin: The Secret of the Unicorn also features Kinect support. It would seem that Ubisoft aren’t doing a DS version of this movie tie-in, instead opting for a 3DS version. That strikes us as a little odd. It’s also out on PlayStation 3, Wii and PC.
Much like Thor, which came along at a much later date, Captain America: Super Soldier this week hits 3DS. Thor on 3DS was a little better than the console versions. Hopefully this will follow suit, although the lack of reviews at present is worrying.
And we certainly hope that The Sims 3: Pets on 3DS is a better than launch game The Sims 3 too. EA’s pet petting sim also hits PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 – with the Xbox 360 version having Kinect support – but there’s no Wii version. Seeing as EA even tried cramming Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit onto Wii, this also strikes us as odd.
Next week: Battlefield 3 (PS3, 360, PC), Blackwater (360), Disney Universe (PS3, 360, Wii), Football Manager 2012 (PSP), Kinect Sports: Season Two (360), Kirby Mass Attack (DS), We Sing Rock (Wii), Dragon Ball Z Ultimate Tenkaichi (PS3, 360), House of the Dead: Overkill – Extended Cut (PS3), James Noir’s Hollywood Crimes (3DS), MotionSports: Adrenaline (PS3, 360), NCIS (360, PS3, Wii, 3DS) and Ski-doo Challenge (360, PS3).