Did you know the word autumn comes from the Old French word autompne, and was later normalised to the original Latin word autumnus? Well neither did I, until I trolled Wikipedia to find a clever way to introduce this week’s The Drop and the beginning of the fall gaming season. Aside from the air getting cooler, and the trees shedding their leaves, a true gamer knows it’s a time for celebration and the end of the gaming summer drought. Publishers and developers have been hard at work polishing their blockbuster titles getting them ready for our grubby and dirty (and I mean dirty) hands. The first wave of fall titles promises to deliver endless amounts of gaming across all PlayStation fronts.
With controversy surrounding Ninja Theory’s new Devil May Cry, they have nothing to worry about when it comes to their latest title on the PlayStation 3 — Enslaved: Odyssey to the West is receiving a very warm welcome among game reviewers. Konami throws a jab and an uppercut with the devastating combo of Castlevania and Def Jam Rapstar this week, both landing on the PS3. The PlayStation Network delivers dual-stick shooting in the form of Alien Breed: Impact, The PSone Import Store gets two new Japanese classics, and PlayStation minis rounds out the pack with five new games hitting the digital front.
Grab your carving knives and pumpkins, we’ve got the PlayStation logo to carve out, kids. Join me for this week’s The Drop.
PlayStation 3
Enslaved: Odyssey to the West — In Enslaved, players take on the role of Monkey, a strong and brutish loner. His partner is Trip, a technologically savvy but sheltered young woman from a peaceful community. Both become captured by a mysterious slave ship, which are rumored to harvest people and take them out West, never to return. As they each attempt to escape, Trip quickly realizes that Monkey, with his raw strength and power, is the only hope she has of making the perilous journey back home. Check out our Q&A session with the Enslaved: Odyseey to the West team.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow — You play as Gabriel Belmont, a member of the Brotherhood of Light, an elite group of holy knights who protect and defend the innocent against the supernatural. His beloved wife was brutally murdered by the evil forces of darkness and her soul trapped for eternity. Neither living nor dead, she realizes the horrific truth of what is at stake and guides Gabriel to his destiny – and, hopefully, salvation for the world. Learn more about Gabriel Belmont from producer Dave Cox’s visit on the PS.Blog.
Def Jam Rapstar — A music game based hip-hop music and culture, Def Jam Rapstar provides a comprehensive emcee video game experience, and captures the essence of what hip-hop is all about: the music, the flow, the battles, and of course, the swagger.
NBA 2K11 (Also on PS2 & PSP) — In a gaming first, players can finally experience what it’s like to play in Michael Jordan’s shoes! Relive 10 different legendary games from Michael Jordan’s career and replicate in NBA 2K11 what MJ did on the court. You can even unlock MJ: Creating a Legend, a special mode where you get to take control of a newly drafted rookie Michael Jordan and craft your own version of Michael’s career in the NBA.
Ben 10 Ultimate Alien: Cosmic Destruction (Also on PSP) — Wield the power of the Ultimatrix, the strongest Omnitrix to date, to transform Ben into more powerful, hyper-evolved alien forms and experience impressive battles. Journey to iconic worldwide locales, including Paris, Tokyo, China, and Rome, in search of an ancient alien artifact that will help save humanity from a mysterious cosmic storm. As a bonus, players will receive the immensely strong Fourarms only on PS3.
PlayStation Network
Alien Breed: Impact — A science fiction arcade-shooter that resurrects a much revered franchise with an epic story, swarms of intelligent alien enemies, high-impact weapons and detailed rich environments.
Deadliest Warrior: The Game — Based on the the Spike TV series that regularly pits two of the most feared warriors civilization has ever known against each other in order to provide insight into what makes these combatants tick and determine which of these legends of the battlefield were truly the deadliest of all warriors.
PSone Japan Imports
Magical Drop F — This is a puzzle game in which players align falling colored orbs into matching groups of three. During the puzzle portion, female characters with revealing outfits (e.g., bikini tops, tube tops) are displayed in the background.
Arcade Hits: Outlaws of the Lost Dynasty — A fighter that features 13 characters from the Chinese classical novel Water Margin. An Arcade Mode that reproduces the arcade version of the game and an extra “Beginners’ Mode” are put in place to let different kinds of fans enjoy the fighting experience to the fullest.
PlayStation minis
Actual Crimes: Jack the Ripper — Travel back to 1880’s London to help Scotland Yard’s detectives solve the crime of the century. Search scenes of crime and solve puzzles in your hunt for clues. Was Jack a doctor, a royal prince, a barber, or something else?
Fort Commander: King’s Gambit — There has been a recent surge in games fulfilling the tower defense categorisation, and Fort Command: King’s Gambit is no exception. It features forts, fighting and fun in a neatly addictive little package.
Urbanix — You play as Urbanix, a tiny little tractor that has to build a town on an empty field. Avoid enemies, catch and chase away house crashers – they will try to spoil your game. Play on Earth, in the North Pole or on the Moon – all locations have different gameplay mechanics. Be accurate, be quick, collect bonuses on your way, and you will be the winner!
Apache: Overkill — An intense helicopter shoot ‘em up with 99 levels of non-stop explosive action. Blast away waves of choppers, trucks, jets, and tanks before facing the bombers, armoured airships and Special Ops. Use upgrades to boost your firepower, blitzing the enemy in a torrent of destruction.
Shapo — Get ready to test your skills of speed, balance, and strategy in this unique puzzler. Catch clusters of marbles and quickly place them on the teeter-totter grid. This seemingly simple task is complicated by an increasing number of heavier and heavier marble types.
[Editor’s Note: The following dates are subject to change. Game details are gathered from Press Releases from their individual publishers and/or ESRB rating descriptions.]
