Greetings humans, Monki here with a super-special double-sized Games of the Week!! Why double-sized you ask? Is it because we have been working extra hard here at the AICN Games Treehouse of Loving? Is it because Dan took an extra dose of riddlin' this week? Is it because we love you all that much? No. Not at all. We just managed to screw up last week's article due to some fun with the new AICN back-end. Joy!

So, I'm typing this up on Sunday morning, but the cool thing is, since this will be posted sometime this week (hopefully) that'll mean Wii and PS3 pre-orders have begun at a lot of game stores. I'll be swinging by Gamestop sometime this week to put in my Wii pre-order, cause the last thing I want is someone else TOUCHING MY WII!!! Oh man, I'm sorry, those jokes are just too easy.

This week expect a little bit more from us Game boys; I have a Lego Star Wars 2 interview (and review) almost ready to go and Quint has been prodding me with an electric fly-swatter to put together a weekly wrap-up. So you should be expecting that, and a severly injured Monki by the end of the week.

Okay, back to the treehouse I go, here is Dan to complain about the weather and refer you to his uncle who is a dietitian. Enjoy.

Game Releases for the Week of 9/17-9/23

Hey kids! Last week's article was really great. Check it out below. Ah well, the video game releases wait for no man. This week we basically have a bunch of crap punctuated with a few notable titles (Okami), and some great Sierra compilations for the PC at ridiculously low prices.

Xbox 360

9/19 Open Season - Based on Sony's upcoming CG film of the same name, Ubisoft is churning out one of these games for each major platform this week. It's your typical kids-movie-to-game fare, where you play as the characters in a platform-infused world. Take note: all the console versions are pretty much the same, but the 360 version costs more than the rest.

9/19 The Godfather: The Game - EA made news earlier this year when it came out this game cost a tidy 15 million to make, and then proceeding to do poorly at retail despite some better-than-average critics reviews. For the 360, EA has reworked some gameplay elements, added missions and upgraded the graphics: scars and cuts now show on your character in fights and fancier lighting effects abound.

9/20 Samurai Warriors 2 - A spin-off from the looong running Dynasty Warriors franchise, Samurai Warriors doesn't stray far from its big-brother.. its the same basic gameplay that involves strategically choosing warriors and battling hordes of enemies.

9/20 Cabela's Alaskan Adventures - Rednecks everywhere rub their hands in anticipation for this title, the latest in the Wal-Mart best-selling-franchise that pits you against defenseless little animals, this time in the Alaskan wilderness most of the target audience would ironically like to destroy to get to untapped oil to run their SUVs.

9/20 World Series of Poker: Tournament of Champions - That creepy Chris "Jesus" Ferguson guy introduces this game, the official poker title of the World Series of Poker (not to be confused with the World Poker Tour). With up to 21 players supported online, it can also make use of the upcoming Xbox 360 camera, so start practicing your poker face now.

PSP

9/19 Open Season - See the 360 description.

9/19 The Godfather: Mob Wars - The handheld version of EA's game features a story element that plays like the console versions (except without the open-ended GTA-style city.. instead missions are played one after another). Taking the place of the open-world is a strategy minigame that has you completing short mini challenges.

9/20 World Series of Poker: Tournament of Champions - See the 360 description.

DS

9/19 Open Season - The DS version of this game plays as a traditional side-scrolling platformer, with a few DS touch screen/microphone gimmicks thrown in for good measure.

9/20 Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team - An off-shoot of the "normal" Pokemon games, this is a essentially a port of a series of RPGs that were released in Japan but retooled and made into Pokemon titles. Unlike the main branch of the Poke universe, you play as Pokemen in the PokeWorld (where Pokemon live, obviosly).

9/20 Bratz: Forever Diamondz - "Cloe, Jade, Sasha and Yasmin are back in a whole new adventure as they compete in the America Rocks Fashion TV show that sends them across the country in search of the hottest, young fashion designer."

9/20 Danny Phantom: Urban Jungle - Based on the Nick tv show and game-ized by THQ, I've got nothing but 3 screenshots to write a description on, so like, whatever.

9/20 Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime - Slime Mori Mori comes to the DS in his/her/its very own spinoff RPG. Gameplay consists of simple battles with an emphasis on easy controls and colorful graphics.

Xbox

9/19 Open Season - See the 360 description.

9/20 Ford Bold Moves Street Racing - El cheapo racing game developed by Razorworks, known for the past several incarnations of Ford Racing games. This latest version offers the 2007 GT500 in drivable (and crashable) form.

PS2

9/19 Open Season - See the 360 description.

9/19 Bratz: Forever Diamondz - See the DS description.

9/20 Zatch Bell! Mamodo Fury - With a non-sequitur, barely English title like that, one would guess this was an Japanese import based on an anime! Of course one would be right: this is a fighting game with characters from the show.

9/20 Okami - See game of the week, below.

9/20 Ford Bold Moves Street Racing - See the Xbox description.

9/20 Samurai Warriors 2 - See the Xbox 360 description.

9/20 Cabela's Alaskan Adventures - See the Xbox 360 description.

9/20 World Series of Poker: Tournament of Champions - See the Xbox 360 description.

9/21 NRA Gun Club - Obviously bowing to the controversy its ultra-violent previous game, NRA Varmint Hunter stirred up (none), the followup game, Gun Club, has no violence at all, instead sending you out to the shooting range to see if you can hit a target using a game controller (GUNCON not supported).

9/21 King of Fighters 2006 - This incarnation of the long-running arcade fighter is the second attempt to bring the traditionally hand-drawn 2D world into the 3D era. While last years version was pretty much despised, SNK promises they've ironed out the 3D kinks this time around.

GC

9/19 Open Season - See the Xbox 360 description

9/21 Bratz: Forever Diamondz - See the DS description.

PC

9/18 Fate - WildTangent, known for distributing spyware across the interwebs, attempts to enter legitimacy with this action RPG, which mixes a heavy dose of Diablo with every other 3rd person perspective action RPG out there.

9/18 G.T.R. 2 - UK Developer SimBin follows up their popular game with this fast-action driving game based on a sport that has few fans in the US (FIA GT). This one promises to be easier to play than the previous sim-heavy title, with 36 tracks and 140 vehicle models.

9/18 King's Quest Compilation - If you didn't play a King's Quest game back in the day, now's your chance to experience the granddaddy of adventure gaming at a budget price. Containing 7 in the series that spanned from 1984 to 1987 (the last game, released in 1988, is thankfully excluded), what you've got here is hours upon hours of adventuring goodness. Especially considering these games were full-priced titles when they first appeared at Eggheads and Electronics Boutiques, and that the DOS-era titles have been upgraded to work on WinXP, this compilation is a welcome savings.

9/18 Space Quest Compilation - Now this was the one I loved... I spent hours in Roger Wilco's world as a kid, buying not only all the originals, but their VGA remakes as well. This collection from Vivendi contains all 6 titles, which reveled in spoofs of sci-fi movies and games (including poking fun at the fact it was a game itself).

9/18 Police Quest Compilation - Sonny Bonds returns! This collection of all 4 Police Quest games (1987-1993) brought the gritty world of police work to adventure gamers. Just thinking about these games brings back memories of trading pirated versions with friends at summer camp and making elicit calls to Sierra's 1-900 hint line.

9/18 Leisure Suit Larry Compilation - My parents never let me have this series, which meant of course I did everything in my power to get it. A compilation of the first 5 Larry games (this series is still going, with 2004's "Magna Cum Laude"), it follows lovable oaf Larry Laffer in his quests to get laid, typically by using the tire iron found in the fridge with the cheese slice and the mouse hole (sorry, PC adventure game humor).

9/19 Ford Bold Moves Street Racing - See the Xbox description.

9/20 Hoyle Bridge Club - I picture Bill Gates and Warren Buffett picking this one up and enjoying some fast-paced bridge action!

GBA

9/19 Open Season - See the DS description.

9/19 Phil of the Future - Game based on a Nickelodeon tv show that follows a time-traveling family in various time-traveling hijinks.

9/20 Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team - I'm not sure what differs this version from the "Blue" DS variety, but like that version, this game takes place in the world of Pokemon and features real-time RPG style battles.

9/21 Strawberry Shortcake: Sweet Dreams - Another in the surprisingly continuing adventures of Strawberry Shortcake.

9/21 Danny Phantom: Urban Jungle - See PSP description.

9/21 Capcom Classics: Mini Mix - 3 NES games for 20 bucks: Strider (awesome), Bionic Commando (cool), and Mighty Final Fight (wha??).

9/21 Dogz: Fashion - I have nothing to say except look at that boxart. Just.. wow.

Game of the Week:

Okami, PS2, 9/21

This game wins GOTW for pure art style alone, which on the PS2 is simple stunning, innovative and artistic, proving Sony's console is certainly nowhere close to being dead yet. Capcom's innovative title explores the world of Japanese mythology, casting you as a God who has come back to earth as a wolf (Okami means wolf) and enlisting you in fighting a mysterious evil. Gameplay is adventure (there are NPC's to talk to and plot points to unfurl) mixed with real-time combat, which uses an interesting system where you use the thumb-sticks to "paint" characters on the screen (too bad this is not on the DS!) that unleash one of 12 magic abilities that change the surrounding environment or help defeat enemies.

Released earlier this year to a rapturous reception in Japan, it'll be interesting to see how it does here.

Game I'm Playing:

Pac N Roll, Nintendo DS, 8/22/05

I was traveling this past week, so all I had with me was my trusty DS and this, a birthday present from my wife found in the discount bin. Released a little more than a year ago, you can now pick this for peanuts, and I was surprised to find it's very playable, with gameplay that's sort of a cross between Sonic Adventure (the good one) and Marble Madness. You play as Pac Man, obviously, and there's a needless story, but the main idea is you use the stylus on the bottom screen to move Pac Man around a 3D environment collecting dots and power pellets. Added challenges unlock bonuses, like the original Pac Man, which plays stretched between the two DS screens so as not to disturb the original aspect ratio, a nice touch. There's some simple puzzle elements, platforms to climb, and secrets to find, but I was mainly impressed with how well the controls worked. The familiar ghosts make an appearance and are mainly an annoyance rather than a challenge, but other than that it's a great value if you can find it cheap.

Greetings humans, Monki here yet again with your weekly update of this week's game releases.

I've often had people ask why don't we release more full reviews before this column hits. Here's the deal, games don't go gold (100% completed and ready for release) until about two weeks before they hit the shelves. A couple of problems rise here, it makes it harder for us here to get our filthy paws on some games prior to release and unlike a 2 hour movie, a game can take upwards of 15 hours to play to completion. We're doing our damndest; promise.

On another fun note, it seems that the screen doors that Sony are putting on their submarines aren't working out for them. The initial release numbers for the PLAYSTATION 3 have dropped from 2 million world-wide to 500,000 total, and only in the U.S. and Japan. What does that mean? Your high-end home theater folk like Moriarty who were ready to pick up a PS3 for the blu-ray capabilities are going to be fighting with the Metal Gear Solid nerds for the few precious units. 400,000 of those 500,000 units are coming to the U.S. to be spread across the country, that means only a couple per store, so be prepared to camp out for a week or so prior to release. (Also expect the guy in front of you in line to sell his PS3 on Ebay) Sony just isn't getting any love lately, eh? Oh, and everyone not in the U.S. or Japan, you are screwed until March of next year. Sorry.

Nintendo on the other hand, wow. News broke that the processor that runs the Wii has been shipping to Nintendo since June, which means the console may be shipping a lot sooner than people expected. I don't know about you guys, but I'm ready to start flailing about my living room playing tennis and murdering people with my bow and arrow in the next Zelda game. A Nintendo press event is happening this week, so hopefully we'll get the final details on the system. (price / release date)

Alright, enough babbling from me, off to Dan (who just got back from a Clay Aiken concert) and his Games of the Week.

Game Releases for the Week of 9/10 - 9/16

Dan here! Tons of stuff to choose from this week, from hockey to basketball to PC FPS's of every shape and color. Hard to believe a few weeks ago we were talking about a summer gaming slump. Next week? The Godfather, EA's 15 million dollar game comes to the 360 in an attempt to recoup some losses, and Okami, a Japanese title with an innovative art style on the PS2.

Xbox 360

9/12 Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy - I never got a chance to check out the original LEGO Star Wars to see what all the fuss was about, but apparently a lot of other people did: LucasArts has cranked out this sequel as fast as possible, taking the same idea: LEGO characters in the Star Wars universe, and applying the concept to the original films. The game is still essentially the same: a 3rd person weapon-based beat-em-up, with you controlling the main characters in LEGO-ized recreations of scenes in the movies. New in this version (for the 360, GC, PS2, and Xbox) is a "free play" mode, which actually allows you to place tiny LEGO pieces, customizing the models in the game. A cool touch. Bad news for 360 owners, however.. in the rush to get a version of this game out for every console imaginable this week (gotta feel for those programmers!), the next-gen version of the game features no extra content other than slightly upgraded graphics: and, of course, a price tag that's 10 bucks more than the others.

9/12 NHL 07 - The console hockey battle returns for another year with two hockey games being released on the same day, this one from behemoth EA. This year, EA has retooled the famous NHL franchise from the ground-up, implementing a new control scheme that may split fans down the middle: the right analog stick is now your shot control, similar to how golf games as of late have been using it to swing. EA promises this will add fluidity and less reliance on canned animations. On the 360, the graphics are pretty breathtaking (you can download an XBL demo right now), but even players on the old consoles will benefit from this new control scheme.

9/12 NHL 2K7 - Priced 10 bucks less than EA's hockey game, 2K Sports returns with another version of their series, which has gained in popularity in recent years not only due to its aggressive pricing scheme, but quality hockey gameplay. Unlike NHL 07, 2K has decided not to make any radical control changes, focusing on little touches and graphical improvements to make the skating animation smoother. There's a few gimmicks thrown in too, like a "Cinemotion" mode where commentary is replaced by a soaring musical score that changes depending on the action on the rink.

PSP

9/12 LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy - See Xbox 360 description.

9/12 Bounty Hounds - Developed by the Hong Kong based XPEC, who last brought us "Hello Kitty: Rescue Mission", this seems to be your standard action RPG, with a few unique features like a duel-wielding weapons system and randomly generated levels that offer unlimited replayability. Art fans take note,

9/12 Bomberman - Hey, here we go! After last weeks Bomberman debacle on the 360 where the franchise was retooled into some sort of extreme-to-the-max future FPS, the PSP gets what everyone wanted in the first place: a pretty much straight-up conversion of the original. There's a few tweaks, including powerups, boss battles, and multiplayer modes, but unfortunately the latter doesn't support the PSP's wifi capabilities.

9/12 Rengoku 2: Stairway to Heaven - Blatantly ignoring the obvious Clapton joke, Rengoku 2 is a followup to last years original action RPGer. Gameplay is reportedly very similar to the original (you play an alien android with weapons strapped to him, with each of the PSP's buttons firing one of the weapons), but with some needed improvements to the graphics.

9/12 NHL 07 - This is the first time EA's franchise has hit the PSP, with the publisher downsizing the new graphics engine to fit the portable. Unlike the other console versions, the PSP incarnation does not feature the retooled control scheme, which may be bad or good depending on your point of view.

DS

9/11 Mario Hoops 3 On 3 - See game of the week, below.

9/12 Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy - Unlike the console versions, this DS LEGO Star Wars title has a different developer, and with it comes a slight gameplay twist to take advantage of the DS touch screen. The bottom screen is now used as a map and to switch weapons and touch-based puzzles break up the 3rd person action on the top.

9/12 MegaMan ZX - There are so many MegaMan games these days, I've honestly stopped trying to determine which is which. However, I do know DS owners have had a MegaMan drought since the inception of the handheld, what with only the "Battle Network" series of poorly rated RPG-style games to its name. ZX is attempting to correct that, bringing the classic challenging gameplay style of MegaMan Zero for the SNES to the DS.

9/12 MechAssault: Phantom War - MechAssault on the DS! Marking the first giant-mech game for the Nintendo's portable, developer Backbone Entertainment is attempting to migrate the console experience to the DS, complete with multiple weapons, powerups and mechs to control. The familiar elements from the Xbox version are here too, including getting in and out of your mech and "hacking" others. Only downside: no Wifi play, which is a disappointment since I was almost positive when this game was announced it was an included feature. Developers: Delay your game to put in wifi!

9/12 Cooking Mama - A hit in wacky-loving Japan, this is a puzzle game that tasks you with making various dishes. It's kinda like DDR meets Wario Ware, where you're given a rapidly moving assembly line that tracks your progress in preparing one of dozens of Japanese delicacies, from the mise en place (minigames include slicing carrots and boiling water) to assembling the final dish.

9/12 Harvest Moon DS - Exciting farming action comes to the DS in the latest entry in the Harvest Moon franchise, which essentially brings the GBA version to the DS, making use of the dual screens and touchscreen pretty much only for added convenience (menus and conversations in this RPG now appear on the bottom). Like the GC and GBA version, the basic idea behind the game is the same: you're a kid, and you have a farm, and the rest is pretty open-ended.

Xbox

9/12 Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy - See the Xbox 360 description.

9/12 NHL 07 - See the Xbox 360 description. Of note is the price: $30.

9/12 NHL 2K7 - See the Xbox 360 description. And again, note the price: a measly $20!

PS2

9/12 LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy - See the Xbox 360 description.

9/12 IGPX: Immortal Grand Prix - Based on a import anime series, this is a futuristic racing game that's sort of Road Rash meets Rollerball.

9/12 Rule of Rose - Well this is an interesting one, a horror adventure game on a console, which as any fan will tell you are pretty few and far between these days. Developed by Japan-based Punchline, it takes place in the 1930's and casts you as a young girl in an orphanage. The gameplay is apparently the tried-and-true adventure staples of finding clues, but the unique art and CG cut scenes make this certainly one to watch.

9/12 NHL 07 - See the 360 description. Note 2k Sports' NHL 2K7 has been delayed one week.

9/13 One Piece: Pirates Carnival - One Piece is yet another game based on a Japanese anime import based in turn on a wildly popular Japanese manga. This latest One Piece game is your basic party game, with 40 minigames and support for up to 4 players.

GC

9/12 LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy - See Xbox 360 description.

9/13 One Piece: Pirates Carnival - See Xbox Description.

PC

9/11 Company of Heroes - Oddly getting a big-budget ad campaign complete with tv commercials and a collectors edition, this is your typical RTS PC game set in the overly-traveled gaming waters of WW2. Developed by Relic, of Homeworld and The Outfit (360) fame, so fans should certainly take note. (Also available in a non-collectors edition, for $50.)

9/12 NHL 07 - See the Xbox 360 description.

9/12 Faces of War - Well lookie here, another RTS for the PC set in WW2? It's almost as if I wrote a description of this game, two games up from this one! Developed by "Best Way", a lesser-known (compared to Relic at least) software house known for the well-received Soldiers: Heroes of WW2 (2004).

9/12 Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy - See the Xbox 360 description.

9/12 Joint Task Force - Another RTS, but at least we can be thankful this one isn't set in WW2. Instead it has a more modern setting, with levels taking place in various global hotspots like the Middle East and the Balkans.

9/13 Great Invasions - Not a RTS, but just a strategy game, this one is set in the European Dark Ages.

GBA

9/11 Disney's Little Einsteins - Kiddie game based on the Disney Channel show of the same name.

9/12 My Little Pony: Crystal Princess the Runaway Rainbow - Game of the week!!

9/12 LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy - The GBA version of the LEGO Star Wars game this week obviously doesn't boast 3D graphics, instead playing from an isometric perspective that still looks like a lot of fun.

9/12 The Cheetah Girls - Some sort of Disney TV/DVD/Video property now gets a GBA game. Stars "Raven", like I know who that is.

Game of the Week:

Mario Hoops 3 on 3, Nintendo DS, 9/11

Mario and friends take to the basketball court in this innovative and polished DS title that promises to reincarnate the spirit of NBA Jam on the DS. Certainly not for hardcore basketball fans, Mario Hoops places an emphasis on powerups and multiple-point baskets, the idea being to dribble (using the touch screen) on coin boxes placed on the court to collect coins, which increases basket values (but spills all over the court if you get knocked down). There's multiple characters, each with their own special move, which are activated by drawing unique characters on the screen (for Mario, you draw an M). Passing and shooting is likewise handled with slashes of the stylus, which takes a some getting used to but eventually becomes easy.. thankfully it comes with comprehensive tutorials built-in. It's a fun little game hampered only by the depressing omission of wifi play (muliplay is supported if you have friends with DS's however).

Game I'm Playing:

Pac N Roll, Nintendo DS, 8/22/05

I was traveling this past week, so all I had with me was my trusty DS and this, a birthday present from my wife found in the discount bin. Released a little more than a year ago, you can now pick this for peanuts, and I was surprised to find it's very playable, with gameplay that's sort of a cross between Sonic Adventure (the good one) and Marble Madness. You play as Pac Man, obviously, and there's a needless story, but the main idea is you use the stylus on the bottom screen to move Pac Man around a 3D environment collecting dots and power pellets. Added challenges unlock bonuses, like the original Pac Man, which plays stretched between the two DS screens so as not to disturb the original aspect ratio, a nice touch. There's some simple puzzle elements, platforms to climb, and secrets to find, but I was mainly impressed with how well the controls worked. The familiar ghosts make an appearance and are mainly an annoyance rather than a challenge, but other than that it's a great value if you can find it cheap.