Quake Wars and Mass Effect out this week
Friday, May 23, 2008 12:00 AM
There are a couple of interesting titles out this week, foremost among them being Race Driver GRID (PC, 360, PS3), Mass Effect (PC) and Enemy Territory: Quake Wars (PS3, 360).
Race Driver: GRID is the latest entry in Codemasters' TOCA series, with that particular organisation's letters removed from the title. It looks gorgeous and has already picked up solid review scores, most prominently from Steve Hill in PC Zone magazine.
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars is the console release of the popular PC online FPS. Whether it works with a pad or not, in comparison to the more natural method of using the mouse and keys to control the game, remains to be seen.
If the developers can get it to feel right with a pad, then the quality of the game will shine through. If they can't, and things degenerate into an auto-aiming hell, then it will be a crashing bore to play.
Mass Effect is the reverse of Quake Wars - a console game ported to the PC. It is also the latest in BioWare's ever-growing line of quality RPGs, though this time out (perhaps due to its console beginnings) there is more of a focus on action.
This isn't to say story or that sort of thing has been neglected and it should still be worth playing - especially as improvements in control mechanisms mean the PC version is the definitive one.
Elsewhere, we have a few minor releases. Ford Racing Off Road is bound to deliver a low budget, relatively solid driving experience, but not on the same scale as GRID. Stronghold Crusader: Extreme is a revamped, more "exciting" version of Firefly's castle-building series, with extra rotting cows.
Check out the list below to see the other titles out this week. Please note this list is subject to change, as companies decide to change release dates at the last minute on occasion.
Coming out next week (May 26th-30th):
Nintendo DS
Looney Tunes: Cartoon Concerto
Super Dodgeball Brawlers
USA Today Crosswords
Hannah Montana: Music Jam
Commando: Steel Disaster
LOL (online)
Nintendo Wii
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
Death Jr: Root of Evil
Emergency Heroes
Playstation 3
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars
Race Driver: GRID
Playstation 2
Ford Racing Off Road
Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure
Sony PSP
Ford Racing Off Road
World Championship Cards
PC/Online
Ford Racing Off Road
Mass Effect
Stronghold Crusader: Extreme
Happy Tree Friends: False Alarm
Shattered Suns
Race Driver: GRID
Crazy Machines 2 (31st)
Microsoft Xbox 360
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars
Race Driver: GRID