New Releases for The Week of Stretches and Dashes

Sonic Generations

In Sonic Generations, our modern incarnation of Sonic the Hedgehog gets sent back in time, where he meets up with Classic Sonic—a past version of himself. Together they fight their way through a mix of classic and modern levels, with the classic levels consisting of fast-moving 2D levels, and each one accompanied by a more modern version which has the 3D motion and fight controls of the newer Sonic games. If nothing else, it’ll be a great way to get in some nostalgic Sonic action with new levels. At best, it will help bridge the gap between the old and new Sonic games, something the franchise desperately needs if it is to remain relevant. Sonic Generations is available for PS3, Xbox 360, and PC.

Golden Eye 007: Reloaded

A couple years back we got a new Golden Eye game: A ‘reimagining’ of the original Golden Eye for the Nintendo 64, one of the most revered console FPS games in gaming history. The game took the style of the original Golden Eye, but started with a new engine and a new interpretation of the story, as well as a new Bond actor. The game was only a moderate success, mostly due to the limitations of multi-player, which, while just as capable as its predecessor, failed to allow convenient online play—like most everything else for the Wii. Enter Golden Eye 007: Reloaded. On the surface, it seems like just a port of the new Golden Eye, but it’s a much more ambitious project. The team rebuilt the game from the ground up, starting fresh with another new engine. The levels are all the same, but the graphics and gameplay have been updated. The really exciting part, however, is that the multi-player matchmaking has been updated to allow online play in addition to classic split-screen. The only thing that could make this more exciting is if they released it for the PC. As it stands, it’s available for the Xbox 360 and PS3.

Twister Mania

Twister Mania is not really Twister, if that’s what you were trying to imagine. Instead, it’s more like that silly Hole in the Wall gameshow. Players, alone or with friends, watch as a wall comes toward them. The wall has a particular shape, and the player must contort their body to allow the wall to pass. There are other mini-games and activities as well, all of which center around contortion before the Kinect camera. Twister Mania is available for Xbox 360 Kinect.

Lord of the Rings: War in the North

The Icrontic Spotlight this week shines down from the menacing eye of Lord of the Rings: War in the North. This is a Lord of the Rings role-playing adventure game, set during the time of The Fellowship of the Ring, but which doesn’t cover any story from the books or films. It’s a whole new adventure with new heroes and new locales in addition to the well-known. There will surely be experience-based character progression and lots of weapons, armor, and enemy types. The surprising thing is the player limit—only three players can cooperatively defeat Sauron’s forces in the north, rather than the typical party of four. War in the North is available for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.

Following is a full list of this week’s announced North American releases:

Windows

• Sonic Generations
• The Lord of the Rings: War in the North

Wii

• Cabela’s Adventure Camp
• Cabela’s Survival: Shadows of Katmai
• Disney Princess Enchanting Storybooks
• Family Game Night 4: The Game Show
• Gem Smashers
• Generator Rex: Agent of Providence
• Hasbro Family Game Night Fun Pack
• Monopoly Collection
• NASCAR Unleashed
• NCIS
• Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town
• The Kore Gang
• Trivial Pursuit: Bet You Know It

DS

• Disney Princess Enchanting Storybooks
• Dora & Kai-Lan’s Pet Shelter
• Generator Rex: Agent of Providence
• Lalaloopsy
• Moshi Monsters: Moshling Zoo
• Nickelodeon Team Umizoomi
• Photo World DSi
• Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town
• ZhuZhu Babies
• Zoobles! Spring to Life!

3DS

• Gem Smashers
• Generator Rex: Agent of Providence
• Harvest Moon: The Tale of Two Towns
• James Noir’s Hollywood Crimes

Xbox 360

• Cabela’s Adventure Camp
• Cabela’s Big Game Hunter: Hunting Party
• Cabela’s Survival: Shadows of Katmai
• Family Game Night 4: The Game Show
• Generator Rex: Agent of Providence
• GoldenEye 007: Reloaded
• Hasbro Family Game Night Fun Pack
• Jimmie Johnson’s Anything With an Engine
• Motion Explosion!
• MotionSports Adrenaline
• NASCAR Unleashed
• NCIS
• Sonic Generations
• The Lord of the Rings: War in the North
• Twister Mania
• Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

PS3

• Air Conflicts: Secret Wars
• Batman: Arkham City – Nightwing Bundle Pack
• Cabela’s Adventure Camp
• Cabela’s Survival: Shadows of Katmai
• Family Game Night 4: The Game Show
• Generator Rex: Agent of Providence
• GoldenEye 007: Reloaded
• MotionSports Adrenaline
• NASCAR Unleashed
• NCIS
• Sonic Generations
• The Lord of the Rings: War in the North
• Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception

PSP

• Fate/Extra
• I Kill Zombies