This Week in Xbox: Nov. 12-19, 2008
At A Glance
- Denny Atkin takes a look at this week in Xbox news.
Okay, seriously, someone make the games stop! I mean, come on. At this point I'm underground battling the Locust Horde one minute, questing in Albion the next, and then I'm trying to level up outside Megaton or battling Venom on the Empire State Building. And now there's more great games coming out this week? Let me tell you, when the post-holiday period hits and the games slow down, I'll be relieved. (What? The Lord of the Rings: Conquest ships in January and Halo Wars™ in February? Nooooooooo … )
The Games! They Keep Coming!
The game rush continues in a big way this week, with something for just about everyone. First comes Call of Duty®: World at War, which takes one of the most popular shooters ever back to World War II, this time for combat in the Pacific. For more peaceful action, there's my Insider Moves co-host Ryan's most-anticipated game of the year, the first-person platformer Mirror's Edge™.
Been missing that wonderful feeling of vertigo? Pop in Mirror's Edge, the first-person platformer.
Sports fans who don't like games with ridiculously high scores like 10-to-3 can join in the fun of Pro Evolution Soccer 2009, while strategy gamers will want to check out Command & Conquer™ Red Alert™ 3.
The game that I'm really looking forward to this week, though, was a bit of a surprise to me: Banjo-Kazooie® Nuts & Bolts. At first glance, it might look like a cutesy kids' game, but it's actually a blast to play even for those of us old enough to have met real hippies outside of a Phish concert. The ability to create and customize vehicles in order to solve the game's challenges is pure genius.
Banjo-Kazooie Nuts & Bolts is all about building wacky contraptions.
Finally, a plug for a game that I didn't expect to be taking up nearly as much of my console's time during this busy season: Madagascar 2: Escape to Africa™ Video Game. If you have young gamers in the house, this game should prove a hit, as they take the Madagascar characters through a series of challenges very loosely based on the movie. The challenge level is just right for the 5-to-9-year-old crowd, and just like the movies, the hilarious penguin sequences rule.
Bargain Shopping Tip
Want to buy one of your Xbox-using friends a cool holiday gift without spending a lot of your hard-earned cash? What if I told you that doing so would also benefit kids? Really cute kids, even!
Microsoft recently published the Children's Miracle Network Games Bundle, which includes three full games for only $29.99. You get Viva Piñata®: Party Animals (that's worth the $29.99 right there), as well as Shrek the Third™ and Sonic the Hedgehog. All of the games are family friendly, making it a great gift for your gamer friends who have kids. But what's really cool is that one hundred percent of the net proceeds from the sales of this title go to support the Children's Miracle Network, an organization that raises funds for children's hospitals throughout North America.
Three games at an amazingly low price, and it benefits childrens' hospitals.
You can find the bundle now at both local and online game stores. Buy a bunch of them. You'll feel good knowing you've not only helped sick kids, but you've given your friends games featuring belching animated piñatas while doing so. What's not to love about that?
Wrapping Up
Have to run, as the New Xbox Experience ships next week, and I have to go help cram the bits into the series of tubes that will deliver it to you. In the meantime, please drop by the Insider Moves topic and let us know what you'd like to see in future episodes, or suggest better jokes for me.
Article by Denny Atkin
