What's New in Video Games?

 by Justin Page

Newspaper Class

We all know how video games are a large part of the typical teen’s lifestyle, aside from sports and academics. Have you ever wondered what’s new in video games this month?

Well, I’m going to tell you. There are a lot of new releases for video games as of this month in August, and many of them sound really good.

Nintendo is adding onto the massive multiplayer platform game series Super Mario Brothers. The New Super Mario Brothers Two came out as of the 19^th of this month, and it continues the saga in the original New Super Mario Brothers.

The game is available only for the Nintendo 3DS, so get it while you have the time and money! Pa-Plink!

For those of you into FPS’s (First Person Shooters), Counter Strike: Global Offensive is coming out on the 21^st of August. This is the new addition to the Counter Strike series, and provides new playable characters and game modes, such as Arms Race and Demolition modes.

Counter Strike: Global Offensive will be available for Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Mac. The sooner you play, the sooner you’ll be shouting, “Tango down!”

Retro/Grade is a game developed by 24 Caret Games, and will be available on PSN (PlayStation Network) as of the 21^st. The game is about ace pilot Rick Rocket, who must repeat his last space battle in reverse in order to save the space time continuum.

The game is a hybrid between a shooter and a rhythm game, and can be played by the standard game controller or a guitar controller. For those of you who played a lot of Rock Band and Guitar Hero, this game is for you! ROCK ON!!

Do you like fighting with robots? How about combining it with a third-person shooter? Well, Transformers: Fall of Cybertron is a good idea of combining the two.

Developed by High Moon Studios and (for PC) Mercenary Technology, the game is the sequel to the first game War for Cybertron, which takes place on the Autobot and Decepticon home world of Cybertron.

There are a lot of old favorites and newbies for playable characters, including Optimus Prime, Bumblebee (who lost his voice in this sequel), Jazz, Ironhide, Ratchet, Wheeljack, Hound and Jetfire of the Autobots; Megatron, Starscream, Shockwave and Soundwave are of the Decepticon characters. The war for Cybertron has ended with the planet’s downfall. Whose side are you on?

The game will be available on the following platforms as of August 21^st: Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. Enjoy!

PlayStation Network users will love this next game; if you’re into feudal Japanese samurai, of course! Way of the Samurai 4 is set to come out as of the twenty-first of August, adding onto the Way of the Samurai series.

The game continues the saga and is only available for the PlayStation Network. The game was developed by Acquire Studios and has been published by Spike Game Studios.

Players can create their own samurai and choose to become part of one of three warring factions: the pro-government forces, the anti-government rebels seeking to repel foreigners, or the British Navy stationed in the game’s setting to negotiate peace.

For those gamers who love Japan’s scenery or just a great hack-and-slash game, come try out Way of the Samurai 4. SHINK!!!

August 24^th is a great day for Dark Souls fans. Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition is what all AOWRPG (Action Open-World Role-Playing Game) Windows gamers have been waiting for.

Continuing the saga from Demon Souls, this is another dungeon-crawling, open-world adventure that was developed in Japan.

You start as an Undead who escaped from a prison, and from there the choices that you make will affect the way the game progresses, leading to a final choice that will prolong the Age of Fire, or usher in an Age of Darkness.

So, if you love dark-fantasy epics, Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition is a great, action-packed game to play. Prepare to DIE!!

MMORPG fans will love Guild Wars 2, a new addition to the Guild Wars saga. Much like World of Warcraft, the game has an MMORPG feel to it, and allows players to be very resourceful in playing the game.

Many changes have been made from the original Guild Wars and Guild Wars: Eye of the North. The level cap has become higher, and skills have been made more readily available, for instance.

If you like MMORPG’s Guild Wars 2 is the game for you! The game will be available for Windows gaming computer systems on August 28^th.

Madden fans, look alive! Madden NFL 2013 is due to come out on the 28^th.

Gamers will notice new changes to controls, as it will be a lot more like the NCAA Football games. On top of that, there are a lot of other really cool new things in the game, including “Tebowing” and the Kinect is included on the Xbox 360 console.

Madden NFL 13 will be available for the PS3, PlayStation Vita, and the Xbox 360. Down… se-e-et… HIKE!!!

Do you enjoy blowing stuff up on a video game, playing as a talking alien cat that has a robot as your sidekick, and finding or buying weapons with nuts and bolts?

The Ratchet and Clank Collection will be on the shelves here in America on the 28^th. The game includes the classic Ratchet and Clank, and has the newer Going Commando and Up Your Arsenal games, giving you three of the 11 games that are under this franchise.

The game will be playable on the 1080i HD format, and is compatible with 720p 3D formats, for those of you with 3D televisions. It also includes the multiplayer of Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal (up to eight players) over the PlayStation Network, and included, full PlayStation Network trophy support.

The core game and story for all games from the original trilogy remains unchanged with the re-mastered versions. It includes a Trophy set for each game.

Have fun, and up your arsenal!

Rock bands, unite! Rock Band Blitz will be available on the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade on the 28^th and 29^th of this month.

The game is much like the first three Rock Band titles, but for one exception—you play online! The game’s mechanics are much like Harmonix’ previous titles, Frequency, Amplitude, and Rock Band Unplugged; you play by yourself, as well, or with other players online.

The player plays through a fictional “Rock City,” playing up to five instrument lanes corresponding to lead guitar, bass guitar, drums, keyboard and vocals. There’s also another catch—there’s only one difficulty level!

Some playable songs include “Give It Away” by The Red Hot Chili Peppers, “Pumped-up Kicks” by Foster the People, “Spoonman” by Soundgarden and many others.

Enjoy the game, and rock “Rock City!”

These are all that I’ve got for you avid gamers! Have fun, and I’ll be out with September’s releases! Game on!