New PAL Releases Roundup - 08/04/2010

By Robert Purchese Published 8 April, 2010

Sakura Wars! ME2 DLC! Plain Sight!

We've seen some great games released already this year. It's been a great start. But that momentum's dropped this week and there's barely a scrap to recommend.

What there is, however, is Sakura Wars: So Long My Love, a Wii RPG with strong credentials. At the helm are SEGA and Idea Factory, whose anime world of robots in a Wild West setting has impressed some but not all reviewers.

There aren't any plans for a Eurogamer review at the moment, although that could change should there be a strong EG reader uprising, no pressure.

Mass Effect 2 grew again this week with the addition of Kasumi - Stolen Memory, an add-on that introduces master thief Kasumi Goto and some much needed comedy to the space opera. Our Mass Effect 2 DLC review has our thoughts on Kasumi and the Firewalker Pack.

There were no new games on Xbox Live Arcade this week as Microsoft rolled out the USB memory support patch for the console. However, those that haven't played Fallout 3 or Fable II might consider a Games on Demand download for only £20. Both are well worth the asking price.

EA's impressive-looking browser-based game Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online went live this week and turned out not to be free. We'll look more closely at this in the coming weeks.

We'll also take a proper look at Plain Sight, Beatnik's multiplayer game about suicidal ninja robots. Check back early next week for a review, or head over to Steam and fork out £8 if your mind's already made up.

In shops this week you'll find a boxed two-pack of Borderlands DLC, which includes the excellent additions The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned and Mad Moxxi's Underdome Riot. The RRP (£15) is slightly higher than what you'd pay online.

Another boxed-but-not-new arrival is Torchlight, which has been available online since last year. This is the Diablo-like cartoon-style action-RPG that's gathered a strong following. Eurogamer's Torchlight review will tell you more.

The European PSN Store update is expected later, and the DSiWare/WiiWare/Virtual Console update tomorrow.

Please, if you can see that we've missed something, let us know.

Out this week in shops:

  • Sakura Wars: So Long My Love (Wii)
  • Borderlands DLC add-on bundle (PS3, 360)
  • Torchlight (PC)

Out this week online:

  • Mass Effect 2: Kasumi - Stolen Memory (Xbox 360) - £6.80/€9.60
  • Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online (PC)
  • Plain Sight (PC) - £8
Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds. @Clert on Twitter.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (24) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • FabricatedLunatic #1 2 years ago

    No plans to review Sakura Wars? What madness is this? Even Edge reviewed it, awarding a respectable 7. Pull your finger out, EG!

  • Murton #2 2 years ago

    Here's hoping that 2K get a Borderlands DLC bundle on the PSN too, it'll be insta-buy if I can get the first two bundled for a tenner or all three for 15.

  • HermitArcader #3 2 years ago

    Post deleted at 09:17:39 22-12-2011

  • menage #4 2 years ago

    Bought Kasumi, petty good. Otherwise I'm bored.

  • muscleblade #5 2 years ago

    Currently playing Blazblue, Darksiders (love it), Perfect Dark, Mega Man 10 so its good to have a chance to breath for a moment. I will of course play the Kasumi DLC soon.

  • konnsky #6 2 years ago

    Seconding Sakura Wars review request!
    I'm getting PS2 version soon.

  • optimusprym8 #7 2 years ago

    Borderlands DLC:

    Island - get! (Scales nicely)
    Moxxi's - only arenas, doesn't really add much
    General Knoxx - make sure you are Lvl-50 before buying! (It doesn't scale down)

  • GamesConnoisseur #8 2 years ago

    COME on EG review Sakura Wars! I m putting my vote in for that motion.

    Indeed one of the quietest week to date, and pretty creepy after virutally a successive weeks of good games, then XBL disappear into thin ethers and wonders if PSN Store would be more filling today?

  • HermitArcader #9 2 years ago

    Post deleted at 09:17:39 22-12-2011

  • ShadowMountain #10 2 years ago

    Please review Sakura wars EG. Perhapes Ellie would like to review it? It would interesting getting her opinion on it.

    I got the ps2 version as like many I was put off by the fake Texen accent in the trailers for the game. However having popped in the english disc I was pleasantly suprised by the voice work - in game its pretty good and in no way as exaggerated or as bad as the trailers. So don't worry about the getting the wii version which has english only voice work.

  • homerramone #11 2 years ago

    So a semi release update.. maybe they shouldve posted it later today or tommorow when they can post the full thing ?

  • QPRobbie #12 2 years ago

    Why would you not review Sakura Wars? Since when has commercial success been an arbiter of whether a game gets critical coverage? Not like you Eurogamer.

  • Machetazo #13 2 years ago

    Agreed with #2, in the hope of some kind of PSN bundle deal on the Borderlands DLC. I might get Torchlight, now there's no need to mess about with downloading it. Nothing screams buy me, though - WiiexclusiveRPGlol :p

  • ParanoidZombie #14 2 years ago

    Will EU gamers have the chance to playthe awesome Deadly Premonition someday? I'm asking you, EG.

    http://www.metacritic.com/games/platform...

  • sonicyoda #15 2 years ago

    You're not reviewing Sakura Wars? Sort it out! The publishers have only been paying you to advertise the game on your site for the past 2 weeks (I think); it's the least you could do!

  • Bertie Verified Senior Staff Writer, Eurogamer.net #16 2 years ago

    Why would you not review Sakura Wars? Since when has commercial success been an arbiter of whether a game gets critical coverage? Not like you Eurogamer.

    That's not really the case. Sakura Wars simply wasn't on the Eurogamer radar, for whatever reason. It hasn't been PRd much here, perhaps that's why. We'll look into it though.

  • youhavenomail #17 2 years ago

    Review Sakura Wars or die!

    We should count ourselves lucky to get a game like that with a title like that over here even if nobody ends up buying it.

  • aine #18 2 years ago

    Nippon Ichi is fucking fantastic. For years Atlus has been saying "ooh no we can't publish games in Europe" but NIS comes along and (despite being a much smaller company) is showing them exactly how its done - we're getting near-simultaneous releases with the US now. and they don't even have a European office!
    Edited by aine at 08/04/10 @ 16:03

  • Oli Verified Reviews Editor, Eurogamer.net #19 2 years ago

    To be honest, we haven't received a review copy of Sakura Wars and the reviewers who would do it justice are busy with other things right now. (And naturally, the fact the game's been advertised with us doesn't affect our decision at all.)

    I hear your pleas and will track down a copy and put someone on the case.

  • RobotRocker #20 2 years ago

    @ParanoidZombie

    No one knows who is publishing Deadly Premonition yet. Rising Star should be doing it as they still have the contract for all Marvelous entertainment games to be released in Europe.

    So the best chance to FK in the Coffee in Europe is if you annoy them here http://twitter.com/risingstargames and ask politely

  • ReaperOscuro #21 2 years ago

    I hear EG excuses for not having yet reviewed Sakura Wars, but i see no review. Not that i own a Wii, but EG is my source of original games info, who have been championing originality over success. Dont stop now dabnabbet!!

    So less excuses, more...more...reviuses!!

  • ParanoidZombie #22 2 years ago

    @robotrocker: thanks for the intel ;)

  • Hyoscine #23 2 years ago

    Gotta say, I'd be pretty interested in a Sakura Wars review. Well, fingers crossed...

  • Scribble #24 2 years ago

    I played the Sakura Taisen 1 remake on the Dreamcast with a translation printed out that I read along as I played the game.

    It was amazing, a great turn based strategy game with an ending that I found genuinely moving as each member of your team sacrificed themselves in turn. A real Mass Effect 2 ending, but in the 90s.

    I played bits of 2, a lot of 3 and a bit of 4. All were good too, but I'm not a student any more and playing games in a foreign language with a paper translation was... Time consuming.

    I have 5 for the PS2 in Japanese, but no good translations ever arrived.

    My copy of 5 for the Wii is in the post as I write, and I can't wait.

    A genuinely great turn based RPG, a fun plot and a ridiculous dating sim all in one.

    Come on EG, you review DLC for Mass Effect and Modern Warfare 2. Review this, in Japan the series is massive (live theatre shows!) and it's amazing anyone had the guts to bring it out in the UK.