New PAL Releases Roundup

By Tom Bramwell Published 5 November, 2009

Dragon Age! Ratchet! Boy and His Blob!

With apologies to people who encountered me at last week's Eurogamer Expo, the beard is officially gone. We don't need beards where we're going. We're going to Ferelden. We may be some time. (And actually, we probably will need beards.)

BioWare's enormous Dragon Age: Origins is out this week on PC and Xbox 360 (the PS3 version is coming a little later in November), and was the slightly grumpy recipient of 8/10 on Eurogamer earlier this week. We're all still horribly excited about it regardless.

It's not the only game we're horribly excited about that didn't get top marks, mind you. Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time may be nothing especially new, but we can live with that. Elsewhere in review land this week, however, we probably can't live with Need for Speed: Nitro or Ghostbusters Wii.

A Boy and His Blob, however, we can not only live with, but form intimate physical bonds with thanks to the inclusion of a hug button. More games should have hug buttons, then they might all get 8/10. Modern Warfare 2 probably has a hug button. Presumably they'll spoil that in an advert too.

Elsewhere in not-quite-reviewed-but-out-tomorrow land, there's Rabbids Go Home, which Ubisoft's been telling me is a "proper game" and should be reviewed soon, and Jambo Safari. Ellie is currently completing the special research on that one.

Band Hero and Star Wars The Force Unleashed: Sith Edition are also out tomorrow, but sadly Activision hasn't sent us code yet so it's a bit difficult to comment. We'll let you know when we know.

This week in shops:

  • A Boy and His Blob (Wii)
  • Band Hero (PS2, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360)
  • Dragon Age: Origins (PC, Xbox 360)
  • Ghostbusters (DS, PC, Wii, Xbox 360)
  • Hasbro Family Game Night (DS, Xbox 360)
  • Hasbro Family Game Night Volume 2 (Wii)
  • Jambo Safari (DS, Wii)
  • Madagascar: Kartz (DS, Wii, Xbox 360)
  • Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 (PSP)
  • Need for Speed: Nitro (DS, Wii)
  • Rabbids Go Home (DS, Wii)
  • Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time (PS3)
  • PES 2010: Pro Evolution Soccer (PS2, PSP)
  • SingStar: Take That (PS2, PS3)
  • Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron (DS, PSP)
  • Star Wars The Force Unleashed: Sith Edition (PS3, Xbox 360)
  • Tropico 3 (PC)
  • U-Sing (Wii)
  • Women's Murder Club: Games of Passion (DS)

This week online:

  • Fighting Street (Wii Virtual Console - Turbografx)
  • Manic Monkey Mayhem (WiiWare)
  • UNO (DSiWare, WiiWare)
  • Wallace & Gromit Episodes 2-4 (Xbox Live Arcade)
Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (12) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Toothball #1 2 years ago

    Ah good, a week off.

  • penhalion #2 2 years ago

    Ratchet and clank for me and maybe a bit of dragon age on PC.......naw just ratchet.

  • davisorle #3 2 years ago

    Dragon age by far the best release for this week for me. The more I play ( even if bits each time when i got time ) the more i love this game. plus the replayability adds up to it ;)

  • bad09 #4 2 years ago

    Ghostbusters finally hits! Be warned it's awesome at first but grows tiresome very quickly, I didn't bother finishing it on PS3.

  • penhalion #5 2 years ago

    @bad09

    Cheers for the heads up on Ghost busters I had a sly eye on that one.

  • GamesConnoisseur #6 2 years ago

    Dragon Age obviously best on PC but reported in Gamespot that on the X360 the textures are compressed compared to PS3 which looked better but more frames dropped.

    PC should be seriously considered but I m still getting X360 version as additional special armour for Mass Effect 2 and er achievement points.

    Though be alert that this time for a rare occasion, x360 comes out the worse looking one but only a bit behind PS3.
    Edited by 1 at 05/11/09 @ 13:52

  • 3william56 #7 2 years ago

    Jambo safari? Is this a new FPS where you stalk the streets of Auld Reekie dispensing swift and bloody justice to Hearts fans? SOLD!

  • axman303 #8 2 years ago

    Intersting how iPhone games don't get listed in 'This Week On-line' - not even the ones by the major publishers. Is it because there are too many of them? If so, then if there was a sudden upswing in the number of DSi Ware or PSP Minis released to iPhone levels, would they be removed from these figures? Or is it just because iPhone games have difficult to find release dates?

  • Paulie_P #9 2 years ago

    Ghostbusters for a rental then?

  • makeamazing #10 2 years ago

    Band hero is sure to be one of the games that wont sell many this year?

    Not sure about Dragon Age (got to wait anyway as I would get it on PS3)... this is one case where i would consider the PC version...

  • varsas #11 2 years ago

    There's nothing visible in the lists when viewing via the iPhone app? Also no author is mentioned for the article?

  • SleepyMagpie #12 2 years ago

    Posting this here as well, as under the Dragon Age review thread, as I think it it is relevant:

    So i bought the 360 version yesterday, and as a frosty early-winter night had fallen on the west-coast of Norway, I installed it and clicked "new game".

    3 hours of gameplay later I cannot confirm any of Oli's misgivings.

    In the "the score does not confirm the review text" rhuckus, I was actually leaning towards believing Oli's criticisms of the game. I tend to buy mass-suggestion/corruption theories (very suggestible - lol), and thought Oli might be the one voice of reason to stand against the staggering weight of dirty Meta-Critic Dragon Age scores of well over 90. -But that he hadn't been tough enough to score it as he wrote it, erring on the side of prudence, envisioning a very possible uproar.

    Well, now I just wonder where Oli is at really. No, the game does not contain acting of the highest calibre. The game does not exhibit state-of-the-art graphics. The story is pieced together from all fantasy that came before, lots of Tolkien of course, but also ample splashes of Robert Jordan and many more.

    However, the story grips you from the start, voice-acting is some of the best I've heard in ages (check out the Sloth Demon in the Mage introduction!), and graphics are just right. They are gritty and workmanlike and western, albeit with a smattering of sparkle in the now and then beautiful play of light and shadow, color and chiaroscuro. The graphics are the way you want them in a medieval fantasy setting, imparting wood and bone and the iron smell of blood and dampness. I shudder to think of the asian aesthetic of Aion compared to this. Sometimes rough is good and right. -And as a bonus it will run well on nearly anything today, and put the gameplay and story at the forefront.

    Slight negatives so-far would be the "persistent gore", as has been talked over already at lengths - turn it off to stop characters from looking like abbattoir assistants in cutscenes following battles.

    And, if you ar planning at playing it from your sofa, on the 360 or PS3, know that cutscenes will be grander, but text (which is copious), will possibly appear smallish, and difficult to make out, depending on your own eyesight, distance from screen, and size of screen.

    I have a 42" plasma, and well corrected eyesight, I sit 2,5 meters from the screen. I managed well enough, but if you have a less ideal setup, you might consider the PC version. The PC version will most likely give you that proper Baldur's gate feeling as well.

    In ending, I have to remark to the luminaries at EG that being a WoW afficionado does not equate being an RPG'er. WoW is about addiction, getting your fix, and is a more or less controllable neurosis. A true RPG'er is more about immersion and escapism, travel.

    Maybe Oli is not the best choice for the RPG's?

    To everyone that love a good RPG. I think I can safely say that we are "GAME ON".

    Have a good week-end! ^^

    Edited by 1 at 06/11/09 @ 08:39