Out This Week - 05/08/11
Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet!
This week brings another arid list of launches, but as the calendar page turns to August the likes of Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Xenoblade and Tropico 4 loom later in the month.
Lots to look forward to then, and for now we're happy to settle for what could be another XBLA gem - this week's Summer of Arcade title, Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet.
Imagine the exploration of a 2D Metroid, but instead of space heroine Samus you control a floating robotic probe looking like the top half of R2-D2.
Like Star Wars' diminutive droid your handy hovering bot has a number of appendages it can use, such as a grabbing arm, a laser gun and a circular saw.
You'll need these to navigate the game's labyrinthine caverns and fend off their futuristic alien threats - from the looks of things, an awful lot of tentacles.
After the success stories of the charming Bastion and absorbing From Dust, can Insanely Twisted keep up the pace?
Also out this week, animated puzzle-solving Professor Layton clone May's Mysteries: The Secret of Dragonville on DS, and indie God of War clone Garshasp: The Monster Slayer on PC.
This Week in Virtual Shops!
Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet
- Developer: Shadow Planet Productions
- Publisher: Microsoft Studios
- Formats: Xbox 360
What is it? A 2D sci-fi shooter with art direction from Iron Giant designer Michel Gagné and music from Norwegian black metal band Dimmu Borgir. It's an Xbox 360 exclusive out Wednesday for 1200 MS Points. What does Eurogamer think? UPDATE: Eurogamer's Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet review has now been published.
What Else?
- Mays Mysteries: The Secret of Dragonville (DS)
- Garshasp: The Monster Slayer (PC)
- Limbo (PC)
- Pac-Man (3DS Virtual Console)
Chart Predictions!
Each week one of the team will step up to predict the UK all-formats chart. The following predicts the outcome for the week beginning Friday 5th August (to be reported on Monday 8th August).
Wesley Yin-Poole, News Editor, Eurogamer.net
"The summer lull continues. With no major new retail releases this week, I can't see much change in the top five. Zumba, I'm sure, will enjoy its eighth consecutive week at number one. What can possibly topple it? Cars 2 should continue to enjoy second place as more and more kids check the movie out during their holidays. I expect Call of Juarez to slip out of the top five. Replacing it will be the wonderfully-named Just Dance 2: Extra Songs. Why? Because you get extra songs with it. In fourth will be Lego Pirates of the Caribbean and in fifth will be Harry Potter. Sigh. When's Deus Ex coming out?"
- Zumba Fitness: Join the Party
- Cars 2
- Just Dance 2: Extra Songs
- Lego Pirates of the Caribbean
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two
Last week, Eurogamer's Community Manager Tom Champion attempted to peer through the mists of time. Here's how well he didn't do:
| Position | The Truth | The Prediction | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zumba Fitness | Zumba Fitness | YES! |
| 2 | Cars 2 | Harry Potter Deathly Hallows Pt. Two | NO! |
| 3 | Call of Juarez: The Cartel | Call of Juarez: The Cartel | YES! |
| 4 | Just Dance 2: Extra Songs | Lego Pirates of the Caribbean | NO! |
| 5 | Lego Pirates of the Caribbean | Call of Duty: Black Ops | BELOW AVERAGE! |
Your Chart Predictions
Last week we asked you where The Smurfs would place in this week's charts. A loopy six per cent of you thought the blue brethren could topple Zumba Fitness. You were wrong. It failed to make the top 40 at all, making a happy 37 per cent of you absolutely spot on.