Pick & Play: October 9-15

Pick & Play: October 9-15

Happy Columbus Day! It’s a week to celebrate, for sure, with a new bounty of releases ranging from AAA to “what were they thinking?” and everything in between. Racing and flying and zombie-slaying abounds, as well as swimming and posturing and dancing one’s posterior off. To the release list!

Forza Motorsport 4
(Xbox 360)

Though lacking the Porsche license this time out, Forza Motorsport 4 is the latest entry in the Xbox 360’s premier racing series. Expanded with new image-based lighting effects and 16-player races, the game also brings Top Gear’s Jeremy Clarkson to the table, who curates the virtual showroom in the title. Talk about authentic! It’s out this Tuesday, October 11.

Ace Combat: Assault Horizon
(PS3, Xbox 360)

Perhaps planes are more your style than cars. If that’s the case, you probably dig jets and, as all little boys know, a fighter jet has been unequivocally proven to be ten times as awesome as a civilian plane. It’s science. Enter Ace Combat: Assault Horizon, the latest in NAMCO Bandai’s high-flying Ace Combat series. With a stronger focus on one-on-one dogfights this time out, and action that sometimes takes place beyond the cockpit of super-sonic (and some sub-sonic) jets, Assault Horizon should provide airborne thrills when it blasts into stores this Tuesday, October 11.

Dead Rising 2: Off the Record
(PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

Not a Chuck Greene fan? Annoyed that the second Dead Rising title turned the focus away from the first game’s photojournalist protagonist, Frank West? Dead Rising 2: Off the Record is a reimagining of the events of Dead Rising 2 if Frank West, rather than Chuck Greene, had been at the center of the events in Fortune City. Frank’s camera returns (with digital film, no less) alongside new combination weapons, an altered story, retooled save and checkpoint systems and, most importantly, a budget price tag! You, too, can cover wars this Tuesday, October 11.

Might & Magic: Heroes VI
(PC)

With a reworked title, this latest in what was once the Heroes of Might & Magic series takes the action centuries into the lore’s past, four hundred years before the events of the previous game. The action follows the turn-based tradition of its forebears, with RPG elements backing tactical combat. Might & Magic: Heroes VI will be out this Thursday, October 13.

Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny
(PS3, Wii)

Another entry in one of Harvest Moon’s diverse spin-off series, Tides of Destiny fits into the RPG-infused framework of the Rune Factory sub-series. Promising many characters with whom to engage oneself and a deep world to explore, Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny will be tilling soil on retail shelves this Tuesday, October 11.

Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster
(Xbox 360)

Sesame Street, you ask? Why yes, yes it is, and the studio behind it is Double Fine. Headed up by Tim Schafer, the same mad genius behind Psychonauts and Brutal Legend, Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster is the studio’s first project for the Kinect, focusing on minigames that blend the familiar faces of the Sesame Street show with new monsters created specifically for this title. With such a unique pedigree, this family-friendly outing takes a perplexing spot on the October release calendar this Tuesday, October 11.

Aliens: Infestation
(DS)

The only thing I needed to hear about this game? It includes a touchscreen-based version of the famous Bishop knife-trick scene from Aliens. What does the actual game part of this title entail? Side-scrolling platforming and exploration in the Alien(s) expanded universe. One of the more interesting DS swansong titles, to be sure, out this Tuesday, October 11.

DLC Slated for release this week: