With Christmas well-and-truly over, it is time to look forward to the new releases for the New Year. There are lots of games that people are eagerly awaiting, such as big-hitters Grand Theft Auto IV, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, Devil May Cry 4 and Kingdom Under Fire: Circle Of Doom, and so I thought that I would take this opportunity to keep you updated with some of the games that will be hitting the shops within the next couple of months.

NiGHTS: Journey Of Dreams - Wii

Last Friday was the 18^th January, 2008, and so the next instalment of SEGA’s fabled NiGHTS series has arrived. NiGHTS: Journey Of Dreams has been developed in SEGA Studio USA and produced by Takashi Iizuka. The game has been in development since 2006 and has been designed only for Wii as it was felt that the unique controls Wii offers were most suitable to do the game justice.

Takashi:

"Ever since the disappearance of NiGHTS over 11 years ago, this game has seemed to be shrouded in rumours and mystery. As a game studio, it is common for us to evaluate every platform before we start our development process for any game. Once we had collectively decided to create a NiGHTS sequel, our focus shifted to determining which system was be best suited for the game. Not only does Wii offer an innovative new Remote Controller that challenges us to recreate the "fun" flight simulation of NiGHTS, but the platform's demographic appeal seemed a perfect fit for those who could appreciate the "heart-warming" story behind the game. Ultimately we want to create a sequel that our loyal fans will love as well as introduce a new generation of gamers to the world of NiGHTS."

The game has been designed to give the ‘fun’ flying sensation making the most of the interaction possibilities the Remote offers – tilt left for left, right for right and so on. With the 360-degree sensitivity offered by the Wii Remote, the controls should be very accurate making this a very playable game.

Zak & Wiki: Quest For Barbaros’ Treasure - Wii

Originally known as Project Treasure Island Z during development, Zak & Wiki: Quest For Barbaros’ Treasure is designed by Capcom and created purely for Nintendo Wii, taking place through a Point-N’-Click style Adventure format. The object of the game is to collect items, solve puzzles and find your way to the next Level using the unique controls of the Remote. The title does have huge potential and should be a big hit, although with Capcom relying on an original IP for the game alongside a small budget allocated to market it, in turbulent times such as these one does have to wonder how well the title will perform at retial. Hopefully not though, and we will be seeing these characters on a regular basis. All they need is a chance!

Zak & Wiki: Quest For Barbaros’ Treasure is in the shops now!

Donkey Kong: Jet Race - Wii

Donkey Kong returns in this Mario Kart style flying game with all his friends, including Dixie Kong and King K. Rool to race to become the ultimate champion. Controlled by moving the Remote and Nunchuk left and right and by shaking them, you will be able to manoeuvre, dodge and use weapons. The title includes sixteen Courses and up to four players in Multi-Player Mode. Lots of people are waiting for Mario Kart Wii but this does look like a very good substitute for the moment. Will this be a hit as well…? I think so.

Keep your eyes open for it or Pre-Order from Electronic Theatre to guarantee yourself a copy. Donkey Kong: Jet Race is due for release on January 25^th 2008.

BurnOut Paradise – PLAYSTATION3, Xbox360

Fans of the popular series will be pleased to hear the release of BurnOut Paradise is due January 25^th, 2008. Truly looking amazing, you choose the race route that you believe is going to be the quickest around the world that has been created for you – Paradise City. This is going to be a completely open Racing game where anything goes (even cross country!). Multi-Player Mode should also be intuitive as, in a similar fashion to Test Drive: Unlimited, you will be able to join in your friends games without them having to leave what they are doing.

BurnOut has always been about the crashes… And I don’t think that BurnOut Paradise will disappoint!

Kingdom Under Fire: Circle Of Doom – Xbox360

Kingdom Under Fire: Circle Of Doom is an Action/RPG title based on the Kingdom Under Fire Universe. Other games in the series were Action/Real-Time Strategy games which created massive large scale battles. This on the other hand, concentrates on developing one character.

Kingdom Under Fire: Circle Of Doom goes further than any other game like it by randomly generating dungeons so that you should never enter exactly the same one again! It is available in the UK 1^st February 2008 and I have a feeling that there may be a queue.

As you can see there are some great games on the way and lots more to come. Next time I will take a look at Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, No More Heroes and some new comers that may catch your interest. Have a good month!

Retro Gamer

20/01/08

Return to the Articles Archive 2008 here.

 Each of these articles has been written either independently of Electronic Theatre or by an external viewer. The opinions discussed in these articles in no way reflects the opinions of Electronic Theatre.

If you wish to inquire about pricing of any titles for these formats not listed on this site, drop me a line at kjoyce@electronictheatre.co.uk