Review: Dragon Ball Z – Ultimate Tenkaichi (PS3)

Well another month, another list of games, but as you will see by the end of the article, the holiday rush is upon Xbox 360 gamers.  The list of titles for games is rather deep, and offers something for almost every gamer.

As always, these picks are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the gaming masses as large.  Also take into fact that release dates can change, and we have no control over this in our articles if we do not have the most current information from the publisher.

This month’s Xbox 360 case mod can be found over at XboxFreedom.com.  The case has a great paint job that gives the unit texture that had me convinced that stucco had been used to decorate it.

Section 8 – I had not thought much of Section 8 until I got hands on time at E3 this year and I was rather surprised by the title.  Some look at it as being a generic clone of Halo or any other space faring FPS, but it does offer a few new twists to the formula that separate it from the pack.  The idea of dropping into any point on the battlefield, calling in mobile reinforcements or being able to drop in battle defenses for your secured points on the map are nice additions to the tried and true FPS multiplayer genre.  The developers already have plans in place to add more maps and features down the road and you have a well placed new intellectual property that could really surprise gamers.  Section 8 can be found on store shelves right now.

Dirt 2 – Codemasters knows how to do racing titles, and after playing through the demo for Dirt 2, it just shows that they will continue their dominance in the rally racing genre.  An upgraded visual engine is the first note of interest with this new title, giving gamers some great visuals while splattering mud, dirt and other track substances all over their vehicles.  Beyond that, little details like the sound of each substance as you drive over them add to the immersion factor in Dirt 2.  I have not always agreed with their strange, sex filled marketing campaign for Dirt 2, but I can appreciate the solid racing mechanics that are in the game.  Look for Dirt 2 on September 8th.

The Beatles: Rock Band – Some people may not be fans of gaming, but The Beatles will probably transcend that hurdle.  Harmonix has done all it can to make an exceptional experience out of this historical partnership.  The Beatles: Rock Band will take players from the early years of the band all the way through to their break up in 1969.  The title also plans to have tons of footage, pictures, interviews and more from many people, including the band members themselves at various points in their career.  It is a bit upsetting that these songs will not be available for import into Rock Band, but the care and detail that is being put into The Beatles: Rock Band does help ease the pain of not having that feature.  Look for The Beatles: Rock Band on September 9th.

Darkest of Days – PhantomEFX has been toiling away for some time on Darkest of Days, looking to give players an exciting twist on a rather depressing subject, and it looks like they might pull it off.  Darkest of Days transports players to some of the worst points in history to save specific individuals from death.  Apparently, someone is trying to toy with the space-time continuum, and if certain people are killed in history, it will drastically alter the future.  Darkest of Days has players using different tools of battle based on the period you are in, so at one moment you might be using a muskett, while another period might have you holding a bolt action rifle.  Graphically, the game is a little stiff at times, but can be set aside by the unique gameplay.  Darkest of Days drops on store shelves September 8th.

IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey – Okay, I am going out on a limb with this title, as it has never really been approached before on the Xbox 360, but the Sturmovik series has been a fantastic sim on the PC.  Now with revamped controls, and difficulties that range from easy to fly, down to mad with anger, Sturmovik will give console players a true flight sim experience.  Based in World War II, Birds of Prey shows off some pretty impressive visuals while you whip through the sky, dueling with the enemy over the Western and Eastern fronts of the war.  I would suggest downloading the demo and kicking the tires before purchasing, but if you give it a chance, I think Birds of Prey will surprise you.  IL-2: Sturmovik: Birds of Prey drops on to shelves September 8th.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 – Most who come to this site know I am a huge comic geek, especially for the Marvel Universe, so I came to love the first Marvel Ultimate Alliance on my 360.  It was one of the first games I bought for the console, and still have it in my collection to this day.  The sequel looks to smooth out some of the wrinkles of the first title, with smoother multiplayer, new characters, and the big add, fusion powers.  Now you can use two different heroes together to combine attacks.  One of the favorites that I have seen in person had to be the Hulk throwing Wolverine, a la Fastball Special.  It is a bit upsetting to see platform specific characters, but it is great to see this well done title get a sequel.  Look for Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 on September 15th.

WET – Two years ago, WET was looking rather plain and simple, with no real feeling in its design.  Now, after a shift in publishers, Bethesda and A2M have teamed up to give Grindhouse its due in WET.  This title has it all, from slow motion kills, to acrobatic kill combos that will keep a smile on your face.  The game also packages in Rage sequences that take a theme from a particular movie and pay homage to it.  One of these sequences takes its queue from “The Band of 88″ fight sequence in Kill Bill Volume 1.  WET also has some of the most entertaining quicktime events I have played through in some time.  Look for WET to hit shelves on September 15th.

Need for Speed: Shift – After the horrible iteration of Need for Speed that was Undercover, Electronic Arts took the series back to the drawing board, looking for new ways to invigorate the aging franchise.  The new direction for Need for Speed resulted in Need for Speed: Shift, which looks to take a tween vision for realism and arcade.  From what we have seen so far, Shift is really looking to add new items to the series, including a great looking driver seat cockpit view and the amazing crash cam.  Riding through crashes from the point of the driver is an amazing thing to behold.  It was nice to see Electronic Arts take a few risks with this series, and it looks like it should pay off handsomely.  Need for Speed: Shift e-brakes on to shelves September 15th.

Halo 3: ODST – Easily the 800 pound gorilla for the Xbox 360 in the month of September and probably October, Halo 3: ODST has no challengers during its week of release.  Some will say it is a cash grab, while some will love it for trying something different with the Halo franchise.  One thing is for certain – it will be a huge hit for the console, and the franchise itself has come to symbolize multiplayer gaming on the Microsoft platform.  It will be strange to not be playing a Halo FPS, and not be Master Chief, but the new game mechanics, including Firefight mode are a great selling point for the title.  About the biggest negative I see with the title is that fans of the series might resent not being Master Chief in a Halo title.  Also, will it have strong legs once Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 hits shelves.  It should but one has to wonder what if.

And that takes us to the end of the month on the Xbox 360.  There are a few other titles of note, but not necessarily reaching the heights of these titles.  There is a Capcom best of box set that includes Dead Rising, Devil May Cry 4 and Lost Planet Colonies Edition and two new Hockey titles from both EA Sports and 2K Sports.  And if you have kids, you might want to look into Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.

Check back next month for another listing of great titles on your favorite gaming platform.