A rundown of some of the more notable games hitting the streets this week.

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This Week's Games

Week of November 6th 2006

Sega Genesis Collection

Apparently, Genesis games are going to cost approximately $8 each on the Wii Virtual Console service. Or, you could get like thirty of them on a single disc for $20. There’s some great stuff on here, including three Ecco the Dolphin games, three Golden Axe titles, Shadow Dancer and Shinobi 3, Vectorman 1 and 2, Gain Ground, and many more. Plus, Phantasy Stars 2, 3 and 4, which would make the entirely collection worthwhile just for those.

Elite Beat Agents

I am not kidding when I say this is one of the best games released this year. Basically a sequel of the popular Japanese rhythm game “Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan!”, Elite Beat Agents feature a trio of dancing undercover agents who cheer on people in need of help. There are eighteen songs total, each consisting some goofy storyline told energetically with manga-style panels. Some may question the music selection, but songs that are usually little more pop garbage (“Sk8ter Boi”, “La La”) end up being a lot of fun to play. Plus it has YMCA and an awesome cover of The Rolling Stone’s Jumping Jack Flash.

Gears of War

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I’m still not sure how to feel about this game – it’s getting hyped up massively as “the game to tide you over until Halo 3 gets here”, yet all gameplay impressions thus far have led us to believe it’s a bit closer to the recent Ghost Recon: Advaned Warfighter, albeit in a futuristic setting and far more visceral. Graphically, it’s looking to be the best game on the system yet, and certainly blows away the competition, to the point where you just can’t take games like Resistance: Fall of Man seriously.

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Guitar Hero 2

Two awesome rhythm games in the same week? Amazing. Guitar Hero 2 has an even bigger song list than the original, as well as the ability to play different guitar tracks. This alone should make it worth the pricetag. I mean, it has “Sweet Child O’ Mine”, and “Tonight I’m Gonna Rock You Tonight” from Spinal Tap, as well as the Trogdor song from online cartoon Homestar Runner.

Call of Duty 3

Another World War II first person shooter? I guess people still get excited about these.

Viva Pinata

Due out on Friday, Viva Pinata is Microsoft’s attempt to capture the lucrative (and mostly elusive) kiddie market. A good step in the right direction, although I’m still not remotely sure how the game actually plays. They’ve shown off unplayable demos for months, and that’s about it. Looks fantastic though, which is par for a Rare game.

Kurt Kalata

(November 6, 2006)


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