This Sunday sees the North American debut of Nintendo's much hyped new portable system, the 3DS. The first few titles for the handheld are trickling out this week, so gamers looking to be well stocked on launch day can begin building their collections now.
In addition to the first batch of 3DS games, the year of the first person shooter presses on with Crysis 2. For the kids, Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars flies to retail, and for those who would prefer to download games rather than brave the harsh environs of their local retailer, both Swarm and Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime are coming to PSN and XBLA.
All in all, there are a surprising number of games being released this week. Take a look at the new releases for March 20 through 26, 2011, broken out by platform and date.
Mac
- The Sims Medieval 3/22
- Samurai II: Vengeance 3/24
Microsoft Xbox 360
- Crysis 2 3/22
- LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars 3/22
- Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime 3/23
- Swarm 3/23
- Arcania - Fall of Setariff 3/25
Nintendo 3DS
- Asphalt 3D: Nitro Racing 3/22
- Combat of Giants: Dinosaurs 3D 3/22
- Rayman 3D 3/22
- Ridge Racer 3D 3/22
- Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars 3/22
- Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 3D 3/25
Nintendo DS
- G.G. Series: D-Tank 3/21
- Shapo 3/21
- Chainz Galaxy 3/22
- LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars 3/22
Nintendo Wii
- Arcade Essentials 3/21
- Natsume Championship Wrestling 3/21
- LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars 3/22
- Trackmania: Build to Race 3/22
OnLive
PC
- Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood 3/22
- Crysis 2 3/22
- Europa Universalis III Chronicles 3/22
- IL-2 Sturmovik: Cliffs of Dover 3/22
- LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars 3/22
- The Sims Medieval 3/22
- Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime 3/23
- Theatre of War 3: Korea 3/24
- Arcania - Fall of Setariff 3/25
Sony PlayStation 3
- Crysis 2 3/22
- LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars 3/22
- Mayhem 3D 3/22
- PlayStation Move Heroes 3/22
- Swarm 3/22
- The Tomb Raider Trilogy 3/22
- Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime 3/23
- Arcania - Fall of Setariff 3/25
Sony PSP
- Dissidia 012: Duodecim Final Fantasy 3/22
- Hoard 3/22
- Jikandia: The Timeless Land 3/22
- LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars 3/22
- Naruto Shippuden: Kizuna Drive 3/22
Though the North American launch lineup for the Nintendo 3DS lacks any clear standout title, a few games nevertheless rise to the top, and Namco Bandai's Ridge Racer 3D certainly qualifies as such a game. Ridge Racer 3D boasts new environments and cars, and -- it should go without saying -- 3D visuals. More controversial for long time fans of the series may be the changes made to the game's defining drift mechanic. Ridge Racer 3D releases March 22, 2011, exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS.
Another week, another shooter. For everyone who completed last week's Homefront (and, given the length of its campaign, that should be pretty much everyone) Electronic Arts and Crytek would like to suggest you give Crysis 2 a try. Despite the hasty removal of the game's multiplayer demo from the PlayStation Network, early reports are suggesting that the finished product just might be a ton of fun. Stay tuned to Game Rant for the final word. Crysis 2 releases March 22, 2011, for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.
Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime and Swarm are coming to both Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network this week. Ghostbusters offers up four player, Gauntlet-esque action, which is appropriate given that the game is being published by Atari. Swarm, from Deathspank developer Hothead Games, plays out more like Pikmin or Overlord, and looks to pack quite a bit of humor along with its gameplay. Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime and Swarm will be available on both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 March 23, 2011.
As always, we want to hear from you. What games will you be picking up this week? Are you getting a 3DS on Sunday? Sound off in the comments below.