(Here are the rest of the notable games from January 2010 to March 2010!)
Nintendo Sapphire:
Deathsmiles
An intense, gothic-themed bullet hell shooter, Deathsmiles is released in North America for the Sapphire about a year and a half after its original Japanese release for the Nintendo Wave, so the version North America gets is an updated HD version featuring more levels and anime cutscenes. It features the same gameplay as OTL's title, but a slightly different plotline featuring a gray-skinned vampire girl. Other than that, it plays identically to OTL's game and has a similar critical reception, quite positive and enough to help make the game somewhat of a minor niche hit.
Antarctica: 2100
The latest installment of the Nintendo-exclusive sci-fi FPS series and the second to be released on the Nintendo Sapphire, Antarctica: 2100 takes place several decades after Dark Blue, after a worldwide nuclear war caused most of the world, including Antarctica itself, to become an irradiated hellscape. Antarctica was hit with hundreds of nuclear bombs, cracking the ice shelf and opening up massive, radiation-plagued valleys in which soldiers wearing special suits battle it out for the valuable mineral resources underneath, which are key to reviving the world's industrial civilization. The irradiated valleys make for fierce, close-quarter shootouts taking place in caves amidst horrific ice falls, and radiation is a constant threat, making strategy of utmost importance. The player must have the right gear and guns for their situation, requiring exploration through the dense caves, giving this game a more open-ended mission approach than previous titles. It's definitely a departure from previous games, but the formula makes for one of the more unique FPS games in recent memory, and reviews and sales are both quite good.
Block Party: Too Much Fun!
This revival of the classic SNES-CD party game intended for older players gets a new lease on life for a new generation. It essentially plays like Mario Party meets You Don't Know Jack, a combination of trivia questions, tricky mini-games, and an irreverent host makes this one of the most unique party games of its generation, though it doesn't quite catch on like the original did, and many critics lament the fact that this game isn't on the iTwin. Still, reviews are solid and it does score a decent amount of sales, but it's not the hit its creators were expecting.
Deadly Premonition
Another game from OTL, Deadly Premonition was, like OTL, originally intended as a sixth generation game with a different title, but developers encountered much of the same issues as OTL's game did and they had to remake it from the ground up for the Nintendo Sapphire instead. Like OTL, it's an open world survival horror game featuring an FBI agent hunting down a serial killer, though in TTL's game, the FBI agent is a woman, and the town she's exploring is more of a tourist trap town rather than a rural town, giving this game a sort of Mackinac Nightmare type of feel to it. It does avoid the OTL game's technical issues, and is a decent enough horror game, but the comparisons to Mackinac (and also to The Yakimauga Horror, another game released around the same time with a similar premise) do hurt its sales somewhat.
Abyss: From The Depths Of The Ocean
Abyss is a seafaring game in which you're a 19th century pirate crew hunting the ocean for terrifying creatures of the deep. The game features some Jules Verne-esque anachronistic steampunk technology, making it almost Bioshock-esque in its execution when it's not an excellent sailing simulator. The creatures are somewhat rare, but when they do show up they're pretty spectacular, though technical issues (the game had a fairly low budget for its ambitious scope) hold it back somewhat. Abyss garners excellent reviews for its gameplay and characters (a mix of men and women each with their own quirks and abilities), but sales are somewhat poor thanks to the slightly underwhelming graphics and lack of marketing. It gets somewhat of a Shadow Of The Colossus-esque cult reputation in subsequent years, with sales eventually catching up to the game's outstanding reception, but it takes a long time and by the time the game is vindicated commercially, the studio has been absorbed into a larger one.
Star Tropics: Incursion Of Realities
The first Star Tropics game to grace the Sapphire, Incursion of Realities retains the familiar adventure/puzzle format of previous 3-D Star Tropics games, but features more emphasis on differing styles of gameplay, to reflect the various realities visited in the game itself. The game takes place some time after Mike Jones and his friends returned from the alternate reality inhabited by the mysterious queen Culex. Despite the tesseract from the previous game being sealed, passing through it caused reality itself to begin twisting and breaking, forcing Mike and his friends to visit these tears in reality and repair them, lest the world itself collapse and everything is destroyed. This game features more dungeon variety than any previous Star Tropics game, and though the basic gameplay remains the same (explore a dungeon, use Mike's various tools to solve puzzles), each of the eight alternate realities that Mike and his friends visits plays by its own set of rules, forcing the player to re-learn a few things in every dimension they visit. Mike's friends Marion and Tosh, along with his uncle Dr. Jones, all have their various roles to play, with Culex returning from Ocean Across Tomorrow (about halfway through the game), and a new character, a mysterious explorer from the past named Hirschberg, also appearing and helping Mike and friends solve the various puzzles. The game's primary antagonist is a dark figure from a destroyed future. Wearing a cloak and shrouded in mystery, this figure appears repeatedly to antagonize Mike and his friends, and Mike doesn't learn until most of the way through the game that the mysterious figure is actually himself, from far into the future, from a universe in which Mike isn't able to succeed. Called Antimike, this villain tries to destroy Mike's world in order to restore his own, and despite warnings from Culex that his plan will fail, Antimike persists in his evil deeds, ultimately causing most of reality to be sucked into a mysterious breach that forms the game's final dungeon. In the end, Mike defeats his future self, while Culex seemingly sacrifices herself to destroy Antimike for good. However, Mike is able to pull Culex back just in time, saving her from being annihilated as reality is restored to normal. It's revealed that Culex and Antimike had actually been cooperating before the events of the game began, with Culex hoping she could restore Antimike's world, but failing to do so. In the end, Mike and his friends return home, and Culex decides to abdicate her throne and explore Mike's world on her own, inspired by his example to become a great explorer (the game also pretty much settles the shipping dispute by having Mike and Marion confirm their relationship)
Star Tropics: Incursion Of Realities is a big, bold, beautiful game hampered by inconsistent gameplay and a somewhat messy plot. Review scores are somewhat lacking, averaging in the 7/10 range, and most critics and fans consider the game a major disappointment. It's intended to be Nintendo's big first party release of the first quarter of 2010, but ends up selling poorly, especially in North America, and being overshadowed by other Sapphire exclusives.
Apple iTwin:
Battleborn Resurrection
Treasure returns to develop another installment of their niche hit railshooter series exclusively for the Apple iTwin. Maintaining the familiar railshooter gameplay, the game is designed to take advantage of the iTwin motion controls in a big way, allowing for a unique “dual wielding” system as the player blitzes through fast paced levels and bosses. It's significantly easier than Conflux was (a game which got widespread complaints about its difficulty), but some critics believed the difficulty went too far in the other direction, calling it too easy (though the optional challenges, based on games like Panzer Dragoon and Fullmetal Alchemist, are still wickedly hard). It's generally considered a solid shooter, easily averaging in the high 7s/low 8s, and manages to score strong sales in Japan, though sales in the States are quite a bit worse.
Calypso
Calypso is a motion-based rhythm game, an attempt to bring back the Samba De Amigo style of gameplay with Caribbean-style reggae. This game has the involvement of Rihanna, featuring a number of her songs, and also includes a unique accessory, the Drum Shaker, a pair of handheld drum instruments. Coming at a time when music games are beginning to fall out of favor, this game achieves strong reviews, but can't quite get there in terms of sales, and Apple declines to make another one.
Dead Rising 3
Released just 18 months after the previous game, Dead Rising 3 is somewhat of an “expansion pack sequel” to Dead Rising 2, with similar gameplay and keeping Frank West as the protagonist (this is confirmed to be the last game in which he serves as the protagonist). It sees Frank learning of a government conspiracy to manufacture and sell Zombrex to favored individuals, headed by a corrupt scientist and a mysterious contractor. Frank must work with Isabella, who returns from Dead Rising and Dead Rising 2, to unravel this conspiracy, but ultimately learns that Isabella is a part of it, the corrupt scientist behind it all, and must come to grips with saving her life at the cost of Alexis' daughter at the end of the previous game (though as it turns out, Alexis' daughter is alive and would become the protagonist of Dead Rising 4). Dead Rising 3 is significantly shorter and more linear than the previous game, but features some truly intense zombie fights and tricky puzzles as Frank navigates a series of three areas: an abandoned sports arena/entertainment complex, an abandoned university, and finally, a government lab. In the end, Frank destroys the lab with Isabella still inside, destroying what seems to be the government's entire supply of Zombrex and wiping out the conspiracy. However, as we find out later on, Frank left a few loose ends, and those loose ends will start the zombie apocalypse all over again. While Dead Rising 3 is seen by many to be too rushed and too short, it's still a fun game, even if the main campaign can be beaten in 4-6 hours (and much less by speedrunners). The gameplay and storyline save it somewhat, and sales are quite good. It would ultimately be the last Dead Rising game for the iTwin, with Capcom taking a lot more time to work on the next one (which would be more like OTL's Dead Rising 3).
Fish And Fisherman
A quirky little Japanese platforming adventure game about a magical fish and the young man who catches him, then the two go on an adventure together to save other fish from an evil fisherman and his evil pet shark. This game is actually quite fun, full of whimsical music, and it's definitely not a traditional platformer, with lots of water-based levels but also some Okami-esque combat and puzzle sequences. The fish and fisherman both get a succession of special powers that they use to battle enemies and progress through the world, and its artstyle is very cartoony, almost chibi-esque. Thanks to very good reviews and good sales, this game launches a franchise, and while it's more popular in Japan than in the West, it's decently popular in the West as well.
Phantasy Star Generations
The third of the Phantasy Star remake series, this is a full remake of Phantasy Star III, with a modern graphical style but classic turn-based gameplay (with the requisite modern quality of life improvements including more generous saving and dungeon pacing, along with a modern interface). Both the previous remakes were quite well reviewed and successful in terms of sales, and so is this one. Apple is already hard at work on a remake of Phantasy Star IV, which is scheduled to be the last and is expected to be released on the iTwin sometime in 2012 or 2013.
Arc Rise Fantasia
The cult hit Wii RPG from IOTL is released on the iTwin ITTL, and has significantly better graphics and slightly updated gameplay from OTL's game, with a nearly identical plot to IOTL. It also features music by Yasunori Mitsuda, his first non-Nintendo project ITTL (like IOTL, he's no longer contracted to Squaresoft, but still does do work for them as well as for other RPGs). Arc Rise Fantasia is much more of a commercial success ITTL, thanks to Apple positioning it as one of the big iTwin JRPGs of the year. Even in North America, the game performs decently, while in Japan it becomes a big hit and one of the best selling iTwin games of the year.
RoboLab
RoboLab is an action/party game in which players build their own robots out of a variety of materials and then “test” them in a series of fun minigames and challenges, including races, combat, puzzles, and sports. This game actually ties in with the Rover series somewhat, and has Lydia from that series serve as the “host” of the game. The robot building interface makes it quite easy for players to build functional robots very quickly with both motion controls and traditional controls, and players can even have four people building at once, allowing everyone to see what's being built. A fun game for families, but isn't a huge hit amongst more hardcore players.
Microsoft Xbox 2:
Shotty
Shotty is a third-person action shooter for the Xbox 2, featuring a trenchcoated protagonist named Paul who goes around killing criminals with his shotgun. Best described as a “hack and blast”, the game features fast-paced, combo-based combat in which Paul can use his shotgun to either bludgeon or shoot his enemies. He doesn't have any other gun, but the shotgun can be equipped with mods to change the type of shot fired or the blunt attachment on the weapon that Paul can use for melee. The combo system is based entirely around racking up as many kills as possible, and Paul can unleash some truly devastating attacks with his shotgun, killing dozens of enemies at once with certain kinds of fire. The game's plot centers around Paul, a disgruntled citizen of Fallen City, becoming homicidal after his girlfriend is murdered by a mafia boss. He starts out his criminal career by walking right into the mafia boss' headquarters and shooting him and all of his henchmen with a shotgun, then decides to clean up crime by vowing to kill every criminal in the city. While the plot is simplistic as can be (and is pretty much just an excuse for a protagonist to kill as many people with a shotgun as possible), the game itself is actually decent fun, thanks to the ease of using Paul's shotgun and the surprising variety of attacks he can do with it. Considered a decent action title, Shotty scores good reviews but isn't quite the commercial hit it was expected to be.
Game Boy Supernova:
Wreckers
Wreckers is a demolition derby type game with elements of Blast Corps and Twisted Metal, involving construction vehicles. It features a more cartoony artstyle than other games in its genre, with most of its violence being slapstick and the main characters not being too edgy or evil. This game actually becomes fairly popular with families due to its kid-friendly aesthetic, making it a surprise hit despite only mediocre reviews, and would later get a mobile spinoff.
Gravity Crash
The arcade-style space shooter from OTL comes to the Supernova as a digital exclusive download title, becoming one of the more popular digital titles to date on the Supernova, and really starting a push for arcade-style digital games on that system that would last even slightly after the release of the Supernova's successor.
Kobaltia
Kobaltia is an Enix-developed SRPG with elements of games like Valkyrie Chronicles, it has a battle system that combines elements of RTS titles and tactical games. It has somewhat of a fantasy aesthetic to it, featuring bows and magic as the primary projectiles rather than guns, and has the same anime-style fleshed out characters that games like Valkyrie Chronicles have. The main plot revolves around the discovery of a mysterious new realm and a war between three rival nations to claim it. The game is quite well reviewed, but not a big seller, though it sells just enough in Japan to get a follow-up game.
Triple Orb: Live!
The fifth Triple Orb game and the last to be Nintendo exclusive, Capcom's sidescrolling action series continues with this game which revolves around the camerawoman/turned heroine Tezuka who is now the primary protagonist, though hero Tri is also playable. The game features a new “live action camera” mechanic in which Tezuka is reporting on her own heroics live for her viewers to see, and audience members can respond in real time to give buffs and even interfere with the action. Other than that, it's the same style of gameplay, with rapid-fire mixing and matching of various orbs to grant superpowers in battle. It's definitely the weirdest game in the series to date, and while reviews aren't quite as good as those for Triple Orb: Revolution, they're still solid and the game is a marginal hit.
iPod Play:
Skylein Tactics
An SRPG spinoff of the Lords Of Skylein RPG series, featuring a new set of characters but similar themes and language, and featuring sky-based combat in a tactical setting which is somewhat unique for the genre. Hardcore fans of the original Skylein games love this one, as it's a very well made SRPG with great music and graphics, and one of the best SRPGs of the year. While mainstream gamers don't buy it for the most part, it's a minor success among RPG fans and hardcore SRPG enthusiasts, and does well enough in Japan to turn a profit.
Deva Station 3
The third title in the popular anime shoujo action series, Deva Station 3 sees four new Devas join the sixteen existing Devas, giving the player 20 characters in all to utilize as they battle the forces of evil and protect the city. The biggest change from previous games is the addition of an augmented reality feature that allows players to take their iPod Play along with them and randomly generate enemies and loot based on their surroundings. Though the Devas can still build friendships with one another, the System120 relationship mechanic from the previous game has been scrapped in favor of a more generic system for building friendships and stats. This reduces the complexity of the game somewhat, allowing for more side missions with the relationship missions done away with. There's also an improved combat system over the previous game's, with each of the four new Devas having unique new battle mechanics and interactions with the other girls. Deva Station 3 has a slightly lower budget than the previous game, and about half of the voice actors, including Tara Strong and Cree Summer, have been replaced with slightly cheaper talent, with North American fans reacting mostly unfavorably. Overall, Deva Station 3 does see decent reviews, but it doesn't quite have the critical or commercial reception of the first two. Development for the next games in the series now shifts to the iPod Play's successor and the iPhone, with Apple planning a different game for each.
Scheherazade
An anime-styled RPG loosely based on the classic literary character, retelling the Arabian Nights stories from her perspective and embellishing them with original material. Scheherazade gains up to nine different companions over the course of the game as she journeys through a myriad of stories and realms to win her freedom. A highly regarded handheld RPG, it's definitely not a commercial success but is one of the last great iPod Play RPG exclusives.
Multiplatform:
Battlement
Battlement is a space-based FPS in which the protagonist is an underestimated soldier who must raid an alien planet to save his colony from destruction. The game's protagonist is a bit less confident and talkative than others in the genre but the game itself is still a fairly typical FPS, hoping to use the uniqueness of its main character to cover up the mostly generic shooting and action. The game is developed by Kaos Studios for THQ, which gets it some hype but it's nothing to get too excited about and the game gets mediocre reviews and sales.
Grim Little Princesses
The fourth game in the Grim Little Girls series of RPG/simulation titles (Grim Little Girls 2 was a Supernova exclusive, and Grim Little Storybook Girls, considered a gaiden game to the original rather than being considered Grim Little Girls 3, came out shortly after and landed on both consoles and the Supernova), Grim Little Princesses takes elements from both 2 and Storybook Girls to create a true next-gen sequel that comes to the Sapphire and iTwin but also gets a Supernova port. The game scales down the number of girls that can be raised to 20, and they're all princesses, though as the title would imply, all of them have some kind of horror-based theming to them. The game also allows full 3-D movement for the first time, ditching the menu-based interface of previous games for an approach where the player character can actually wander around and interact with things and also take control of the girls for minigames and missions. This game sees somewhat of a downgrade in dubbing quality, with the voice cast consisting entirely of actors known for anime dubbing and none of the major LA-based actors of previous games. It gets decent reviews, and like previous games in the series, is a cult hit, albeit a minor one.
Liberty 3: Moment Of Truth
The third game in the Liberty series of FPS titles about an invasion of America by the Red Army, Liberty 3 sees a grand conclusion to the war, as the rebellion is finally able to turn the tide on the Soviets in a series of spectacular battles. The main crux of the game revolves around pushing the Russians out before their fanatical leader can launch a nuclear strike, and a subplot has the rebels linking up with and helping a Soviet faction that wants to pull out of America and end the war. The game features smart level design and improved shooting mechanics, with a likable cast of new characters on both sides of the conflict. It's seen as one of the most surprising sequels in recent memory, trapped in development hell for a year or two but ultimately completed into a great game and one of the most successful FPS titles of the beginning of the year. It comes to the Sapphire and Xbox 2 and is highly praised for its graphics, storyline, and exciting multiplayer mode, and ultimately wraps up its trilogy in worthy fashion. Its developers would move on to create a successor series with a different premise but with similar gameplay mechanics.
Limbo
OTL's creepy puzzle platformer that features an unsettling, silhouetted graphical style comes to the iTwin and iPod Play/iPhone digital store as an Apple exclusive in January 2010. It features a similar storyline and gameplay to OTL's title and would become another digital hit for Apple, succeeding both commercially and critically and leading to the creation of similar games for Apple's digital store down the road.
Ace Combat 6: Sacrifice
Namco brings Ace Combat 6 to the Sapphire and iTwin in February 2010. The first fully HD game in the series (Ace Combat 5 did have an iTwin version, but was just an upgraded port of a Wave game), Ace Combat 6 tells the story of a brave group of young pilots who, as the title of the game implies, fight bravely but largely meet tragic ends against an overwhelming force led by a cruel but sensible warlord who simply fights to defend his industrialized empire against the encroachment of the rest of the world, and is depicted sympathetically despite the numerous cruel and ruthless acts he commits over the course of the game (including murdering four very likable main characters). The most tragic and melancholy of the Ace Combat games to date, Ace Combat 6 is also incredibly beautiful graphically, and improves significantly on the gameplay of Ace Combat 5 (though it's not quite as highly praised as Ace Combat 4). The game is a massive hit in Japan, but somewhat less so in North America, doing okay on the Sapphire and iTwin but not becoming a hit like some of the earlier games did.
Amanaria
A new RPG from Game Arts, this game is released on the Sapphire and iTwin. Like previous Game Arts titles, it features an anime-styled protagonist and plenty of magic and whimsy, though it tries to set itself apart from other franchises like Lunar by being more of an action RPG and swerving a lot of classic genre tropes. The game takes place in a small kingdom where scientific pursuit is quite noble and which has discovered a lot of technology, but comes under attack from a powerful magical kingdom with a more medieval level of technology (a sort of reversal of the usual trope in which the scientifically advanced kingdom is the antagonist). The protagonist, a young man named Johra, must collect five magical gems in order to complete a great battle machine to fight back against the rival kingdom, but along the way, learns of the noble motives of the empire that seeks to destroy his homeland, and must decide if he's truly doing the right thing. Amanaria isn't a great game (its combat system is a bit too simplistic, and its characters are somewhat generic), but certainly not a bad one, it scores solid reviews and is a best seller in Japan, while doing mediocre in the States.
Blur
Like IOTL, Blur is an arcade-styled racing game which features fast, futuristic tracks and plenty of firepower. It's released on the Sapphire and the iTwin, but even though an Xbox 2 version is planned, it's ultimately scrapped. The game also gets a budget pricing strategy to help it compete with more popular titles like Gran Turismo. The strategy works somewhat, the game's lower price and good reviews help it become a profitable seller, but it doesn't get too much recognition and would be overshadowed by other racing games released shortly before and after.
Load: Armed And Ready
Load: Armed And Ready is an FPS game and a reboot of the popular FPS series from the 2000s, which featured intense, violent action with some tongue in cheek moments. Armed And Ready hopes to capture the spirit of those earlier games, with an intense, edgy protagonist named Brick Donaldson who's sent into an unnamed country to battle armed terrorists and rescue a United Nations medical team, including a beautiful doctor who serves as the game's “damsel in distress”. While Armed And Ready is a fairly old-school, cliché ridden game, it also takes itself somewhat seriously, with dramatic moments throughout and a protagonist that never mugs for the camera or cracks any out of place jokes. Despite the game having somewhat of an identity crisis as to what it wants to be, it still largely “works” thanks to great graphics and some truly great shooting gameplay, including an excellent cover system and some surprisingly good stealth. The game never descends into Duke Nukem-style self parody, but savvy players will still know where to laugh. It's ultimately a marginal commercial and critical success, and while it doesn't quite match the success of the first couple games in the series, it's one of February 2010's most popular new releases.
Momo's Tale: Let's Roll!
A 3-D platforming game in which you control a Furby-like animal protagonist who rolls around in a ball. The game combines Mario-style platforming elements with Monkey Ball-style gameplay to create a smooth and fun experience with just the right amount of challenge, and also features some truly unique and creative boss fights, some of which feature wide open arenas and others which take place in narrow mazes perfect for precision rolling. The game is released on the Sapphire and iTwin, and while not much is expected from it before its release, reviews acknowledge just how fun the game is, scoring it quite highly. Sales don't quite match up with the critical love, but it would be a popular budget title in the months and years after its release.
N-Gine: Full Control Racing
N-Gine: Full Control Racing is a racing game that tries to do everything at once: a robust simulation game, an arcade-style rally title, all while featuring a robust career mode with elements of the Need For Speed series. The game has a wide selection of cars, but where it really shines is its customization options that allow the player to take cars and their components apart, right down to the engine as they try to modify their vehicles into the perfect racer. While certainly an ambitious title, it's more of a jack of all trades and a master of none: it's not as complete and thorough a sim as the Gran Turismo series, it's not as white-knuckle intense as the Rally games, and it's not quite as fun to play a career in as Need For Speed. Still, sales are quite good, exceeding those of Blur and making it one of the year's best racing titles on all three major consoles.
Reliksgard
A semi-3D dungeon crawling action adventure by Enix, Reliksgard tells the story of an ancient order of dragon warriors whose civilization was mysteriously wiped out, and the young adventurer who must find their treasures to prevent his own civilization from meeting the same fate. The game has the graphical style and gameplay of Revolution Alpha, but with a slightly more old-school look and feel, not quite a fully 3D console-style adventure but rather a game halfway between an Illusion of Gaia/Terranigma-style game and a fully 3D adventure (almost giving it an appearance like OTL's Granstream Saga, or an Alundra-esque game. Loot is a big part of this title, the player can stumble upon plenty of equipment in dungeons that they can use to upgrade their character on the fly, improve to make it better, or scrap it for parts which can be used to craft more equipment. It's not quite as big a lootfest as Diablo, but it's certainly got more loot than any Enix action RPG thus far. The game has a small amount of voice acting, mostly in cutscenes between dungeons, with the main character speaking in both dialogue and narration and a few major NPCs also having a decent amount of lines. It's a handheld game, released on the Supernova and iPod Play, and proves to be a major critical success, a major hit in Japan, and a minor hit in the States, making it Enix's best handheld game made up to this point.
Bone Rattlers
A wild motorcycle racing game for the Sapphire and iTwin in which the player rides skeletal motorcycles piloted by skeletons and other horror characters. It's quite a good game, and tosses out realism for fun, with plenty of weapons and stage hazards to keep players on their toes. Not a huge seller, but definitely profitable and well reviewed.
Dark Void
An intense shooter taking place mostly in the air with players piloting hover-powered suits to battle an alien invasion, Dark Void has lots of similarities to OTL's game, but is somewhat improved upon OTL's title due to lessons the developers learned from games such as the Techno Angel and Aquila franchises both of which helped to pioneer midair and technical-based shooter combat. This eliminated a lot of the problems that OTL's game had with troublesome midair combat and glitches, enabling it to be a solid, fun game that capitalizes on its excellent production values and becomes somewhat of a sci-fi gem, though it, like OTL's game, still fails to be a blockbuster. Reviews average in the 7.5/10 range, and though it would fade into obscurity shortly after its release, it's definitely more of a cult classic than OTL's game had a chance to be.
Just Cause 2
Published by Eidos Interactive (which, unlike IOTL, still exists as a separate company and hasn't merged with Square), it's the sequel to 2006's slightly underappreciated open world shooter title in which the player is a mercenary who enacts regime change on a tropical island. Just Cause 2 sees that same mercenary now operating in a larger South American nation, battling communist forces in service of a right-wing dictator under the auspices of the CIA (drawing parallels to similar historical operations in the 70s and 80s). Like in OTL's game, the player must complete side missions in order to win the dictator's favor and garner more of their aid, but can also secretly play both sides against one another to help the protagonist's own mercenary company, enabling more expensive operations with deadlier weapons and vehicles. Like OTL's game, Just Cause 2 hammers out a lot of the gameplay problems of the original, making it a significantly better game both commercially and critically. It's not quite the hit that OTL's game was, with reviews hovering in the low 8s, and does most of its sales in Europe, with North American sales lagging behind some of the month's bigger games. It's definitely not the 6 million selling game that it was IOTL, but it's also not a complete bust either. It also doesn't receive an Xbox version, but does great business on both the Sapphire and the iTwin, with the iTwin version utilizing motion controls to great effect, and both versions allowing for online co-op missions as well. It's a game that gets somewhat lost in the shuffle, but definitely succeeds from a financial perspective, and keeps Eidos profitable and independent for the time being.
Magicka: The World Above
An adventure title released by Ubisoft for the Apple iTwin, this game would later be ported to the Supernova and iPod Play, but is an iTwin game first and foremost, taking decent advantage of that system's hardware. While the game continues its core gameplay premise, featuring a young apprentice magician who must learn progressively stronger spells to survive in a world full of mystery and danger, it does take a different thematic approach, centering on a young boy who is raised underground and taught basic magic, but who is also carefully prepared to rise to the surface someday to find his family, which went missing when he was still a baby. The game spends about 1/4th of the main story setting up this character's escape from the underground, then gives the player a massive world to explore, mostly freely and at their leisure, for the last ¾ of the game, making it the most open-world, free wheeling Magicka experience to date. The gameplay itself, however, is somewhat basic, lagging behind the game's scope, and only the optional iTwin motion controls allow for a sense of immersion or uniqueness. The World Above gets only marginally good reviews, and Ubisoft finally realizes that the series, which started off with a hit in the late 1990s, has probably run its course, though the company would try one last time to push the brand with a mobile-based card game.
Sanguine Spirits
An RPG involving a robust monster capture and accessory system in which the player captures various spirits in order to fuse into gathered equipment, this game sees release on the Sapphire and the iTwin and is fairly backward in terms of graphics for a seventh generation game, with a graphical interface that wouldn't be out of place on the Wave or Katana. The innovative and addictive gameplay do save it from a critical standpoint, but it's never anything more than a niche game, selling poorly even in Japan.
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Top Selling New Console Games In North America (in terms of sales over the first four weeks of release):
January 2010:
1. Downhill 2 (Apple iTwin)
2. Liberty 3 (Nintendo Sapphire)
3. Sin Wagon (Nintendo Sapphire)
4. Sin Wagon (Apple iTwin)
5. Liberty 3 (Microsoft Xbox 2)
February 2010:
1. Molten (Nintendo Sapphire)
2. Dead Rising 3 (Apple iTwin)
3. Load: Armed And Ready (Nintendo Sapphire)
4. Load: Armed And Ready (Microsoft Xbox 2)
5. Antarctica: 2100 (Nintendo Sapphire)
March 2010:
1. Spider-Man: Over The Edge (Nintendo Sapphire)
2. The Conduit 2 (Apple iTwin)
3. Destined (Nintendo Sapphire)
4. Arcadia (Nintendo Sapphire)
5. Guardian (Apple iTwin)
