So that’s it. FIFA’s out, CoD’s out, Need for Speed is out, Zelda’s out, and Mario’s out (with Karts coming soon). Even all the males who have been or are going to see Breaking Dawn this weekend are out. So what’s left? Downloads, of course.
Xbox 360
Over a year after release, Halo Reach comes back to the marketplace with the Anniversary Map Pack for 1200 points. Does this save you having to buy the CE remake if you don’t care about the campaign? Meanwhile, Saints Row: The Third comes flying at us with the Online Pass for renters / pre-owned buyers (800 points), the Season Pass for serial downloaders (1600 points), and the Shark Attack and Invincible Packs for those who want to see how things go (160 and 240 points respectively). Backing up the DLC on release day crew, Need for Speed: The Run shows up with the Time Savers pack at 800 points, unlocking all locked items instantly.
The fun of Disney Universe can turn evil with the Villains Costume pack for 240 points, with its individual parts available for 80 points each. Ace Combat: Assault Horizon flies in the with the Su-35 Tekken Skins for 400 points, with a free compatibility pack for the non-payers. A little slower, but still speedy, WRC 2011 adds the East African Safari Rally, also for 400 points, and bringing up the shapely rear, Tour de France 2011 updates rider stats for 160 points and gives them an extra power-up for 320. We also mustn’t forget about the Cosplay Warrior Skills pack for Dead Rising 2: Off The Record at 160 points either. We won’t buy it, but we’ll still remember it.
The XBLA newbie for this weak is Xotic, an arcade style FPS game for 800 points. The same price will get you the Floating Island and Master Campaign add-on for Battle Vs Chess. Also updating is Magic: The Gathering – Duals of the Planeswalkers 2012, with Deck Pack 1 for 240 points and a Multiplayer-Only Deck Pack for free. Games on Demand has a “games that have newer sequels” week, with SBK X for £17.99 and Dynasty Warriors 6 for £19.99, and there’s a new demo for the Kinect title Twister Mania.
Finishing off the week on the more casual front, there are several new clips and songs for YooStar on MTV, too many to mention or really care about, and there’s also a Stevie Wonder pack for Rock Band 3 at 640 points. Don’t forget the wealth of RBN titles for the game that have been fleshing out the Marketplace the past few weeks to make it seem fuller than it actually is.
PS3
So Call of Duty: Black Ops has officially shown up for £47.99 this week (£38.39 on Playstation Plus). Surely anyone who hasn’t bought it in the year since release is not desperate enough to buy it at that price. If you’ve finished Revelations and still can’t get enough of Ezio, the animated short Assassin’s Creed: Embers is available for £2.39. Of course, it’s not really a game, so we shouldn’t be mentioning it. Meanwhile, PSN follows the Games on Demand theme, releasing Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood for £16.99 and Hasbro Family Game Night 3 for £23.99.
Cheaper titles this week include Toki Tori for £6.29 (£4.72 on PSN+) and the Zen Pinball and Marvel Pinball bundle for £6.29. We go from cheap to free with demo versions of Crystal Mines, Start The Party: Save The World and Move Fitness. If you’ve already bought games in the past and want to add to them, however, you can grab the Fantom Parts Pack for Real Steel at £6.29 or a series of new vehicles for Cars 2 at 79p each. That’s not to mention two music packs for Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition for £1.59, as well as the second match pack for £3.19.
Out next week, WWE 12 gets the Fan Axxess pack (all future DLC) for £7.19 and the Online Axxess pass for £6.29 if you’re renting or buying pre-owned. Elsewhere, you might like to invest in the Time Savers Pack for Need for Speed: The Run for £7.99, or just the Supercar pack for the game at £3.99. Uncharted 3 adds a multiplayer accessories pack for £1.19, Ace Combat: Assault Horizon gets the Tekken Skin pack for £2.99, and Little Big Planet 2 gets its Creed on, with an Ezio costume for £1.59.
The villain pack for Disney Universe will set you back £2.39 (79p for individual parts), Sniper: Ghost Warrior goes crazy with the One Hit, One Kill pack for £3.99, and Tour de France 2011 gets the Power Up pack for £3.99. There’s a free Sports Pack for EyePet, DanceStar Party gets its third mix pack for £5.49, and finally Rock Band 3 brings Stevie Wonder to PS3 for £4.39.
PSP
Time for some Disney Doubles, with the Pirate of the Caribbean pack (PotC: Dead Man’s Chest and At World’s End) and the Pixar Double (Cars and Toy Story 3) reaching the Essentials range for £11.99. There’s also a free demo for Cars 2. If that weren’t enough, Blockids is a PS1 Classic for £3.19, and there’s three new minis – Rumble Trucks for £2.49 (free on PSN+), Where Is My Heart for £3.99 (also free on PSN+), and MENA Speed for £2.49 (not free on PSN+).
3DS
Another NES classic gets a 3D remake this week, with Kirby’s Adventure sucking into a new dimension at the price of £5.40. If you can drag yourself away from Mario, that is.
Wii
There’s high speed racing and two-footed tricks in Jam City Rollergirls for WiiWare this week. It’ll set you back 500 points and maybe make you feel a little bit dirty. Probably not though.
DSi
A combination that you don’t want to end up with after a Saturday night out also serves as the title for the latest DSiWare offering. 200 points or £1.80 will allow you to add Bugs n’ Balls to your hand-held gaming collection.
And once again we come to the end of another downloading week, safe in the knowledge that points and virtual currency are being spent both wisely and unwisely in equal manner. I know that’ll help me sleep well at night.
