The Drop: Week of March 14th 2011 New Releases

The Drop this week delivers a long list of titles that will make your stack of backlogged games tower even higher. I’m guilty of name dropping, especially when games like Slam Bolt Scrappers, Homefront and Parasite Eve arrive on PlayStation 3 and PsOne Classics this week. You’ll also get your chance to try PlayStation Move Heroes when the demo hits PSN, followed by demos for Mortal Kombat (open to all PSN users) and Crysis 2 Multiplayer.

I can go on forever on how great it was to meet new and familiar faces at PAX East this week, and congratulate the winner of SOCOM 4 tournament Zipper is hosting today, but you have a jump to hit and a drop to read! Enjoy it!

PlayStation 3

Homefront — The year is 2027. The world has suffered a decade-long energy crisis, and economies have crumbled. Reduced to a mere shadow of the super power it once was, the United States became the target of a North Korean takeover. Featuring a compelling single player story crafted by John Milius (Apocalypse Now, Red Dawn), Homefront immerses gamers in an interactive and cinematic FPS experience where they will assume an infantry role or take command of a wide variety of aerial and ground vehicles.

Yakuza 4 — Set in a fully realized, authentic recreation of Tokyo’s “Sin-City District” the deep and interweaving crime drama of Yakuza 4 unfolds through the eyes of four unique and dangerous characters. Visit Hostess clubs, try karaoke, or experience the pachinko parlors and other adult entertainment, only found in Tokyo. Each character will take on different missions, allowing the player to interact with the city from their unique viewpoints and experience every taboo in the underground world of Tokyo.

Top Spin 4 (PlayStation Move Enabled) — The most feature-rich title of the Top Spin franchise, Top Spin 4, puts you front and center of the professional tennis experience with the deepest player roster to date complete with 2K’s Signature Style, an enhanced Player Creator with new Coaching and Development systems, an incredibly immersive Career mode, all-new visually stunning TV Broadcast presentation elements, and a fully online World Tour Mode.

Warriors: Legends of Troy — From the creators of Dynasty Warriors comes an unbelievable game that tells the tale of the epic Trojan War. In this ancient time, men and gods fought alongside one another for eternal glory. Carve your name into history as you experience amazing action and incredible mythology.

Dance on Broadway (PlayStation Move Enabled) — Dance on Broadway is the dance game that puts YOU center stage performing some of the biggest Broadway hits right at home! Dance, sing, and act to hit songs from your favorite musical performances, like “You Can’t Stop the Beat”, “Fame”, and “Luck Be A Lady”, just to name a few! Challenge up to four friends for the starring role. Get your jazz hands ready for Dance on Broadway!

Fit in Six — Fit in Six separates overall fitness routines into six core elements — core body, upper body, lower body, cardio, balance and flexibility — that help you focus on getting fit and reaching your goals. The workouts have been developed by experienced fitness professionals to ensure that every move is performed precisely and effectively.

Ar Tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel — This third chapter in the Ar tonelico franchise marks a new approach to the RPG genre by seamlessly combining simulation with role-playing. Gamers can not only customize weapons and items, but now design their character’s personalities, skills, and appearance through virtual interaction. Also past events will intersect with future game play as well as the outcome of the game. Both the graphics and battle system is all new, created from ground up for an unique gaming experience.

PlayStation Network

Slam Bolt Scrappers — Slam Bolt Scrappers is a mash up of building and brawling! Reach for the sky and build the greatest towers in Slam Bolt City while defending against deviously charming baddies and epic bosses. Play with up to three of your friends in the co-op campaign or go head to head in the simple, yet surprisingly deep competitive battle mode.

Hard Corps: Uprising — As homage to the legacy of Konami’s run-and-gun games, Hard Corps: Uprising brings an exciting new look to a traditionally retro genre, all the while keeping with the frenetic gameplay that defines the shooter category. The game follows the soldier Bahamut as he begins to rise in strength and write his legend. Multiple game modes allow seasoned pros to show off their skills and enable genre neophytes to reach victory.

Major League Baseball 2K11 (PSP) — Swing for the fences with the 2011/2012 edition of 2K Sports’ acclaimed baseball franchise. This portable version of Major League Baseball 2K11 lets players play through a wide variety of modes, from the simple slugfest of the Home Run Derby to the dramatic, grueling schedule of Season and Franchise modes. Players can even dip into the Minor Leagues and guide future stars to the big leagues.

Vertigo (PSP) — Vertigo is a high-rolling, adrenalin-fuelled combination of futuristic racing, puzzle solving and precision control. You are a Xorber, a member of most Elite Xorb racing corp. in the galaxy. Roll thunderously across 54 wild and challenging landscapes, through 9 different worlds, each with their own unique treacherous terrain and death defying obstacles.

PSN Demos

• PlayStation Move Heroes
• Slam Bolt Scrappers
• Plants vs Zombies
• Mortal Kombat
• Crysis 2 Multiplayer Demo

PlayStation Portable

Gods Eater Burst (Also on on PSN) — The earth has been plagued by terrifying mutant beasts known as the Aragami and man’s only hope against them is the God Arc weapons and the God Eaters who wield them. Create your own hero and battle against many different types of these enemies, picking up items along the way to customize your weapons, guns, bullets and shields, boosting your strength and stamina in the massive scale fights.

Jikandia: The Timeless Land (Also on PSN) — In Jikandia, you must travel through dungeons in search of your friends. You can set the time limit for each dungeon yourself! Dungeons are altered in several ways according to the time limit you set, so no adventure is the same twice! The longer you spend in one, the more likely you’ll come across rare items and treasure chests… but you’ll also face more monsters and difficult traps. Up to four PSP systems can be linked to play in the Jikandia Coliseum timed stages where you can battle against your friends and dodge traps to win with the highest score!

Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy Prologus (Also on PSN) — The divine conflict between harmony and discord rages on, the fate of the world its promised prize. Fighting to secure it are brave souls summoned for that solitary purpose. These warriors, relying on what fragments of their shattered memories remain, fight to end the conflict — and for a chance to return home, to the worlds they each once knew.

PSone Classics

Parasite Eve — A fateful night at the opera house triggers in one woman the power to cause all those around her to spontaneously incinerate, and in another woman an innate resistance to the attack. You assume the role of the second woman New York cop Aya Brea as she comes to realize that the fate of humanity will be determined by her actions.

minis

Pix N Love Rush — This is a platformer game in which players guide a digitized character through side- and vertically-scrolling levels. Players earn points by collecting coins, avoiding hazards, and completing combos before the timer runs out.

Enigmo — Enigmo is a 3D puzzle game where you move various streams of flowing liquid so that the droplets get to their destination. Liquids (water, oil, and lava) fall from “droppers” and will bounce around the walls of a mechanism. You move and rotate into position various types of bumpers, sliders, accelerators, and sponges in order to divert the flow of the falling droplets. The faster you complete each level, the more bonus you will receive.

Ancient Game Treasures Mill — This is a board game in which players must line up three colored circles in a row to remove opponents’ pieces. To win, players can trap all of their opponent’s pieces or remove all but two of them from the board.

[Editor’s Note: The following dates are subject to change. Game details are gathered from Press Releases from their individual publishers and/or ESRB rating descriptions.]