The Drop: Week of February 13th 2012 New Releases

PlayStation 3

Twisted Metal — High atop his penthouse office, a mysterious ringleader named Calypso lords over the contest of vehicle combat known as Twisted Metal. He returns again to host the ultimate contest of skill and destruction. Contestants have been chosen to compete and, should they emerge victorious, win whatever prize their heart desires.

Twisted Metal, the longest-running franchise in PlayStation history, is back exclusively on the PS3 system. With four factions battling for control, players step into the combat boots of a twisted disciple in a high octane, highly destructible world. Disciples strategically dismantle opponents in vehicles loaded with weapons of Twisted destruction. With a robust online system, players unleash destruction with up to 16 players through PlayStation Network and battle through a variety of favorite and new game modes.

UFC Undisputed 3 — UFC Undisputed 3 is the 2012 installment in the critically acclaimed and best-selling mixed martial arts (MMA) video game franchise based on the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The game marks takes players inside the virtual Octagon with extensive focus on intense toe-to-toe combat, impressive visual presentation and significantly increased accessibility, including the introduction of PRIDE Mode, two new weight classes and an impressive playable roster of more than 150 UFC fighters.

Grand Slam Tennis 2 (PS Move Compatible) — EA SPORTS Grand Slam Tennis 2 is the ultimate tennis experience, featuring all four Grand Slam championships and Wimbledon. Players can experience the thrill of serving up aces on Wimbledon’s prestigious Centre Court, hitting cross-court winners on the clay courts of the French Open, play under the bright lights at the U.S. Rise to stardom with the revolutionary Total Racquet Control as you challenge a deep roster of elite players, including Djokovic, Federer, Nadal, Sharapova, Borg, and McEnroe.

PlayStation Vita

UNCHARTED: Golden Abyss (PSN/Game Card) — Uncover the dark secret behind the 400-year-old massacre of a Spanish expedition as Nathan Drake follows the murderous trail of an ancient and secret Spanish sect in Uncharted: Golden Abyss. Caught in the middle of a rivalry between Jason Dante — his old friend — and Marisa Chase — the granddaughter of an archaeologist who has mysteriously vanished without a trace — Nathan Drake races into the treacherous river basins, undiscovered temple ruins and karst caverns of Central America in search of a legendary lost city, only to find himself pushed to the edge of the Golden Abyss.

Developed by award-winning Sony Bend Studio, Uncharted: Golden Abyss is the portable system debut of the multi-million selling Uncharted franchise. The game offers a cinematic experience on-the-go complete with industry-leading motion capture, a rich storyline, highly-detailed environments, and special effects that truly captures the look and feel of the Uncharted universe.

wipEout 2048 (PSN/Game Card) — Get ready to experience the thrill and speed of anti-gravity racing as the original hyper velocity racing game, Wipeout 2048, is back and completely rebuilt for the the next-generation PlayStation handheld. Rebuilt exclusively for the intuitive game handling of a touch interface, motion active tilt, and voice activated controls, players can race against anyone anytime (including PS3 players) with up to 8 players simultaneously and compete for first place within the online leaderboards.

Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational (PSN/Game Card) — Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational offers a completely new way to play Hot Shots Golf! The over-the-top golf franchise is back with a bag full of PlayStation Vita system features. Never leave the golf course with non-stop challenges from friends or bitter rivals. Add to that new PlayStation Vita system specific functions that enable you to better prepare each shot from tee to green.

ModNation Racer: Road Trip (PSN/Game Card) — ModNation Racers is a thoroughly fresh take on classic kart racing that empowers the player to personalize their entire game. Players can express themselves by creating their own Mod character, styling their own racing kart and even building — in just minutes — an imaginative track that can be shared with the rest of the PlayStation community via the free PlayStation Network service.

ModNation Racers: Road Trip for PlayStation Vita brings endless hours of Kart racing to players fingertips, where creativity rules on and off the track. Get on the starting grid of over 300,000 tracks available to download, or just race in the competitive circuit. Race with a new set of controls enhanced with the Vita’s array of features, including touch control, six-axis motion steering and social media tools like ModTraveler and ModMiles.

Escape Plan (PSN)– From the Producers of Fat Princess and the Development Team behind Fat Princess: Fat Roles comes a “touching” adventure. Escape Plan features two hapless characters, Lil and Laarg, who have been captured and need your influence, skill and brainpower to escape from a dark labyrinth of irreverent puzzles and traps. By interacting with the environment and influencing Lil and Laarg, only you can help them survive each deadly room before their captor and nemesis, Bakuki, recycles them and turns them into his minions… or sheep.

Using a high-contrast chiaroscuro style, Escape Plan takes advantage of the PlayStation Vita’s multitouch display, rear touch panel and gestural swipe interfaces. Swipe, squeeze, poke and slap this little guys to manipulate and interact with the diverse environments. Escape Plan gives players unique and memorable moments throughout the gameplay, whether it’s the triumphant thrill of victory or the hilarious agony of defeat.

Super Stardust Delta (PSN/Demo Available) — The Super StarDust franchise blasts its way into players’ hands with Super StarDust Delta. With brand-new features made specifically for PS Vita, players can access an arsenal of weapons with the PS Vita’s touch control screen, including freezing time, unleashing missiles, creating black holes, and crush attacks. Players can also tilt the screen to view beyond the horizon and shake the PS Vita to create a devastating Shockwave attack.

Hustle Kings (PSN/Demo Available) — Hustle your way to the top of the global leader boards in this beautifully chic, yet minimalist pool setting, all displayed in ultra-realistic environments with the PS Vita’s OLED screen. Control every move with intuitive front and rear touch interface and keep the game moving online or offline with quick push notifications between turns. Just be sure to hone your skills and earn cash before entering the bustling online scene.

Lumines: Electronic Symphony (PSN/Game Card) — Shine on with this PlayStation Vita entry into the popular puzzler franchise. Lumines: Electronic Symphony marks the return of Q Entertainment’s landmark puzzle series, bringing together addictive block-dropping puzzle action, an all-new 3D graphics engine, and some of the most significant names in electronic music history.

Lumines: Electronic Symphony offers, for the first time in the series, special new block mechanics give players additional strategic options to give you new ways to play through Journey Mode, Duel Mode, Stopwatch Mode, Master’s Mode, and other exciting play experiences. The game also offers unique new touch input for a uniquely tactile Lumines play challenge. Groove out to tunes from top electronic acts such as The Chemical Brothers and Kaskade in the ultimate portable Lumines puzzler jam!

Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 (PSN/Game Card)– In Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3, fill the shoes of legendary characters from both the Marvel and Capcom Universes –including massively popular characters such as Ryu, Wolverine, Iron Man, and Morrigan, as well as fan favorites such as Trish from Devil May Cry and the wise-cracking Deadpool. They all come to you battle in a living comic book art style powered by Capcom’s MT Framework.

Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 prepares to take the battle to all-new heights in a updated version of the original hit fighting game Marvel Vs. Capcom 3. With brand new iconic characters from the Marvel and Capcom universes — now with 48 characters on the disc — a refined fighting system and new modes, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 continues the Capcom fighting game legacy.

BlazBlue: Continuum Shift II (Also on PS3/PSN/Game Card) — BlazBlue is a high definition 2D fighter from the makers of Guilty Gear. Players throughout the world can participate in online matches, or enjoy the immense story mode featuring individual stories for each character.

This is a second edition of the Continuum Shift arcade expansion edition (which originally added two new characters: Tsubaki and Hazama.) For Continuum Shift II, the character Valkenhayn R. Hellsing is now a playable character.

EA Sports: FIFA Soccer (PSN/Game Card)– EA Sports’ FIFA Soccer on PS Vita gives you the same physics-based, data driven technology that powers FIFA gameplay on home consoles. Take part in eight different game modes, including 11 vs. 11, Tournament Mode with over 50 real-world competitions, a full in-depth Career Mode, and compete online with Head-to-Head matches against your friends and gamers around the world. Create custom online leagues with your friends and compare your online performance with global and friend focused leader boards. Innovations that utilize a rear touch pad and touchscreen create an intelligent and unique gameplay experience. Rear touch pad shooting delivers pin-point accuracy and removes the element of “hit and hope” from shooting and touchscreen passing opens up the field of play for more creative and precision passing.

Virtua Tennis 4: World Tour Edition (PSN/Game Card)– Virtua Tennis 4: World Tour Edition provides a full console experience at the palm of your hand, with 22 of the world’s best players and legends from the past coming together on Playstation Vita. Brand new features unique to Vita combined with the hi-res graphics and lifelike gameplay of the Virtua Tennis series provides players with the greatest tennis experience, anytime and anywhere.

Asphalt Injection (PSN/Game Card)– Add more fuel to the fire with Asphalt: Injection. Master over 100 races in Career mode, collect over 50 world-class luxury cars, and share your best performances with your friends. Arcade racing at its finest with collectibles, crashes, jumps, shortcuts, and nitro for thrilling races. 52 licensed cars from prestigious manufacturers including Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Aston Martin plus legendary models and 2011’s hottest cars. Race on 20 unique tracks inspired by real cities like Rio, Shanghai, and Monte Carlo rendered with cutting-edge graphical effects. Master 10 different event types laid out in a full-featured Career mode with more than 100 unique events

Dungeon Hunter: Alliance (PSN/Game Card)– Join forces and drive back the darkness! Dungeon Hunter: Alliance is an epic quest set in a dark fantasy world, that you can revisit in intense multiplayer mode.

Michael Jackson: The Experience HD (PSN/Game Card)– He is the legendary King of Pop! In this game, players step into the shoes of Michael Jackson himself and re-live his most iconic performances through their own singing and dancing. The game includes the most famous tracks from Michael Jackson’s extensive catalog such as Beat It and Billie Jean, as well as an array of his awe-inspiring dance moves for players to learn and emulate within the game. Additionally, fans can sing along and test their vocal skills while immersed in the performance.

Rayman Origins (PSN/Game Card)– When the Glade of Dreams is overrun by nefurrious Darktoons, the Fairy Council hastily invokes Rayman to save the day. To help him, Rayman teams up with his best friend, Globox, and two crafty wizards, the Teensies. Together, the world’s most hilarious team of heroes will need to restore peace to the Glade or watch as their beloved home vanishes like a bad dream…

PlayStation Network

The House of the Dead III (PS Move Compatible // Demo Available) — Defy the undead with shotgun in hand as you explore a post-apocalyptic wasteland of unrelenting terror in The House of the Dead III. Fans of the series will thrill to an abundance of 3D gore, time-sensitive gameplay, and a wide variety of branching paths. Gamers take out wave after wave of horrific zombies as they travel different routes and advance the story line, uncovering new secrets and hidden areas along the way. The all-new shotgun comes in handy when surrounded by an army of undead. Players must use it wisely to take out multiple enemies in a single blast as they plow their way through the most exhilarating nightmare yet.

Grand Theft Auto IV (Full PS3 Game) — GTA IV reinvents the series with a renewed version of Liberty City detailed to the last pothole and rooftop vent. There are now four boroughs to explore plus extra area outside of Liberty City proper. With the ability to climb obstacles, drive cars, steer boats and pilot helicopters, the world of GTA is more accessible than ever before.

In this fourth installment of the popular series, players take on the role of Niko Bellic, a rough-around-the-edge chap from Eastern Europe. Niko has arrived in America, in Liberty City — a land full of promise and opportunity. His cousin convinced him to emigrate, to join him in his mansion and life of luxury, but as soon as he steps off the boat, Niko discovers the truth about the American way. Still, the wealth, the comfort, the bliss of the good life, it all really is here … And it’s all for the taking.

Worms: Ultimate Mayhem — Worms: Ultimate Mayhem is a souped-up, re-vamped, high-definition re-imagining of Worms 3D and Worms 4: Mayhem, bringing both games together in one incredibly over-stuffed, over-the-top package. The game includes 60 missions, 38 weapons and 12 graphical themes, as well as full online play for up to four players.

Demos

• Mass Effect 3
• Binary Domain

PlayStation Portable

Hakuoki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom — In Hakuoki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom, a young woman by the name of Chizuru comes to Kyoto in search of her missing father, and soon encounters danger and the Shinsengumi in quick succession. When it becomes clear the Shinsengumi are also searching for her father, Chizuru is put under their protection. But odd things are afoot in Kyoto—possibly even supernatural happenings. Can Chizuru navigate this maze of mortal danger and political intrigue? Amidst so much mystery and death, can she find romance?

[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.]