August 2013 Will Kill Your Wallet, Week Two

The madness continues! And we still have two more weeks go go after this. If you haven’t seen anything you want, you probably will soon.

Mario & Luigi: Dream Team |
Nintendo 3DS | August 11th

 

Like the previously-released
Pikmin 3, Mario & Luigi: Dream
Team also suffered from Nintendo of America’s strange aversion towards
releasing anything in July. Unlike Pikmin 3, though, there was a good reason
for it. It released in Japan and Europe in the middle of July, at the same time
Shin Megami Tensei IV released here.
Given how the company (partnered with Atlus USA) went through the bother of running a promotion with it and Fire Emblem: Awakening, they were
treating it as a semi-large title. Why they held it back until August is
understandable — they wouldn’t want to have two hallmark RPGs release that close to each other.

 

Reviews say
that despite Dream Team not offering the level of innovation as Bowser’s
Inside Story, which gave you the opportunity to play the series’
trademark villain for a sizable period of time, it’s still an enjoyable game for
fans of the series and genre. Another issue is that it’s a little too much like the previous games, though
it doesn’t abandon its RPG tropes a la Paper
Mario: Sticker Star. DT is actually available in stores and on the
eShop today, and a demo is also available for you to try out. Keep in mind the
black 3DS XL also released today.

 

Payday 2 |Playstation 3, Xbox 360, PC|
August 13th

 

I mentioned
in last week’s part of this feature that I wouldn’t be including digital games
here. Payday 2? It’s getting a retail release, despite the original four-player
heist game being exclusive to the digital market. It’s a testament to how well
some games can do there, enough that the sequels can get physical releases
($39.99). Unfortunately, they apparently don’t plan on distributing the first
game in the same manner. This game, like its predecessor, is a four-player
co-op first-person shooter starring four characters, who spend their time pull
off various heists. You don’t have to go in guns blazing; the element of
stealth is also a viable option. Hopefully it’s as good as the first game.

 

Europa Universalis IV | PC | August
13th

 

I’ve never
heard of Europa Universalis IV, or the franchise as a whole. Nor do I play PC
strategy games. The
Wikipedia entry is also surprisingly unhelpful. But I’ll try my best to get
through this, and not make it sound
like a regurgitated press release.

 

EUIV is a
historical strategy war game set between November 11th, 1444 and December 31st,
1820, giving players the opportunity develop, take control of, and expand
certain historical European nations through careful planning and execution. It’s
part of a genre and series whose predecessors have been historically esoteric
for newcomers, but developer Paradox Interactive has made this game easier to
approach, thanks to improved tutorials and a better UI. A demo is available on Steam,
if you want to try it out.

 

Angry Birds Trilogy |Wii, Wii U| August
13th

 

It’s not
just for other systems anymore! Now Wii and Wii U owners have the opportunity
to give Rovio and Activision their hard-earned money for a cynical cash-in
collection of games (in this case, the original Angry Birds, Seasons,
and Rio) that can be found for the
fraction of the price on phones, tablets, and PC. The trio reportedly sold well
on other platforms, especially on 3DS, so it has an audience. And now consumers
have more choices to swipe their time and stress away. Whether that’s a good
thing depends on your perspective.

 

Phineas and Ferb: Quest for Cool Stuff |360,
Wii, Wii U, DS, 3DS| August 13th

 

This game is
about Disney’s Phineas and Ferb, and
this is their quest…for cool stuff.

 

Really,
though, Phineas and Ferb is one of the better cartoons to grace the Disney
Channel (and its variations) in the last decade, garnering a massive fanbase in
the process. Whether Quest for Cool Stuff can capture that charm remains to be
seen, and previous video game adaptations for this franchise and other Disney
properties as of late don’t inspire confidence. This game was developed by
Behaviour Interactive, previously known as Artificial Mind & Movement, who has quite a
reputation. (Their name was abbreviated as “A2M,” so you can see why they
changed their name.) There’s barely any info on the game outside of the publisher’s
website, which could simply mean
that many want to keep themselves in the dark about it to avoid spoilers. I’m
sure that’s the case.

 

That’s all
for this week’s video game releases! Admittedly, this week was lighter than the
last. But fear not, as the next two will have something for you — especially
the last one.