Angled Whiteboards

See that? NO PERIOD at the end of this post’s title! That can only mean one thing … the trusty xamount is off for another vacation this week (as is the trustier dinah). Fret not, they’ll both be back next week. But until then, that leaves the get-to-trust-me mixednut to fill in and give you the goods on this week’s fresh newness. We’re continuing to march down the Summer Throwdownin’ Bloodsuckers path (surprise, surprise and huzzah!), including a particular SSFIIT title that I gave WAY too much of my life to back in the day. Lots of GameTap TV tidbits to feast on this week as well, so, why are you still reading my ramblings? DIG IN.

New games:

• BloodRayne 2
• Street Fighter Alpha 2
• Super Street Fighter II Turbo
• Total Overdose

New on GameTap TV:

• GameTap News: ‘07 Predictions
• Computer Lab: Boundaries
• Confessions: Obsession
• Play This Game: Crystal Castles
• Play This Game: Descent II
• Quick Hit: Arctic Monkeys
• Quick Hit: The Nightwatchmen
• SeaLab 2021: Return of Marko
• GameTap Presents: The Used

Footloose and fancy:

• Free

Although they’ve only been publish-able for the past month and a half or so, I’m psyched to see the playlists that people have started putting together. Already I’ve stumbled across plenty that have helped me find new games, helped me find new people, and just helped me be entertained and amused. So that’s the idea behind this series: passing the playlist love forward.

This first one is a straight-up, focused list of games:

– SHMUPS by batzradio –

While I certainly grew up playing my share of shmups (from Galaga to 1942 to Blazing Lazers), I don’t know that I ever really thought of them as a type unto themselves. And batzradio’s playlist reveals the all the different layers and permutations of the category. Where else will you find Ikari Warriors sitting next to Blazing Star? Other than the playlist of AWESOME, that is…

(He still needs to add the one game that instigated my renewed interest in the category though. Maybe you’ve heard of it? A little game that starts with “T,” ends with “le Star Sprites,” and in the middle is “wink“? That said, I’m usually only a recent-three click away from it anyway.)

So yeah, hot new games this week. I KNOW. But, I gotta take a second and recognize the crazysexycool Re\Visioned series that kicked off last week. Tomb Raider is the focus of this first season — and it’s already featured the work of that insane Aeon Flux dude, Peter Chung. Today’s episode is by Brian Pulido, and next week’s Warren Ellis (!) take promises to be one of my favorites. But then there’s the upcoming 12 year old Lara deal by Gail Simone? It’s all just too much. Not to mention the future potential of the Re\Visioned series. Hint: dip into this thread and pay close attention to the stuff the Princess Bride fanatic says. He seems to know what’s what…

New games:

• Hitman 2: Silent Assassin
• The Last Blade 2
• Legacy of Kain: Defiance
• Samurai Shodown V
• The King of Fighters 2002

New on GameTap TV:

• Computer Lab: Klaus’s Letter Home
• Sealab 2021: Sharko’s Machine
• A Quick Hit: Joshua Radin
• A Quick Hit: Bloc Party
• A Quick Hit: The Bravery
• GameTap News: A Look at E3
• Play This Game: MDK
• Tapped In: Rogue Trooper

Bird:

• Free

Oh man, I love this.

This mookie fella has decided to take the wheel (OBEY THE WHEEL) to its logical extreme: he’s playing and blogging his way through every game in the system. Here’s the post where he kicks everything off. As of this writing, he’s knocked out a good seven games.

Buddy, please, I’m begging you. Stick this thing out. I’m already plenty entertained by your high-concept exercise in writing. In fact, playlist this thing. You’re making me want to follow along and rate ‘em up right there with you.

This week’s new games lean a bit toward the sharpened-metal-tends-to-slice violent side of things. Well, most of them. The much-requested and sequential-gap-filling Space Quest IV? It’s more about ripping time than flesh. (Get it? Cause of the full title? Huh? Ha ha?) Anyway, one fun fact about the 1991 Space Quest release: development costs ran over one milllllion dollars. That sounds like a ton o’ cash for back then. And while I played I-III, I never got around to this one. I wonder if I’ll get all the callbacks?

New games:

• Bloodrayne
• The Last Blade
• Metal Slug 5
• Samurai Shodown IV: Amakusa’s Revenge
  
• Space Quest IV: Roger Wilco and the Time Rippers
• The King of Fighters 2001

New on GameTap TV:

• Computer Lab: Cupcake of Wisdom
• Confessions: Muffy
• Sealab 2021: Green Fever
• A Quick Hit: Finger Eleven
• A Quick Hit: Bayside
• GameTap News: Beautiful Katamari

Ask my three year old how old he is and he’ll answer:

• Free

i’m typing this very quietly because i want to make sure it’s really, really real. but i’m pretty sure the mac version just went live. go to the catalog, filter “playable in lite player” games only, and get to playing. pass it on…