The Drop: Week of Jan 3rd 2011 New Releases

Greetings from the future! Welcome back PlayStation fans, I hope you’re sporting your aluminum foil hats and gloves as you brace yourself for what is going to be a spectacular year in PlayStation gaming history. I kid you not, I’ve traveled into the future and have witnessed a world where PlayStation Move light posts tower over PS3 paved streets and walkways. People commute in DualShock shaped cars and Kratos has become a popular name among new born babies.

But before we all welcome our new found PlayStation overlords, let’s rewind to the present day and check out this year’s very first “The Drop” for 2011. Make it quick though, I need to replace the left trigger, right analog stick and get a quick oil change on the old girl.

PlayStation Network

Tetris — Millions of players worldwide on Sony PlayStation 3 systems will now have the opportunity to download and play the game with crisp 1080p high-definition (HD) graphics, high-quality 5.1 surround sound audio, and all-new ways to play including online against other Tetris players from around the globe. The Tetris game is one of the best-selling games of all time, with more than 100 million paid mobile downloads.

(PS Blog Coverage: Tetris for PSN in 1080p and 5.1, Gets PS3-Exclusive Multiplayer)

Microbot — MicroHexon Research has invented a transformative medical technology: autonomous nanotech machines that are no larger than a blood cell. When injected into the body they target and eliminate diseases at the cellular level. However, something has gone dangerously awry. The nanomachines have bonded to the diseased cells and are now multiplying inside the body at an exponential rate. Piloting a new prototype MicroBot, players must seek and destroy the infection before it consumes the human host from the inside.

Richochet — Ricochet is a “Ball-and-paddle” game in the longstanding tradition of Breakout or, for a more accurate comparison, Arkanoid. You’re a participant in the intergalactic Ricochet Championship. You must bust through 40 different arrangements of bricks in four different arenas, builiding up the highest score to obtain the coveted Master of the Universe award.

PlayStation Network Demos

• Microbot
• Top Gun
• Alien Breed 2: Assault
• Ricochet
• Kung-Fu Live
• Hustle Kings

PSone Classics

Re-Loaded — It begins on a prison planet where the most sadistic, maniacal killers of all types are being held. Of course, they don’t plan to stay for long, and your role is to execute their escape from the bizarre confines. Choose from six lunatics as you attempt to blast, slash, and bite your way to sweet freedom. Characters range from armed robots to bloodthirsty cannibal girls, and each is vicious enough to destroy anything in its path.

Arc the Lad III — The tactical RPG Arc the Lad III is the third and final leg for the Arc series. The game lets you take on quests from guilds for the game to move on. As the story develops, the characters Alec and Lutz meet new company to face a corrupted organization called the Academy.

PlayStation Portable (PSN)

Legends of War: Patton’s Campaign — A strategy game where the Campaign mode combines 2 different game modes: a high-level strategic management part, to set up your army with the units of your choice which can be evolved to acquire new features and skills; and a tactical and turn-based part, where you will fight across different battlefields seeking the defeat of Nazi army with the least casualties and number of turns possible.

Auditorium — Challenge yourself to transform light into sound while surrounded by stunning visual effects and supreme symphonies. Find yourself manipulating a constant stream of moving particles of light and sound into audio containers — as you fill the containers, light transforms into sound. Given enough light, the containers will begin to sing together in a symphony — not enough light, and you’ll find yourself battling to conquer each puzzle.

PlayStation minis
Angry Birds — The survival of the Angry Birds is at stake. Dish out revenge on the green pigs who stole the Birds’ eggs. Use the unique destructive powers of the Angry Birds to lay waste to the pigs’ fortified castles. Angry Birds features hours of gameplay, challenging physics-based castle demolition, and lots of replay value. Each of the 63 levels requires logic, skill, and brute force to crush the enemy.

M.O.Z.O.X Space Salvager — M.O.Z.O.X. is a shoot’em up with a more ‘Classic’ flat and horizontal camera, and another camera orientation we call ‘Action’. The ‘Action’ camera gives a 3/4 view and rotates the camera like a vertical shooter but presents the player with depth. In our focus-testing we found this mode, while more challenging, was much more exciting to our testers.

Family Games: Pen & Paper Edition — In Family Games: Pen & Paper Edition, families can enjoy games like Squares (Dots), Nine Men’s Morris (Mill), Safe Cracker, Matchsticks and more.

[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.]