The Drop: Week of Jan 17th 2011 New Releases

Rejoice! Sackboy is back! Our favorite cotton stuffed mascot has returned to save Craftworld from the evil clutches of The Negativitron with the help from The Alliance! Building upon the original, LittleBigPlanet 2 expands on the creative, the imaginative and best of all, the “awesome-tive.” Delivering countless hours of gameplay with a rich story, amazing tunes and thousands of community created levels and experiences. LBP2 proves to be the best opening act for an amazing collection of PlayStation titles in 2011.

Renegade Spectres listen up, in the mood for a suicide mission? The definitive version of Mass Effect 2 arrives on PS3 this week turning any sci-fi geek (like myself) into a big pile of Pizza The Hut. Also new this week, expect almost every single PlayStation outlet to sprout with new titles and classic nudges to our retro gaming library, making this week’s The Drop a “historic” one.

PlayStation 3

LittleBigPlanet 2 – LittleBigPlanet 2 begins with a unique story mode that provides a beautifully reshaped world for Sackboy to explore and play. Each story level is influenced by cultural high points in history.

Players can reset the controller buttons for any object and change the rules to any level through an ability called Direct Control and multiplayer abilities advance the types of games possible for a social/competitive experience. Users are able to link levels together to provide longer gameplay experiences without the breakup of going back to the Pod and can see what LittleBigPlanet 2 levels/games their friends are playing via activity steams.

(PS Blog Coverage: All LittleBigPlanet 2 Stories)

Mass Effect 2 (Available on PSN) – Once again stepping into the role of the heroic Commander Shepard, gamers command their crew on a suicide mission in space. Players must assemble their squad from amongst the galaxy’s most powerful mystics, geniuses, and convicts and lead them on a suicide mission to discover why humans are vanishing from the galaxy. The success of the mission hinges on the squad recruited and their loyalty to the mission. Shepard’s future depends on it.

Bringing this blockbuster franchise to PlayStation 3 for the first time, this edition of Mass Effect includes the full Mass Effect 2 game and hours of bonus content, introducing PS3 players to BioWare’s award-winning action RPG franchise.

(PS Blog Coverage: The “Definitive Version” of Mass Effect 2 is on PS3)

PlayStation Network

Modern Combat: Domination (Demo Available) – With Modern Combat: Domination, teamwork, skill and fun are back with frantic gameplay in a top-notch game for the PlayStation 3. Square off in 16-player battles in 6 modes and complete your objectives to rule the leader boards! Use the PlayStation Move motion controller for an unprecedented level of combat immersion.

(PS Blog Coverage: Modern Combat: Domination Producer Q&A, PlayStation Move Support Confirmed)

Spare Parts (Demo Available) – In this online action adventure, players join courageous robots Mar-T and Chip as they find themselves dumped with the trash on a strange planet. Working together in co-op mode, the mechanical duo must find a way to repair their ship and escape the planet before nefarious Lord Krung can dispatch his henchmen to destroy them.

PSone Classics

Metal Slug X – Metal Slug X sets the stage for you to save the world. A power-hungry group of renegades has teamed up with aliens, and together they are planning to assume control of the planet. You are a one-man army whose mission is to squash the rebellion. In addition to new weapons, you will also have access to a variety of vehicles including the Super Vehicle-001 mini-tank, Camel Slug, Slug Flyer, and Slugnoid, each packed with special weapons and abilities.

PSone Japan Classics

Mega Man – A port of the NES original with slightly enhanced graphics & sound as well as save points, unlocakable art and other special features.

minis

Shift Extended – Locked up with other subjects of a scientific experiment, Subject 32763 must figure out a way out. Escape the many traps of the game and find your way through this gigantic maze. But the path to safety is not clearly visible … or is it? Use the “SHIFT” function to radically the architecture of the levels. White becomes black, the ground is now air, up is down and left is right: everything is shifted 180 degrees. This allows the player to shift the environment at will and therefore find new ways to get to the exit.

Pipe Madness – Put together some pipes — pronto! In Pipe Madness, you must rush to complete your pipeline before the liquid catches up with you or all of your hard work will be ruined. Combat the flowing liquid over endless levels and reach that unbeatable high score. Maximize your bonuses by building intricate pipe networks.

5 in 1 Solitaire – Now you can take five of the most popular solitaire games with you on the go. 5 in 1 Solitaire features the always-popular Klondike, Spider and FreeCell games as well as the unique Golf and Gaps versions of solitaire. Each of these versions has a unique style of play that’s easy enough for novice players to enjoy but will also challenge experts. You can also view tutorials for each game, track your scores and view gaming stats to see your progress.

Karimogi – Karimogi is an alien that needs you! The situation is critical. Cranes are dropping bricks everywhere and Karimogi needs your help to push them around and put them in order or he will never see his spaceship again. Arrange the bricks into rows and they will then disappear. But be careful, you must stay very alert because any brick could crush you!

[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.]