It's only just over 3 weeks til Christmas and you'll not find the releases slip up for a while yet. This week marks the start of December and a flow of games that are perfect for family gaming around the tree with platforming legends Mario and Donkey Kong sparking nostalgia for everyone. Here's our pick of the releases this week.
Super Mario All Stars
Nintendo Wii
Retro Mario fans will rejoice at Nintendo's brilliant choice to release the classic Super Mario All Stars for Wii gamers across Europe, in a special collector's edition you can relive your childhood with Mario Bros. 1-3 and the Lost Levels pack for a low RRP of £24.99. Not to mention it includes a soundtrack with a vast array of Mario music.
Donkey Kong Country Returns
Nintendo Wii
Donkey Kong Country returns after 13 years, and it's even better than the Donkey Kong Country that you played as a kid! Join Diddy and Donkey Kong as they battle the Tiki's to get Donkey's bananas back, as the first Donkey Kong title to not involve Rare some fans may be sceptical at first but this is a true return to the classic platformer.
Sly Collection
Playstation 3
Although you may have never heard of him, Sly Cooper the raccoon thief had a spurt of very good platformers on the Playstation 2, Sony have relaunched Sly in the Sly Collection available exclusively for Playstation 3; including the ability to play Sly 3: Honour Among Thieves in 3D, Playstation Move mini games, and each game has been remastered into HD.
Harvest Moon 3 Sunshine Islands, Animal Parade, Frantic Farming
Nintendo Wii, DS
If you are a fan of Harvest Moon you will not know what to do with yourself this week as we see the release of three separate Harvest Moon titles across the Nintendo Wii and DS. Harvest Moon 3 Sunshine Islands is the biggest portable Harvest Moon to date on the Nintendo DS and takes all of the fun of Harvest Moon and places across the Sunshine Islands. Animal Parade takes a spin on the average Harvest Moon and allows you to befriend exotic animals. Then there is Frantic Farming that is more of a Columns-type Connect 3 title, perfect for Christmas day whilst you wait for dinner to be cooked!
Dive to the Titanic
Windows
Dive to the Titanic is a new game from Excalibur Publishing, rather than your normal simulator title, Dive to the Titanic is a semi-serious, subtly educational story driven exploration of the Titanic with your mini-manned submarine the Nephron. With a controllable camera robot you can explore the interior of the epic ship with impressive detail and take photos and find treasure in order to further your expedition into the depths of the Titanic.
Although this week may not be full of big budget blockbusters there is still a treasure trove of games fit for the gamer that does not rely on first person shooters for entertainment, what will you be buying this week?