The releases are back again in their numbers with some family friendly titles and a few mixed genres for your deliberation, if you own a DS you have no choice but to buy the new Mario vs. Donkey Kong, because you will not regret it! Here's our pick of the releases this week.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem
Nintendo DS
The brilliantly inventive puzzle game returns in its fourth iteration on the Nintendo DS, as a very critically acclaimed series the game will fall off of many people's radars, however it is one of the best new DS games out on the market and will give you hours of countless enjoyment. Running similar to Lemmings you need to direct your Mario minis throughout levels, Mini-Land Mayhem also features a level editor to make your own puzzling areas for your friends to master.
Mario Sports Mix
Nintendo Wii
No to be confused with the similarly named Mario Dance Mix, Sports Mix is a new sports related Mario spin-off. However Sports Mix is a compilation, unlike the singular titles Golf, Tennis and Baseball. Complete with four different sports; Ice Hockey, Baseketball, Dodgeball and Volleyball allowing you more multiplayer enjoyment than Mario's previous sports titles. The sports have the obvious power-ups twists to make them different from your average sports title. If you are a fan of Mario and his various sports titles it's always worth a look.
Lord of Arcana: Slayer Edition
Playstation Portable
In Lord of Arcana players are plunged into the underworld to destroy legendary creatures in an attempt to obtain the power of the Arcana. Combat is simple and rewarding and there is an emphasis on cooperative multiplayer. Developed by Access Games, Lord of Arcana sounds quite promising as a PSP rpg, and is definitely worth a look if your copy of Monster Hunter is worn out. The Slayer edition also comes with a copy of the game in a unique 'slayer red' case, a 44-page artbook and a mini soundtrack CD
Hacker Evolution Collection
Windows
Hacker Evolution is a brilliant game in the style of Uplink and the very early Hacker and puts you in the shoes of a hacker with good intentions, to find the cause of a worldwide 'crash' in the system. Using a command line based interface, Hacker Evolution challenges your intelligence and focus in such a simple, but effective manner. Previously only released through digital means this collection sends the game to retail with both titles in the series.
If you love Mario spin offs then you'll be pretty pleased this week with Mario Sports Mix and the brilliantly puzzling Mario v Donkey Kong, however if you are into obscure niche games then definitely check out Hacker Evolution collection,. it had us hooked instantly. Will you be buying anything this week?