Retail Scoop: New Releases Week of September 22, 2009

In affiliation with Amazon.com, TripleChat is happy to bring you the new releases each week for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation Portable. We bring what titles are coming out, all the details of who is behind the title, as well as a product description (courtesy of Amazon.com).

Along with new game releases we will also highlight the top five bluray releases each week that we feel will best suite movie and TV show fans alike.  Obviously opinions will differ but this is our site dang nabbit so our opinion will be heard! This is region specific to North America.

This Week: Wow what a week. For those who have been overwhelmed the past few weeks with all the new major releases, you get a break this week as the selection is relatively low key and pretty weak.  With the release of Halo 3: ODST this week on Xbox 360, we didn’t expect much to come out to compete with the Halo name.  After all if you have “Halo” in the title, just like “Madden” it is sure to sell big (just look at Halo Wars).  This week we once again list Katamari Forever as Namco has pushed the game back to its original release date. We updated last week’s post to add it as Namco pushed it up, but here we are again advertising it. Who wants to wager we see it on next week’s Retail Scoop?

Other than Katamari the delayed PS3 version of Pinball Hall of Fame also hits this week on discount, and Rock Band releases its latest track pack for those who prefer their DLC on disc. On the PS2 side we see a budget, made for kids Scooby Doo game and on the PSP we get Persona, and a couple of other titles I am sure no one has heard of.  Persona should see decent movement though.  And to cap it off, Zombie Apocalypse hits this week on PSN as our lone confirmed game on this weeks update.  Some week eh?

Bluray this week, a slightly better week for movie/TV fans as the selection is far more appealing, especially for Trekkies.  This week sees the release of the second bundle of classic Star Trek movies, this time from “The Next Generation” line, alongside the release of Season 2 of the Original Series.  Only Star Trek VIII is seeing an individual release outside of the bundle, though the bundle is the better deal.  The only other TV series hitting this week is the second (and final) season of Terminator: Sara Connor Chronicles.  To fill up this week we decided to skip the latest Matthew McConaughey flick to bring you two modern classics from Simon Pegg, including Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead.

New Releases for the Week of September 22, 2009:

VIDEO GAMES

Katamari Forever
Available for:
Releases: 9/22
Price: $46.99
Publisher: Bandai-Namco
Developer: Bandai-Namco
Genre: Puzzle
Product Description: A terrible event has occurred causing the stars to disappear from the night sky and the King of All Cosmos to fall into a coma. The Prince must use his finely tuned Katamari rolling skills once more to re-create the absent celestial bodies, save his royal father and restore order to the Cosmos. Thumb tacks, sushi, cats, people, skyscrapers, ocean liners and continents – nothing is safe as the Prince makes his way through the largest variety of stages in a single Katamari game ever. New graphical styles give Katamari Forever a certain “je ne sais quoi” that all new Katamari games possess. A few of the new styles include Wood, which uses warm sepia tones to give stages a wooden feel, while Comic creates thick black outlines on every object while filling them in with deep, rich colors. Make sure to try them all out and find your favorite for a totally new way to experience the world of Katamari.

Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection
Available for:
Releases: 9/22
Price: $37.99
Publisher: Crave Entertainment
Developer: Crave Entertainment
Genre: Pinball
Product Description: Classic William’s pinball tables from the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s with enhanced art and physics for the PLAYSTATION 3. Tables include Gorgar, Pinbot, Funhouse, Black Knight, Space Shuttle, Whirlwind, Firepower, Taxi, Jive Time and Sorcere. There are also three new tables, Monster Bash, Medieval Madness and Tales of the Arabian Nights, not found in versions created for other formats.
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ALSO SEE:

• PS2 Version – $10.31
• PSP Version – $11.49

Rock Band: Metal Track Pack
Available for:
Releases: 9/22
Price: $29.99 / $29.99
Publisher: EA Games
Developer: Harmonix
Genre: Music
Product Description: Rock Band Metal Track Pack is a standalone software product that allows owners of Rock Band and Rock Band 2 to keep the party rockin’ hard all night long with 20 seminal hits from the heyday of heavy metal and beyond, hand-picked with care by Harmonix. This Track Pack is also compatible with most Guitar Hero and other instrument controllers and microphones.

Scooby Doo: First Frights
Available for:
Releases: 9/22
Price: $19.99
Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive
Developer: Torus Games
Genre: Adventure
Product Description: In Scooby-Doo! First Frights, the complement to the upcoming live-action and CGI Warner Bros. DVD release Scooby Doo: The Mystery Begins, players take on the role of young Scooby-Doo and teenage versions of the newly formed Mystery, Inc. crew to solve their very first cases. Scooby-Doo! First Frights is intended for Scooby-Doo fans of all ages. Fans will be able to explore spooky environments as Scooby, Shaggy or any of the super-cool teen Mystery, Inc. team. The action-adventure game features co-op play allowing two members of Mystery, Inc. to work together to solve puzzles, combat enemies, and collect clues before unmasking each episode’s mysterious villain – all while gaining prestige as world famous sleuths! Once players have solved the mystery, they can return to completed levels in Explore mode with any unlocked character, costumed character or villain to access new areas. With ghosts and ghouls around every corner, high school has never sounded so fun!

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona
Available for:
Releases: 9/22
Price: $36.99
Publisher: Atlus
Developer: Atlus
Genre: RPG
Product Description: EXPERIENCE CHAPTER ONE OF THE FAMED PERSONA RPG SERIES! One of the most critically-acclaimed roleplaying franchises of all time, Shin Megami Tensei has recently arose to prominence in North America with the releases of Persona 3 and 4, two of the highest-rated releases in their respective years. Now, Atlus revisits the first chapter in the Persona saga on PSP (PlayStation Portable) system. Completely rebalanced and remade, SMT: Persona allows younger fans of the series to find out what everyone¿s been talking about for years, and gives long-time SMT supporters a wholly different take on an all-time classic.
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BONUS OFFERS:

• Pre-order Persona and get the full 2-Disc soundtrack with your copy for free

Adventures to Go!
Available for:
Releases: 9/22
Price: $29.99
Publisher: Natsume
Developer: Global A
Genre: RPG
Product Description: In this hilarious and innovative strategy RPG, players take control of Finn Courtland and his band of misfits in their quest for fame and riches. Along the way, they just might have to save the world from the evil Arbitus and his band of demons. It’ll take brains as well as brawn to win the day, though; the grid-based combat challenges players to think strategically and make the best use of each character’s unique skills and abilities. The strategy doesn’t end there, though! Players can spend their hard-earned cash to set up the game’s randomized dungeons to their liking; choose the terrain, the size of the dungeon, and the monsters that you’ll face. Play it safe, or take on bigger risks for even greater rewards! Your adventure is in your hands!

Mytran Wars
Available for:
Releases: 9/22
Price: $29.99
Publisher: Deep Silver
Developer: Stormregion
Genre: Strategy
Product Description: It’s the 23rd century: The earth’s natural resources are virtually exhausted and the ruling multinational conglomerates are searching for new raw material deposits in space in order to avert the impending catastrophe. One planet turns out to be a real El Dorado in this respect. But as the human conquerors in their armed mecha encounter the extraterrestrial inhabitants a dreadful war breaks out. The player researches into new technologies and continues to rearm his mecha in Mytran Wars. Battles are thereby fought in wonderful 3D landscapes – against the merciless AI or other human opponents in various multiplayer modes.

Zombie Apocalypse
Available for:
Releases: 9/24
Price: $9.99
Publisher: Konami
Developer: Nihilistic
Genre: Action
Product Description: As heavily equipped gunslingers, Zombie Apocalypse sets players on a mission to destroy as many zombies as possible in order save the last remaining human survivors. Using an array of up to 11 lethal weapons including assault rifles, flame throwers and a teddy bear filled with C4 explosives, up to four players can play locally or via the Internet to stop the zombie attacks and rescue survivors as they compete for the highest scores. Players can use a chainsaw to melee zombies and protect themselves against becoming one of the undead. As an added line of defense, players can also use environmental hazards to crush, burn, slice, or cause other types of destruction on the masses of zombies.

BLURAY

Star Trek: The Next Generation Motion Picture Collection
Releases: 9/22
Price: $45.99
Studio: Paramount
Type: Theatrical Movie Bundle (Catalog)
Genre: Science Fiction
Rated: PG
Product Description: Retired Starfleet officers James T. Kirk (William Shatner), Montgomery Scott (James Doohan) and Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig) are guests of honor aboard the newly christened Enterprise-B. A test run takes an unexpected turn, however, when the starship encounters two vessels trapped inside the Nexus, a mysterious energy ribbon. During a perilous rescue attempt, Kirk is swept out into space. Seven decades later, Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the crew of Enterprise-D rescue an El Aurain physicist named Soran (Malcolm McDowell). Unbeknownst to Picard, Soran harbors a deadly plan that includes the destruction of the Enterprise and millions of lives. Now Picard’s only hope for a future rests within the Nexus….and a legendary captain from the past. It goes on and on folks…it’s friggin Star Trek!
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BONUS OFFERS:

• Purchase a selected DVD/Bluray and get Movie Money for the upcoming “Surrogates”

ALSO SEE:

• Star Trek VIII: First Contact – $19.99

Star Trek The Original Series: Season 2
Releases: 9/22
Price: $72.99
Studio: Paramount
Type: TV Show
Genre: Science Fiction
Rated: Not Rated
Product Description: “Space…The Final Frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship, Enterprise. Its 5-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before!” The series is set in the 23rd century where Earth has survived World War III then moved on to explore the stars.
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BONUS OFFERS:

• Purchase a selected DVD/Bluray and get Movie Money for the upcoming “Surrogates”

Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles – Season 2
Releases: 9/22
Price: $44.99
Studio: Warner Bros.
Type: TV Show
Genre: Science Fiction
Rated: Not Rated
Product Description: The time: today. The stakes: all our tomorrows. A nascent AI, assisted by droids, continues to edge toward world domination and the ruin of humankind. It accepts no limits. It fears no one. Except John Connor. The machines know John, now 16, is the future head of the resistance. They know he is growing in abilities. They must find and terminate him. But Sarah Connor is there, protecting and instructing her son as he becomes the man he’s destined to be. The hunt is on in a season of powerful revelations, breathless pursuits and bravura effects. A mysterious 3-dot symbol (do UFOs provide a clue?), a girlfriend for John (is Cameron jealous?), ZeiraCorp (can it master the renegade software called Turk?) – Season 2’s 5-disc action arsenal is locked, loaded, ready to amaze.

Hot Fuzz
Releases: 9/22
Price: $18.99
Studio: Universal
Type: Theatrical Movie (Catalog)
Genre: Comedy Action
Rated: R
Product Description: Get ready for a gut-busting, outrageous comedy from the guys that created “Shaun Of The Dead”. Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) is a big-city cop who can’t be stopped – but he’s making everyone else on the force look bad. When he is reassigned to a small, quiet town, he struggles with this new, seemingly idyllic world and his bumbling partner (Nick Frost). But their dull existence is interrupted by several grisly and suspicious accidents, and the crime-fighting duo turn up the heat and hand out high-octane, car-chasing, gun-fighting, big-city justice in this hilarious hit critics are calling “Outrageous! Uproariously funny!” (Thelma Adams, US Weekly).
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BONUS OFFERS:

• Purchase any DVD or Bluray and receive $5 towards select TV shows at Amazon On Demand (Details)

Shaun of the Dead
Releases: 9/22
Price: $18.99
Studio: Universal
Type: Theatrical Movie (Catalog)
Genre: Comedy Action
Rated: R
Product Description: There comes a day in every man’s life when he has to get off the couch…and kill some zombies. When flesh-eating zombies are on the hunt for a bite to eat, it’s up to slacker Shaun (Simon Pegg) and his best pal Ed (Nick Frost) to save their friends and family from becoming the next entree. Novelist Stephen King gushes “Shaun Of The Dead” is “a 10 on the fun meter and destined to be a cult classic” and Newsweek calls it “a bloody hoot!” It’s a screamingly hilarious zomedy that will have you dying with laughter.
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BONUS OFFERS:

• Purchase any DVD or Bluray and receive $5 towards select TV shows at Amazon On Demand (Details)

RETAIL SCOOP KEY:

1. Prices are subject to change without notice.  Prices listed are current as of post time.
2. For videogame purchases: click on the system icon of the version you wish to buy and/or the boxart shown. You will be redirected automatically to Amazon.com
3. For bluray purchases: click on the boxart shown.  You will be redirected automatically to Amazon.com
4. All bonus offers and/or special offers posted are universal promotions of Amazon.com unless stated otherwise

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