WHATS NEW September 5th 08

It’s pretty safe to say that this Friday signifies the end of what we’ve all come to call the traditional summer drought – with a number of big hitting triple-A releases heralding the beginning of the Q3/Q4 rush.

What the most significant release is this week really comes down to what type of gamer you are, or what type of gamer you’re targeting.

EA’s Spore is certainly a contender. As one of the most hyped PC games ever, many are seriously calling this the best game of all time. Either way, it’s guaranteed to perform at retail, both this week and for weeks to come.

Other titles of note include the EA double act of Mercenaries 2: World in Flames and boxing outing Facebreaker. The former has all the ingredients of a blockbuster, but will have to improve upon the performance of the first outing to become so. New IP Facebreaker is harder to predict, though should perform well.

Xbox 360 RPG fans are in for a treat in the shape of Square Enix’s Microsoft-exclusive Infinite Undiscovery, along with the sequel to Rare’s accomplished garden sim, Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise. DS owners, meanwhile, can choose between the RTS delights of Take 2’s Civilization Revolution or Rare’s handheld version of cult 360 hit Viva Pinata.

Other titles hitting retail this week include Deep Silver’s PC FPS STALKER: Clear Sky, Midway’s lycra-clad answer to WWE, TNA Impact, and budget releases for Ubisoft’s misunderstood classic Assassin’s Creed on Xbox 360 and PS3.

Full Release Schedule for September 5th (taken from MCV’s constantly updated online release schedule):

Spore – EA (PC/DS)
Mercenaries 2: World in Flames – EA (PC/PS3/PS2/360)
Infinite Undiscovery – Square Enix (360)
Facebreaker – EA (PS3/360)
Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise – Microsoft (360)
Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise – THQ (DS)
Civilization Revolution – Take 2 (DS)
STALKER: Clear Sky – Deep Silver (PC)
TNA Impact – Midway (Wii/PS3/PS2/360)
Assassin’s Creed Classics – Ubisoft (360)
Assassin’s Creed Platinum – Ubisoft (PS3)

Supreme Commander – 505 Games (360)
WSC Real 08: World Snooker Championship – Deep Silver (360/PS3/Wii/PC/PSP)
Hannah Montana: Spotlight World Tour – Disney Interactive (PS2)
Spellbound – 505 Games (DS)
Naruto Ultimate Ninja 3 – Atari (PS2)
C-130 Hercules – Just Flight (PC)
Picto Image – Sega (DS)
Jackass – Empire (DS)
Dinosaur King – Sega (DS)
Clever Kids: Farmyard Fun – Midas (DS/Wii)
Clever Kids: Pirates – Midas (DS/Wii)
Chess Crusade – Zoo Digital (Wii/DS)
Super Speed Machines – Midas (DS)
Mahjong Escape: Ancient China – Focus (PC)
Amazing Adventures of the Lost Tomb – Focus (PC)
GTR Evolution Bundle Pack – Atari (PC)
Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI – Koei (PC)