Developed by tri-Ace (creators of Star Ocean, Valkyrie Profile, and so on) and published by Square Enix (of Final Fantasy fame) comes one of those somewhat rare RPG titles that are exclusive to the XBOX 360. I have to admit, I’ve actually been looking forward to this for quite some time (it’s one of the reasons I ended up getting a 360 before a PS3), and a really do hope that it lives up to its promises… else I shall be very annoyed.

The storyline of the game focuses largely on a young man named Capel, who is mistaken for a rebel hero and imprisoned, only to be drawn into the fight against the wicked Order of Chains.

At the core of this title is the “situational” nature of the game in which every choice and battle permanently changes the in-game world in some way. Battles are in real-time (think Radiata Stories, rather than Final Fantasy XII), and you can control a party of up to 4 people (with a choice between 18 playable characters). There are also day to night transitions during play that can work both for and against the player.

Infinite Undiscovery is scheduled to ship September 1 and release on September 2. For those who like free stuff, EB Games is offering a pre-order bonus of a limited foil print and a download code for your choice of five different in-game items.

Have you pre-ordered it yet?

Sure, Bad Company comes out next week, but if you’re interested in the Gold Edition of the game, you might want to head on over to Amazon before the release and pre-order it. For doing so, you get a free $10 Amazon.com gift card.

Promising non-traditional gameplay for the genre, environments where you can destroy nearly everything, and online multiplayer for up to 24 people, this should be a good one.

PS3 Gold Edition | 360 Gold Edition | PS3 Regular Edition | 360 Regular Edition

If you’re looking for deals, you might want to head over to the Amazon.com Gold Box today. XBOX 360 deals abound!

The Deal of the Day is Call of Duty 4: Game of the Year Edition for a measly $39.99, and the Lightning Deals look pretty promising. The first this morning is Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2 Limited Edition for $29.99, and three more will be revealed in the coming hours.

Developed by tri-Ace and published by Square-Enix, Infinite Undiscovery for the XBOX 360 is officially scheduled for a worldwide release on September 2, 2008.

The game promises a whole new take on the action-RPG genre, in that it’s chief gameplay element is that the world evolves in real time with every choice and discovery the player makes. This, and Square-Enix’s other up-coming 360 title, The Last Remnant, are the whole reason I even wanted a 360 in the first place (well… those two, and Dead Rising…), so I’m very excited to finally know when I’m going to be getting my hands on it.

With the announcement of the release date also comes a new trailer for the game:

One hundred dollars less than I would have paid for it new, a buttload of games (including Halo 2 and 3), and a free month of Live. That pretty much sums up my love of rummaging though other people’s stuff.

China wants to play with my new toy.

THQ recently announced an official release date for Saints Row 2. The sequel to 2006’s Saints Row (which, incidentally was developed here in town at Volition, Inc.) will be available on August 26th for PS3 and Xbox 360.

Pre-order it on 360 and PS3 today! Saints Row 2 is also available as a collector’s edtion for PS3 and 360.

In the unlikely event that you haven’t heard yet, Grand Theft Auto IV will be released worldwide on April 29. You can pick up the regular version, or go for the special edition, which includes a customized GTA metal safety deposit box, GTA IV in special packaging, a GTA IV Art Book, selected Soundtrack CD, a Rockstar keychain, and a limited edition Rockstar duffel bag.

Preorder it for PS3 or 360 today, or grab yourself the PS3 or 360 Special Edition, and get all that other nifty stuff.

Wherein we take a look at this week’s releases. And I’m definitely looking forward to this week, because I finally get to play Crisis Core. Yay!

PSP

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII - Feeding my required Final Fantasy fix, Crisis Core will be released on the 25th. A prequel to the original game, and starring the much loved but little seen Zack Fair, the Crisis Core is an action RPG that covers the period of time leading up to the events at Nibelheim five years prior to FFVII. Combat is a combination of skill and luck, with the randomly determined “Digital Mind Wave” bonus popping up every now and then. I’ve had this on pre-order for months. Hopefully, it won’t turn out to be another Dirge of Cerberus.

Warriors Orochi - A crossover between the Dynasty Warriors series and Samurai Warriors series, Warriors Orochi is the PSP port of the PS2 title of the same name. It combines various gameplay elements of both Dynasty Warriors 5 and Samurai Warriors 2, and boasts a whopping 77 playable characters to choose from. I can’t say I’ve ever been a fan of either series, so I can’t really offer much of an opinion on this one.

XBox 360 and PS3

Dark Sector (360 | PS3) - A third person shooter with a rather apocalyptic scenario, Dark Sector places you in the role of a covert operative inadvertently infected by an enemy with the Technocyte Virus. The resulting mutations give him superhuman powers, in particular the ability to grow a three-bladed throwing weapon from his arm. The game features solo and multiplayer modes, as well as online multiplayer combat.

Viking: Battle for Asgard (360 | PS3) - In Viking: Battle for Asgard, you must stop a banished goddess from wiping out humanity with her army of resurrected vikings. The player take on the role of a young warrior named Skarin, chosen by the gods. Primarily a hack and slash title, Viking boasts open-world exploration and massive battles comprised of hundreds of warriors, but no multi-player mode.

Wii

Obscure: The Aftermath - I love a good survival horror title, and this one looks somewhat promising, if a little campy. Supposedly influenced by teen horror movies, in Obscure you play as students at Fallcreek University who discover strange black flowers (that have hallucinogenic properties) cropping up all over campus… so of course it’s only a matter of time before something goes horribly wrong, and mutants start leaping out at you. This title is also available on PS2, for those out there who can’t seem to find a Wii yet.

Opoona - An RPG from ArtePiazza and Koei, in Opoona you play as the titular character who winds up in a hospital, with no memory of how he got there, and no idea what happened to the rest of his family. Though I don’t know much about it beyond the basic plot, the game is apparently played almost entirely with the Nunchuck attachment.

Octomania - This is a puzzle game from the makers of Puyo Puyo!. It features single player story mode (WTF?) and multi-player mode, as well as being Wi-Fi enabled. The object is to clear variously colored octopi from your screen by matching them with like-colored octopi all while infesting your opponent’s screen with sea urchins. Take a look at the gameplay here. I know I’ve seen this in less advanced versions under other titles on many a casual gaming site.

Nintendo DS

Harvest Moon DS Cute - The only explanation I can think of for this is that certain game developers think that making the main character a little blond girl and slapping the word “cute” in the title will make every DS-owning girl on the planet want this game. I find the marketing insulting… to quote the product description:

“Help break the Harvest King’s spell by tending to your garden and finding the Harvest Sprites. Start by mastering planting fields and tending livestock. Who knows, maybe a handsome guy will help you out, but watch out for that thief! Soon you might even get married and have a child. Come restore the magic. Have either a male or female child. Play as the blonde Claire from the original Harvest Moon for Girls and from More Friends of Mineral Town or the pony-tailed brunette Jill from Another Wonderful Life.”

M&M’s Kart Racing - Dear god, why? That is all.

*reaches into the Hat ‘O New Games (patent pending)* There are lots of new games coming out every week. Let’s see a few of the most recent.

PS2 (Yes they’re still releasing stuff for it)

Metal Gear Solid: The Essential Collection
A nifty little compilation set containing the original Metal Gear Solid, and director’s cuts of Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3, all for about $10 a game. Not too shabby, really.

SingStar ’90s
Nothing like a night of bad karaoke with friends, I’m not sure whether I should be nostalgic about this one, or horrified. On one hand, it offers such ’90s classics as Love Shack, One Week, and Stay. On the other hand, it also has Barbie Girl, Achy Breaky Heart, and *shudder* U Can’t Touch This.

PS3 and Xbox 360

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2 | PS3 version | 360 version
I know some people who swear by this series. Personally, I never quite got into it, but maybe someone out there is interested

Wii

Worms: A Space Oddity
Worms comes to Wii. This one boasts the classic gameplay of the series, as well as multiplayer and solo modes, and party games.