Week in Review: 360 Price Drop, Upcoming Game Releases, PS3

This week saw price cuts, firmware updates, and a host of announcements for our gaming pleasure. With the end of the video format wars Microsoft has reminded us that the console wars are still raging. Microsoft fired a salvo by drastically reducing prices on all European 360 models. The new discounted consoles make the 360 a great value, but will it find a European audience?

There was a ton of upcoming game releases, additional content, and the like announced this week. A few of the highlights included:

Bleach: Dark Souls for the DS – The anime fighter will get its second release sometime this summer. It will include Wi-Fi action for up to four players.

A new race called The Zerg for Starcraft II – The new threat infests entire species in order to subvert them to their will. As a result, the race is not really a race, but an eclectic collection of poisoned creatures bent on galactic domination.

Mass Effect finally got its “Bring Down the Sky” DLC – The downloadable content introduces fans of the title to the feared Batarians and has Cmdr. Shepard and his crew rescue millions from a mega-sized space rock.

WiiWare was officially dated and we got a sneak-peek at the launch’s software lineup – The new download service will be available in Japan on March 25th and will be up and rolling in the US on May 12th. A total of eleven games will be available at the Japanese launch: Okiraku Ping-Pong, Word Puzzle Mojipittan, Sakusaku Animal Panic, Star Soldier R, My Life as King: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, Angel’s Solitaire, Dr. Mario & Bacillus Extermination, Everybody’s Pokemon Ranch, Tetris, Ouchide Mugen Puti Puti, and Lonpos.

City of Heroes Issue 12: Midnight Hour - Follow the exploits of The Midnight Squad as they travel back to ancient Rome.

Mario Kart Wii gets an official release date - Mark April 27th on your calendars; it’s two days before GTA IV, so it shouldn’t be too hard to remember.

Lost Planet: Extreme Condition Colonies Edition to release - May 27th marks the exact date. There is a lot of additional content, but the old saves and online rankings won’t be backwards compatible.

A mystery title from Capcom is being tested - This was perceived as huge news all around the net even though no details were given to pierce the veil of secrecy. In fact, the game could simply be the upcoming re-release of Lost Planet.

Mortal Kombat is coming - According to Midway’s CEO David Zucker, Mortal Kombat will get a next-gen treatment sometime in 2008.

Mad Max will finally get a game - The partnership between Mad Max creator George Miller and God of War II director Cory Barlog is developing a title based on the never-made film “Mad Max: Fury Road”.

MotorStorm 2 was announced - The second entry in the off-road racer will come out this fall and take place in a remote Pacific island.

LOTR Online will get an expansion - Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria will allow players to venture about the depths of the Dwarven realm with an increased level cap, two new classes, and the ability to forge legendary items.

Finally, Sony has released the 2.17 Firmware update - There were no notes released with the upgrade which prompted industry analysts to assume that it only solved some minor security issues. However, Sony later posted a statement explaining that the update improved the, "operating stability of some online PS3 titles."

Have a great weekend and don’t let those thumbs get too sore!