Posted in: Games, Movies, Video Games | Tagged: disney infinity, Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy X/X2 HD Remaster, Final Fantasy X2, Invisible Inc, new releases, playstation 4, PlayStation Vita, project cars, Steam, Sweet Release, xbox one

Sweet Release! Project Cars, Disney Infinity 2.0 Vita, Invisible Inc, Final Fantasy X-X2 Re-Master

By Jared Cornelius

Welcome back to Sweet Release!  Bleeding Cool's weekly look at the new video games on store shelves and digital platforms.  I've learned a thing or two doing this column every week.  There's almost always a game that's a clear front runner for most attention, and there will almost certainly be a re-mastered game.  The game that's the front runner for most attention certainly looks like it deserves it.  However the re-mastered collections are getting out of control, which I may address sometime soon.  Despite my grips about re-releases, it's an interesting week to be sure, with a portable experiment and a very cool stealth game supplementing the calendar.

We haven't exactly been at a loss for racing games on the current generation of consoles.  Between two Forza games, Need For Speed, The Crew, and Drive Club players have had ample choice in the genre.  Interestingly enough the one name missing from that list is Sony's Gran Turismo series.  Based on intense realism and super accurate car models, Sony's motor sports series was at one time the absolute standard for racing games.  However this week, (and last week on PC) a legitimate contender has stepped up to take on all comers in Slightly Mad Studio's Project Cars.  Project Cars main hook revolves around an unyielding love of motorsports, with over 60 different vehicles including U.S. muscle cars, supercars, prototypes, and karts.  But hey, how fun are a bunch of cars if you don't have enough tracks?  No worries as Project Cars has you covered with 30 locations and a purported 110 courses!  The game also includes your standard set of racing mechanics including career mode, and the standard selection of online modes too.  The community around Project Cars seems pretty robust and having a new top tier racing franchise to push the competition couldn't hurt.  Project Cars released last week on PC, and released Tuesday on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

On paper I think our next release is a cool idea, but incredibly flawed in execution.  Disney Infinity 2.0 is getting a re-release, but on perhaps the most baffling platform of all, the PlayStation Vita.  That's right, Disney's signature, "Toys-To-Life" game that is built on being at a place where you have access to a multitude of swappable toys is going portable.  It's essentially the same 3rd person sandbox editor as its console big brother, but comes with the Amazing Spider-Man playset, exclusive black costume Spider-Man figure, and two game disks.  The exclusive figure isn't the only new addition, with a nifty rechargeable bluetooth base, and charging cable to complement the Vita's portability.  Infinity isn't a bad title, and portable versions of titles like Skylanders have been done before, but I think this misses the mark.  Disney Infinity 2.0 Marvel Superheroes PlayStation Vita released last Saturday exclusively at GameStop.

With Hideo Kojima's departure from Konami the stealth espionage genre took a big hit, fortunately you don't have to wait until September to get a hold of an awesome stealth game with Invisible, Inc. from Klei Entertainment.  You might know Klei as the people behind the Shank and Mark of The Ninja series, both critically acclaimed for their amazing animated art styles.  Klei's output and quality has been getting better with each game, complimenting their already crisp and impressive art style.   The overhead tactics game takes place in a world of corporate espionage, where every move can be the difference between life and death.  Play with 10 different characters with a series of different skill sets and augmentations through randomized levels where no two missions are the same.  Invisible, Inc. has been on Steam Early Access for a while now, but is rolling out its proper launch this Tuesday on PC.

Dear lord we are just chasing our tails with the re-masters. This week Square Enix has seen fit to re-master a re-master with Final Fantasy X/X2 HD Re-master: Limited Edition.  Yes dear friends it's a re-mastering of a re-mastered game from only a year ago.  The overall package itself isn't awful, containing HD re-masters of the popular PlayStation 2 role playing games.  Something something ancient evil…something something plucky hero…something something lederhosen.  Both games fall prey to a lot of the clichéd tropes that Japanese role playing games are famous for, but I remember them both being at least interesting to look at, including X2 and it's weird job system/dress up cut scenes.  Perhaps the most interesting new feature is an added 30 minute audio play at the end of X2 that fleshes out the story.  However it seems rough to make people play 120 hours of an RPG for such a paltry amount of content.  The upside to the game being available on all three platforms is the integration of cross saves between the three PlayStation devices, it's not a huge upgrade but it's better than nothing.  Final Fantasy X/X2 Re-Master: Limited Edition is available Tuesday on PlayStation 4.
That's all for this week folks, make sure you check out my other regular column, Typing on The Dead, where I break down the latest issue of The Walking Dead.  It's got a new entry hitting this week!  Also go pick up issue #16 of Bleeding Cool Magazine where I interview IDW's Chris Ryall about his new series Onyx.

Jared Cornelius is some guy from the Jersey coast who'll be at Atlantic City Boardwalk Con this weekend.  If you see him come over and say hello, or shout him out on Twitter @John_Laryngitis

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