On Shelves This Week: February 18 to February 24, 2008

The steady stream of high-quality games as early as the first quarter of 2008 continues, proven by this week’s line-up of releases which includes Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors, the next Ace Attorney, and Dynasty Warriors 6. A very promising Devil May Cry-esque MMORPG is also on the way, while Need for Speed is in for another lap. The rest of this week’s releases await at the full article!

Last week may have been an expensive one after the arrival of wildly anticipated titles, but the batch of games this week won’t show any mercy. Square Enix‘ waggle-packed iteration of Dragon Quest for the Nintendo Wii, one of the few third-party titles that sold well in Japan last year, is coming to the west.

Now that the very popular professor who’ve been racking sales in the land of the rising sun is finally around, the new Ace Attorney is putting up a case. There’s also an oriental twist in form of the latest Dynasty Warriors installment, while Sony PlayStation Portable owners will be smoking the streets. Another shooter made it to the list, but this time, it’s an arcade offering by Sega.

Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney. New blood will stain the courtroom, as Apollo Justice enters the scene along with a new cast of colorful characters to crack a series of crimes and unravel the truth behind homicides and other mysterious cases that Phoenix Wright used to work on.

• Nintendo DS – February 19, 2008
• US$ 29.99
• ESRB T (Teen)
• Capcom

Cabal Online. With the promise of insane combos that require player skill, Cabal Online attempts to break the mold of MMORPGs by making the grind to level 170 filled with more than just glorified hack-and-slash. There are over 300 dungeons to explore, hundreds of weapons to wield and upgrade, and quests that don’t simply ask players to kill a certain number of monsters.

• PC – February 21, 2008
• Free-to-Play
• OGPlanet

Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors. It’s a Dragon Quest title utilizing the Wii’s motion-sensing controls in which battles happen in first person. Attacking, casting spells, and blocking with your shield are all done by swinging that Wiimote around. It may sound foreign to fans of the core series, but it also easily established itself as a non-Nintendo title that sold copies like hotcakes.

• Nintendo Wii – February 19, 2008
• US$ 59.99
• ESRB T (Teen)
• Square Enix

Dynasty Warriors 6. Here’s another round of action-packed warfare set in ancient China as the legendary warriors and leaders make their return. Thanks to this generation’s powerful hardware, Dynasty Warriors 6 will don upgraded visuals as a game developed from the ground up.

• Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360 – February 19, 2008
• US$ 59.99
• ESRB T (Teen)
• Koei and Omega Force

FIFA Street 3. With unbelievable passes and crazy goals still in its core, FIFA Street 3 will introduce new controls and trick system to make more impossible feats easy to execute on the fly. Street Challenge mode and online play are available to lead you to extra time.

• Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, Nintendo DS – February 18, 2008
• US$ 29.99 (DS), US$ 49.99 (PS3, Xbox 360)
• ESRB E (Everyone)
• Electronic Arts

History Channel: Battle for the Pacific. Take the shoes of an American GI and relive history in a first-person shooter that takes pride in its historical accuracy. Online, you have the option to play as an American or Japanese fighting on faithfully recreated locations involved during World War II.

• Sony PlayStation 3 – February 19, 2008
• US$ 49.99
• ESRB T (Teen)
• Activision

MX vs. ATV Untamed. As if the Rhythm Engine wasn’t enough to deliver that intense off-road racing experience, MX vs. ATV Untamed on the Wii will shake things up with motion-sensing for untamed competition of up to 12 players online.

• Nintendo Wii – February 18, 2008
• US$ 49.99
• ESRB E (Everyone)
• Rainbow Studios and THQ

My Horse And Me. For everyone with a secret desire to raise a horse and let it be the fastest runner on the track, Atari’s My Horse And Me aims to realize your childhood dream. It’s the most accurate horse training simulator you’ll come across with convincingly real horse models and animation.

• PC – February 19, 2008
• US$ 19.99
• ESRB E (Everyone)
• Atari and W!Games

Need for Speed ProStreet. EA not only managed to port all of Need for Speed ProStreet‘s features to the PSP, it also added online play. You can now show your pimped rides to other players in online head-to-head races.

• Sony PlayStation Portable – February 18, 2008
• US$ 39.99
• ESRB E (Everyone)
• Electronic Arts and Black Box

Pimp My Ride. “Bling is king, and style is everything” is still the motto as Pimp My Ride drives to the Wii. Players will still be cruisin’ with Xzibit, actual people in need of shinier rides are still going to offer missions – everything is set, and how things turn out is up to your car-modding skills.

• Nintendo Wii – February 19, 2008
• US$ 39.99
• ESRB T (Teen)
• Activision and Eutechnyx

The Club. From the makers of Project Gotham Racing comes a fast-paced third-person shooter where you won’t be fighting aliens. It’s all about setting record times by killing in the most efficient ways; the lighthearted need not apply.

• Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, PC – February 19, 2008
• US$ 59.99 (PS3, Xbox 360), US$ 49.99 (PC)
• ESRB M (Mature)
• Sega and Bizarre Creations

The Guild Universe. Fans of The Guild series and those who want a taste of medieval life can check out this massive package. In one box, you’ll get Europe 1400: The Guild, Europe 1400: The Guild AddOn, The Guild 2, and The Guild 2: Pirates of the European Seas.

• PC – February 19, 2008
• ESRB T (Teen)
• Dreamcatcher and 4Head Studios

Buy: [Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney (DS)]
Buy: [Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors (Wii)]
Buy: [Dynasty Warriors 6 (PS3), (Xbox 360)]
Buy: [FIFA Street 3 (PS3), (Xbox 360), (DS)]
Buy: [History Channel: Battle for the Pacific (PS3)]
Buy: [MX vs.ATV Untamed (Wii)]
Buy: [My Horse and Me (PC)]
Buy: [Need for Speed ProStreet (PSP)]
Buy: [Pimp My Ride (Wii)]
Buy: [The Club (PS3), (Xbox 360), (PC)]
Buy: [The Guild Universe (PC)]