New Game Releases — Titanfall for Xbox 360, Persona 4, Lego: The Hobbit And More

Now that we’re knee deep in April, it’s time to buckle down and get ready for some rainy days. At least that’s true if you live where I do, where the old adage about April showers and May flowers definitely applies. I’m not a fan of either part, as rain is depressing and I’m allergic to many kinds of pollen.

If you ever read what I write in this space without skipping right to the list of games, you already know where I’m headed with this. If it’s raining outside, that’s a perfect excuse to stay inside and play new video games. I’d say there’s nothing that qualifies as “Earth-shaking” this week, but there is some good variety. And variety, as they say, is the spice of life, especially when you’re cooped up inside all day trying to stave off cabin fever.

Let’s check that variety out, shall we?

Titanfall (Xbox 360) – April 8

I was thinking that Titanfall on the 360 might just be an elaborate prank by Microsoft and Respawn since it kept getting pushed back. Now that some places are selling it early, I’m starting to believe it’s real.

The question will be whether or not there’s an audience for it on last-gen technology. Hardcore sometimes scoff at such notions, but the truth is that there are many more people who haven’t upgraded to Xbox One yet than there are people who have. That doesn’t mean a game like this is guaranteed to sell well, but there’s at least the potential for it to do so. We’ll see.

The Wolf Among Us: Episode 3 — A Crooked Mile (PC, Mac, PS3) – April 8; (Xbox 360) – April 9

Bigby Wolf is back, doing his detective thing in the third installment of Telltale Games’ episodic prequel to the Fables comic book series. People seem to be digging this game so far, making it easier to stomach the wait between chapters — or is it harder since they’re anticipating new content?

There’s always a developer at any given time that seems like it can do no wrong, and for my money, Telltale is it right now. The studio has shown such a deft touch with some very popular IPs (and another one, Game of Thrones, is on the way) that it’s built up a tremendous amount of goodwill among gamers. That’s got to be a fun position to be in.

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 (PS3) – April 8

Our own Eric Chrisman said he bought a Vita pretty much for this game, which is high praise. He says it has a classic RPG feel but in a modern setting, and that’s a rare combination.

I’ve never played it, so my question is how well it stands alone if you’re not a series veteran. I’ve barely played any MegaTen games, and as someone who professes to enjoy RPGs, that’s one of my secret shames. Or it was, until I just revealed it to the world. Nice.

Lego: The Hobbit (PS4, Xbox One, Wii U, PC, Mac, PS3, Xbox 360, Vita, 3DS) – April 8

It’s the “One Game” to bind all the platforms together! That’s a little Middle-earth humor. Seriously though, if you want to play this game, there’s a good chance something in your house will play it. Probably more than one thing.

The game includes content from the first two Hobbit movies and will have DLC updates to add stuff from the third flick once it comes out. One book, three movies. Meanwhile the Lord of the Rings trilogy of books somehow got made into just three films — long ones, but still. Kind of makes you wonder if Peter Jackson would do those others as like eight movies if he did them over today!

Also releasing this week: Kinect Sports Rivals (Xbox One) – April 8; Max: The Curse of Brotherhood (Xbox 360) – April 9; Trials Frontier (iOS) – April 10; Kirby & the Amazing Mirror (Wii U) – April 10; Family Guy: The Quest for Stuff (iOS, Android) – April 10; Football Manager Classic 2014 (Vita) – April 11; Disney Magical World (3DS) – April 11