February has come and gone and we are March-ing into spring, my well-aged fellow gamers. Time to store that smelly, old parka in the coat closet and stock up on some AA batteries, because March is going to be a month to remember. This week features a heroic port to the Nintendo side of the gameverse, a new portable Castlevania title in 3D, a whole lot of baseball going on, some shootin’, some Simmin’, and some tomb raiding. Buckle up, amigo.

 

Nintendo

The Amazing Spider-Man
Your friendly neighborhood Spider Man is coming to a Wii-U console near you this week. This is the same game that already released on every other platform on Earth, but if you own a Wii-U then it’s new to you. A deluxe version comes with every scrap of DLC pre-loaded on the disc: bonus costumes from the movies, Stan Lee Adventure Pack, Lizard Rampage Pack, Rhino Challenge, and the Oscorp Search and Destroy Pack. Will the Wii-U Spider Man be able to stand up to his Microsoft and Sony rivals? Don’t ask questions that you already know the answers to. Nintendo console gamers can start their web-slinging careers starting March 5th, unless you live in Australia, in which case you can buy it...never.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow-Mirror of Fate
Konami plays publisher for this MercurySteam developed, portable 3D title, which already won the Sarcasmo Jones Award for Unnecessarily Long Title Length with Generously Extraneous Punctuation. I should probably shorten the title for that award. C:LOS-MOF is set 25 years after the events of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, and Trevor Belmont is pissed off at his dad, Gabriel Belmont, for killing his mom and becoming a vampire. It’s Trevor and The Brotherhood of Light against Dracula in a no-holds barred portable 3D spectacular! I’m rooting for Dracula. This one is a 3DS exclusive, and it hits store shelves on March 5th.

Sony

MLB 13: The Show
Sony is still tweaking their MLB: The Game series. 2013 adds seven new minor league parks to the game, a new beginner mode, instructional enhancements, Vita sync, and tweaks to create a true pick up and play baseball experience. In addition, in the spirit of the age-old baseball tradition of cheating, MLB 13: The Show allows players to skip that pesky baseball season and go straight to the postseason. Way to keep it real, Sony. Available March 5th on the PS3 and Vita.

 

PC

SimCity
Providing an “unprecedented depth of simulation”, the ability to control up to 16 cities, and a brand new multiplayer mode makes SimCity, actually Will Wright’s 5th game in the series, “the most responsive and personal SimCity ever.” In other words: it’s a PC game where you build stuff, but it’s newer than the others. I use my PC as a typewriter with digital ink! Available for PCs everywhere, starting March 5th.

Multiplatform

MLB 2K13
2K’s mighty baseball juggernaut is back for another season. Featuring authentic commentary, a pain in the ass to master right analog pitching scheme, realistic environments and crowd pleasing modes like My Player, Franchise, and Postseason, MLB 2K13 is the closest thing you can get to going outside without actually doing it. This one slides into home on March 5th, for the PS3 and XBox 360.

Sniper Elite 2: Silver Star Edition
This WWII shooter was previously, and presumptuously, called Sniper Elite 2: Game of the Year Edition. The game is a bit on the dark side, combining  both stealth and sniper elements to give it a personality all its own. All 5 DLCs from Sniper Elite 2 are on the disc. I was going to feature a trailer from the Silver Star Edition but I found a much more entertaining YouTube clip from Robbaz entitled “Kill Hitler in the Ballsack” which features in-game footage and entertaining commentary from the 5th Sniper Elite 2 DLC, “Hitler Assassination.” You’re welcome. This one hits shelves on March 5th, for PS3 and Xbox 360 consoles.


Tomb Raider
Lara Croft is getting rebooted today. Young Lara’s first tomb raiding experience lies near disaster: she is shipwrecked, unseasoned, and virtually alone as her shipmates were either killed or captured by bad guy island dudes. It might sound like Far Cry 3, but Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics promised us an adventure that is pure Lara Croft, albeit a very young and inexperienced Lara Croft. Hunt animals, kill bad guy island dudes, and plunder a tomb or two...that’s the Lara we all know and love. You can buy the darling of E3 2012 for PS3 and Xbox 360, starting March 5th.