Black Rock Shooter is out for PSP this week, and I may get that.  I have Puzzler World 2013 for 3DS preordered.  If anyone here likes pencil puzzles (crossword, sudoku, etc) then they should check out this series.  They sound like shovelware, but they're actually very well-made, with interesting, original puzzles, and a ton of content for $20.

They sent me a multi-use key for the beta if anyone wants to play.

There are lots of screenshots from the games here.

I’ll probably pick up the majority of those but Nintendo continues to puzzle me.  They should be putting their best efforts behind the WiiU this year, not the 3DS.  The closer we get to the PS4/720 the harder they are going to have to fight for attention.

Nintendo implied that they're saving the Wii U announcements for E3.  I can see why they'd want to make the 3DS announcements now, as I'm assuming handhelds will be all but ignored at E3, but it's going to be really hard to steal buzz away from Sony and MS's new systems.

Atlus has revealed that all first-run copies of the game will include a 176-page Strategy & Design Book, special packaging, and a CD with selected tracks from the history of the SMT series.

In addition to the games already mentioned, they also confirmed localizations for Professor Layton & The Azran Legacy and Level 5's Guild 02 games.  They also announced release dates for Mario & Luigi : Dream Team - July 12 for Europe and August 11 for North America.

Eador : Masters of The Broken World is supposed to be out for PC this Friday.  It's a Heroes of Might & Magic-style fantasy TBS strategy game.  Both GoG and Steam are selling it for $19.99 with a free copy of the first Eador game, and GoG offers a 10% discount if you already own the first game.

If you scroll down this page fast enough, it's like seeing the whole movie

Busy week for me - Soul Hackers and Pandora's Tower are definites, and Sacred Citadel and God Mode are maybes, depending on demos/reviews.

There's a new interview at Worthplaying, although there's not much new information in it.

According to Cheapass Gamer, you can preorder the game for PC at Gamefly for $12.

Namco Bandai has announced that the game will include a mini art book, poster, and soundtrack CD

Namco Bandai has confirmed the 8/6 release date and also announced a Collector's Edition for the game.

Here's a preview and trailer.  Also, the game is listed on Steam at $15 (with the soundtrack as a preorder bonus) so that's probably the price it will be on PSN and XBLA.

The game is really stupid, and that's not a bad thing. Games can be pretty stupid and awesome...We're proud the script is pretty bad. We're trying to make a really bad action movie, so there's a lot of tropes and cliches in there. We had a lot of fun writing it...The shooter genre sometimes takes itself way too seriously, we really wanted to inject a bit more fun into it. And hopefully (switches to movie announcer voice) start a revolution.

After having tried the Motocross Madness trial, nothing.

That bad?  Maybe we should start a thread discussing it.  

I doubt it would be much of a thread. But yeah, it's pretty bad. Only nine tracks, loose handling, and ugly visuals. There's a reason it's only 800 mp.

I thought the demo was a lot of fun, and I thought the game looked great.  The lack of tracks may be a problem, but there seems to be a ton to do within those tracks (alternate paths, collectibles, levelling-up, etc).  Reviews so far are good, although some users are reporting bugs.

Here's the first video of the game in motion.  There's no actual gameplay, but you get to see the characters move around an animated version of the first screenshot they released.

I haven't played enough of Bioshock Infinite for it to be in the running yet, so I'd have to say Tomb Raider.  I was expecting it to be great, and it's exceeded my expectations.

Maybe Guacamelee, depending on reviews and if there's a PS+ discount.

Here's the XBLA marketplace listing, although it's supposed to be coming to PS3 and PC as well.  It's due out on May 1.

Far Cry® 3 Blood Dragon is THE Kick-Ass Cyber Shooter taking place on a bizarre open-world island crawling with evil. Welcome to an 80’s VHS vision of the future. The year is 2007 and you are Sargent Rex Colt, a Mark IV Cyber Commando who’s fighting against a cyborg army gone rogue. Your mission: get the girl, kill the baddies, and save the world. Experience every cliché of a VHS era vision of a nuclear future, where cyborgs, blood dragons, mutants, and Michael Biehn (Terminator, Aliens, Navy Seals) collide. Playing Far Cry® 3 Blood Dragon doesn't require a copy of Far Cry® 3.

Brandon Sanderson's The Way of Kings is currently on sale for Nook and Kindle for $2.99.  I'm about 2/3 of the way through the book and I'm really enjoying it.  The Mistborn series was good, but this is even better.

Wow - Soul Hackers in April, Animal Crossing and Project X Zone in June, Rune Factory 4 and SMT IV in July, and Mario & Luigi : Dream Team, Mario Golf, Pokemon X&Y, and Bravely Default all later in the year 

For 4/5 only, Amazon has the PC download version of Borderlands 2 and the season pass on sale.
Borderlands 2 is $20
Season Pass is $10
BL2 + Season Pass is $25

Here's a video of the game in action.

While Square Enix hasn't made an official announcement, Siliconera is reporting that Bravely Default, the 3DS spiritual successor to the DS's Final Fantasy : Four Heroes of Light, will be released in North America.  Now they just need to confirm Dragon Quest VII for 3DS, and I'll be happy.

The game is available now on GoG for $8.99 and should be available on Steam this afternoon.

Here are some details about the story.

The game’s story takes place in a post-apocalyptic Tokyo that has fallen into darkness and is overrun by demons. The only hope are the “Samurai” characters mentioned in the latest trailer, who are able to control these demons.  These Samurai characters hail from the fictional country of East Mikado, which is said to be similar in its civilization to Middle Ages Europe. East Mikado appears to have a link to Tokyo.

The game is also available on Google Play now.

This thread is much better, as it uses the fancy "IV" instead of the pedestrian "4" in the title

They've added a bunch of new stretch goals now that they're just about to hit 3.5 million with 65 hours left.  3.75 million brings companion quests, 4 million gets another major city, and 4.5 million brings a player stronghold.

The Steam and XBLA versions come out on April 17.  The Steam version is available for preorder for $13.49.

Atlus has announced that they are bringing Shin Megami Tensei IV to the 3DS this summer.  This certainly isn't surprising, but the release date is earlier than expected, especially with Soul Hackers coming in a few weeks.  It makes me wonder if they have a surprise release for this fall, like a possible Japan/US simultaneous release of Persona 5.

XBox Live Rewards is running a promotion for the month of April in which XBL Rewards Members (sign-up is free) can earn free stuff. 

Play 20 hours of any combination of arcade games, receive a free avatar item
Purchase any four arcade games for 400 Microsoft Points or more from Xbox LIVE, receive a one month Xbox LIVE Gold membership
Spend 3200 Microsoft Points on arcade games, receive 800 Microsoft Points in return

Although this information is from Majornelson's blog, the last item doesn't quite match the requirements on the XBL Rewards page.  There, it says you have to buy 4 XBLA games that cost 800 points or more to receive the free 800 points.

I'll probably be getting Evoland and maybe BattleBlock Theater, depending on reviews.

Apparently, the joke was on anyone expecting good sales on Monday

The battery indicator also seems to be off the mark on the XL, at least for me.  It takes a lot longer to go from 100% to 50% than to go from 50% to dead, and it seems to go from 25% to dead in minutes.

4 GB seems so small but how much data are games installing these days?

Unlike the PS3, XBox 360 game installation is always optional, and the majority of games play just fine without installing them.  I'd still go with the larger hard drive for XBLA games and full game downloads (now that we're finally seeing good sale prices on them).  I have the original 20 GB version with a 16 GB and 32 GB flash drives hooked up (you can use up to 2 32 GB drives for extra storage) and I have lots of XBLA games and a few full games installed and still have room left over.

I've really been enjoying it.  I've played EO2 and EO3, but never got very far before being pulled away by something else.  With the early introduction of the world map and graphical update, EO4 has kept my interest better than the earlier games.  It's also nice to know I can switch to casual mode at any time if things get too tough.  My party is Fortress/Nightseeker/Dancer in the front row and Medic/Runemaster in the back.

Also, Atlus just annouced that they're remaking the first Etrian Odyssey with an increased focus on characters and story.  The game will have set characters, but you'll still be able to change their classes.  Hopefully, they'll also upgrade the graphics to EO4 level.

They're also having a 1-day sale on Monday.

Here are some new screenshots.

Giantbomb has a quick look at the game.  The toy box looks a lot deeper than I thought it would be.