It goes without saying that this week is going to be big, and we need not remind you why but we're going to say it anyway: Halo 3. Yup, Master Chief is blasting to the shelves, but let's not overlook all the other titles that are charging to the stores alongside our intrepid hero.

This week also marks the release of sports titles like NBA 08 and Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights for the PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 3, while the Wii and DS get their steady doses of assorted titles. The PC gamers will not be finding their side of the shelves in want either so it might be safe to say that we're all going to be happy with these week's output of video games. Our wallets have a fight ahead of them, though.

Animal Genius. What's your animal IQ? For example, do you know the difference between a panther and a leopard? You'll get to exercise your wildlife knowledge in Animal Genius with its five games: Matchomatic, Maze Munch, Animal Expert, Scratch 'N See, and Creature Collector.

• DS - September 25, 2007
• US$ 29.99
• ESRB E (Everyone)
• Scholastic, Inc.

Arctic Tale. Embark on a journey through various arctic environments with this game based on the National Geographic documentary. Do we need to tell you that you'll be traveling through cold oceans, snow capped mountains and other dangerous frozen places? The animals age as you progress and gameplay evolves with them. Also, Arctic Tale features free-roaming gameplay and several mini-games so we doubt you'd be bored.

• DS - September 28, 2007
• US$ 19.99
• ESRB E (Everyone)
• DSI Games

Check out the other titles on the shelves this week after the jump!

 

Some hot titles are hitting the shelves this week, what with much anticipated titles like Heroes of Mana and Luminous Arc finally arriving. EA's explosive Madden NFL '08, which should sell like hotcakes, will also be available on all platforms.

DS owners are getting much love - noteworthy titles include Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon that promises to take the favorite farming game deeper into RPG territory. High School Musical: Makin' the Cut also expands the library by adding a sing-and-dance game for all ages.

Dungeons & Dragons: Tactics. Yet another shot at making a video game based on phenomenal tabletop RPG Dungeons & Dragons, D&D: Tactics faithfully implements D&D 3.5 rules as players follow the story of a young child. Taking either good or evil alignment ultimately decides the ending. Co-op allows players to work together, while deathmatch mode pits them against each other.

• PSP - August 14, 2007
• US$ 39.99
• ESRB T (Teen)
• Atari

Heroes of Mana. Square Enix takes the latest installment in the Mana series to an entirely new direction, turning action adventure into real-time strategy that you'd want on your DS.

• Nintendo DS - August 14, 2007
• US$ 39.99
• ESRB E (Everyone)
• Square Enix

Madden NFL '08. One of EA's biggest annual sports titles returns to all platforms. New in this installment are Weapons, providing players with different specialized abilities at their disposal. Graphics department also received a revamp, and other gameplay tweaks make this year's NFL a worthy addition.

• PS3, Xbox, Xbox 360, GC, Wii, PC, PSP, DS - August 14, 2007
• US$ 59.95  (PS3, Xbox 360), US$ 39.99 (Xbox, PC), US$ 39.95 (GC, PSP), US$ 49.99 (Wii), US$ 29.95 (DS)
• ESRB E (Everyone)
• Electronic Arts

Check out the rest of the titles coming out On Shelves This Week behind the Full Article link below!

Pocket Pool has already been released for a few weeks now, but a lot of marketing effort is still being employed by Conspiracy Entertainment. Can't really blame the company, if you ask us. According to some, the pool game is just an excuse for the real catch in this title, which would be the girls going wild on your PlayStation Pornable PSP.

Anyway, to those of you who thinking if this game is worth it or not, here's another gameplay video for Pocket Pool. Uh, the first part involves some real-life pool action, if you know what we mean. But towards the middle of the clip, you will be able to watch the real gameplay aspect.

Pocket Pool, among many others, offers 13 different pool games and a snooker challenge.

April 16 isn't exactly a big day for the PlayStation Portable (PSP) community. If you're clamoring for some new games or movies for your handheld, we are afraid that the choices are rather limited. The only new releases for this day just include two games and one UMD movie.

Let's talk about the movie first. It is actually "Spider-Man (1)", the first in the trilogy that came out back in 2002. As you all know, in it in this movie where Peter Parker was bitten by a spider that altered his life forever. It is also in this move that we came to know about Mary Jane and his first ever nemesis, Green Goblin.

For video game titles, be informed that Valhalla Knights and Pocket Pool are both available for purchase now. The second one was developed by Conspiracy Entertainment and published by Eidos Interactive. Not your ordinary pool game, Pocket Pool features several adult content like girls going, err, wild.

Lastly, XSEED Games' Valhalla Knights is out in the market as well. If you're the kind of gamer who digs the RPG genre, then you could try this one out. In this video game, you start as a character in a strange land with no memory whatsoever about his real identity.

 

Okay, if you guys think that these are some rather boring "normal" screenshots of Pocket Pool for the PSP, think again. Better yet, take a closer and harder look.

Yep, subtly embedded on the surface of the pool table are some rather snazzy looking images of them Pocket Pool ladies. If you've seen the gameplay video, we're pretty sure you'll understand what those pictures are doing there in the first place. Although, some have been questioning the relevance of the ladies to the game, we guess Eidos Interactive and Conspiracy Entertainment wanted to spice things up a bit. Besides, they probably thought it would make for a good combo. You know, like beer and sports. Or something like that.

But more importantly, we suggest you focus on the game, not the girls. That's being smart about it.

   

With or without Girls Gone Wild, we're pretty certain that Eidos Interactive's and Conspiracy Entertainment's Pocket Pool is going to make that testosterone in you sizzle. Of course, we're not just talking about the sweet-talking and ball-pocketing girls of the video game. As you all know, Pocket Pool features 13 different pool games and a Snooker challenge.

Speaking of which, here's a gameplay video of the title dubbed as "Cue Ball Gameplay". It focused on, well, cue-ing the white ball for the various pool games of the title. The video is not quite linear but we believe that what the girls are playing here is 8 Ball. Or it could be a 9 Ball challenge, for all we know.

The point is, you have to cue the ball right to "turn on" Margot, Stacy, and the rest of the GGW crew. Pocket Pool is expected to be released in U.S. on April 18.

It seems that it was all too, eherm, premature for Conspiracy Entertainment's Pocket Pool for the PSP. If you can recall, we've previously reported that the Eidos-published game was able to acquire the Girls Gone Wild license, and of course, we speculated that we should expect the integration of a lot of testosterone pleasing double X chromosomes into the game. Apparently this is not so. Gamespot reports that that deal was never formally signed in the first place.

GameSpot's Brendan Sinclair reports that an Eidos representative had this to say: "While I can confirm that the Girls Gone Wild license was in consideration for Pocket Pool, an agreement was not formally signed. ...The coverage you have seen was premature."

The lack of the Girls Gone Wild license isn't a problem though, as the Pocket Pool looks like it is still set on it's pseudo lecherous ways. The game is still set to allow gamers to compete against comely models in order to unlock various videos and images. Yes, the game is still rated M for Mature.

Expect the game to be ejaculated onto retail next month.

Whether you're a seasoned pool shark, or someone who's just starting to learn the game, Eidos Interactive's and Conspiracy Entertainment's new pool video game may be one that you'd want to add to your game library, even if it's just for the novelty. Pocket Pool for the PSP is a billiards simulation game which has taken the path of least resistance, and gone on into naughty-ville.

Featuring 13 types of billiard games, real world physics, and advanced artificial intelligence (A.I.), Eidos Interactive executive VP for sales and marketing Robert Lindsey notes that the title is "a game that can stand alone as a realistic billiard simulator", but that if you add in some sexiness into the whole equation, it becomes "a true gaming treat". Amen to that, especially with the Dream Vixens which the cover boasts of, as well as the "unlockable videos and picture galleries sizzling with enough steam to fog up the screen on any PSP system" which the Eidos press release promises to those who end up taking this pool game home.

In any case, the title is bound to hit U.S. retail stores by April 18, and for those parents who may be reading this, please note that the game has been granted an M rating by the ESRB, mainly for "Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes". So no, little Billy cannot have this game for his 11th birthday, 'kay?

Game developer/publisher Conspiracy Entertainment has just announced that in light of the Nintendo Wii's success, they will now begin development of titles for the aforementioned console.

"We plan to publish games for a variety of users, including a whole new audience of first -time players worldwide. As a long-standing publisher for Nintendo's gaming platforms, Conspiracy Entertainment takes an early position in creating games for new hardware platforms as quickly as possible, and we intend to do just that for Wii," said Conspiracy CEO Sirus Ahmadi.

Conspiracy has yet announced an imminent release, although they are currently looking for licenses and developers. It will be remembered that Conspiracy is responsible for various title releases for the Game Boy Advance, Xbox, PS2, and DS. If you guys may remember, Conspiracy was in the news a couple of days ago in light of their Pocket Pool title for the PSP. And given the game's content (which was the subject of the news bit), we're beginning to wonder just what they'll be offering for Nintendo's "family-friendly" console. Stay tuned for further updates.

 If it wasn't apparent from the screenshots on our previous coverage of Pocket Pool, here's a little background on what Pocket Pool is. Pocket pool is a game that will let you play 13 pool games on your PSP. The big reward? Images of comely ladies that border on soft-core porn.

If publisher Conspiracy Entertainment's announcement is going to be considered, it seems that this game is headed in a direction slightly raunchier than soft-core porn. They've recently announced that they've tagged the license of the nudity-saturated Girls Gone Wild series.

Ah, Girls Gone Wild. The best thing to watch when you've got testosterone in your system and you've got nothing else to watch. Now it seems that we can play Pocket Pool to get access to those "wild girls"  when we've got nothing else to play.

It's still unclear how deeply the Girls Gone Wild license will be integrated into gameplay. The game's been rated M for Mature, with content descriptors for partial nudity and sexual themes.