VideoGamerToday.com

This weeks The Drop delivers a variety of options for all your gaming needs. Apparently, theres a big NFL licensed game dropping this week — Im sure you may of heard of it. The PlayStation Network has an offer you cant refuse, a PlayStation fan favorite kart racer returns this week as a PSOne Classic, and finally — you take on the world, when a comic book series transforms into a side-scrolling beat-em up brawler.

I think I hear our very own Jeff Rubenstein chanting Fly Eagles, Fly outside our office window. Hit the jump and catch up on this weeks new releases, as I run out and join Jeffs one-man wave in the parking lot.

PlayStation 3

Madden NFL 11 — Twenty-Two years in the making, Madden NFL 11 promises to deliver a list of new features and improvements, according to the EA Tiburon team. They promise an authentic approach to situational game planning, one play at a time with GameFlow. Also, faster game times, a new locomotion animation system, a new audible system, and a brand new kick meter, just to name a few. EA Tiburon is determined to deliver a genuine NFL experience with Madden NFL 11. But, lets not forget my personal favorite; official NFL team fights songs — hear that? Miami Dolphins #1!

PlayStation Network

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game — Bryan Lee OMalleys Scott Pilgrim series turns its comic-book pages into a side-scrolling beatem up, coinciding with this summers Scott Pilgrim vs. the World film. Play as Scott Pilgrim, Ramona Flowers, Stephen Stills or Kim Pine and defeat Ramonas seven evil exes. Theres also a demo you can download for sneak peek.

Mafia II Demo — The sequel to Mafia: The City of Lost Heavens; Mafia II, is nearly upon us (read our impression on the exclusive PlayStation 3 DLC, The Betreyal of Jimmy,) 2K Games is giving you early access to Empire Bay when the demo drops this week.

PSOne Classics

Crash Team Racing — When classic kart racers are brought up, PlayStation fans think Crash Team Racing. The 1999 ragtag team racer returns as a PSOne Classic title this week. Race against the Nitrous Oxide villains by using fifteen Crash-series characters to save their planet from disaster.

PlayStation Portable

Madden NFL 11 — Take Madden NFL 11 with you wherever you go this football season. Gus Johnson and Cris Collinsworth call the action on the field as you fight for fumbles, design your own plays and rock out like an NFL star, all packaged on your PSP. Dont have a PlayStation Portable? We have you covered when we unveiled a new Madden NFL PSP bundle earlier this week.

Baseball fans

Do you think you have what it takes to strike out the reigning American League MVP? Well, this Monday, July 12, you can give it try on the virtual diamond. Well be at MLB FanFest in Anaheim for the All-Star Game festivities with MLB 10 The Show cover athlete, Joe Mauer, giving select fans a chance to play against Major League Baseballs leading All-Star vote-getter on PlayStation 3. We’ll also be showing our MLB 10 The Show 3D demo, so for those of you haven’t seen yet, come by and check it out. FanFest begins today and goes through Tuesday. For tickets, times, and additional info about FanFest, go to MLB.com and join the All-Star party.

Here are the details about the event with Joe, hope to see you there!

When:
Monday, July 12
9:00 10:00am PST

Where:
PlayStation Patrol Truck at MLB FanFest (Area B, all the way in the back)
Anaheim Convention Center
800 West Katella Avenue
Anaheim, CA 92802-3496

Sand. It gets everywhere. In your undies, in your flip-flops, in your tactical military shooters. In 2K Games upcoming PS3 third-person action game Spec Ops: The Line, catastrophic sandstorms have assaulted Dubai and left the City of Golds famous gravity-defying skyscrapers entombed under mountains of choking, swirling sand.

I sat in on a demonstration of Spec Ops: The Line at the 2010 E3 Expo, and learned more about the games improvisational combat and tense atmosphere, as well as the difficult decisions youll face as a Delta Force squad leader.

The story finds inspiration in the film Apocalypse Now. As Delta Force Captain Martin Walker, your team ventures into the Dubai wastes to track down a distress signal from Colonel John Konrad, who went AWOL following the sandstorms. The fate of Col. Konrad and his men will be revealed as you play, but if youve seen Apocalypse Now, you might have some clues about the dark territory this tale will explore.

Post-apocalyptic imagery aside, sand plays a key role in The Lines action mechanics. During the third-person shootouts, you can target barricades and barriers to unleash sand avalanches on top of nearby enemies. Enemies can also exploit the sand traps, so it will pay to keep a close eye on the treacherous, ever-shifting terrain. At times, the action will migrate into the tomb-like skyscrapers that lay beneath Dubais suffocating sand dunes. These scenarios are tense and atmospheric, veering closer to survival-horror territory as Cpt. Walker and his men try to piece together the bigger picture while fending off surprise attacks from squatters and survivalists who have reclaimed the ruined city.

In firefights, Cpt. Walker can issue commands (flank, advance) to his Delta Force squad mates — though the developers promise that the computer-controlled allies can easily take care of themselves if youd rather focus on the dirty work. Combat is up close and visceral, with a large arsenal of high-powered military shotguns, rifles, and carbines at your disposal.

Other surprises abound, such as a white phosphorus attack on Cpt. Walkers team that sets an entire city block ablaze and sends fireballs drifting lazily through the air. Your decision-making prowess will also be put to the test during the game. In one scene I saw, Cpt. Walker had to choose between interrupting the execution of an ally or holding fire in order to conceal his presence and succeed in a larger objective. Choosing between whats moral and whats necessary will be a reoccurring theme in Spec Ops: The Line, meaning that your gameplay decisions will have a direct outcome on the characters, relationships, and outcomes of the game. And yes, there will be multiple endings.

Spec Ops: The Line hits the PS3 in 2011 and will support multiplayer features, though specifics arent public yet. If you have questions about the game, ask away in the comments and Ill do my best to answer them.