Heads-up: What's new this week

A look ahead to Friday's new releases.

Welcome to Heads-up, our weekly feature which gives you an at-a-glance run-down on the games you'll be able to buy or rent this weekend. Every Tuesday we'll pick out the best of the bunch, link to our reviews and previews and keep you in the video game loop so you have enough time to pre-order for Friday's post. Time to splash the cash.

Recommended: BioShock 2 - Xbox 360, PS3 and PC

If you're hoping BioShock 2 will offer a tale so wonderfully told as that in the original, with a twist so clever it'll be talked about for months, you might be disappointed. On the other hand, if you want an altogether more accomplished shooter, complete more exciting combat scenarios and improved gameplay mechanics, you're in luck. BioShock 2 can stand shoulder to shoulder with the best shooters on the market thanks to some clever refinements and larger scale battles. Not as memorable as the original, but still a must buy title.

Worth a look

These two will be a bit of a gamble, but might be worth a look if you fit into the target audience. Star Ocean: The Last Hope finally arrives on PS3, bringing with it a few additions that should make it the best version yet, but it's not an RPG for everyone. Super Monkey Ball: Step & Roll makes use of the Wii Balance Board, and its mix of mini-games and ball rolling gameplay should go down well with fans. We've yet to play it, so buy with caution.

Star Ocean: The Last Hope International - PS3
Super Monkey Ball: Step & Roll - Wii

And the rest

Frankenstein: The Dismembered Bride - PC
Hollywood: The Directors Cut - PC
Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief - DS
Flips: Percy Jackson - DS
Jonas - DS
Bleach: The 3rd Phantom - DS
Karaoke Revolution with Microphone - Wii and PS3
Big Catch Bass Fishing 2 - Wii
Animal Kororo - DS
Phantasy Star Zero - DS
Ninja Blade - PC
Safar'Wii - Wii