Here's some highlights of this week's game offerings. Although I'm not big into sports games, I really want to try Mario Strikers Charged. something about Princess Peach in a sports bra makes me curious, don't ask me why.

Mario Strikers Charged (WII)
Play as your favorite Mushroom Kingdom characters in a soccer showdown.

Brave Story: New Traveler (PSP)
A new RPG based on the Brave Story movie.

Glory Days 2 (DS)
The DS action strategy game supports up to eight way multi-player and even 3D (the glasses kind)

Attack on Pearl Harbor (PC)
Play as the U.S. or Japan for the first time in a Pearl Harbor based game.

Picross DS (DS)
Solve puzzles to create pixelated pictures.

Pet Alien (DS)
The next best thing to Pet Rock: The Game!

Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars (MAC) C&C TW gives the Mac some love.

Battlefield 2142 (MAC)
It's a good week to be a mac gamer!

Week one, patch one. This is becoming the norm, it seems, for PC games.

This week, Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars gets v1.1 patch.

Here's the fixes via Gamers Hell.

Exploits Scrin Mastermind's Teleport Units ability maximum range reduced. GDI Engineers, Nod Saboteurs, and Scrin Assimilators can no longer capture structures when under the effects of the Scrin's Phase Field support power.

Optimizations
Improved video playback on low-end system configurations.

Balance Changes
Scrin Storm Column cost / build time increased to 3,000 credits / 30 seconds.
Scrin Buzzer health reduced to 75 and weapon damage type changed to SNIPER.

Bug Fixes
Fixed an error that would occasionally result in a crash in Nod vs. Nod matches on the multiplayer map Deadly Sertao.
Fixed issues with automated map transfer feature in multiplayer.
Fixed an error that would sometimes cause a Commentator's telestrator drawings to not erase as intended while viewing BattleCast replays.
Fixed issues with replay file playback.
Fixed placeholder text and chat log errors with the Comrade in-game chat window.

Other Changes
Fixed an error in README.txt file regarding location of saved game files in Windows Vista; added references to EA Link version of the game; added disclosure about in-game advertising (Note: the EA Link version of the game ships with this updated ReadMe file).
References to Nod's "Avatar Warmech" unit have been changed to "Avatar".

Blue's News points out that the C&C team is already hard at work on patch 1.2 which will be the first "major" patch with balance changes, bug fixes and, thankyouverymuch, added maps. Brian Crecente

C&C 3 Patch [Blue's News]

A quick reminder of what B-list actors aren't A-list actors. Wow, this game should come with some crackers for that cheese. Brian Crecente

• The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles (X360, PC) The long awaited expansion for Oblivion is finally here! Lots of new stuff to do and places to go!
• Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars (PC)
  A new storyline and an additional race await you in the newest of the C&C series.
• Medal of Honor: Vanguard (WII, PS2)
  Join a group of paratroopers in the next iteration of the long running WWII series.
• Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent (PS3)
  Sam Fisher gets stealthy on the PS3!
• Disney's Meet the Robinsons (PS2, DS, WII, X360, GBA, GC, PC, PSP)
  Use fancy gadgets and time travel to make your way through the game based on Disney's newest 3D animated movie.
• Konami Classics Series: Arcade Hits (DS)
  Contra, Gradius, Time Pilot, Scramble, Rush'N Attack, Horror Maze, Pooyan, Roc'N Rope, Track & Field, Circus Charlie, Basketball, Road Fighter, Yie Ar Kung Fu, RainbowBell, Shao-lin's Road...Whew!

Opposable Thumbs snagged the Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars demo last night, quickly played through it and posted their impressions this morning.

Frank Caron seemed suitable impressed with the game. Top of the list was the "gorgeous presentation", "gorgeous interface" and solid gameplay and balance.

The gameplay itself is as solid as ever, and it appears that there have been many different tweaks for the sake of balance. As is the tradition with RTS games, a more extensive play time is likely to reveal small little details that stand out as either fantastic or flawed. The interface has been tweaked and the presentation as a whole is impressive. Heck, even the FMVs that I was skeptical about add a certain personality to the game. At one point, I even found myself giggling and yelling out (as one of our readers put it) "Break on through, Micheal Ironside!" Overall, I really enjoyed my time spent with C&C3 and I'm looking forward to picking it up come March 28.

It sounds like this is going to be a Supreme Commander versus Command & Conquer 3 sorta season. Which do you think will win and do either top Company of Heroes? Brian Crecente

Demo impressions: Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars (PC) [Opposable Thumbs]

Electronic Arts today announced Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars: Kane Edition, a numbered collector's edition of the PC game set to hit in March.

Kane Edition will come packed with a DVD featuring a behind the scenes documentary, deleted scenes and a blooper reel from the live action video shoots, a series of gameplay strategy videos from the game designers, five wallpapers and exclusive in-game content including five new multiplayer maps and three unique unit skins—one for each of the three factions in the game.

"The Command & Conquer fans are among the most dedicated in the world. It's very exciting to be able to create a special bonus edition of C&C 3 with our fans in mind," said Mike Verdu, Vice President and Executive Producer at EALA. "The exclusive maps, strategy tutorials, special unit skins and 'making of' video provide hours of enjoyment to anyone who loves Command & Conquer. The 'blooper reel' is just flat out funny. I can't wait for Command & Conquer fans to get their hands on this game."

I can't wait for C&C3, but I really couldn't care less about this special edition. Numbers? You can number something forever if you want. Brian Crecente

LOS ANGELES, Calif., December 22, 2006 - Electronic Arts Inc., (NASDAQ: ERTS) today announced Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars : Kane Edition (C&C 3: Kane Edition) - a special, numbered collector's edition for the PC that will ship in March 2007 simultaneously with Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars (C&C 3). Filled with an enormous amount of exclusive content, C&C 3: Kane Edition will be the definitive collectible for any Command & Conquer or Real-time Strategy (RTS) game fan.

C&C 3: Kane Edition will include an exclusive bonus DVD featuring a behind the scenes documentary, deleted scenes and a blooper reel from the live action video shoots, a series of gameplay strategy videos from the game designers themselves, and more. C&C 3: Kane Edition will also feature exclusive in-game content including five new multiplayer maps and three unique unit skins—one for each of the three factions in the game. Fans will also enjoy five exclusive wallpapers.

"The Command & Conquer fans are among the most dedicated in the world. It's very exciting to be able to create a special bonus edition of C&C 3 with our fans in mind," said Mike Verdu, Vice President and Executive Producer at EALA. "The exclusive maps, strategy tutorials, special unit skins and 'making of' video provide hours of enjoyment to anyone who loves Command & Conquer. The 'blooper reel' is just flat out funny. I can't wait for Command & Conquer fans to get their hands on this game."

Command & Conquer, the groundbreaking series that put the RTS genre on the map, is returning in full force with C&C 3. This highly-anticipated next chapter takes the popular series back to its roots in the Tiberium Universe and features the fast, fluid gameplay that Command & Conquer is known for and an epic tale that will redefine storytelling in RTS games.

It is 2047 and the stakes could not be higher. Tiberium—a self-replicating alien substance that has infected the Earth—is spreading like a radioactive ice age. The Global Defense Initiative, a high-tech alliance of the world's most advanced nations, is fighting to contain Tiberium, but Kane, the megalomaniacal leader of The Brotherhood of Nod has other plans for Earth. Kane's secret society turned superpower is bent on using Tiberium to take control and transform humanity into his twisted vision of the future. All-out war rages over Tiberium and the fate of the planet rests in the balance.

The epic story of C&C 3, set in the Tiberium Universe, is seamlessly tied together with live action, high-definition video sequences featuring top Hollywood talent including Tricia Helfer, Josh Holloway, Michael Ironside, Billy Dee Williams, Grace Park, and more.

Currently in development at EA's Los Angeles studio, C&C 3 and C&C 3: Kane Edition will ship worldwide in March 2007 for Windows PC. C&C 3 has a suggested retail price (MSRP) of $49.99 and C&C 3: Kane Edition will be available at select retailers with a MSRP of $59.99. C&C 3 will also be available in 2007 for the Xbox 360 videogame and entertainment system. These products are not yet rated by the ESRB, PEGI or USK. For more information, please visit www.CommandAndConquer.EA.com.