Zoo Tycoon 2 DS now available

THQ announced that it released Zoo Tycoon 2 DS today. Building on the success of Microsoft's Zoo Tycoon franchise and of its own original adaptation of the game for Nintendo DS, THQ has packed in a slew of new features into Zoo Tycoon 2 DS that it believes will captivate simulation game fans. Zoo Tycoon 2 DS offers players the chance to experience a menagerie of exotic animals and environments, wireless multi-card play, plus three different play modes – Zoo Designer, Zoo Director and Zoo Keeper. In Zoo Designer mode, players layout and customize their zoo as they see fit. Zoo Director mode gives players the chance to manage their zoo from a business perspective. Zoo Keeper mode lets players interact and care for their animals. Zoo Tycoon 2 DS is available now for Nintendo DS for $29.99 USD and CAD and is rated E for Everyone.

Turok officially released today

Touchstone and Propaganda Games new first-person, sci-fi shooter, Turok , officially released for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 today. Of course, the game actually released this past Thursday, as Touchstone pushed the release date forward. This new Turok almost completely re-invents the franchise's universe, save for the character's name, signature weapons and, of course, the dinosaurs. This new take on the franchise takes place on a mysterious planet, in the future and this Turok is a former black-ops commando-turned elite special forces squad member, hunting down his former mentor, Roland Kane. After their ship is shot down by Kane's forces, Turok and the other members of Whiskey Company find themselves in a savage jungle, fighting off not only Kane's forces as they try to hunt him down, but ravenous dinosaurs, huge insects and other massive creatures as well.

The game has a full story campaign as well as a robust online multiplayer system, which includes a variety of play modes, including Capture the Flag, Deathmatch, War Games and more, has 10 multiplayer maps and allows up to 16 players. We got to try the game out on Thursday just before its release. Click here to see what we thought. Turok is available now for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 for $59.99 USD and CAD and is rated M for Mature. The PC version of the game will be launching some time this Spring.

XBLA update

This week's Xbox Live Arcade update brings puzzle action to poker and an update for a classic Xbox Live Arcade game. A new Xbox Live Arcade developer, South Carolina-b ased Void Star Creations, has taken the puzzle game genre in an interesting new direction, adding a poker twist to the genre in Poker Smash. In Poker Smash, players rush to clear rows of cards by arranging them into poker hands. To keep things interesting “Poker Smash” offers card-blasting bombs and a super slow-motion trigger for players caught in a bind. The game has seven unique game modes, including action, timed, puzzle, practice (should that really count as a mode?), custom playlist, split screen head-to-head and mutliplayer tournaments. Poker Smash will be available for 800 Microsoft Points tomorrow morning at 1:00 am Pacific Standard Time.

To celebrate the launch of Poker Smash on Xbox LIVE Arcade, players will have the opportunity to participate in the Poker Smash Play & Win Sweepstakes, where one lucky grand prize winner will receive an Xbox 360 Elite console! Plus, four other winners will be selected to receive Microsoft Point cards. To be automatically entered into the sweepstakes, simply download and play the full or trial version of Poker Smash from Wednesday, February 6 at 8:00 a.m. GMT (12:00 a.m. PST on Tuesday, February 5) through Thursday, February 14 at 7:59 a.m. (11:59 p.m. PST on Wednesday, February 13).

Microsoft will also be releasing a free gameplay update for the Xbox Live Arcade classic Crystal Quest this week. This update will make the game slicker and faster than before and opens up the possibility of even higher scores. The score multiplier increases every time gamers pick up a crystal, but failing to pick up a crystal or getting zapped negates the multiplier. To keep a level playing field, old Leaderboards will be retired after the update, but will still be viewable for posterity’s sake. The update also includes improvements to downloadable content, which is part of Stainless Games’ ongoing commitment to constantly improve the player experience.

Today's game releases

Sony's Twisted Metal: Head-On Extra Twisted Edition for Playstation 2 - $19.99 USD and CAD