Welcome back to the GearGames weekly video game release feature here at Gear Diary! This is an interesting week, as we are once again seeing mixture of high profile releases and the usual January dearth of new games. The big release of the week is the highly anticipated new MMO (massively multiplayer online) game Star Trek Online.

Aside from that, the only other release of note is the PC exclusive S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat, which is the third game in the ambitious franchise, and has gotten high praise since its release in Europe late last year. There are a few other games coming out this week, so check out the list!

• No New Releases

• White Knight Chronicles International Edition

• Family Party: 30 Great Games Winter Fun

• No New Releases

• Armored Core: Silent Line Portable

• Imagine: Reporter

• Star Trek Online
• S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat
• Making History II: The War of the World
• Global Agenda
• The Sims 3: High-End Loft Stuff
• Mystery 5 Collection

Some notes from last week:

• Mass Effect 2

- eta-score sites rate it as getting ‘universal acclaim’, and that about sums it up. In my First Impressions article I mention a few complaints, but overall it is an absolutely excellent game.

• MAG

- Solid multiplayer that is so focused on the ability to have 256 players online (a console first) that the rest of the game suffers quite a bit..

What games am I playing now? Here is a sampling:

• Mac: Dragon Age: Origins – I am thrilled at how well this plays on the Mac – much more like a direct port than a typical poor-performing Cider-wrapped port.
• PC: Mass Effect 2 – I love a great shooter … and this is a great shooter.
• DS: Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks – I love the Zelda games, but this is the first chance I’ve had to touch this December release … and it is a blast so far.

So what are you playing? Chime in below!

Enjoy gaming!