Game Releases - Week of September 13th, 2004

Author: by Brandon Sheffield, Simon Carless

This is a rather packed week for game releases across the Western territories, where the pre-Thanksgiving blitz appears to be in full swing, in terms of both quantity and quality. However, the Japanese release schedule still remains agreeably steady. -- Games released in the United States: PlayStation 2: ShellShock: Nam '67, Gradius V, Demon Stone, Sly 2: Band of Thieves, Gungrave: Overdose, Vietcong: Purple Haze, Bad Boys: Miami Takedown, Power Rangers: Dino Thunder, Jimmy Neutron: Attack of the Twonkies, Dog's Life, Asterix and Obelix: Kick Buttix Xbox: Fable, Guilty Gear X2#, ShellShock: Nam '67, Vietcong: Purple Haze, Carmen Sandiego: Secret Of The Stolen Drums, Bad Boys: Miami Takedown, Power Rangers: Dino Thunder, Jimmy Neutron: Attack of the Twonkies GameCube: Phantasy Star Online I and II Plus, Zoids: Battle Legends, Jimmy Neutron: Attack of the Twonkies, Carmen Sandiego: Secret Of The Stolen Drums, Bad Boys: Miami Takedown, Power Rangers: Dino Thunder PC: ShellShock: Nam '67, The Sims 2, NHL 2005, Madden 2005, EverQuest: Omens of War, Call of Duty: United Offensive Game Boy Advance: Zoids Advance, kill.switch The U.S. explodes this month, with masses of releases on all fronts. The long-awaited, Peter Molyneux-associated Xbox RPG Fable finally ships, and Sucker Punch's Sly 2, a sequel to an arguably under-rated PS2 game, slinks out to retail. Also noticeable on PC is The Sims 2, the sequel to Will Wright's giganto-selling Little Computer People-a-like phenomenon. Meanwhile, Treasure/Konami's Gradius V, Sega's Phantasy Star Online I and II Plus, and the Mastiff-published, Red-developed budget release Gungrave: Overdose keep the hardcore happy. As the spending season ramps up, there are plenty of titles for kids, too, with new Jimmy Neutron and Power Rangers games hitting the consoles. -- Games released in Europe: PlayStation 2: Silent Hill 4: The Room, Resident Evil Outbreak, Crisis Zone, Madden NFL 2005, Dangerous Hunts, Dynasty Warriors 4 Platinum Xbox: Madden NFL 2005, Silent Hill 4: The Room GameCube: Madden NFL 2005, WWE Day of Reckoning PC: , The Sims 2, Final Fantasy XI, Kohan 2: Kings of War Game Boy Advance: Mario Golf: Advance Tour European consumers will be delighted to get Konami's Silent Hill 4, and perhaps slightly less so for Capcom's Resident Evil Outbreak (not online-enabled in Europe) and Madden 2005 (not the right kind of football), though they are likely to be enthused by the big-everywhere The Sims 2. Square Enix's Final Fantasy XI also makes its European debut on PC this week as well, but the PS2 version has yet to surface. -- Games released in Japan PlayStation 2: Angelique Etoile, Final Fantasy XI: Chains of Promathia, Kowloon Youma Gakuenki, Sengoku Musou: Moushouden, Spectral Force: Radical Elements, Pro Yakyuu Spirits 2004 Climax, Tennis no Oji-Sama: Form The Strongest Team, Usagi: Yasei no Topai - THE ARCADE, Yamashiro Mahjong-Hen PC: Final Fantasy XI: Chains of Promathia Game Boy Advance: Pokemon Emerald The Japan list is more for specialized tastes this week, apart from Nintendo's still-massive Pokemon Emerald GBA franchise-extension, with the girls’ dating simulator Angelique Etoile releasing, along with a few sports and mahjong titles. The other big news is probably simultaneous PS2 and PC debuts for Final Fantasy XI: Chains of Promathia, the new expansion for the Final Fantasy online world. Sources: NCSX, Play Asia, GAME, EB Games