Square Enix announced the North American and European release date for Final Fantasy XIII utilizing the script that surfaced on the web a few weeks ago. While the release won’t be in time for Christmas, March 9, 2010 is still close enough to put a smile on my face. The latest installment will feature a track by R&B singer-songwriter, and winner of British TV series The X Factor, Leona Lewis, titled “My Hands”.

The five minute narrated video below features developer segments and a thirty second never before seen look at some Final Fantasy XIII in-game footage. PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 won’t be left with this alone though as Square Enix promises to deliver even more periodic updates on the 13th of every month in line with their “Lucky 13″ campaign.

FACE YOUR DESTINY ON MARCH 9, 2010 – FINAL FANTASY XIII LAUNCHES IN NORTH AMERICA
Multi-Platinum Singer Songwriter Leona Lewis Offers Brand New Song “My Hands” As Game’s Theme Song

LOS ANGELES (November 13, 2009) – Square Enix, Inc., the publisher of Square Enix® interactive entertainment products in North America announced today the highly anticipated street date for FINAL FANTASY® XIII. This latest project in the multi-platinum FINAL FANTASY series promises to be intensely compelling and will be available for both the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft on March 9, 2010.

FINAL FANTASY XIII marks the dawning of a new era for the celebrated franchise, bringing the series to multiple hi-definition consoles simultaneously for the first time in its history. Expanding upon the rich tradition of the series, Producer Kitase Yoshinori (FINAL FANTASY VII, X, X-2), Director Motomu Toriyama (FINAL FANTASY VII, X, X-2), character designer Tetsuya Nomura (FINAL FANTASY V, VI, VII, VIII, X) and art director Isamu Kamikokuryo (FINAL FANASY X, XII) combine their creative vision to deliver the latest masterpiece in the FINAL FANTASY universe. Additionally, Masashi Hamauzu (FINAL FANTASY X, DIRGE of CERBERUS -FINAL FANTASY VII-) presents a sweeping soundtrack while movie director Takeshi Nozue (FINAL FANTASY VII ADVENT CHILDREN) and his team of artists adorn the game with seamless cinematic sequences of unparalleled caliber.

“We know that our fans have been eagerly awaiting the next installation of the franchise – FINAL FANTASY XIII will exceed all expectations,” said John Yamamoto, president and chief executive officer of Square Enix, Inc. “Coming simultaneously to PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 for the first time, FINAL FANTASY XIII will be available to all players who are looking for the most immersive gaming experience of 2010.”

Multi-platinum, Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter Leona Lewis has come on board with Square Enix to provide the theme song for FINAL FANTASY XIII. The song is entitled “My Hands,” and is featured on her highly-anticipated second album ECHO (J Records/Syco Music) set for release on November 17th. Leona Lewis took the music world by storm with her 2008 6x platinum debut album Spirit which features her chart topping, biggest selling single of 2008 “Bleeding Love,” and mega-hit “Better In Time.”
“When Square Enix approached Leona about including her song, “My Hands,” in FINAL FANTASY XIII, she was honored to be partnered with such an iconic and groundbreaking video game series,” said Tom Corson, EVP/GM, RCA Music Group. “Leona is a natural fit with the game’s powerful themes and strong female protagonist. We’re delighted to be part of this effort, bringing great musical artistry to
FINAL FANTASY XIII which is a riveting and dynamic gaming experience.”

Introducing new worlds, memorable characters and extraordinary stories with each new installment, the FINAL FANTASY series has continued to reinvent itself over the last two decades and has shipped over 85 million copies worldwide. The series is defined by a constant evolution, offering nothing less than the finest creative vision, graphical quality and gameplay system of its generation with every installment, and FINAL FANTASY XIII will be no exception to its legacy.

Story
Cocoon — a utopia in the sky.
Its inhabitants believed their world a paradise.
Under the Sanctum’s rule, Cocoon had long known peace and prosperity.

Mankind was blessed by its protectors, the benevolent fal’Cie, and believed that tranquil days would continue forever.

Their tranquility was shattered with the discovery of one hostile fal’Cie.

The moment that fal’Cie from Pulse — the feared and detested lowerworld — awoke from its slumber, peace on Cocoon came to an end.

Fal’Cie curse humans, turning them into magic-wielding servants.

They become l’Cie — chosen of the fal’Cie.

Those branded with the mark of a l’Cie carry the burden of either fulfilling their Focus or facing a fate harsher than death itself.

A prayer for redemption.

A wish to protect the world.
A promise to challenge destiny.

After thirteen days of fates intertwined, the battle begins.

Features

Take Part in a Gaming Experience that Sets New Standards – The first in the series developed for a simultaneous release on multiple high-definition consoles, FINAL FANTASY XIII pushes new boundaries in cinematic presentation, sound and gameplay.

Experience the Unity of Speed and Strategy with the Ultimate Active Time Battle system – The familiar system has evolved, granting players the freedom of executing numerous commands in a single turn with the multi-slot ATB gauge. Whether inputting singular commands in each slot for consecutive attacks, or expending multiple slots at once to activate a devastating blow, it’s up to the players to respond effectively to the battle conditions at hand.

Adapt to the Ever-Changing Tide of Battle with Paradigms – A brand-new game mechanic enabling players to assign roles to their party members at any time during battle, shifting between combat paradigms. Consisting of various combinations of the game’s six roles, ranging from Commando, the offensive specialist, to Medic, the quintessential healer, paradigms allow players to respond and adapt instantly to any given situation to turn the tide and seize victory.

Witness the Battle Scene Transform with an All-New Summon System – Introducing Gestalt Mode, a powerful dimension of the summon system that elevates the action to a whole new level. In Gestalt Mode, characters and their transformed Eidolons fight as one, dealing massive damage to enemies through simple button commands.

Delve into an Emotional Experience – An immersive storyline connects players to an intriguing cast of characters. Will they have the strength to confront their cursed fates, or will destiny prevail over all that they believe in?

It has leaked on the web that several GameStop locations in the North East (Brooklyn NY, Philadelphia PA, Bowling Green Ohio) have been selling Modern Warfare 2 before its November 10th release date — as in today.

According to Mike Fahey over at Kotaku, at least one location claimed that they received specific permission from Activision to do so based on other retailers (like Best Buy, Wal-Mart, and even Mom n’ Pop shops) already breaking the release date in their district.

Another individual I spoke to said they purchased MW2 from a Brooklyn, NY GameStop and added that their uncle picked a copy up at a Philly location. Activision responded directly, releasing the following statement today:

“Activision has not given any retailer permission to sell Modern Warfare 2 prior to the Nov. 10 street date. The company fully supports the Nov.10 street date.”

I reached out to a hand full of managers at GameStop locations in Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. All of them emphatically stated that they will be selling the game in accordance with Activision’s scheduled release date. In addition, I was told that employees working at locations caught breaking the release date are subject to immediate termination.

One GameStop manager added another layer to the convoluted “he said, she said” mess, accusing some individuals of flat out lying. His belief was that many of the leaked videos and images actually obtained from pirated copies of the game on torrent sites were being dishonestly attributed to GameStop broken release date sales a a means to garnish an envious reaction by those desperately seeking attention.

Update: Infinity Ward’s Creative Strategist, Robert Bowling, chimed in a few hours ago with the following tweet:

“ANY store selling #MW2 early is in violation of street date. There are no “special permissions”. That said, we won’t punish players for it.”

What do you think? Is this a case of GameStop greed or lying internet attention whores? Sound off in the comments section below.

Square-Enix posted a message/anagram on their North America website earlier today:

A puzzle for FINAL FANTASY XIII fans!

Solve this anagram to find out what lies ahead: A Henchmen Inventor Tent Unto. Check back Monday for the answer!

Well, there’s no need to wait until Monday, as hintonmj and Squirrel Emperor, two finalfantasy-xiii.net forum users, figured it out in just under an hour. The hidden message unscrambles to read “Announcement Nov Thirteenth”.

Could this be the North America release date we’ve all been waiting for? My cardboard Buster Sword sure hopes so. Stay tuned.

Spring of 2010. That is the only release information that developer Square-Enix has shared to this point regarding their highly anticipated RPG Final Fantasy XIII release. But that doesn’t stop the analyzers from analyzing every piece of information they come into contact with in the hopes of unearthing specifics.

An ad placed by Los Angeles based ad agency, Liz Paulson Casting, is our latest “exhibit A” if you will. The placement seeks voice talent to read the script below:

FINAL FANTASY XIII Imagery

A new universe is on the horizon. And now, it’s closer than ever.

HISTORY

Over 20 years of captivating audiences around the globe and with each new installment, Final Fantasy completely reinvents itself – introducing us to vast new worlds, dynamic characters and unparalleled storytelling.

It takes equal part imagination, artistry, and vision to create such a compelling, long-lasting, and beloved series. Meet the masterminds behind FINAL FANTASY XIII.

DEV DOCUMENTARY

The journey that has brought us to this moment is extraordinary. Now, an exclusive never before seen look at FINAL FANTASY XIII.

NEW FOOTAGE

FINAL FANTASY XIII. One of the most anticipated gaming experiences ever. This is big. So big, you might need to step back just to take it all in.

CAMERA PANS BACK TO REVEAL RELEASE DATE

I personally don’t know what, if anything, that the script reveals. Sure, it shows that preparation has begun, but having done work for ad agencies in the past, I can tell you this doesn’t give much of a clue. Production can start, get shot down by the client, get shelved, get rewritten, and shot down again.

The other piece of information from the script being analyzed is the segment about “an exclusive never before seen look at FINAL FANTASY XIII”. The release date in Japan is already known (December 17th) causing some to believe that any “exclusive” look would have to occur before then. Well duh! I think it’s safe to say that however this campaign/documentary ends up being used, it will start spamming us well before the game hits stores.

If I had to guess, I’d personally say December-ish sounds good but like everyone else at this point — it’s just a guess. What do you think?

Thanks to Siliconera for the script

The PlayStation Blog have announced that the full HD re-releases of God of War and God of War II on a single Blu-ray disc will be coming out on November 17. They’ve also released a list of Trophies, which can be seen after the jump.

I think they’re a bit rubbish, to be brutally honest. I think Trophies and Achievements are better when they’re used to point out silly things you can do in the games, or used to reward those who have completely mastered the game. There’s a little of this in these ones but not nearly enough; most of them look like they’re just for stuff you’re highly likely to do when just playing through the games.

Still, I’m looking forward to the release, since I haven’t played the games yet and I’m told they are great.

GOD OF WAR

Bronze

• 1.21 Gigawatts – Acquire Poseidon’s Rage
• Rocking Out – Acquire Medusa’s Gaze
• Bolt Action – Acquire Zeus’ Fury
• Sword Man – Acquire Blade of Artemis
• Soul Search – Acquire Army of Hades
• Matador – Win the first Minotaur fight
• Scape Goat – Win the first Satyr fight
• Roll Over … and Die – Win the first Cerberus fight
• Don’t They Ever Shut Up! – Defeat the Desert Sirens
• Beat a Dead Horse – Complete the Centaur sacrifice to Hades
• Kickboxer – Complete the Spike Room Box Puzzle
• Rockin’ the Boat – Complete the Sex Mini-Game
• Don’t Leave Her Hanging – Rescue the Oracle with 10 seconds to spare
• Get the Ball Rolling – Complete the Challenge of Atlas
• Totally Baked – Complete the Human sacrifice
• Splash – Kiss the Nyad
• Get Me a Beer Kid – Free yourself from the depths of Hades
• Zero Health = Bronze Trophy – Open a Health Chest when your health meter is already full
• Hitman – Get a 100 Hits Combo
• Getting My Ass Kicked – Die enough times to get offered Easy Mode

Silver

• Kratos’ Marble Collection – Collect all the Gorgon Eyes
• Stick it in Your Cap! – Collect all the Phoenix Feathers
• It’s the HUGE One – Retrieve the Captain’s Key
• Take the Bull by the Horns – Defeat Pandora’s Guardian
• God Killer – Kill Ares
• Head Hunter – Obtain the head of the Architect’s wife
• The Power to Kill a God – Retrieve Pandora’s Box
• Hitman 2 – Get a 200 Hits Combo
• Legend of the Twins – Watch the ‘Birth of the Beast’ Treasure
• Seeing Red – Max out all Weapons and Magic

Gold

• Prepare to be a God – Beat the Game on any Difficulty
• You Got the Touch! – Climb the Spiked Column in Hades without taking damage
• I’ll Take the Physical Challenge – Complete the Challenge of the Gods
• Speed of Jason McDonald – Beat the game in under 5 hours on any Difficulty
• Key to Success – Collect all of the Muse Keys

Platinum

• Trophy of Zeus – Unlock all God of War Trophies

GOD OF WAR II

Bronze

• Breaking Wind – Acquire Typhon’s Bane
• Big, Tuff, Buff and Rough – Acquire Rage of the Titans
• Blue Balls – Acquire Cronos’ Rage
• Shiner – Acquire the Golden Fleece
• Rock their World – Acquire the Head of Euryale
• Learning to Fly – Acquire the Icarus Wings
• Shaky Ground – Acquire Atlas Quake
• Death from Above 2009 – Defeat the Dark Rider for the first time
• Resurrection – Climb from the pit of Hades
• Rock Hard – Defeat the Titan Minotaur inside Atlas
• Pick’n on the Little Guy – Win the battle outside of the Palace of the Fates
• Watcha Got on the Hot Plate? – Solve the riddle of the Fire Phoenix Statue
• Whip it Good – Whip the Steeds of Time
• Lift with Your Knees – Topple the Temple in the Bog of the Forgotten
• Swinger – Cross the collapsing Grapple Bridge
• Stoner – Stone and Shatter 30 Enemies
• Super Sized – Get a 500 Hits Combo
• Hitting Your Stride – Power up any item

Silver

• Eye Can’t Believe it – Collect all the Gorgon Eyes
• Go Make a Pillow! – Collect all the Phoenix Feathers
• Eye Sore – Collect 20 Cyclops Eyes
• Boss Batch 1 – Kill the Colossus of Rhodes, the Dark Rider, and Theseus
• Boss Batch 2 – Kill the Barbarian King, Euryale, and Perseus
• Boss Batch 3 – Kill the Kraken and all three Sisters of Fate
• Daddy Issues – Defeat Zeus
• Rise and SHINE – Awaken the Phoenix
• Spread ‘Em – Open the wings of the Temple of the Fates
• Shine King – Open the door to the Temple of Euryale
• Blowin’ Your Wad – Max out all Weapons and Magic

Gold

• The End Begins – Beat the Game on any Difficulty
• Feel the Urn – Collect and use at least 2 Urns of Power
• Bleeding Thumbs – Beat the Challenge of the Titans
• 15 Min Fight Scene – Battle your way to the Loom Chamber in under 10 minutes
• You Know the Germans Make Good Stuff… – Collect all Uber Chests

Platinum

• Trophy of Gaia – Unlock all God of War II Trophies

Yes, you may be one of the few people posting pictures and video of yourself holding a PC version of Borderlands on the web, but the laugh’s on you if you actually try to play it. It seems that a few retailers out there jumped the gun and “accidentally” sold the title to PC hungry gamers (and maybe a few unsuspecting parents with good intentions) before its scheduled October 26th North America and October 30th International release dates.

In response to this news, 2K Community Manager Elizabeth Tobey, wrote the following on the company’s official forum:

Hey guys,

Yesterday we learned that a fraction of the PC copies of Borderlands were accidentally sold to consumers in some countries but that gamers could not activate their copies yet. Since we learned of this problem, we have been looking into the issue to find the best possible solution for everyone.

I’m going to be completely honest with you guys right now. It is not possible for us to move the planned release date of the game forward. We could not possibly get the games into stores worldwide and out for digital distribution any earlier than planned. Less than 1% of all copies were sold, and if we unlocked the game today, illegal versions would most likely appear on torrents by the evening. I am sure all of you want our PC launch to be as successful as possible, and we simply won’t be able to manage that any earlier than already planned.

I want to apologize for those of you who have gotten the game ahead of our release date, and ask for your patience and understanding. The game will be ready in the US and Canada at midnight eastern standard time on Monday, October 26th, and internationally by Friday, October 30th.

-Elizabeth

This is truly unfortunate if you believe the majority of the consumers who forked over the cash were clueless to the actual PC release date. I personally don’t but hey — to each their own. Moving forward, we should push to implement rights managed payment options. Money that doesn’t become spendable until we are satisfied with our purchases. Sounds good to me.

Source: forums.2kgames.com

2K Games have today announced that the hotly anticipated Bioshock 2 will be releasing on the 9th of February 2010. The release date will be the same for all platforms: PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.

I’ll quickly take this opportunity to remind our PC gaming fans that Direct2Drive are offering the original Bioshock for just $5/£5 for the next few days. Get it if you haven’t played it, and finish it. Then maybe you’ll be as excited as the rest of us that it’s only six months until the sequel arrives. Actually, when I put it like that, six months sounds like ages.

Destructoid reports that via a holiday release list, Nintendo have announced the release date for the upcoming DS title The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks will be December 7 in the US. There is no official word on the EU/Australian release dates yet, but rest assured that it will probably come out there at some point, maybe.

The is good news for Zelda fans globally of course, because of the lack of region protection on the DS. If you fancy playing Spirit Tracks and you live in the EU, simply import an American copy. It’s not like you won’t be able to understand the story, unless it relies heavily on the use of the words “faucet” and “diaper”.

Take-Two have announced that Bioshock 2 will be released on November the third for Northern Americans, and on October the thirtieth for Europeans, on Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. This of course means that the spoilers will hit the web a good four days before people from the US will be able to play the game. I suggest you stay away from the internet during those four days, especially if you don’t want to know that Atlas is f- actually, you can come to Ripten. We won’t spoil it. We promise.

Sure, the announcement said that Brütal Legend will release in Rocktober, but I just went one better. Besides, RAWKtober just sounds like Jack Black, you know? Anyway, the game will release on (R)October 13 in North America, and (R)October 16 in Europe, for 360 and PS3. The game looks like it’ll be on par with Psychonauts, a brilliant game that nobody bought. This has Jack Black and metal ümlaüts, though, so let’s hope it does a little better.

GameZine reports that the early demo, released with Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children on Blu-Ray, has a special message at the end: “Coming Winter 2009″. The game will release at some point in 2010 for Western fans, but in the meantime it might comfort some to know that the Japanese version will be ready for release this year, at least on the PS3. Final Fantasy fans who can read Japanese will be interested in this as well, no doubt.

Sega have announced that Bayonetta will be releasing simultaneously worldwide in Autumn 2009. It’s shaping up nicely from what we’ve seen so far, and the fact that the renowned Platinum Games is the developer is certainly encouraging. Fans of clothes made of hair will love it, too.

If you’re looking to get your swing on, Capcom’s announced today that Bionic Commando will be releasing on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on May 19, 2009 in North America and on May 22, 2009 in Europe.

You’ll play as Nathan Spencer, a government operative who is betrayed and imprisoned by the group he once served. Nathan comes back into action after bio-terrorists detonate an experimental device over Ascension City following its occupation.

The release date for the PC version was not given. However, Capcom stated that it’s “due to ship shortly after the console release.”

If you are a fan of things that are awesome, this is a pretty good time to be a gamer. Gears 2, Left 4 Dead, and now Prince of Persia. Stock pile food and drink, bar the door shut, and dim the lights … Ubisoft’s Prince of Persia deserves your full attention. Hit the jump for the full release announcement.

PRINCE OF PERSIA® SHIPS TO STORE SHELVES

All-New Epic Adventure Hits Stores, Is Poised to Reign This Holiday Season

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – December 2, 2008 – Today Ubisoft announced that Prince of Persia for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system has shipped to store shelves. Additionally, the complementary adventure exclusively for the Nintendo DS(TM) system, Prince of Persia®: The Fallen King, also shipped to retailers. Prince of Persia has an ESRB of “T” for Teen and will be available at the manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $59.99 for Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 systems. The Windows-based PC version of the game ships to stores on December 9th and will retail for $49.99. Prince of Persia: The Fallen King has an ESRB of “E” for Everyone and will retail for $29.99.

“Prince of Persia is one of the most innovative and critically acclaimed franchises in video game history,” said Tony Key, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Ubisoft. “This new chapter will continue to set the standard for the action-adventure genre and is a definite must-own title this holiday season.”

About Prince of Persia
Set in a land rooted in ancient Persian mythology, the warrior Prince finds himself caught in an epic battle between the primal forces of light and darkness that pits the God of Light, Ormazd, against his brother, Ahriman, the destructive God of Darkness. After witnessing the destruction of the legendary Tree of Life – an act which unleashes Ahriman’s corrupted darkness onto the land – the Prince and his deadly companion, Elika, embark on a journey to heal the world from the evil Corruption and defeat Ahriman once and for all.

Led by the all-star team that previously created the Prince of Persia® Sands of Time trilogy, Prince of Persia has been in development at Ubisoft’s Montreal studio for over three years. The video game opens an entirely new chapter in the Prince of Persia universe in addition to introducing a fresh illustrative art style, evolved combat system, open world structure and dynamic AI – most notably in the form of the Prince’s powerful ally Elika.

About Ubisoft
Ubisoft is a leading producer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment products worldwide and has grown considerably through a strong and diversified line-up of products and partnerships. Ubisoft has teams in 28 countries and distributes games in more than 55 countries around the globe. It is committed to delivering high-quality, cutting-edge video game titles to consumers. For the 2007–08 fiscal year Ubisoft generated sales of 928 million euros. To learn more, please visit www.ubisoftgroup.com.

Seven classic Nirvana songs are set to release as downloadable content for Rock Band and Rock Band 2. Costing the usual 160 Microsoft Points (or $1.99) per song, the DLC will be available starting October 21 for Xbox 360 and October 23 for PS3. Another option would be to pick up the Nirvana Track Pack for a modest discount, getting all seven songs for 880 Microsoft Points (or $10.99). So, what’s on the playlist? Why, these effing songs right here:

• Breed
• Lounge Act
• On a Plain
• Polly
• Something in the Way
• Stay Away
• Territorial Pissings

When the hell are we gonna get some Teen Spirit?

After lauding Fable II’s cooperative gameplay as the best thing since whatever was previously the best thing (witty, right?), developer Lionhead went and pissed everyone off when they announced that it would not be available when the game released.  Instead, people were expected to wait another week and download a patch that would implement the online co-op mode.

Earlier today, however, Lionhead announced on their community blog that co-op would be available on day one, but it will still be in patch form.  Huh?  Isn’t there enough room on the disc for that extra 983KB of code?  Anyway, this is good news for me since I’m planning on killing my brother’s family ASAP– err, I mean I’m looking forward to conquering evil with him.

A new Fable II TV commercial is also available, so you can click through if you’re interested in watching it. Kinda neat.

Major Nelson, who is currently chilling out and live-blogging in Japan at the Tokyo Game Show, just confirmed that the New Xbox Experience will officially launch on November 19th.  Additionally, he went over some of the new features, such as taking a picture of your Mii Avatar to use as your GamerPic, as well as the ability to surf the Marketplace on the web and buy stuff to be downloaded to your 360 later.

If it weren’t for the stupid new interface, I would be much more excited about this update.  Lots of good features but at the cost of looking totally “casual”.  The gods shall damn thee, Microsoft…

Source: Major Nelson

Spoiler Alert: Your plane crashes.

After only having to wait a year and some change, PlayStation 3 owners will soon be able to experience the Rapture that is BioShock (see what I did there?).  Featuring all-new content and all of the DLC from the Xbox 360 version, BioShock is set to sweep PS3 owners up in its cheery narrative about the joys of life in only a few short weeks.

The game is officially pressed and packaged for an October 17th release worldwide, with the exception being North America who has to wait until the 21st (not enough waiting already, right?).  This Thursday also sees the release of the demo on the PlayStation Network, which hopefully helps tide over anyone with an insatiable need to fuck with genetics and beat people with a wrench.

Been in prison or a coma for the last few years and don’t know what BioShock is? Well, here’s a little PS3 trailer… and the date at the end is a total lie so just pretend you didn’t see it.

But only on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. DICE announced today that Mirror’s Edge will ship for consoles on November 11, with the PC version to appear later this winter.

The game’s prologue – a tutorial and early chunk of the single-player story – will be released as a demo through Xbox Live Marketplace and PlayStation Store at some point before the game’s release. And if you’re keen enough to pre-order Mirror’s Edge, from the 26th September you’ll be given a code to unlock a time trial mode in the demo too.

Source: DICE

While you’ll still have to wait til the end of October to play Dead Space in your Halloween costume, you’ll be able to purchase the game one week earlier than expected, as EA announced today that the game will be shipping on October 14th, 2008.

That still gives you plenty of time to practice your evil laugh. Hit the jump for the full press release.

Dead Space Set to Ship Early – Oct. 14, 2008

Get Your Halloween Treat Earlier This Year! Originally scheduled to ship on October 21st, the award-winning action/adventure game, Dead Space will ship for the Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 on October 14, 2008 giving players a full 17 days before Halloween to step out into space for the fright of their lives. The development team at EA Redwood Shores is getting into the Halloween spirit early this year so fans can celebrate with Dead Space without cutting into their trick or treat time.

The Dead Space experience is all about surviving in its sci-fi world through strategic dismemberment, so experience the horror before the Necromorphs dismember you. After all, you are never truly safe in Dead Space. When an immense mining ship, the USG Ishimura, comes into contact with a mysterious alien artifact in a remote star system, its communications with Earth are mysteriously cut off. Engineer Isaac Clarke is sent to repair the Ishimura’s communications array, but he arrives to find a living nightmare—the ship is a floating bloodbath, the crew unspeakably mutilated and infected by an ancient alien scourge. Clarke’s repair mission becomes one of survival as he fights not just to save himself, but to return the artifact to the planet … at any cost.

The PC version of the game will be shipping on October 20, 2008.

On October 30, 2008, the land of the rising sun will be treated to a fictional Bosnian with a blazing gun. In other words, the localized version of Rockstar’s GTA 4 will be released in Japan just before Halloween, or as the Japanese call it, “Bad American Cosplay Day”.

Full press release after the jump.

Rockstar Games Announces Release Date for Japanese Version of Grand Theft Auto IV

New York, NY – August 15, 2008 – Rockstar Games, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), announced today an October 30, 2008 release date for the localized Japanese version of Grand Theft Auto IV for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system.

Developed by series creator Rockstar North, Grand Theft Auto IV was released in North America and Europe on April 29, 2008, selling 3.6 million units on the first day of release, and 6 million units in the first week. Critics from across the globe have showered the game in unanimous praise for its immersive storytelling; culturally eclectic soundtrack; an unparalleled level of detail in Liberty City; and sixteen player multiplayer with more than a dozen online modes for endless replayability.

One of the most popular games from E3, and one of the most anticipated titles for the PS3, Media Molecule’s LittleBigPlanet, has finally received a release date — in Japan.

According to the Sony Computer Entertainment Japan website (via MCV), the fully customizable, side-scrolling adventure is set for a release date of October 30th. For eager PS3 gamers in the West, the release date is still unknown.

LBP is just one of the few first-party titles coming to the PS3 this holiday season, which also includes Resistance 2 and Motorstorm: Pacific Rift.

I’m expecting a North American and European release date for LBP soon, and hopefully, it’ll be released before Christmas.

Source: mcvuk.com

In an attempt to get you more excited about Fable 2’s release, Peter Molyneux and the studly geniuses at Lionhead are giving you an early taste in the form of an Xbox Live Arcade game.

Keystone is a downloadable XBLA game that will release prior to Fable 2. It’s just one of the many mini-games found in Fable 2, but Keystone will let you gamble and win gold that you can then transfer into your Fable 2 saved game. You can be a rich bitch before you even enter the world of Albion!

No release date has been given for either Fable 2 or Keystone, but the stars are aligning for a Summer delivery. Keystone already looks ready to go, so it can up and surprise us at any time. Be on the lookout for that crafty bastard on the marketplace, or just stay tuned to Ripten and we’ll let you know when it’s coming out.

The release date rumors regarding Final Fantasy XIII received an official response from Square Enix via the press section of their North American website. The full statement can be found below.

ANNOUNCEMENT REGARDING FINAL FANTASY XIII RELEASE DATE

Although information regarding the release date of FINAL FANTASY XIII has been reported by certain videogame websites, Square Enix itself has yet to make an official statement on this topic. Any reports of a confirmed release date are erroneous and should be disregarded.

Square Enix will make an official announcement in the future concerning the release date when it has been determined.

The future certainly looks promising for the PS3 and FF fans, however it seems that the actual release date for this game is still up in the air. Sit tight, keep your ear to the ground, but don’t hold your breathe. We will continue to follow this game closely so check back often.

Source: Square-Enix

Rockstar’s golden hooker, Grand Theft Auto, was supposed to return last October in the much anticipated fourth installment… wait, sixth installment? Eighth? Okay, let’s just say Grand Theft Auto IV and move on.

October came and went, and obviously the game was not released — if it were, you’d be playing it right now instead of just reading about it. All that’s about to change very soon.

Take Two, publisher of the game, has GTA4 nestled firmly in their second quarter release calendar, which runs from February to April. Rockstar Games Vice President of Product Development, Jeronimo Barrera, confirmed that it’s still on track to meet that goal.

As far as the progress of the game goes, Rockstar seems to have addressed most of the things GTA fans have bitched about, such as having to drive all the way back to the starting point if you fail a mission, just to re-initialize it — now it’s a quick button press. Mission repeats will also have some varied dialog so “players won’t get bored”.

Your wanted level is now only affected if your crimes are actually witnessed by the police. Once the fuzz shows up, the mini-map flashes to indicate your danger zone. While you’re in the zone, the police will continue to give chase, so the goal is to escape and hide. Fighting back or causing any other kind of mayhem while in the zone will increase the radius and just make it that much more difficult to shake them.

Cars now have GPS systems in them to help guide you to your destination. The route will be drawn out on your mini-map, and expensive cars will even have talking GPS systems. Additionally, random events will occur while driving, such as barrels falling off of a truck, bums lying in the road, or other car chases completely unrelated to you or your actions.

Finally, probably the biggest gripe about the GTA series, is the targeting system. This has been completely overhauled and is now quite similar to The Godfather. Pulling the left trigger aims down the sights of your weapon and allows free-aiming. Holding the left trigger while aiming at an enemy locks onto that target. Once locked, you can move the right analog stick up or down to target the head or legs, respectively, and flicking the stick left or right changes targets altogether.

All of this works in tandem with the cover system, which is very much like that in Gears of War. Run into a wall or obstacle, hit the cover button, and you’re stuck to it. You can then peer out and aim with left trigger, or you can blind-fire.

Basically, Rockstar implemented all of the good things about Saints Row, added the targeting of The Godfather, and sprinkled with a pinch of Gears of War. Even if this wasn’t the next Grand Theft Auto game, I’d still say that’s a recipe for a delicious “I-will-buy-this-game” sandwich.

MTV News had a 90-minute exclusive preview of the game and claims it’s looking great. The build was running on an Xbox 360 development kit, and “appears to be shining with polish” — they see no reason why it wouldn’t make the target window of February – April. You can read MTV News’ full impressions here.

Update: Take Two just announced that the official release date for GTA4 is April 29, 2008. Sam Houser, Founder and Executive Producer of Rockstar Games, had this to say:

We’ve pushed ourselves very hard to make something incredible and hope the game sets a new benchmark for interactive entertainment.

I’m sure your game will do just fine, Sam.

Snake is getting all prettied up for the big release!

Yes we’ve gone a bit top heavy on the Metal Gear Solid 4 news, but it’s just coming in thick and fast. And we’ll take it while we can when we suspect Kojima hibernation is imminent. Today we bring you the exciting news that Kojima doesn’t want to disappoint his fans any longer – there will be no further delay for MGS4, as confirmed in the Kojima Report Podcast.

On this weeks Kojima Report Session, Ryan Payton (the game’s Assistant Producer) lets us in on some titibits on MGS4’s release date. There is no set date for release, since conversations are still continuing between Kojima and marketing, but they are definitely concentrating on Q2 of this year. Yes, you heard it here first; the title is not going to slip.

The whole team and Kojima himself are committed to Q2 2008. Ryan even tells us that Kojima was embarrassed by the slip to 2008 and that he doesn’t want to further delay the game.

I can hear you all murmuring “Yeah right!”, but hey, there’s actually more good evidence to support this. Ryan tells us that the game is “on the eve of the bug checking phase”, where the game is very nearly feature complete. MGS4 can even be played from start to finish.

Even though parts, such as the opening movie, are still missing, the remaining development time is filled with bug testing, tuning and last minute features. This is the last push for MGS4. Hurrah!

Although a specific date is still speculation, MGS4 will be released simultaneously worldwide (within the same week) in Q2 2008. You can put money on it. $60 would be a good bet.

You can listen to the podcast here.

Credit goes to Gamespot forums for the hilarious title image.

Looking at Sega’s latest release schedule we can spy a firm release date for The Club and an approximate release date for Condemned 2.

The Club, Bizarre Creations latest offering, will be releasing February 8th on the Xbox360, PS3 and PC. In addition, Condemned 2 is listed as releasing alongside The Club sometime in February. Universe at War is listed for January 25th, but only on the PC. An Xbox360 version was presumed to release alongside this, but doesn’t appear on Sega’s schedule.

What is The Club? A mish-mash of fighting and shooting, to create some apparently glorified gaming experience. Lets hope it’s as good as it sounds.

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Source: CVG

Tricklings from Gamestop have put little butterflies into the stomachs of would be treasure hunters. Drake’s Fortune is listed to release this Thursday! With other retailers following suit, hopefully Uncharted will go the way of the Lombax, and release earlier than expected. In addition to this, we also have the first magazine review from MaxiConsolas, right after a wee little click from your mousey.

So Gamestop have the Uncharted release set for the 15th November, this Thursday and now EBGame’s have followed suit, deliberately changing the release date from the original 19th (well it was originally the 20th, but those Naughty Dog’s brought it forward, but not for poor old Europe). Could we have another Ratchet on our hands, since that game was released a whole week before it was meant to.

Could this be true? We think so since the game went gold a few weeks ago and Sony seem to have gotten their printing magic working at full speed, and we’re not ones to complain. However, Sheila Bryson, a PR manager with Sony Computer Entertainment working on the Naughty Dog title, said the release change was news to her. But what does she know right?

Along with this pukka news is the first magazine review. The review is from the Portuguese magazine MaxiConsolas…yes a non-English magazine, but you take what you’re given.

Don’t be fooled by the blurry photo that we’ve got — is that score an 8? No it is not. The score is actually a 9/10.

And here’s the breakdown:

Graphics: 9.5, Gameplay: 9.0, Sound: 9.0, Longevity: 7.5

Overall: 9.0

With comments ranging from “We even dare to say it looks better then Heavenly Sword”, to “The treasure that so many PS3 owners were looking for” and even “Best PS3 exclusive yet!” Make sure to head back to us for our review of the game, to find out if we agree. Plus, we’d still love to hear about your thoughts from playing the demo.

Update: 1:19PM EST, 11/11
Those dirty muppets at Gamestop and EBGames have changed Uncharted’s release date back to the 19th, so really who knows! It’s possible that Sony rang them up and told them not to release their copies until the 19th, even though they have them ready for the 15th.

Amazon.com has finally started their pre-orders for the highly anticipated PS3 exclusive, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. According to the site, it will be officially released on May 31st in Europe and then one month later in North America on June 30th.

We have yet to receive an official comment from Konami’s PR department, though we have left several messages. At this time, we have no further information details to report other than the amazon pre-order list.

One thing is for sure though, if this does hold true, we will see a lot of MGS4 copies leaving Europe and making their way overseas to North America in during that one month time gap.

The rumor being spread about the big box retailer breaking the street date for Super Mario Galaxy is just not true. We spoke to managers in Boston and Pennsylvania, both of which assured us that there has been no word passed down to break the release date. The only time they have broken the release date is when a game does not have a hard release date already set. Super Mario is not one of those games.

When asked about whether or not they believed individual stores would do it on a case by case basis, both said that they could not see that happening, as the stores would receive immense fines and the managers would likely lose their jobs.