Release Date Roundup - 29th Jan to 5th Feb

Dragon Age, Spore, Patapon.

News by Robert Purchese Associate Editor

Updated on 5 Feb 2008

I'm not babyist or prammist - they're not real words for starters. But by god they are annoying. I realise someone pushing a little person along needs more right of way than I, but they trundle round the streets like royalty. Just today two chatty mothers with prams side-by-side almost squashed me and, rather than apologise, looked at me as though I had just whipped my trousers off - before continuing on with their pavement domination. It has to stop! Single file or nothing. Or maybe, just maybe, I will start letting your squelchy rubber tyres down you rotten scoundrels and stop crying too.

Moving around seems easier for games sometimes, which happens to fit in nicely with my rather lengthy list of movers and shakers this week. Electronic Arts had rather a lot to say for itself recently, partly because it had a big financial report and subsequent earnings call to handle. This saw official confirmation of Mercenaries 2 and Battlefield: Bad Company delays, as well as news Spore would be here this "holiday". It was also the first time in a long time we heard anything about BioWare RPG Dragon Age, which was touted a while back as the spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate. Well I'm excited if no one else is, especially as it is due out before next April - as is some Lord of The Rings game based on the movies, although it is unclear whether it is White Council or not.

That was most of the excitement, although Sony got a little fidgety and started stamping spring dates on Buzz PS3 and Buzz PSP. It also said Patapon would be out here before the US on 22nd February, and that we would get a special demo a day before launch that lets you transfer your progress over to the retail game.

Midway obviously liked the sound of 22nd February as well, because that's when it will release the PS3 version of Unreal Tournament 3. Atari will follow a week later with Beautiful Katamari on 29th, which is the same day you JRPG fans will be expecting Lost Odyssey - but some import sites have already started selling working English copies. Cheaper, too, although obviously we didn't tell you that.

Ubisoft then came out and narrowed down a 21st March date for Rainbow Six Vegas sequel, er, Rainbow Six Vegas 2, and Empire said we should expect the PC version of FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage in June. Which just happens to be same month some people would have you believe Super Smash Bros. Brawl was out in Europe, even though Nintendo called this "a mistake".

And far, far away in the distant 2009 future is the game adaptation of Saw, the gruesome film where people get locked in all sorts of nasty torture equipment.

Oh, and last but not least, Crystal Quest and Poker Smash will be your two Live Arcade treats tomorrow.

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