Game Releases - Week Of November 1st, 2004

This week's worldwide game releases include a mass of major releases in the States, a significant amount of titles in Europe, and even quite a few intriguing games in Japanese territories, as the worldwide market ramps up to next week's release of Halo 2. -- Game releases in the United States:
PlayStation 2: Lord Of The Rings: The Third Age, The Polar Express, InuYasha: The Secret of the Cursed Mask, Sega Superstars, Sonic Mega Collection+, Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal, ATV Offroad Fury 3, Killzone, Spyro: A Hero's Tail, Guilty Gear Isuka, Pinball Hall of Fame Xbox: Fatal Frame II, The Bard's Tale, Lord Of The Rings: The Third Age, Ultra Bust-A-Move, Sonic Mega Collection+, Pinball Hall of Fame, Spyro: A Hero's Tail, Monster Garage, Tron 2.0: Killer App, IHRA Drag Racing 2005, High Rollers Casino GameCube: Lord Of The Rings: The Third Age, Spyro: A Hero's Tail, Intellivision Lives, Pinball Hall of Fame, Army Men: RTS PC: Ultima Online: Samurai Empire, Shade: Wrath of Angels, Axis & Allies, Return To Mysterious Island, Kuma War: The War On Terror, D-Day, Vendetta, Scrapland Game Boy Advance: Grand Theft Auto Advance, Yu-Gi-Oh! Destiny Board Traveler, Lord Of The Rings: The Third Age, The Polar Express, Codename: Kids Next Door - Operation S.O.D.A., Duel Masters: Kaijudo Showdown, World Championship Poker, Monster Bass Fishing 2, Pinball Tycoon 2, Archer Maclean's 3D Pool, Stadium Games, Elf: The Movie Yet again, a mass of titles debut in the United States, with EA's lavish Final Fantasy-styled Lord Of The Rings RPG one of the major multi-format titles, alongside the critically lauded PS2 exclusive Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal, the latest unconventionally-set Ultima Online expansion for PC, and even Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto Advance for GBA showing that all formats get a little love this holiday season. -- Game releases in Europe:
PlayStation 2: Crimson Tears, Dancing Stage Fusion, Euro Rally Champion, EyeToy Play 2, FlatOut, Gadget & the Gadgetinis, Knight Rider 2, Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude, Lord Of The Rings: The Third Age, Men of Valor, Premier Manager 2004/2005, The Incredibles, Ty The Tasmanian Tiger 2: Bush Rescue Xbox: FlatOut, Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude, Lord Of The Rings: The Third Age, Men of Valor, The Incredibles, Ty The Tasmanian Tiger 2: Bush Rescue GameCube: The Incredibles, Ty The Tasmanian Tiger 2: Bush Rescue PC: FlatOut, Football Manager 2005, Axis & Allies, I of The Enemy, Moments of Silence, Nexus: The Jupiter Incident, Premier Manager 2004/2005, RollerCoaster Tycoon 3, Seal of Evil, Strike Fighters Gold, The Incredibles Game Boy Advance: Duel Masters: Sempai Legends, Lord of the Rings: The Third Age, Shrek 2 Beg For Mercy, The Incredibles, Ty The Tasmanian Tiger 2: Bush Rescue PlayStation: Dancing Stage Fusion A number of already-released American titles debut in Europe, although Lord Of The Rings: The Third Age streets in the same week as the U.S. version. Keen observers may note a number of PlayStation 2 titles unlikely to make it through SCEA's more stringent game controls, including Gadget & the Gadgetinis and Knight Rider 2. However, other European-first titles are more interesting, with Bugbear's crash-friendly racer FlatOut picking up some quirky hype, and EyeToy Play 2 showing the continuing popularity of Sony's USB camera in the European market. -- Game releases in Japan:
PlayStation 2: Arc the Lad: Generation, Dokapon the World, Giant Robo: The Animation, Sentimental Prelude, SD Gundam Force Daikessen!, Shining Tears Xbox: Dead or Alive Ultimate Game Boy Advance: Zelda no Densetsu: Fushigi no Boushi, Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Children Messiah, Super Real Mahjong Dousoukai The highlight of this week's Japanese releases is probably Nintendo's Game Boy Advance title Zelda no Densetsu: Fushigi no Boushi (also known as The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap), a brand-new entry into the Zelda franchise, although the Japanese debut of Tecmo's Dead or Alive Ultimate is likely to be eagerly awaited by those Japanese who do own Xboxes, Sega's continuation of the Shining Force franchise with Shining Tears is eagerly awaited, and a GBA entry into Atlus' Megaten series is also intriguing.