Gaming News Round-Up: February 2nd, 2005

Today's round-up includes news of a release date for Gran Turismo 4, a DS title for Final Fantasy creator Sakaguchi, and an intriguing advergame based around... dandruff? - Sony's long-delayed Gran Turismo 4 finally has an official North American release date: according to SCEA, Polyphony Digital's next driving simulator will be out on February 22, 2005. The game has already sold almost 900,000 copies in Japan, and the final selection of cars for the American version will total over 700 vehicles from 80 manufacturers, making this the largest Gran Turismo game to date. - Mistwalker, the new company founded by Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, has revealed in Japanese magazine Famitsu that its first game will be an as-yet-unnamed strategy RPG for the Nintendo DS. Sakaguchi will handle production as well as scenario and game design, while other FF series veterans will be involved in other aspects: Hideo Minaba, art director for Final Fantasy IX, will provide art direction here as well. Mistwalker currently has three titles in production; the target platform and nature of the other two are currently unknown. - Procter & Gamble has commissioned Aerodon to create a videogame promoting their Head & Shoulders line of anti-dandruff shampoo; naturally enough, the game will be a F-1 racer. Players can race against opponents on tracks based in Dubai, Hockenheim, or Monaco, and earn point bonuses by catching bottles of shampoo strewn around the tracks. Hitting mounds of unsightly dandruff, however, will result in a penalty. Those who desire to try the game can download it onto their phones from the Head and Shoulders website, the URL of which will be featured at the end of television commercials for the shampoo.