Release This!: _Burn_ed Out, Dream-ed, Advent-ed

The worldwide game releases for the week starting September 12 2005, returning after a long hiatus, show a packed schedule all around the world, as we make that awkward transition from the “summer slump” and into the hectic holiday season. There are lots and lots of license tie-ins, expansion packs, classic compilations, and re-releases here, with a small handful of surprises scattered about. Let’s have a look! Games released in the United States: Game Boy Advance: Barbie Super Packs, Lego Bionicle: Maze of Shadows, Rayman 10th Anniversary, Scooby Doo! Unmasked Gamecube: Animaniacs: The Great Edgard Hunt, Cabela’s Outdoor Adventures 2006, Scooby Doo! Unmasked, World Series of Poker PC: Battleground Europe: World War II Online, Cabela’s Big Game Hunter 2006: Trophy Season, Counter-Strike 1 Anthology, Half-Life 2: Game of the Year Edition, Marine Park Empire, Moto GP 3, The Sims 2: Nightlife Expansion Pack, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War: Game of the Year Edition, World Series of Poker PlayStation 2: Armored Core: Nine Breaker, Burnout Revenge, Cabela’s Outdoor Adventures 2006, Evil Dead: Regeneration, Scooby Doo! Unmasked, Urban Reign PlayStation Portable (PSP): Burnout Legends, Gripshift, MediEvil Resurrection Xbox: Burnout Revenge, Cabela’s Outdoor Adventures 2006, Dynasty Warriors 5, Evil Dead: Regeneration, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Scooby Doo! Unmasked, Tecmo Classic Arcade The big news this week, obviously, is Burnout Revenge, Criterion’s highly-anticipated sequel to the highly-rated Burnout 3. Nintendo’s schedule is pretty sparse in the U.S. this week, with no presence from the DS and their remaining output consisting entirely of marketing tie-ins and budget software. Notable (or not) is that Scooby-Doo! Unmasked is available in four different formats this week! Fear not, DS owners, you’ll get your own version next month. Games released in Europe: Game Boy Advance: Gauntlet & Rampart, Marble Madness & Klax, Megaman Zero 4, Paperboy & Rampage, Shaman King: Master of Spirits, Spy Hunter & Super Sprint, Yu-Gi-Oh! Destiny Board Traveller Gamecube: Madden NFL 2006 Nintendo DS: Shaman King PC: Battleground Europe, Everquest 2: Desert of Flames, Fahrenheit, NHL 2006, The Settlers: Heritage of Kings Gold Edition, The Sims 2: Nightlife Expansion Pack, Total Overdose PlayStation 2: Dance UK Party, Fahrenheit, Madden NFL 2006, NHL 2006, Total Overdose, Ys: The Ark of Napishtim PlayStation Portable: Burnout Legends Xbox: Fahrenheit, Madden NFL 2006, NHL 2006, Scooby-Doo! Unmasked, Total Overdose Note that Fahrenheit, released for both the PlayStation 2 and Xbox this week, is better known in the States as Indigo Prophecy, a third person adventure by French developer Quantic Dream (Omikron). We’ll be seeing it in the U.S. later this month. The small flurry of classic Atari combo packs for the GBA is coming at us from Destination Software, in New Jersey, to mixed reviews. The European premiere of Madden 2006 rounds out the list, along with the Xbox version of the aforementioned Scooby Doo, who seems to have lost his Gamecube and PS2 companions during the long swim. Games released in Japan: Game Boy Advance: Dr. Mario & Panel de Pon, Mario Tennis Advance, Super Robot Wars J Nintendo DS: Gyakuten Saiben, Tamagotchi no PuchiPuchi Omisecchi PlayStation 2: Brothers in Arms, Deluxe Ignition 2 Player Combo Dance, Gokujou Seitokai, Moto GP 4, NBA Live 2005 (EA Best Hits), Realize: Panorama Luminary, Shin Sangoku Musou 4 Moushouden, Simple 2000 Series Vol. 63: The Suieitaikai PlayStation Portable: An Idol and a Baseball Fist, Ghost in the Shell: Standalone Complex - Territory of Hunter, Shinseiki Genso: SSII Unlimited Side, Winning Eleven 9: Ubiquitous Evolution Xbox: Brothers in Arms Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30, released way back in March over on our side of the pond, makes its debut in Japan this week; perhaps in anticipation of its sequel, due out in October. You may know Shin Sangoku Musou 4 Moushouden as the upgrade to Dynasty Warriors 4, subtitled Xtreme Legends and due here in November. The biggest news in Japan this week is, of course, the release of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, the animated movie available in both DVD and UMD formats. [Frank Cifaldi is a Las Vegas-based freelance author whose credits include work for Nintendo Official Magazine UK, Wired, and his own Lost Levels website.]