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Retail Radar: Halo 3 accessories, various imports

[UPDATE] Microsoft confirms custom 360 controllers and a wireless headset for Bungie's shooter; Retailers list US dates for Orochi Warriors 360 and PS2, Daisenryaku Exceed for PS2, and Front Mission 1st for DS.

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Click to see both pads.
Click to see both pads.

The latest sweep of the Retail Radar picked up an international assortment of possibly incoming releases, with a slate of Halo 3-branded accessories for the distinctly American Xbox 360 shooter, and a trio of Japanese games possibly making their way to US shores.

While Microsoft is already offering a full selection of Halo 3 packages, the publisher apparently has more plans in store to capitalize on the series' highly anticipated Xbox 360 debut. GameStop is listing product pages for two Xbox 360 controllers with Halo art designs--one for the Covenant and one for the Spartans--as well as a Halo 3-branded wireless headset.

For discriminating Spartans.
For discriminating Spartans.

All three peripherals are expected to ship September 4 with a $59.99 price tag. That's the same price as the unbranded wireless headset, but a $10 premium over Microsoft's standard Xbox 360 pads. According to the product descriptions, the controllers feature original artwork from Spawn creator Todd McFarlane and come packed with a Halo 3 figurine from McFarlane Toys.

[UPDATE] On Wednesday morning, Microsoft confirmed the controllers were coming "before" Halo 3's launch. "Designed with original artwork by legendary Spawn artist Todd McFarlane, they will be available in either the Covenant Brute or Master Chief themes," the company said in a statement. Microsoft confirmed each controller will be packaged with a "limited edition Halo 3 collectible figurine" created by McFarlane Toys will indeed sell for $59.99. The "Spartan green and gold" wireless headset was also confirmed.

In slightly less mainstream matters, a number of heretofore import-only games showed up on retailer Web sites recently as well. First of all, GameStop is taking preorders for Square Enix's DS turn-based strategy game Front Mission 1st, a remake of the original turn-based Super Nintendo strategy game. GameStop lists it with a $34.99 price tag and an expected October 2 release date.

Rental service GameFly is allowing subscribers to add some other interesting imports to their queues, specifically Koei's Orochi Warriors for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360, and Daisenryaku Exceed for the PS2. Orochi Warriors is a crossover action game featuring characters from Samurai Warriors and Dynasty Warriors, while Daisenryaku is a long-running series of military turn-based strategy titles, last seen in the US in 2005 with Dai Senryaku VII for the Xbox. GameFly expects Orochi Warriors to arrive for both systems on September 27, preceded by an August 31 release for Dainsenryaku Exceed.

Please note, while retailer listings frequently jump the gun on publishers' product announcements, they should not be taken as final confirmation of a game's existence; nor should the absence of a listing be considered as proof that a game isn't coming to a given platform.

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