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Shippin' Out December 4-8: Full Auto 2, MGS: Portable Ops

Car combat and Big Boss join Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin and the PS3 Fight Night Round 3 on the week's release docket.

With Christmas less than three weeks away, most of the year's biggest game releases are already out on the market. However, that doesn't mean that there aren't new titles of note still arriving in stores.

Ten months after it socked it to the Xbox 360, Electronic Arts' Fight Night Round 3 steps into the next-gen ring again, shipping on Tuesday for the PlayStation 3. Two days later, Full Auto 2: Battlelines, the PS3 sequel to Sega's Xbox 360 car-combat game, pulls out of the retail garage. (A PSP version is due in early 2007.)

The year's other new console, the Wii, gets a trifecta of movie tie-ins this week: The Ant Bully, Barnyard, and Ice Age 2: The Meltdown. Four older games were also rereleased via the Wii's Virtual Console: Donkey Kong, Jr. (NES), Columns (Genesis), Ristar (Genesis), and Victory Run (TurboGrafx-16).

Several notable handheld titles will also arrive this week. The still wildly popular DS will get two high-profile releases, Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin and Kirby Squeak Squad, and two lesser-known offerings, Lionel Trains On Track and Cartoon Network Racing. (The latter game will also ship for the PlayStation 2.)

Five games will arrive for the DS's rival, the PlayStation Portable. Leading the pack is Hard Rock Casino on Monday. Tuesday will see the release of the long-anticipated Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, the third MGS title for the PSP and the first to feature real-time combat. Also due Tuesday are Star Wars: Lethal Alliance and Brothers in Arms D-Day, followed by the PSP WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2007 on Wednesday. Five PlayStation games were rereleased for the PSP on Monday, although they must first be downloaded onto the hard drive of a PS3, which remain in short supply.

This week will also see Star Trek: Legacy ship for the PC, one week ahead of its Xbox 360 sibling. By contrast, the PlayStation 2 edition of Rayman Raving Rabbids hops into retail on Tuesday, several weeks behind the Wii edition. The only new Xbox 360 game this week is actually a PC rerelease; RoboBlitz will go up on Xbox Live Arcade on Wednesday.

This week's new releases are listed below (list taken from retailer information--actual dates may vary).

DECEMBER 4, 2006
Barnyard (Wii)
Cartoon Network Racing (PS2, DS)
Hard Rock Casino (PSP)
Lionel Trains On Track (DS)
Mercury Meltdown Remix (PS2)

DECEMBER 5, 2006
The Ant Bully (Wii)
Brothers in Arms D-Day (PSP)
Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin (DS)
Fight Night Round 3 (PS3)
Ice Age 2: The Meltdown (Wii)
Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops (PSP)
Rayman Raving Rabbids (PS2)
Star Trek: Legacy (PC)
Star Wars: Lethal Alliance (PSP)
Zatch Bell!: Mamodo Fury (GC)

DECEMBER 6, 2006
Kirby Squeak Squad (DS)
RoboBlitz (X360)
WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2007 (PSP)

DECEMBER 7, 2006
Eye Toy Play 3 And Spy Toy (PS2)
Full Auto 2: Battlelines (PS3)

DECEMBER 8, 2006
18 Wheels of Steel: Haulin' (PC)
State of War: Warmonger (PC)

82 Comments

  • _Sam_

    Posted Dec 16, 2006 3:11 pm GMT

    more games for me to buy or rent...

  • MetalMonster360

    Posted Dec 10, 2006 9:39 pm GMT

    Still some great stuff. The Kirby game on the DS should be interesting.

    I'm totally into FULL AUTO 2 on the PS3 right now. It is probably the best and most fun game I've played on the PS3! (and yes, I own Resistance).

    Great stuff!

  • mariokartguy

    Posted Dec 9, 2006 3:01 pm GMT

    i want a psp, my sisters getting one for christms, but im getting a wii instead

  • blazinpuertoroc

    Posted Dec 7, 2006 6:01 pm GMT

    best time to own a psp and a ds...

  • sabru8

    Posted Dec 7, 2006 10:20 am GMT

    My copy is on it's way and so is my cool psp skin for pre-ordering from gamestop.

  • Lumenadducere

    Posted Dec 6, 2006 8:22 pm GMT

    Am I the only one that's going "meh"?

  • Dante565

    Posted Dec 6, 2006 9:47 am GMT

    MGS Ops will be the best PSP game next to when FF 7 crisis core comes out next year. I love my PSP.

  • faizali86

    Posted Dec 6, 2006 8:02 am GMT

    really good stuff coming this week

  • ApeEscapeExpert

    Posted Dec 5, 2006 10:45 pm GMT

    Metal Gear Solid: OPS....MUST HAVE IT FOR PSP!!!!

  • mciverizonguy

    Posted Dec 5, 2006 4:28 pm GMT

    A troll?

  • mohammad112388

    Posted Dec 5, 2006 4:20 pm GMT

    I think i smell...a...TROLL!

  • Animal91X

    Posted Dec 5, 2006 2:22 pm GMT

    The P$3 has a lot of all ready released (OLD) titles on it coming out. How unfortunate for P$3 owners !!!

  • WolfSkill5544

    Posted Dec 5, 2006 11:14 am GMT

    MGS PO and Castlevania are the must have for this week.

  • evolutionex

    Posted Dec 5, 2006 11:11 am GMT

    cant see a title there which interests me......(

  • mjc0961

    Posted Dec 5, 2006 10:59 am GMT

    Kirby Squeak Squad came out on Monday.

  • SemiMaster

    Posted Dec 5, 2006 10:44 am GMT

    The only game that could possibly convince me to get a PSP is coming out soon...

  • TintedChimes

    Posted Dec 5, 2006 10:42 am GMT

    more games, more games!

  • volumesoxxs

    Posted Dec 5, 2006 9:46 am GMT

    I bet they wont ship out castlevania and MGSPO till the 7th

  • pal3_99

    Posted Dec 5, 2006 9:37 am GMT

    I can't wait to get Star Trek: Legacy

  • LordAndrew

    Posted Dec 5, 2006 9:07 am GMT

    Damn. My local EB Games won't have Castlevania until the seventh.

  • cjcr_alexandru

    Posted Dec 5, 2006 9:03 am GMT

    Star Trek: Legacy is the only game that interest me.

  • HXCDEW

    Posted Dec 5, 2006 7:58 am GMT

    Finally some PSP related news! Keep it up Tor..... Now I'm confused which game I'm supposed to get! I wana play both MGS and Star Trek! Gotta import MGS tonight

  • lou2106

    Posted Dec 5, 2006 7:15 am GMT

    METAL GEAR SOLID!!! WOOOT WOOOT!!!!!!!!!!!

  • dholmes19

    Posted Dec 5, 2006 6:49 am GMT

    MGS: PO!! Finally!!

  • LordAndrew

    Posted Dec 5, 2006 6:37 am GMT

    Castlevania, here I come!

  • SavoyPrime

    Posted Dec 5, 2006 6:30 am GMT

    I'm not interested in any of those titles.

  • ta1snake

    Posted Dec 5, 2006 6:06 am GMT

    Can not wait to read MGS_PO review.

  • princeofgames90

    Posted Dec 5, 2006 6:06 am GMT

    While most of them are bad I'm looking foreword to mgs i hope its cool like the ones befor

  • Rokin1

    Posted Dec 5, 2006 5:06 am GMT

    Not good enough for holydays

  • DanC1989

    Posted Dec 5, 2006 4:59 am GMT

    I want Portable Ops. Now!

  • UnitFoxHound

    Posted Dec 5, 2006 4:35 am GMT

    woot for mpo I cant wait to get my hands on it ^^ FINNALLY

  • maverickexe

    Posted Dec 5, 2006 4:19 am GMT

    released*

  • maverickexe

    Posted Dec 5, 2006 4:18 am GMT

    Was'nt legacy supose to be realed on 360 tuesday as well?????

  • BrodiMan

    Posted Dec 5, 2006 4:17 am GMT

    MGSO is taunting me...I want it now :[

  • KingofTrolls

    Posted Dec 5, 2006 4:15 am GMT

    Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin (DS) Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops (PSP) Kirby Squeak Squad (DS) The rest is just a bunch of crap. PS3 gets Fight Night 3 oh wait a minute . . . hasn't that game been released on every other console for about a year now hahaha.

  • LiquidSnake24

    Posted Dec 5, 2006 3:23 am GMT

    MGS: PO better get higher than 9.0 lol

  • mjc Site moderator

    Posted Dec 5, 2006 2:45 am GMT

    Legacy looks great

  • anamnawshad

    Posted Dec 5, 2006 1:28 am GMT

    MGS: PO might get 9.0+

  • Dolacide

    Posted Dec 5, 2006 1:09 am GMT

    I want MGsPO.

  • GFofgaming

    Posted Dec 5, 2006 1:03 am GMT

    MY MGS PO Limited edition will arrive any hour now. I am so glad I got PSP

  • Rhubarb9

    Posted Dec 5, 2006 12:55 am GMT

    this month goes to sony, the DSlite and almost nothing for the xbox...

  • MSG-Deathscythe

    Posted Dec 5, 2006 12:47 am GMT

    after surviving 2 mgs card games, i deserve mgs:po. it will be a challenge carrying 2 portables though as i'll definitely get castlevania as well!

  • hawkeyes41

    Posted Dec 5, 2006 12:13 am GMT

    Finally, the next Castlevania is here. I'm also excited about Kirby Squeak Squad, too.

  • beyond_17

    Posted Dec 4, 2006 11:27 pm GMT

    Correction, GameSpot, that is NOT Solid Snake. Its Big Boss!

  • -_Wii_-

    Posted Dec 4, 2006 11:07 pm GMT

    PSP seems to have the better lineup

  • Dante565

    Posted Dec 4, 2006 11:04 pm GMT

    18 Wheels of Steel is for sure going on my xmas list lol.

  • ADOOMY

    Posted Dec 4, 2006 11:02 pm GMT

    Cant wait for wwe smackdown vs raw 2007 on the psp i have been waiting the whole year!!!

  • datniccah187

    Posted Dec 4, 2006 10:03 pm GMT

    i can't wait for portable ops, msg is the best

  • VegetaMaelstrom

    Posted Dec 4, 2006 9:57 pm GMT

    It's all about Star Trek: Legacy. Engage!

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