Kane & Lynch's gold heist moved up to Nov. 14

Though "Black Friday" isn't until the day after Thanksgiving, November 20 was shaping up to be doomsday for gamers' wallets. That Tuesday will see Rock Band, Mass Effect, and Uncharted: Drake's Fortune all hit store shelves the day after the PC Unreal Tournament III goes on sale.

However, the November 20 herd was thinned by one today. British publisher Eidos Interactive has announced that its anticipated crime-action game Kane & Lynch: Dead Men has gone gold and will ship six days earlier on November 14 in North America. The M-for-Mature-rated game will ship simultaneously for the PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3.

Developed by Io Interactive, the Danish studio behind Freedom Fighters and the Hitman series, Kane & Lynch begins with the titular pair of criminals embroiled in a prison breakout. Soon, the duo--a burnt-out mercenary and a medicated psychopath--are staging bank heists reminiscent of the film Heat, with bloody massacres straight out of Reservoir Dogs. The third-person shooter will have a heavy focus on co-op gameplay, although it will be offline only; the game does sport several online modes, however.

Kane & Lynch's release-date revision will be music to gamers' ears. However, if executives at Eidos parent SCi Entertainment think November 14 is any less competitive, they are sorely mistaken. Super Mario Galaxy, Assassin's Creed, Crysis, BlackSite: Area 51, Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles, WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2008, and Need for Speed: ProStreet all arrive during that week, which falls just after Call of Duty 4: Modern Combat hits stores.