Shippin' Out June 12-16: MotoGP 06, Civilizations at War, Metal Gear PSP comic

June 12, 2006 1:33PM PDT

PC and PS2 release lists reasonably robust while the rest of the systems see few new games, if any.

Yesterday saw the rare weekend launch of a new system, as Nintendo's highly anticipated DS Lite system arrived on store shelves. But perhaps even more rare is that the system hit the market without a first-party game launching in its week of release.

If it's any consolation to DS owners, their PlayStation Portable-playing counterparts are in a similar spot this week, with no new games coming out for that portable, either. However, PSP owners have something new to spin in their systems, as Konami is releasing the interactive Metal Gear Solid Digital Graphic Novel for the system.

As for systems with honest-to-goodness games being released for them this week, the Xbox 360 has one new offering in THQ's MotoGP 06, the GameCube gets a belated release of 2K Sports' Major League Baseball 2K6, and the Game Boy Advance gets its regular fix of the blue bomber with two editions of Capcom's Mega Man Battle Network 6, as well as the stubbornly unreleased Backyard Baseball 2007, which is making its fifth consecutive Shippin' Out appearance.

While those systems' releases are all down to a trickle, the PlayStation 2 and PC have a number of new titles to choose from. On the PC front, there's a pair of new real-time strategy releases in Midway's Rise & Fall: Civilizations at War and Cinemaware Marquee's Moscow to Berlin: Red Siege. Darwinia, the award-winning indie hit from UK-based Introversion, is set to enter the world of boxed retail products this week after appearing late last year on Valve Software's Steam service.

As for PS2 gamers, they can look forward to new offerings from familiar franchises, as Capcom readies Street Fighter Alpha Anthology for a midweek release, and From Software' mech-based battle series returns with Armored Core: Last Raven. Finally, Eidos' Urban Chaos: Riot Response is set to arrive on the PS2 as well as the Xbox.

[UPDATE 6/13]: Namco confirmed for GameSpot that it has shipped Point Blank DS for the Nintendo DS this week. Curiously enough, the game is virtually unavailable through the most popular online retailers, who either have no product listings for the title, or are expecting it to ship later this year.

This week's new releases are listed below. (The list is taken from retailer information--actual dates may vary. Contact your local retailer for availability.)

Monday, June 12
AMF Xtreme Bowling (PS2)

Tuesday, June 13
Point Blank DS
MotoGP 06 (Xbox 360)
Rise & Fall: Civilizations at War (PC)
Major League Baseball 2K6 (GameCube)
Backyard Baseball 2007 (Game Boy Advance)
Darwinia (PC)
IHRA Drag Racing: Sportsman Edition (PC)
Luxor Mahjong (PC)

Wednesday, June 14
Armored Core: Last Raven (PS2)
IHRA Drag Racing: Sportsman Edition (PS2)
Street Fighter Alpha Anthology (PS2)
Urban Chaos: Riot Response (PS2, Xbox)
Metal Gear Solid: Digital Graphic Novel (PSP)
Mega Man Battle Network 6 Cybeast Falzar (GBA)
Mega Man Battle Network 6 Cybeast Gregar (GBA)

Thursday, June 15
Deep Sea Tycoon: Diver's Paradise (PC)
Moscow to Berlin: Red Siege (PC)
SuDoku & KaKuro Collector's Edition (PC)

By Brendan Sinclair, Senior Editor

Brendan Sinclair has been a games journalist since 1999. His tastes are eclectic, though he has a definite affinity for games with arcade roots. He's Canadian, but has also been at home in Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, and San Francisco.

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