Darkness falls on Sony's Q2 lineup
Starbreeze's comic-inspired shooter leads pack of eight PS3 titles, along with MLB 07, Spider-Man 3, and Ninja Gaiden Sigma; PSP R6 Vegas, PS2 Manhunt 2 also due out by June 3.
After slowing to a trickle in recent weeks, the flow of PlayStation 3 games is poised to resume full force. Today, Sony Computer Entertainment America announced it plans to release more than 100 games--including many PS3 titles--in North America during the second quarter of 2007, which ends on June 30.
The PS3's Q2 slate contains several rereleases of games already available on other platforms. These include Vivendi Games' shooter F.E.A.R., already out for the Xbox 360 and PC, and Ninja Gaiden Sigma (June), a reworked version of the critically lauded Ninja Gaiden Black--which was itself a revamp of Ninja Gaiden for the Xbox. The Sony-developed baseball sim MLB 07: The Show (May 15), which was released on the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable last month, is also on the docket.
SCEA's second-quarter PS3 schedule also includes several all-new games, including another baseball game, 2K Sports' The BIGS (June 25, also due out on the PS2 and PSP). Foremost among these is The Darkness (also June 25), a comic-book-inspired shooter from The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay developer Starbreeze Studios and 2K Games. Just after its film inspiration hits theaters, Spider-Man 3 (May 4) will swing onto the PS3, with another film-inspired game, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (May 22), arriving on the console during the quarter. (Both Spider-Man 3 and At World's End are coming to the PSP and PS2 as well.)
The PS3 will also get an octet of downloadable games via the PlayStation Store, which now has more than 600,000 users. One, Calling All Cars, is an all-new cops-and-robbers party game. The other seven are arcade classics rejiggered to support online multiplayer. These include Championship Sprint, Gauntlet II, Joust, Mortal Kombat II, Rampage World Tour, Super Puzzle Fighter II HD Remix, and Rampart. Mortal Kombat II has already been released, but the other games do not have specific release dates.
The April-June period will also see a passel of new PSP games ship in the US. These include Valhalla Knights and Test Drive Unlimited, which have already been released. There will be shrunken-down versions of console hits such as Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas, as well as old-school rereleases such as Ridge Racer 2, Final Fantasy, and Final Fantasy II.
Though it is in its life-cycle twilight, the PlayStation 2 still has a robust release schedule during Q2 2007. The platform will see no less than four film tie-ins during the three months, including Shrek the Third (May 8) and the Pixar-inspired Ratatouille (June 26). Rockstar Games' most violent series will return to the console in the form of Manhunt 2, and Eidos' most popular heroine, Lara Croft, will make her comeback in Tomb Raider: Anniversary (May 29).
PLAYSTATION 3
The Bigs - 2K Sports
The Darkness - 2K Games
F.E.A.R. - Vivendi
Ninja Gaiden Sigma - Tecmo
MLB 07: The Show - Sony Computer Entertainment America
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End - Disney Interactive Studios
Spider-Man 3 - Activision
Transformers: The Game - Activision
PLAYSTATION 3: Downloadable
Calling All Cars - Sony Computer Entertainment America
Championship Sprint - Sony Online Entertainment
Gauntlet II - Sony Online Entertainment
Joust - Sony Online Entertainment
Mortal Kombat II - Sony Online Entertainment
Rampage World Tour - Sony Online Entertainment
Rampart - Sony Online Entertainment
Super Puzzle Fighter II HD Remix - Capcom
PSP
Alien Syndrome - Sega
Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars - Sega
Crush - Sega
Dungeon Maker: Hunting Ground - XSEED JKS
Final Fantasy Anniversary Edition - Square Enix
Final Fantasy II Anniversary Edition - Square Enix
Harvest Moon Boy and Girl - Natsume
Ridge Racer 2 - Namco
Test Drive Unlimited - Atari
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas - Ubisoft
Valhalla Knights - Xseed
PLAYSTATION 2
.hack//G.U. Vol. 2: Reminisce - Namco
Dawn of Mana - Square Enix
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer - 2K Games
Harry Potter and the Order Of The Phoenix - Electronic Arts
Tomb Raider: Anniversary - Eidos
Manhunt 2 - Rockstar
NCAA Football 08 - Electronic Arts
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 2 - Namco
Odin Sphere - Atlus
Ratatouille - THQ
Shrek the Third - Activision
Spider-Man 3 - Activision
Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam - Activision
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