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Shippin' Out July 2-6: Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Vampire Rain

PS3 revamp of Tecmo's classic joins all-new 360 adventure on the week's light summer release docket.

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With Q3 2007 under way and E3 2007 eight days away, publishers appear to be turning off the game-shipment spigot. Though online retailers list more games--such as the perennial new release Chicken Shoot--as arriving in stores this week, less than a half-dozen titles have been definitely confirmed to ship out this week.

Easily the highest-profile game is Ninja Gaiden Sigma for the PlayStation 3. The Tecmo series' debut on a Sony platform features the content from the critically lauded Ninja Gaiden, originally released for the Xbox in 2004, and Ninja Gaiden Black, released in 2005. The game's graphics have been reworked from the ground up for Sigma, which also adds a number of refinements, such as gameplay tweaks, Sixaxis support, and a new playable character. Rated M for Mature, the game retails for $59.99.

Besides Missile Command's July 4 debut on Xbox Live Arcade, Xbox 360 owners have only one title to look forward to this week--Vampire Rain from Japanese developer Artoon (Blinx 2: Masters of Time & Space). The stealth action horror game drops a Sam Fisher-like operative into the middle of a Los Angeles that's been overrun by nocturnal undead bloodsuckers known as "Nightwalkers." Vampire Rain is rated M for Mature and retails for $59.99.

Besides a troika of Wii Virtual Console games, little else of note is shipping during this holiday-bisected week. Steel Horizon, Konami's naval strategy game, will surface on the PSP alongside two DS titles: Cookie & Cream and Platinum Sudoku. PC debuts include Seven Kingdoms: Conquest, Taito Legends 2, and the Marvel Trading Card Game.

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

JULY 2, 2007
Chicken Shoot (WII)
Cookie & Cream (DS)
Dragon Spirit (WII)
Horsez (GBA)
Jewels of Cleopatra (PC)
Super Mario Bros. 2 (WII)
Steel Horizon (PSP)

JULY 3, 2007
Dead Reefs (PC)
Marvel Trading Card Game (PC)
Ninja Gaiden Sigma (PS3)
Platinum Sudoku (PC)
Vampire Rain (X360)
Vegas Casino High 5! (DS)

JULY 4, 2007--INDEPENDENCE DAY
Missile Command (X360)

JULY 5, 2007
Ride! Carnival Tycoon (PC)
Seven Kingdoms: Conquest (PC)
Taito Legends 2 (PC)

JULY 6, 2007
Terror Strike (PC)

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