Infogrames release dates update

Infogrames has been busy this month updating its release date to give us a better idea of what it's planning for 2003, and it seems that the publisher will miss Sega when they revert to a self-publishing model early next year, because the majority of the exciting games on their schedule are Sega-developed or, in Japan, Sega-published.

Those of you planning to stuff yourself with Turkey this year and leave no room for afters had better rethink the plan, or at least sober up by January, because MicroMachines and Pinball of the Dead will both be appearing on GBA, and we have high hopes for both of them. Our hopes for the Cube version of MicroMachines on the other hand are lesser.

February is the first really serious month in Infogrames' calendar though, with Battle Engine Aquila, Racing Evoluzione and House of the Dead 3 on Xbox, Cube outings from Super Monkey Ball 2 and Phantasy Star Online: Episode I & II (the system's first online title in Europe), Super Monkey Ball Junior and Shining Soul for the GBA, and nothing less than Unreal II: The Awakening for PC fans on February 7th.

After which point the deluge of Sega games begins in earnest. Phantasy Star Chronicles (GBA), Sonic Mega Collection (Cube) and Panzer Dragoon ORTA (Xbox) are all down for March, along with Virtua Tennis for GBA - a title we weren't previously aware of but are at this moment leaping about in delight over. Then April sees Revenge of Shinobi and Sega Rally hit GBA (with V-Rally 3 appearing on Xbox the same month), and May welcomes Skies of Arcadia Legends to the Cube fold along with the Neverwinter Nights expansion and Enter The Matrix on various formats.

Further on it's a bit of a lottery, but Driver 3 is pencilled in for November on Xbox and May 2004 on PC, and that's a game we're definitely looking forward to.