Next-gen Gundam duo in 2006

Namco Bandai plans to release a pair of next-gen Gundam games before the end of the year, and also has a sizable handheld line-up and PS2 RPG onslaught planned this side of Christmas.

The company's 2006 schedule for the USA, released yesterday, puts both Mobile Suit Gundam (PS3) and Mobile Ops: The One Year War (X360) on store shelves this year, while the company's ambition to break into the PC will stand its first real test with the release of Warhammer: Mark of Chaos in October.

Hellgate: London - another big-hitting PC title from Bill Roper's Flagship Studios - is still listed as TBD. RPG fans would be better served looking to the PS2, it seems, where XenoSaga Episode III: Also sprach Zarathustra is on for August 29th, with .hack/G.U. Vol.1: Rebirth and Tales of the Abyss both set for autumn.

Namco Bandai also plans to hit PSP harder than DS - the former will see Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception, Bounty Hounds and Gunpey this autumn, while the DS has just its own version of Gunpey and Mage Knight: Destiny's Soldier to look forward to.

Elsewhere the company has plenty of One Piece, Pac-Man spin-off and Peanuts-licensed titles, like Snoopy vs. The Red Baron, planned across PS2, PSP, PC and even Cube, but there's absolutely nothing on there about Xbox 1.