And The Rest: Friday News Roundup

Japanese toyfolk Tomy has apparently confirmed that a third Zoids Versus title will be released on the GameCube. Imaginatively titled Zoids Versus III, it will... probably feature some Zoids. That's about as much help as we can be unfortunately, as no concrete details of anything other than the name has made it into the public domain. GameSpot reckons it will be out by the end of March 2005 - when Nintendo's fiscal year ends - but whether it'll ever appear on this continent is harder to predict. The Zoids TV show was just about our only reason for getting up before 8am back when we watched it though, so we hope somebody has a word and sorts it out...

Ikaruga and Radiant Silvergun dev Treasure has confirmed rumours that it plans to release a new Guardian Heroes title on the Game Boy Advance this September - presumably in Japan. Called Advance Guardian Heroes, it's a follow-up to the Saturn game of almost a decade ago and will take a similar side-scrolling approach - introducing a few new characters and gameplay mechanics to boot. The new characters, En (fire power), Rai (thunder power) and Hyo (ice power/specialising in magic and defence), will be joined by old hands like Zur the vampire and benefit from new counterattack moves to escape certain situations, and a hyper mode to tackle enemies slightly more viciously. As well as a single-player (and co-operative) story mode, the game will feature a Vs. mode for 2-4 players, and four difficulty levels. You can find the game's official website here.