Late Night Consoling

Given the success of Bizarre Creations' Project Gotham Racing franchise, it seems quite likely that a fourth iteration of the popular racer is in the works, though no such game has yet been officially announced. However, confirmation of Project Gotham Racing 4 may have inadvertently come via automobile manufacture Peugot. In the company's official rules of its Peugeot Design Contest 2007, it notes that the contest winner's design will be featured in Project Gotham Racing 4. The relevant text, which also includes a projected release period, is as follows:

In addition,the winning concept car will be included by MICROSOFT in the Project Gotham Racing® 4 game, exclusively on Xbox 360 that will be released towards the end of 2007 or first half of 2008. The future winner is hereby informed that he/she will not receive any remuneration for this.

When contacted by Shacknews regarding the matter, Microsoft declined to comment. Inquiries have also been sent to developer Bizarre Creations, but were unanswered at time of writing.

Ubisoft has announced two upcoming action games for PSP. First up is a version of Ubisoft Montreal's Rainbow Six Vegas, previously announced for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The story will parallel that of the home console games, and has players alternating between control of two main characters, field operative Brian Armstrong and sniper Shawn Rivers. Ubisoft promises a "tailored control system built specifically for the PSP system," as well as exclusive PSP content such as concept art and a "Terrorist Hunt" mode, unlockable by building up stats in the game. The game features local and online wireless multiplayer modes, which include six unspecified classic Rainbow Six maps. The PSP version of Rainbow Six Vegas is being developed by Ubisoft Quebec City and is due for release this holiday season.

The publisher also announced that PSP will be getting another Prince of Persia title. Last year, Pipeworks Software delivered a port of Prince of Persia Warrior Within to Sony's portable platform, and the developer is following up on that title with Prince of Persia Rival Swords, a port of Prince of Persia The Two Thrones. The PSP game will contain the same game content as the original game, released last year for PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, and PC, and will also include a new multiplayer mode allowing players to race against one another as the Prince and the Dark Prince. Rival Swords also includes new single-player chariot race menus that exist outside of the game's main story. Pipeworks Software's Prince of Persia Rival Swords is set to arrive this holiday season in Europe and in 2007 in North America.

The official site of the Entertainment Software Rating Board, which assigns content ratings and descriptors to North American video games, can occasionally be a good place to spot unannounced upcoming video games, since every major North American publisher submits its games to the organization. Recently, the ESRB rated--and thus publically revealed--seven upcoming Virtual Console games, all originally released on SEGA Genesis. The list is as follows:

- Altered Beast (Sega, 1989)
- Columns (Sega, 1991)
- Ecco the Dolphin (Appaloosa Interactive, 1992)
- Golden Axe (Sega, 1989)
- Ristar (Sega, 1995)
- Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega, 1991)
- Toe Jam & Earl (TJ&E Productions, 1991)

No indication was given as to the games' release dates. Shacknews has sent further inquiries to Sega on the matter. Oh, and in case you were wondering, all of the games have been rated E. Some contain "Animated Violence," and Toe Jam & Earl was marked with "Comic Mischief." (Thanks Codename Revolution)

Developer FromSoftware has launched a teaser site indicating that the company's Xbox 360 RPG Enchant Arm (Enchanted Arms in English language territories) is in development for PlayStation 3. Enchanted Arms was released in North America last month, and its cover art features an "Only on Xbox 360" logo. Notably, the game's Japanese packaging does not feature such a logo. This may mean that the game is headed for PS3 in Japan only, but it is not yet clear if this is the case.

The Seaman official site, operated by franchise developer Vivarium, has been updated to indicate that a sequel to the Dreamcast cult classic will be officially announced later this week. Original publisher Sega will also be publishing the sequel. Almost exactly a year ago, Vivarium revealed that PlayStation 2 would be seeing Seaman 2, but no details have been revealed since then. Since then, Vivarium has released the bizarre pinball/strategy title Odama (GCN) and The Tower SP (GBA), a port of the company's original SimTower.

GameSpot AU chats with Xbox Australia boss David McLean, who gives his thoughts on Sony's recent delay of PlayStation 3 in Europe and Australasia. "[It] doesn't surprise me--and it further wouldn't surprise me if this product wasn't seen in March next year either," said McLean.

We've got a wacky interview with Atlus' Tomm Hulett about Grasshopper Manufacture's wacky upcoming game Contact (NDS).