Thanks to German gaming news site GameFront, we got hold of a new list of release dates for PAL titles. The list has quite a few PSP titles in it, along with one each for the Nintendo DS and Microsoft's Xbox 360. No PS3 titles, though.

A couple of notable titles are The History Channel: Great Battles of Rome and Earth Defence Force 2017. Puzzle fans also get their own dose of gaming goodness courtesy of the PSP titles Cube and PQ: Practical Intelligence Quotient. Check the list below for the titles and dates.

May 25

• Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales (DS)

June 1

• The History Channel: Great Battles of Rome (PSP, PS2)

June 8

• Earth Defence Force 2017 (Xbox 360)
• PQ: Practical Intelligence Quotient (PSP)
• SBK-07 Superbike World Championship (PSP)

June 29

• Cube (PSP)

 

Do you remember an old and adorable productivity killer called Chip's Challenge? That's what this writer was reminded of when a preview copy of D3Publisher's Cube dropped on his lap. Both are maze-based puzzle games wherein the objective is to collect items and navigate hazards to get to a goal. The only difference is, besides Cube's blocky theme, is that while Chip's is flat (as in the playing field, not its presentation and play), Cube goes 3-D.

Read the rest, after the jump!

D3Publisher has officially launched its puzzle solving action for the PlayStation Portable (PSP), Cube, to U.S. shores. Pegging its price tag at US$ 19.95, players can immerse themselves in enjoyable challenges with Cube's varying platforms and mazes.

Cube for the PSP provides players with nine themed zones, as well as 135 levels of gameplay that will surely get those webbed cogs in your head turning. If you wanna take on the challenge by yourself, you may perfectly do so. But at the same time, if you feel like getting some help from your friends, then you may also get that through the multiplayer modes where you can create and share levels with your peers.

Says Alison Quirion, D3PA's VP of marketing, "Cube delivers the action casual gamers have come to expect and is a game players of all ages can enjoy."

It's the start of the week again. Care to see what's ahead of you? Off the bat, the list is populated by puzzle and casual games, and capped with an RPG and a racer:

7 Wonders (Mumbo Jumbo)
Aedis Eclipse: Generation Chaos (NIS America)
Cube (D3Publisher)
Hard Rock Casino (Oxygen Games)
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (Electronic Arts)

At the top of the list, 7 Wonders hit us from right out of left field. While no one seems to know much about it, it's actually more familiar (Puzzle Quest, Bejeweled, anyone?) than it seems at first. Ancient gems not your thing? Take Cube for a spin. Looks like a trippy game where you have to stretch the boundaries of your spatial imagination. And if you're the risk taker, place your bets on Hard Rock Casino. With the wireless mode support, you'd have to keep your eye on the prize - that could get rough.

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift is careening just in time this week too. Racer spun off from the PS2 version, some actually say that it's beefier than it's console counterpart. And finally, for the tactical-RPG folk waiting for The Lion War to start waging, Aedis Eclipse: Generation of Chaos would help you tide the wait over.

D3Publisher's Cube is mind boggling. It really is. It's so easy to think of it as a 3D puzzle video game but there's more to it than meets the eye. Online site Gamezone recently spoke with game designer Maru Nihoniho and discussed the nitty-gritty details of this game.

According to Nihoniho, players are not the only "cubes" in the game because you see, the whole world is a giant cube. You will be able to distinguish your cube from the environment because it's glowing from the inside. The game designer remarked,

The Cube world is made up of cubes. Even the skybox is a giant rotating cube. There are puzzle elements in the game such as bombs and barriers that add variety to the platforms. It is the player's goal to guide the player cube over and around platforms to the exit, dodging dangers and solving puzzles along the way.

Speaking of dangers, some levels of the game are based on construction sites. Players will need to fill in gaps and activate bridges to access other platforms. In some cases, the danger just includes evading deadly bombs. All in all, there's a total of more than 130 levels plus 9 bonus levels. The hidden levels can only be accessed if you managed to earn certain points. Nihoniho explained,

There are nine Zones each with 15 levels and for each Zone is a Bonus level that is unlocked by earning Gold time in all levels within each Zone. If the player is unable to earn Gold in a certain level they can always go back and try again. The Rhythm mode is part of the Bonus levels. Basically the player has to collect a certain number of musical notes to unlock a music track. Each Bonus level has it's own unique music track.

Now, to experience the game fully, it's important to unlock these bonus levels. The music tracks, take note will be included in the game's Level Editors inventory. In the event that you want to make a custom level, you can actually use these songs to play in the background.

Controls for the game are rather simple. Just use the arrow keys to move the player cube, the shoulder buttons to rotate the camera and the X button to activate certain elements. There is a single player mode as well as multiplayer game share files. There are various other modes such as race, battle, collect, and co-op.

In case you want to read the complete interview, click on the Read link.

D3Publisher of Europe Ltd. (D3PE) just released some more screenshots for its PlayStation Portable (PSP) exclusive video game called Cube. It was originally slated for a February 20 release, but according to IGN, it will become available on April 25. Oh well, maybe we need the few extra months to get to know the title better.

Cube is actually a strategy/puzzle game set within the confines of a 3D cubic world. The aim of the game is for players to explore and discover ways to solve the different levels. Here's the tricky part: all of these will have to be done while suspended across 3D platforms and mazes. Meanwhile, there's also an option to solve the puzzles with some help from others, as there's a single mode as well as a multiplayer mode. The multiplayer mode can either be cooperative or competitive.

Each level of the game is filled with obstacles and items to collect. There's a total of nine themed zones all in all, and 135 different levels of gameplay. On top of that, Cube also has this feature that allows players to create custom levels that they can share with their friends.

So that you can have a better feel for Cube, here are the game's latest screenshots. Or better yet, you can watch the trailer video that we posted a while back. Enjoy!

See the rest of the screenshots after the jump. Just click on the "Full Article" link.

Apparently the focus of D3 Publisher of Europe Ltd (D3PE) for Q1 is on the DS and the PSP. They've got games like Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords, Fossil League, and Cube on their list.

Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords is an odd amalgamation of RPG, Puzzle, and Strategy gaming. Available for the DS and the PSP it promises to offer several multi-player modes and a supposedly engaging storyline. The premise is that you have to save Etheria for the evil Lord Bane, as to how the story will "engage" you afterwards is a mystery.

The full article awaits after the jump!

What's this Cube game for the PSP all about? Well, the title itself is explanation enough. It's a game about cubes. Call it a puzzle-game if you must, but this is definitely not your ordinary cube gameplay. D3Publisher's latest venture to the our beloved handheld brings us a unique action puzzlers that's probably best described (by IGN) as "Marble Madness or Super Monkey Ball gone square."

Here, watch the video. Now, ain't that the trippiest square thing you've ever seen? No? Oh, alright then. This writer found it trippy enough. Anyhow, with fun puzzles and all those psychedelic mazes, this sure makes for an interesting PSP title. Hmmm... now wouldn't it be more hip if them Loco Rocos were along the path to be squished?

Watch out for this game coming your way on February 20, 2007.