Square Enix Ltd., the publisher of Arkanoid DS and Space Invaders Extreme (PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS) in has finally given out specific details regarding the launch date in Europe and PAL regions. To find out more about this, don't hesitate to check out the full article by clicking on the "read more" link below.

Graphics aren't the only notable differences between the PlayStation Portable and the Nintendo DS version of Hudson Entertainment's Dungeon Explorer: Warriors of Ancient Arts. In an interview conducted by Siliconera, they were able to talk to Hudson Brand Manager Mike Pepe regarding the major differences across the two handheld versions of the game. You can find out what these differences are by clicking on the Read More link below.

Can't wait for Hudson Entertainment's Dungeon Explorer: Warriors of Ancient Arts for Sony's PlayStation Portable and the Nintendo DS? Well, here's some good news for you: the game has gone gold on both handhelds.

For more information on this, as well as the expected release date, head on over to the full article.

Feeling excited by the slew of Kingdom Hearts titles for the handhelds? No? Well, we do. Character designer Tetsuya Nomura for Square Enix was interviewed by Japanese game magazine Gemaga, and he revealed some tidbits about Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days, and Kingdom Hearts: Coded.

Nomura said that the control scheme of the previous two Kingdom Hearts games for the PlayStation 2 will be retained, so we'll be likely to see real-time menu surfing while beating up the baddies. As difficult as it may sound, its actually a breeze to do after some practice.

As for Birth by Sleep, Nomura said that there will be three scenarios, and players can choose which scenario to do first. There's no scenario which is more important that the others, so players can even stop in the middle of the first scenario to do another one, said Nomura.

The main theme of all three scenarios will be to answer the question "Ven, who are you?", referring to the young boy who looks like Roxas.

Kingdom Hearts for the PSP will use an evolved version of Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories' card battle system, as well as a mysterious "character growth system" that Nomura didn't discuss in detail at this point.

Moving on to Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days (he revealed that it's pronounced as "Three Five Eight Days over Two"), Nomura revealed that due to Roxa's slightly detached attitude, the Disney character treatment will be slightly different in 358/2 Days.

How about the controls? Nomura revealed that they will use the stylus minimally, as they want to retain the control scheme of previous Kingdom Hearts games, with the same interface as the PlayStation 2 Kingdom Hearts titles. Instead, it will be used for an in-game chat system, but he did not clarify if it will be through the Nintendo Wi-Fi connection, or through a local-based wireless connection.

Multiplayer in 358/2 Days looks fun, as players will be able to choose from any of the members of Organization XIII (that's 13 playable characters!), and will have plenty of missions like defeating enemies or retrieving items.

As for Kingdom Hearts: Coded for the mobile phones, it is unique in such a way that it takes place after Kingdom Hearts 2, and not a prequel like the other two games. The gameplay has not been touched upon by Nomura, but screenshots revealed that it will have the same interface as the first two Kingdom Hearts games for the PS2. 

Whew! That's definitely so much info. We sure can't wait for Kingdom Hearts, so you can expect us to sniff out more updates for you. Til then, stay tuned!

(Editor's Note: We're cooking up something specially hot for you guys with our weekly QuickJump QuickPeek! Some of you may have already noticed that this current issue - the 13th issue, no less! - has rolled out early! Why? It's because we're gearing up for a QuickJump QuickPeek TGS 2007 Special Edition once the festivities are done! So while we wait for that, we're giving you this Early Edition that focuses on other news that have cropped up during the week!)

It's Tokyo Game Show week! And even though it's the 13th issue of QuickJump QuickPeek, it's anything but riddled with bad luck! This "Early Edition" will be focusing on the non-TGS updates that have surfaced through the week, because really, the TGS might be one heck of a show stopper on its own (that's why it's getting its own QuickPeek Edition all to itself), but the days building up to the trade show saw a couple of astounding news as well. Almost every gaming platform has had some rather leaky business to deal with, and we're not letting the taps run dry.

Grab your pirate accent and sing your favorite shanty; there are more reasons to celebrate than just Talk Like a Pirate Day! Yaaarrr!

Click the Full Article link below for to read this week's Issue!

*Article originally posted Sep 21, 2007 at 02:28PM

    

In 1991, a company called Compile released a PC puzzle game called Puyo Pop (aka Puyo Puyo in Japan) featuring characters from Madoh Monogatari. The gameplay has elements similar to Tetris and Dr. Mario. The object of the game is to line up a row of "Puyos" of the same color which fall from the top of the screen. This simple yet addictive concept was expanded on in a series of sequels over the course of two decades.

In North America Puyo Pop became Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine (Sega Genesis) and Kirby's Avalanche (Super Nintendo). After Compile called it quits, Sega took the Puyo franchise and created Puyo Pop Fever.

In March this year, Sega released Puyo Pop Fever: Puyo 15th Anniversary Carnival Edition (March 17), a free PC version of the game in celebration of its 15th Anniversary. 

Sega is also set to release new versions of the puzzle game for the DS and PSP. Puyo Puyo 15th Anniversary Edition will feature a total of 22 characters from previous games and a new gameplay twist to drive you crazy. In the updated version, the playing field will flip itself upside-down from time to time increasing your frustration factor. This is the kind of thing that makes classic puzzle games so great.

The DS version will also feature 1-8 players via single cart or multicart and will use the Nintendo Wi-Fi connection for online battles and other services.

Puyo Puyo 15th Anniversary Edition for the DS will be released on December 14. The PSP (and PS2) version will be available in Spring 2007. Both release dates are for Japan only.

The prestigious Golden Joystick Awards are the oldest gaming awards and have taken place each year since 1982, when the video game industry was still in its infancy. The awards ceremony is anticipated by gamers in the UK (where the Golden Joystick Awards originated from) every time, and 2006 will not only turn out as the most successful year for the Golden Joystick Awards, it's also the time of the tightest head-to-head races as there are still no clear winners in most of the categories.

400,000 voters, more than twice more compared to last year, have voiced their favourite games as of now, an impressive number that easily smashed the organisers' expectations.

With console generations currently shifting and the new opponents all aiming for the top spot, gamers seem to be even more passionate to have their say in the Golden Joystick Awards. Voting's still open till Friday, October 12 and everything can still change.

Check the current top five ranking in each of the categories right after the jump!