Splinter Cell Wii, Rayman DS, Rainbow Six PSP, Prince of Persia PSP

These last few days brought the official announcement of four new Ubisoft games; that is, versions of previously announced games. Without further ado, they are Splinter Cell: Double Agent (Wii), Rayman Raving Rabbids (DS), Rainbow Six: Vegas (PSP) and Prince of Persia: Rival Swords (PSP), and they're all scheduled for release by the end of 2006 - at least here in Europe. Over in the US, the Prince's latest portable escapade will only commence in 2007. But let's take them one at a time.

As you may recall, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent was previously targeting the PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Xbox 360 and GameCube platforms. A PS3 version of the game was also being speculated (and it still is), but the only other platform we can safely rely on now is the Wii. Though no specifics were given by Ubisoft about Sam Fisher's Wii debut (just a bunch of screenshots), the game could easily feature some exclusive content for Nintendo's console - as its previous installments did across various platforms.

Another addition to Nintendo's holiday line-up is Rayman Raving Rabbids, recently confirmed for the DS, alongside the PC, PS2, Wii and GBA. What? No more next-gen? No more Xbox? Oh well, I can live with that.

Next in line is Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas, whose targeted platforms have also suffered a series of changes since it was announced back in March. As time passed, the current-gen versions (PS2 and Xbox) were cancelled, but a few days ago, a PSP version was confirmed. So, as it stands now, Rainbow Six: Vegas will be coming out on the PS3, Xbox 360, PSP, and presumably PC.

Finally, we have the Prince's second coming to Sony's PlayStation Portable. Word about Prince of Persia: Rival Swords on the PSP first surfaced in August, when the title was spotted on a USK listing (Germany's games rating board). Now the title is official, as Ubi reveals that Rival Swords is being developed by Pipeworks Software (part of Foundation 9) with a release date set for holiday 2006 in Europe, and early 2007 in North America. Here's what they have to say about it:

"In Prince of Persia Rival Swords, the Prince makes his way home to Babylon, bearing with him Kaileena, the enigmatic Empress of Time, and unspeakable scars from the Island of Time. But instead of the peace he longs for, he finds his kingdom ravaged by war and Kaileena the target of a brutal plot. When she is kidnapped, the Prince tracks her to the palace - only to see her murdered by a powerful enemy. Her death unleashes the Sands of Time, which strike the Prince and threaten to destroy everything he holds dear. Cast out on the streets, hunted as a fugitive, the Prince soon discovers that the Sands have tainted him, too. They have given rise to a deadly Dark Prince, whose spirit gradually possesses him."

That sounds a lot like The Two Thrones, if you ask me.

(N.B. Archive text, links removed)