Four months ago I confirmed this unbelievably obvious news: Square Enix probably won't have Final Fantasy XIII ready for a release before the end of this year. It was friggin' January then, and we all knew it already, but apparently there's still a lot of gamers who can't cope with this possibility:

"In fact, Wada says investors shouldn't expect the epic RPG until after their coming fiscal year, which means no Final Fantasy XIII in Japan until at least May 2008. North America will probably receive the game sometime in the fall of 2008."

There's no Square Enix enigma to unravel, they've got a lot of projects right now and Final Fantasy XIII is easily the most anticipated one of them all. And while we're on the topic of PlayStation 3 games people really want, Metal Gear Solid 4 is likely to not come out until March next year, so you can stop hoping for that game soon as well. It's called waiting, Nintendo gamers can tell you all about it.

The newest issue of Arcadia magazine has some details on what to expect from PlayStation 3's next big fighting game. Here's the newest updates on Tekken 6:

• Although old fighters will be making a return in Tekken 6, expect completely new models and animations for each one.
• All characters will have a "item move," like Bryan's shotgun in the most recent trailer.
• The quirky Yoshimitsu has undergone serious changes. Now a "expert character" with his sword "losing power," a different fighting style wouldn't be unexpected.
• Lei Wulong's arsenal of moves has changed - now more similar to Lei Fei's from Virtua fighter 5.
• Marshall Law is yet another character undergoing serious changes by adopting the fighting style Jeet Kun Do. If you don't know what that means... fans of Bruce Lee get ready to kick some ass.

Too bad I'm not a Bruce Lee fan, I don't care if he could knock out Jackie Chan in one punch, Jackie's still more entertaining. Which is why I'd rather play a text based Shenmue game than play a button mashing 3D fighting game for more than a day or two. Even if you are a fan of the series, Tekken 6 is still in a rough spot - Virtua Fighter 5 already came out and stole its thunder on the PS3. The lack of new games will definitely help equal that out, although Tekken Tag Tournament got some high scores back when it brought life to the new PS2 console, and I doubt Tekken 6 will even come close to delivering that "wow" level of impressment now that next gen fighting game graphics are nothing new. More importantly, IGN has it listed as an October 2007 release for Europe, and a "to be announced 2007" release for America. Ouch.

If you thought Wii Sports was retarded, then prepare yourselves for a whole year's worth of Special Olympics jokes. Official press release from NeoGAF:

SEGA® Corporation and Nintendo Co. Ltd. today made a historical announcement that two of the biggest icons in the entertainment industry, Mario™ and Sonic™, are joining forces to star in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games. Developed for the Wii™ video game system and the Nintendo DS™ system, this momentous agreement marks the first time these two renowned stars have appeared together in a game.

Published by SEGA across Europe and North America, and published by Nintendo in the Japanese market, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games will be available for Holiday 2007 and is licensed through a worldwide partnership with International Sports Multimedia (ISM), the exclusive interactive entertainment software licensee of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Its gameplay is similar to Mario Party, you choose from a cast of Nintendo and Sonic characters, and play against one another in 2008 Olympics events. Only Mario, Sonic, Luigi, Knuckles, Yoshi, and Tails have been confirmed for now, perhaps Peach and other weak women characters have been denied their chance at getting a medal with the men? Swimming, racing, and table tennis events were mentioned, but I'm sure there's plenty more button mashers being worked on.

You can drool over the official site here for a while, but it won't be coming to the DS or Wii until late 2007. The bad news is that Nintendo has been terrible with delays lately, but the good news is they only have until August of 2008 to disappoint us with progress. If they manage to push it back past the actual date of the 2008 Olympics, it will replace Duke Nukem Forever and instantly become the biggest failure in the industry. Crack the whip Nintendo, let's see some screenshots soon to keep us confident.

How it's gonna work, I have no idea, but NetDevil plans to make a Lego MMO game that will be out some time next year. Here's the official announcement from LEGO Group's Vice President Lisabeth Valther Pallesen:

"As children around the world continue to spend more time online we are developing new and engaging ways for them to interact with our brand. The LEGO brand represents construction, creativity and problem solving -- values that compliment the MMOG market. By merging the online world of social interaction with physical play, the LEGO brand is providing new experiences for children, as well as fans. NetDevil's technological capability, openness to work with a large community, and their enthusiasm for the LEGO brand made them a natural partner."

My first thought is that Lego blocks would be currency, but that idea falls apart immediately once you realize every building is a block of gold. It might be fun to play for a night, but without a plot like in Star Wars Legos, then it'll probably be like a kid's version of Second Life, which I don't even want to think about. Even for a determined young gamer who doesn't mind excessive amounts of assembly, this game will probably get boring fast, unless they make a really intuitive interface. I'll give it a try just to see how strict or relaxed the rules are about acts of terrorism within the game. If Second Life gets dildo storms, then I demand no less for today's youth.