Out now: Pro Evolution Soccer 2013, Borderlands 2

It’s funny how there always seems to be a festival or national holiday around high-profile game releases in India. It happened last month, with Sleeping Dogs, Darksiders 2 and Counter-Strike Global Offensive all releasing around Independence Day, Parsi New Year and Id.

Last week was no different, but it didn’t stop the two 21st September releases from making their way to store shelves (in Mumbai at least).

Distributor Origin Games made the most of PES 2013’s week-long headstart on FIFA 13 by ensuring that the game was with retailers on day one. With the more popular FIFA 13 set for release on the 28th, it gives Konami’s return to form just enough time alone in the limelight.

Borderlands 2 has had a more complicated journey onto store shelves. Scheduled for release on 21st September, only retailers in Mumbai had the game as of the 22nd. Retailers outside Mumbai still await stock, making the wait for the second instalment of Gearbox’s role-playing shooter just a little longer.

By contrast, F1 2012, which was scheduled for release on 22nd September, is yet to make its way to retailers.

It’s important to note that the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi was celebrated on the 19th, with festivities continuing on the 20th. While the festival isn’t celebrated all across India, it does bring Mumbai – where game distributors and several online retailers are based – to a standstill, which probably contributed to the delay.

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