Console versions of EA and Marvel's fighter will step into the ring a week earlier than expected; portable versions still due in October.

Two days after Take-Two Interactive announced Civilization IV was being shifted from November to October, another major fall release has seen its ship date shunted forward. Electronic Arts announced that the console versions of comic-game crossover Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects will now ship on September 20, one week ahead of schedule. The game is rated T for Teen, retails for $49.99, and will be available for the Xbox, PlayStation 2, and GameCube. The announcement did not affect the DS and PSP versions of the game, which are still due in October.

When it was first announced, Rise of the Imperfects drew many comparisons to the Marvel vs. Capcom series. But while it is a fighting game that features figures from classic Marvel comics, including Spider-Man and Wolverine, the new game doesn't pit them against a roster of established game characters. Instead, EA worked with Marvel to create a whole new stable of original superheroes, which is the subject of a six-issue comic book series that began in May.

Rise of the Imperfects' gameplay is centered on combat between--you guessed it--superheroes from EA and Marvel. Opponents will square off in destructible arenas littered with objects that can be used as weapons, and they can use superpowers and combat moves. Besides a story-driven single-player mode, the game also offers head-to-head multiplayer both at home and online (except for the GameCube version). For more on the game, take a swing at GameSpot's previous coverage.