It was set to be the one of the most epic release days in history until LittleBigPlanet managed to get itself delayed (ruining a bet in the MCV office in the process, incidentally), but this Friday will still see a shockingly high number of genuinely blockbuster titles battling it out at UK retail.

It’s more or less impossible to predict who’ll be number one in the UK charts next week. Arguably the strongest contender is Ubisoft’s free-roaming FPS Far Cry 2. A sequel to one of the most critically acclaimed PC shooters of all time, FC2 looks set to bring true open-world shooting to consoles at last.

But you can be sure Microsoft fancies itself this Friday, too, when its sequel to the third best selling Xbox game is finally unleashed on Xbox 360. Fable II is already getting some remarkable review scores, and could yet top the charts next Monday.

And it’s safe to say EA’s Dead Space is a good outside bet, too. Any new survival horror IP is exciting, particularly when it’s doing so well with the critics and is backed with a striking marketing campaign.

It doesn’t end there either. Activision Blizzard’s Spider-Man: Web of Shadows stands to do well, particularly as it releases on six formats. Rockstar’s Midnight Club: Los Angeles should also feature strongly – it’s the publisher’s second most successful franchise behind Grand Theft Auto.

Also keep your eyes peeled for Capcom’s first stab as publisher of MotoGP 08, whilst Nintendo will be hoping its core gamers come out in force for Disaster: Day of Crisis on Wii. SingStar Boy Bands vs, Girl Bands looks set to be popular, and Tony Hawk’s only outing this year, Tony Hawk’s Motion on DS, could strike a chord with portable fans.

Other titles to look out for include Blade Interactive’s WSC Real 08: World Snooker Championship on Wii, Square Enix’s Star Ocean: First Departure on PSP, Activision Blizzard’s Transformers: Animated on DS, Sony’s second portable PSN bundle, PlayStation Network Collection Puzzle and Atari’s What’s Cooking: Jamie Oliver on DS.

Full Release Schedule for October 24th (taken from MCV’s constantly updated online release schedule):

Far Cry 2 – PS3, 360, PC (Ubisoft)
Fable 2 –360 (Microsoft)
Dead Space – PC, PS3, 360 (EA)
Spiderman: Web of Shadows – DS, PC, Wii, PS3, PS2, 360 (Activision Blizzard)
Midnight Club: Los Angeles – 360 PS3, PSP (Rockstar)
MotoGP 08 – PC, PS3, PS2, 360 (Capcom)
Disaster: Day of Crisis – Wii (Nintendo)
SingStar Boy Bands Vs. Girl Bands – PS2 (Sony)
Tony Hawk's: Motion – DS (Activision Blizzard)
WSC Real 08: World Snooker Championship – Wii (Blade Interactive)
Star Ocean: First Departure – PSP (Square Enix)
Transformers Animated – DS (Activision Blizzard)
PlayStation Network Collection Puzzle – PSP (Sony)
What's Cooking? Jamie Oliver – DS (Atari)

Buzz! Junior Ace Racers – PS2 (Sony)
Imagine Figure Skating – DS (Ubisoft)
Monopoly – 360 PS2 PS3 Wii (EA)
Elements of Destruction – DS (THQ)
Back to the Barnyard – DS (THQ)
Unsolved Crimes – DS (Empire)
Elvish – PS2 (Phoenix)
Pinball Wizard – PS2 (Phoenix)
Rampage – PS2 (Phoenix)
The History Channel - Great Battles of Rome  – PC (Focus Multimedia)
Evolution GT  – PC (Focus Multimedia)
Legion Arena  – PC (Focus Multimedia)
Battle of Europe  – PC (Focus Multimedia)
SCAR  – PC (Focus Multimedia)
Super Bikes Riding Challenge  – PC (Focus Multimedia)
Life in the UK Citizenship Test  – PC (Focus Multimedia)