(Xbox 360)
Bungie (developer), Microsoft (publisher)
$59.99-$99.99
Release date: Sept. 22
There are still thousands of Halo 3 multiplayer games being played each month on the Microsoft entertainment portal Xbox Live. So it makes perfect "Human and Covenant" sense to give fans another shot at wreaking havoc while trying to save our species from extinction.
In this Halo prequel, Bungie forgoes the Master Chief and focuses on the grunts, or in this case, the Orbital Drop Shock Troopers.
There is a single-player option, but really, who cares? Bungie focused squarely on the player vs. player combat with an entire separate disc full of multiplayer maps and the much-publicized Firefight mode. Firefight sends wave after wave of Covenant enemies at you and your friends, with rankings based on how long you can survive the extraterrestrial onslaught.
The $99 version gets gamers a limited edition ODST Xbox Controller for all you collectors out there.
(Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)
Infinity Ward, Activision
$59.99-$149.99
Release date: Nov. 10
In another shooter franchise that gamers can't seem to put down, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 offers legions of fans a chance to take up the next fight against terrorists in globe-spanning locales like Russia and Brazil.
Those disappointed with the length of the single-player game in the first title should take note: Infinity Ward has focused on making not a longer game, but a better one. Things like the rock-climbing area and the ability to drive snowmobiles (while shooting, no less) are incorporated here.
The Special Ops mode (playable in split screen as well) is worth a mention here as it will be a series of co-op levels, different from the single-player game but still related to the storyline.
Couldn't leave you guys hanging without mentioning the 15 (yes, 15!) kill-streak awards that are fully customizable. In other words, pick which ones you want to utilize before a match begins. No word yet on how many can be selected at one time.
Please note that the $149.99 version of the game comes with working night-vision goggles.
(Wii)
Nintendo (developer and publisher)
Price to be announced
Release date: holiday season
This game was first seen at the Electronic Entertainment Expo back in June, and SMB finally offers something that many of us have been wanting for ages: multiplayer.
In the new game, Mario, Luigi, Blue Toad, and Yellow Toad can play on platformer levels at the same time.
