Genre: Shooter
Publisher: SCEA
Developer: Queasy Games
Release Date: Late Summer 2007

The term "everyday" is often applied to something that lacks style or innovation, but Everyday Shooter, available later this summer via the PlayStation Network, is not so... well, everyday. Everyday Shooter is indeed a shooter that will draw instant comparisons to Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved, but it was not made with competition as the core design element. Instead, creator Jonathan Mak of Queasy Games believes it should simply be enjoyed, much like a record.

"It's like a music album," said Mak, "except instead of it being

Famed game producer Hironobu Sakaguchi of Mistwalker game studio and developer Artoon present the highly anticipated Xbox 360-exclusive “Blue Dragon.” Featuring the character design of Akira Toriyama, who designed “Dragon Ball Z,” and music by Nobuo Uematsu, the composer for “Final Fantasy,” “Blue Dragon” is an epic role-playing game (RPG) centered on a young boy named Shu and several of his friends. These unlikely heroes possess miraculous strength and magical power to control phantom shadows that mirror the actions of their masters.

Shu and company must use their shadows as weapons as they battle the evil forces and an antiquated human

Assassin’s Creed is the next-gen game developed by Ubisoft Montreal that will redefine the action genre. While other games claim to be next-gen with impressive graphics and physics, Assassin’s Creed merges technology, game design, theme, and emotions into a world where you instigate chaos and become a vulnerable, yet powerful, agent of change.

The setting is 1191 AD. The Third Crusade is tearing the Holy Land apart. You, Altair, intend to stop the hostilities by suppressing both sides of the conflict.

You are an Assassin, a warrior shrouded in secrecy and feared for your ruthlessness. Your actions can throw your immediate environment

Genre: Racing
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Criterion Games
Release Date: January 2008

Excluding the offshoot and recap titles (Dominator and Legends, respectively), the core Burnout series has always maintained an unrivaled level of intensity and innovation within the racing genre. Each title has represented a significant improvement over its immediate predecessor, culminating in 2005's brilliant Burnout Revenge. But if you thought the additions of takedowns and Road Rage were important, wait 'til you see the overhaul in the works for Burnout Paradise, the first iteration developed from the ground up for next-generation consoles.

"We really wanted to take

Valkyria Chronicles is set in a fictitious continent reminiscent of 1930s Europe - divided in two and ruled by the Empire and the Federation. The Empire has set its sights on invading a small neutral country called Gallia, which is situated in the middle of the two great empires. The game follows a hero named Welkin and his fellow soldiers of the Federation’s 7th Platoon as they engage in a series of epic battles.

Built upon the new “CANVAS” engine, developed internally by SEGA Game Studios Japan, Valkyria Chronicles’ stunning 3D graphics resemble a watercolor painting in motion, taking

Sonic is on a race against time… as the sun sets, a new adventure awakens!

Sonic Unleashed will launch players on a revolutionary high-speed adventure through a world torn by chaos. Powered by the all-new “Hedgehog Engine,” Sonic Unleashed merges classic Sonic gameplay with the latest in next-generation innovation. It launches players on a journey across the globe and merges blistering 2D action with picturesque 3D environments. Sonic Unleashed delivers an expansive world with seamless 3D to 2D transitions and branching pathways, as well as dynamic viewpoints and a series of enhanced speed mechanics to help Sonic navigate the world.

The opportunity

Sonic and his friends have banded together with leading RPG developer BioWare (Mass Effect, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic) to create a stylish blend of strategy and speed for Sonic’s first RPG, Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood. Exclusively for the Nintendo DS, Sonic Chronicles mixes a rich story, hand-painted visuals, fast-paced team combat, and wireless collectible trading into a uniquely compelling adventure.

Players will customize their party and characters, choosing from Sonic, Tails, Amy Rose, Knuckles, Shadow, Rouge, and more, and prepare to defeat a menacing new enemy. Rhythmically tapping and dragging with the stylus in Sonic-style

“Zoo Tycoon 2: Extinct Animals,”* the biggest expansion pack to date for the hugely popular, award-winning “Zoo Tycoon 2,” lets gamers bring animals that once roamed the Earth back to life. With new challenges and more than 30 new animals, players can create environments the creatures once lived in and learn about times that date back to the Ice Age.

Features:

• Impressive never-before-seen animals. “Zoo Tycoon 2: Extinct Animals” features more than 30 new animals, ranging from the adorable dodo bird to the

Genre: Action/Puzzle
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Developer: Namco Bandai
Release Date: Fall 2007

No seismic shift occurred between the original Katamari Damacy and We Love Katamari for the PlayStation 2, and the PSP iteration, Me & My Katamari, did little to disrupt the balance of simplistic gameplay and quirky storytelling established back in 2004. Beautiful Katamari for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 looks to continue this trend of complacency, expanding the role of the multiplayer game while generally maintaining the same style and feel of its predecessors.

As in previous Katamari entries, the name of the game is