Genre: Rhythm/Music
Publisher: MTV Games
Developer: Harmonix
Release Date: September 2008

Rock Band launched at the end of 2007 to great hype and anticipation, quickly becoming the holiday gift for those who could afford the hefty price tag ($169.99). Garnering an average of 93% at Metacritic and moving over three million units, it would seem that MTV Games' gamble has paid off. Coming this September is the inevitable sequel, Rock Band 2, and the devs have taken fan feedback into account to figure out how to optimize the hardware and software experience.

First thing's first — the

Genre: 2-D Platformer
Publisher: Number None
Developer: Number None
Release Date: Q3 2008

At just about every turn, Braid thumbs its nose at your expectations.

To hear one describe it, you'd think that it's all been done before, but the approach in this 2-D platformer title is fresh and new. The player journeys through a series of five worlds in Braid, collecting puzzle pieces along the way. The platforming sequences pay homage to everyone's inspiration, Super Mario Bros. — right down to a creature coming out of the castle at the end and proclaiming, "I'm sorry, but the

Genre: RPG
Publisher: Bethesda
Developer: Bethesda
Release Date: Fall 2008

For those unfamiliar with the awesome Fallout world setting, imagine that the future we had pictured in the '50s had actually come true. Household robots and ray beams exist, and there is still that bizarre '50s sense of misogyny and racism that is somehow both hilarious and offensive at the same time. Unfortunately, one of the other big '50s predictions — the entire world would blow the crap out of each other in a nuclear war — also came true. Most of the world is a

Genre: Racing
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Developer: Turn 10
Release: October 29, 2009

I didn't know what to expect at the Forza Motorsport 3 demo at E3, and not only because I haven't played the previous two iterations, but because we weren't actually told beforehand that the hush-hush appointment would be the Forza 3 demo. After checking out the game and chatting with one of the lead designers, though, Forza 3 certainly looks to be an impressive piece of work.

The developer immediately set forth the very interesting argument that there is no such thing as "arcade" versus "simulation"

Call of Duty: Finest Hour takes console players to the frontlines of combat to experience the cinematic intensity, chaos of battle and epic moments of World War II across new campaigns across the North African, Western and Eastern Fronts.

Genre: Action/Adventure
Publisher: Buena Vista
Developer: Traveller's Tales
Release Date: Fall 2005

If you're a fan of Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers or similar hack and slash action titles, Buena Vista's The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe might be right up your alley. The game will be released this holiday season, alongside the first movie (of seven, hopefully), The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

From the demo we saw at E3, TCoN is already looking pretty good, and although it is lacking a few features right now, things will only improve as

Mr Incredible and Frozone return to non-stop action in the new video game Disney presents a Pixar film, The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer.

The next evolution of one of the most successful franchises in video game history – Driver -- DRIV3R is an action-packed driving adventure game that recreates the excitement of a Hollywood blockbuster car chase and plays like an interactive movie. Developed by Reflections Interactive (an Atari studio), the masterminds behind Driver and Driver 2 – which have sold more than 12 million copies worldwide – DRIV3R stays true to its roots, incorporating the cinematic gameplay and gritty street crime of its predecessors with ground breaking graphics and three mammoth, wide-open city environments.

Featuring Hollywood-level production values and a gripping, narrative story

Genre: Action/Puzzle
Publisher: THQ
Developer: Vigil Games
Release Date: 2009

Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda franchise is among the most highly praised in the video game industry. Even the worst titles (barring the non-Nintendo produced CD-I exclusives) are among some of the top-rated games, and Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time is still the best-rated title of all time. For some reason, there aren't many attempts to copy The Legend of Zelda's success. The games that follow the Zelda mold are few and far between, and the only really notable one in the last few years

Genre: FPS
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Criterion Studios
Release Date: February 28, 2006

Joe Keiser: Burnout 3 was a revelation in racing games when it came out in 2004, so when a shooting game from the creators of Burnout claims to be "Burnout for shooters," it'd be pretty foolish not to pay attention. Criterion, the game's creators, really knows their stuff – they're the daddy of Renderware, the most popular set of game creation tools in the industry, and they are virtuosos in its use. As a result, Black should be fast, fluid, and exhilarating. But perhaps most excitingly,

A city on the brink of total anarchy is being held hostage by the increased threat of organized gang violence. Nick Mason and his elite T-Zero unit, specially trained in all areas of urban combat, are the last line of defense. Take control and be the hero in this high velocity, explosive action shooter.

Your world…Your rules! In Just Cause, you are a field operative and specialist in regime change backed by a top US secret government agency who will overthrow the corrupt government of San Esperito. The rogue South American state is suspected of stockpiling Weapons of Mass Destruction, and it’s your mission to negate the threat this poses to world peace. It could be to your advantage that the tropical paradise is about to implode as various factions vie for power – it just needs a gentle nudge in the right direction.

Just Cause offers the freedom to tackle your assignments

Genre : FPS
Publisher: Eidos
Developer: Rocksteady
Release Date: Jun 13, 2006

We first saw Urban Chaos at E3 2005, when it was named Roll Call. Since then, it's seen a name change, but the general themes remain intact: it's a police-based first-person shooter with a focus on ... well, on not dying. It's not squad-based, it's not particularly tactical; it's more about time limits, action-based bonus objectives, popping gangbangers' heads like zits with a shotgun, escorting NPCs to a given objective, and getting set on fire 53 times in rapid succession.

In single-player mode, you are

Genre: Stealth Action
Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Release Date: September 2006

There are tons of Splinter Cell games, or at least it feels that way. Somehow, Ubisoft can keep a new one hitting every 18 months (or so) and still leave the gameplay feeling fresh and fans satisfied. The upcoming Splinter Cell: Double Agent seems to be no exception to this general rule. Plenty of what goes on in the story and gameplay should feel familiar to fans of the Splinter Cell titles, but there are also some striking differences from previous entries in the

StarCraft: Ghost is a tactical/action game set in the StarCraft univers take part in the struggle for galactic domination as Nova, a deadly Ghost operative in the employ of the Terran Dominion.

Genre: Platformer
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Grin
Release Date: Q3 2008

Bionic Commando: Rearmed is an enhanced remake of the Capcom classic from 1988. Former employees who worked on the original game are serving as consultants for this remake, so the level design remains largely faithful to the source material, from the numbered world map to the level layouts.

You play as Nathan "Rad" Spencer, and you must go behind enemy lines to rescue commando "Super Joe," who had been tasked with stopping the "The Albatross," an evil plan to take over the world. You move through the levels,

Genre: Shoot-'Em-Up
Publisher: Bizarre Creations
Developer: Bizarre Creations
Release Date: August 6, 2008

Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 offers six gameplay modes: Deadline, Evolved, King, Pacifism, Waves and Sequence.

In King mode, you can only shoot when your ship is located inside of dynamically generated circles. The circles disappear, so you'll have venture around and locate another circle from which to renew your attack. An achievement in the prior title, Pacifism, is now a full gameplay mode. You must avoid shooting, so you kill enemies by leading them through gates, which will close after you pass through them.