Genre : Action
Publisher: Microsoft
Developer: Rare
Release Date: June 21, 2005

The first time I saw Conker: Live & Reloaded was at Microsoft’s pre-E3 conference in 2004. I will remember it for a long time, if for no other reason than I’d never seen a cartoon dog’s head explode before.

Conker is back. It is still gleefully offensive.

The singleplayer portion of our show is a fully remastered version of the infamous Conker’s Bad Fur Day, an N64 platformer that should not, by rights, exist. It starts with Conker, a somewhat generically cartoony squirrel, getting horrifically drunk and passing out

Steel Battalion: Line of Contact gives players the opportunity to once again use the most elaborate controller interface ever created to partake in futuristic military warfare. Ultra realistic visual effects and mech battles in the first or third person perspective create the ultimate mechanized military combat experience.

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: 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: Namco Bandai Games
Developer: Namco Bandai Games
Release Date: TBA 2008

Galaga Legions was developed by the same team that made Pac-Man Championship Edition, and much like the dot-chomping fellow, this new Xbox Live Arcade iteration is a successful update to the original Galaga formula. Although the premise is still the same - you pilot a spaceship and are tasked with shooting down waves of insect-like aliens - Galaga Legions incorporates a number of additions that help modernize the title.

First of all, you can move your ship in all directions with the left thumbstick,

Microsoft Corp. debuted its lineup of ambitious new games for the Xbox® video game system at a pre-Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) media briefing today, wowing a packed house at the Grand Olympic Auditorium with titles that redefine innovation and plug an ever-expanding audience of gamers into the Digital Entertainment Lifestyle.

Sensationally rendered thrillers such as "Halo 2," one of the most ambitious video games ever; the first three Xbox games from Rare Ltd., "Conker: Live and Uncut," "Kameo: Elements of Power" and "Grabbed by the Ghoulies"; and the highly anticipated sequel "Project Gotham Racing® 2" showcased the depth, breadth and quality

Genre: Puzzle/Role-Playing
Publisher: D3
Developer: Infinite Interactive
Release Date: Q4 2008

Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords was one of those games that slipped under the radar. Released for the DS and PSP, not a lot of people paid attention to it until they actually got a chance to play it. Once they did, they found that Puzzle Quest was one of the most unbelievably addicting games to come out in the past few years, mixing a well-designed and enjoyable puzzle element with the fun of building up an RPG character. Even nagging problems like a fairly

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.