Continuing on we have the games (and system) of November and December:
Star Wars Battlefront II (Xbox/PS2/PC/PSP 11/1): this game comes out along with the DVD for Episode III. Never played the first one, but I know it is highly popular and I figure this one will be as well.
Call of Duty 2: Big Red One (Xbox/PS2/GC 11/1): the sequel to the game that is seeing Activision and Spark sue each other. Chances are this version of CoD2 will not be as good as either the PC or Xbox 360 versions.
James Bond 007: From Russia With Love (Xbox/PS2/GC 11/1): EA attempts to recover from the crap that was Goldeneye 2 by farming the past of the series. I’m not sure how high I am on this game given that things have been going downhill in the series since the highlight of Everything or Nothing.
Castlevania: Curse of Darkness (Xbox/PS2 11/1): Castlevania makes its Xbox debut with this one. Another 3D attempt at the series which did okay in Castlevania: Lament of Innocence. We’ll see how this turns out.
The Matrix: Path of Neo (Xbox/PS2/PC 11/7): Shiny has the chance to right the ship with this game. They’ve had enough time with this game (unlike Enter the Matrix). If the game turns out to be as bad as the last one you can consider Shiny cooked and done no matter how many units it sells (and it will sell less just because the last game sucked so bad and so many people took the kool aid).
Mario Party 7 (GC 11/7): Don’t laugh, I think the Mario Party games are pretty cool and this is the next one in the series. Nintendo is so serious about this game that they just announced a GC holiday bundle with the game, system and two controllers for $99. Without Zelda: Twilight of Darkness I guess this is the best Nintendo could come up with for the holiday on the GC side of things.
Gun (Xbox/PS2/GC/PC 11/8) (Xbox 360 ~ 11/22): Neversoft takes their shot at an Old West game. The company behind Tony Hawk is finally trying to stretch beyond with a new IP and I hope it turns out to be good because the Hawk pot eventually has to run dry.
The Movies (PC 11/8): Peter Molyneaux has another game coming out this year and this one looks to be the better of the two. This game has been in development for a long time and I hope it turns out to be another original Molyneaux idea. He’s kept pretty tight lipped on what this game is going to offer, so the hype shouldn’t be as high as Fable was.
Mario Kart DS (DS 11/14): Nintendo is touting this as the first online game for the DS and chances are it will sell like gangbusters when it comes out. I also like that Nintendo has a wireless USB idea for people without wireless routers to get on and play these games.
WWE Raw vs. Smackdown 2006 (PS2 11/14): Will the online mode actually be good this time around? That’s probably the biggest question surrounding this game as the games themselves have consistently gotten better over the years.
Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence (PS2 11/14): Well, if you want to play online you’ll have to shell out $50 for this upgrade of MGS3. This game was fantastic, but I don’t think I’m willing to spend that kind of money for online play and extras.
Battlefield 2: Special Forces (PC 11/15): The first expansion to BF2. Let’s see, new maps (now with night vision!), new guns, new vehicles, new armies. Yes, I’ll have some for $30!
Need for Speed: Most Wanted (Xbox/PS2/GC/DS/PSP/PC 11/15) (Xbox 360 11/22): I’ve said this before, but if this game is anything like Hot Pursuit I will buy it. I think NFS took a wrong turn with the Underground games and I hope they make things right with this series again.
True Crime: New York City (Xbox/PS2/GC 11/15): I liked the first game up until aliens started being part of the story. I hope the story in this game can be more grounded in realism and not go off the deep end. I think True Crime had really good gameplay features and I have semi-high hopes for this game.
Xbox 360 Game System (11/22): It’s finally here, but will it change the landscape of gaming?
Kameo: Elements of Power (Xbox 360 11/22): This game is shaping up as one of the best games coming out at launch. Game has been long in development, but all signs point to the fact that this game is top notch.
Perfect Dark Zero (Xbox 360 11/22): This game is a little more questionable. We already know some things have been taken out to try to get it out by launch, and that is never a good thing to hear. If Rare can tap the magic of Goldeneye 007 this could be the Halo-like game at launch.
Project Gotham Racing 3 (Xbox 360 ~ 11/22): I hope this is out at launch simply because I love the series. I don’t care if the game runs at 30FPS because if it has the gameplay of the last two I’m there.
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Xbox 360/PC ~ 11/22): It’s sounding like a launch game, but there is nothing official yet. This is one of the highest anticipated games on the Console Gold boards, but I personally am not too excited outside of the excellent graphics.
Peter Jackson’s King Kong (Xbox 360/Xbox/PS2/GC/PSP/PC 11/22): This game will be interesting in the fact that the PC and Xbox 360 versions should be different than the rest. From the graphics I’ve seen this game will be a sight to behold and I certainly hope the game is as well.
Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King (PS2 11/22): Not to hide this game, but this is easily the RPG to own this year. Square-Enix have been marketing this game in ads with huge foldouts and I expect there to be a media blitz toward release. This game gets my $50 in addition to all the Xbox 360 things I have to pick up on this day.
Mario and Luigi 2 (DS 11/28): Another big DS game coming this winter. Superstar Saga was one of the best GBA games ever and I expect this game to be pretty good as well.
And coming in December:
Animal Crossing DS (DS 12/5): The other online game Nintendo is bringing out this year. This one will also probably sell like gangbusters, but not as well as Mario Kart DS.
Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones (Xbox/PS2/GC/PC 12/6): Can UbiSoft right the ship after last year’s debacle? Warrior Within had some parts that were better than the original game, but the extra crap they put into the game just destroyed any fun anyone could have. This time around it sounds like they’ve taken the best from the previous 2 games and made this one…we can only hope.
Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows (Xbox/PS2 12/12): I have a feeling this game is going to suck given how long it has been since John Romero and J.E. Sawyer left the project. Midway is of course saying everything was pretty much done before they left, but given the current release date that can’t quite be true, can it?