In the videogame industry, summer usually equals videogame death. Few if any games hit the shelves. Somehow, every publisher magically designs their games to ship between November 21 and November 22, right before Thanksgiving. There are a few exceptions, like last year when 2K Games published Sid Meier's Pirates on Xbox. Or back in 2001 when Sony published Gran Turismo 3 A-spec and Twisted Metal: Black on PS2. Generally, however, summer is the kiss of death for games.
We're happy to say that between now and the end of August a handful of original, worthwhile Xbox 360 games will hit retail stands. If release dates remain concrete as of today then, according to retailers, approximately 11 games will ship this summer, including two football games, one RTS, two first-person shooters, one racing game, one zombie game, one GTA-style urban mayhem title, and North America's first Japanese RPG.
This summer is significant for Microsoft's new system for a couple of reasons. With these games, the Washington-based game manufacturer will continue to establish its foothold in the next-generation space, which should be pretty easy since no other "next-gen" systems are out. This summer we'll see whether EA can truly make the transition from PC to console with The Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle-earth 2's spiffy new controls, we'll get the first localized Japanese RPG on the system with Enchanted Arms, and we'll get the second generation of EA's exclusive NFL football games on Xbox 360 with Madden NFL 07. Plus, on a purely gleeful note, we'll get Prey, a smoking hot first-person shooter that should kick all kinds of ass.
What are the games of summer you ask? IGN has the full story.
