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Why this guide, of all times? Because there are other games worth playing apart from Halo 3.

Nine months just fly by so fast. For the gamers, who may have stumbled upon this page by chance, by now you have already “finished The fight” with the Master Chief and tried to pull off an aerial loop 8 out of 10 times on your PS3 Sixaxis controller. For the rest of you, you’re probably bored with Wii Sports and the Greek pantheon-sized library of portable puzzle games and brain trainers on your DSs and PSPs. Regardless, your consoles are gathering the proverbial dust until the next year when the next Final Fantasy, Grand Theft Auto or Metal Gear Solid will come out. Three months of nothing is indeed a long wait.

Fret not, dear wanderers of the world wide web, as I have compiled a list of future must-own titles for all the major consoles the average joe (and the hardcores) would be using in 2007. Yes, the PS2 does count, you next-gen elitist snob. These games will be released in between the month of October up until the Yuletide grasp of December, minus the snow and the occasional fat guy miraculously sliding down chimneys without fear of getting stuck. Not convinced? Here’s a few potential hits to keep you salivating to your mouth’s content:

Mass Effect (Xbox 360)

Release Date: November 28

This hyped-up coming attraction needs no introduction, but just as a refresher: you control a lieutenant in charge of a rag-tag group of humans and aliens as you attempt to save the world from mass planetary genocide from the Geth. With Bioware’s well-known reputation for creating immersive and epic storylines, evident in their take of the Star Wars and Dungeons & Dragons franchise, the space-opera that is Mass Effect boasts a way to change a direction of a conversation with a flick of a thumbstick, meaning you can go from seducing that blue alien hottie, to “kowtowing” her beliefs the next instance. Coupled with life-like graphics and the elements of a tactical first person shooter (FPS) into the combat system, and you will not be disappointed by Bioware’s latest.

Super Mario Galaxy (Nintendo Wii)

Release Date: November 12

Even with the recent E3 announcement on Nintendo making their stand on casual games, they still do care for their hardcore audience in a form of Mario’s latest platforming antics. Our plump and proper plumber now jumps across from planets to planets, which could mean a breakthrough from the medium’s norm. Just like his previous games, you have a plethora of powerups at your disposal, ranging from a Bee Suit which makes him float and fly, to the Ice Suit which lets you tread water easily as well as create blocks of frosty platforms ala Bobby Drake from the X-Men movies. I’m guessing everyone who owns a Wii probably had their calendars marked for this “second coming”.

Rock Band (Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii)

Release Date: November 20

Remember Guitar Freaks and the Taiko Drum series that were abundant in the local and international arcades? Well, Rock Band for both PS3 and Xbox 360 is a combination of the tools used in those games, except you also have a bass guitar and a microphone peripheral in the mix. And instead of playing alone, you can grab three of your friends and jam together to legendary tunes like Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid” and Radiohead’s “Creep”. No actual guitar, bass, drum or mike skills required; anyone and everyone can join in, because this game can make you unleash your inner rock star.

Jump for more titles you need reminding of.

Guitar Hero 3 (PS3, Nintendo Wii, PS2 and Xbox 360)

Release Date: October 28

The third in the series where you rock out with your “fat rooster” out, your objective is to strum the Guitar Hero Guitar Controller according to the guitar licks of the song. Apart from new songs ranging from Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage” to Weezer’s “My Name Is Jonas”, you also get to duel with famous guitarists like Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine and Slash of Guns & Roses. Play with a friend, or with each other in an all-new and improved multiplayer guitar face-off.

Rachet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction (PS3)

Release Date: October 30

Ratchet’s a furry bobcat alien whose skill in building weapons straight out of the Pentagon is peerless. Clank is his robotic side-kick who hounds all of his partner’s glory. Together, they traverse on dangerous platforming territory while blowing stuff up in big, weird and wonderfully satisfying ways. The latest in this popular Sony-only series delivers a lot more of what made the last five predecessors great: mass carnage and new weapons. Any game that has a gun which shoots out a disco ball and makes giant T-Rex aliens get down on it is aces in my book.

Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune (PS3)

Release Date: November

You control the title character, Drake, as you search for the lost treasures Indiana-Jones style to prove his treasure-hoarding ancestry in the depths of an Amazon-esque jungle, while fighting pirates, gangsters, and the occasional tigers and crocodiles. Created by Naughty Dogs, famous for the Jak & Daxter series, you can definitely expect hints of open-form combat with melee weapons and guns, coupled with intensive exploration and action sequences in the lush 3D jungles and ruins. From the videos and screenshots, they are certainly taking full advantage of the PS3’s Blu-Ray and graphics processing capabilities.

Assassin’s Creed (Xbox 360, PS3)

Release Date: November 13

Add in the action elements of the latest reiteration of the Prince of Persia series, coupled with a dash of realism and the settings of ancient Jerusalem, and you’ve got Ubisoft’s latest. You play as Altair, whose rather infamous profession requires him to silence key figures who would disrupt the peace in 983 A.D. Praises have been admonished into this game for bringing players as close as they can get to experiencing the Crusades. It also helps that the game gives you the chance to free-run off walls and structures like the Tower of David and kill anyone in the town with perfect ease, thanks to the team’s effort to simplify the controls.

Unreal Tournament 3 (PC, PS3)

Release Date: November 12

Howdy, shooter fans. Tired of Halo 3’s slow pace and yearning for fast and flexible controls? Sick of actually reloading your weapons and just wanting to go balls out on an adrenaline rush? If you are, then head down over to the UT3 camp, where you can get your daily dosage of the contagion that is “multiplayer fun-fest frenzy”. Deathmatches, Assault & Defend, Capture The Flag, the 30+ players Onslaught mode; UT3 has them as well as improves them tenfold. Be advised, new applicant: judging by how bloody gorgeous it looks, you may need a powerhouse of a PC to run it in its full gore-lade glory.

Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings (Nintendo DS)

Release Date: December-ish

Build more farms! No, wait….

Help! There’s Warcraft 3 on my DS! No, good sir, that’s Square-Enix’s latest in the long-series of Final Fantasy games with a real-time combat system, only divided into missions instead of one long-spanning adventure. Continuing the story from the well-acclaimed predecessor for the PS2, the player controls the original cast of Vaan and a tarted-up-just-to-show-her-female-independence Penelo in a quest to uncover the lost civilization of a race of winged humans. Intrigue, reunions with the old cast, and plot twists, coupled with the same score of music from the first game, follows suit.

Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword (Nintendo DS)

Release Date: November 15

If you thought action games weren’t feasible on the Nintendo DS, Itagaki’s latest is sure to prove your unopened mind wrong. This is the Xbox Ninja Gaiden crammed into the portable with new stylus-based controls to do your fancy ninja moves. Throw a shuriken, do a swipe on the touchscreen. Do a sword combo, another swipe. Flipping out and killing people, now made easy.

Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles (PSP)

Release Date: October 23

Gee willikers, another remake. But wait, Dracula X: The Rondo Of Blood, the game this remake is based on, never came out Stateside. This installment was heralded as the pinnacle of the Castlevania series before Alucard’s game became popular. Apart from a shiny coat of spiffy 3D paint (way improved if you compare it with the last trailer), this Castlevania adds in new sections and improved controls, the option to play the original Rondo Of Blood as well as the enhanced port of Symphony Of The Night.

- This post is subject for updates courtesy of the writer’s effort. Release dates are about as stable as Jakarta’s fault line. The bottomline? There’s a shitload coming out in November, and a lot of gamers may be broke from this influx of new software coming in like mad.

What titles are you, the readers, looking forward to? Anything I can add in?

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