Xbox 360 gamers! You’ve got a lot of good first-party stuff on the way, if your system doesn’t melt down from playing GTA IV for 100 hours.

Today Microsoft unveiled new details on some of their more exciting titles, including a few brand new sequels…. er, surprises.

The biggest game, of course, is Gears of War 2. You’ve probably seen the trailer that hit this weekend online and on the Marketplace, but if you haven’t… enjoy.

I really don’t have any more to say to that. More enemies on screen, bigger boss battles, that same epic sense of scale? What’s not to love? The first one is still one of the best games on the system, and still the best co-op game by far. There’s really no way they can miss with this one. November, people.

Too Human –

Can it be true? Too Human‘s actually got a release date? Yes, the perpertually delayed game finally has a confirmed date of August 19th. Also revealed is a new co-op mode, which is apparently displayed in the screenshot below.

I’m hoping this is worth the wait… the mixture of an action game with RPG elements definitely is intriguing, and if a game can finally do firearms and melee combat well (no, I don’t count Devil May Cry…) it’d be damn impressive.

Also, you can never got wrong with a futuristic take on Norse mythology.


Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise–

Yes, a real Viva Pinata sequel… never mind that stupid Party Animals game that came out late last year. I have a friend who plays the original all the time. Not only has he gotten all 1000 Achievement Points but he’s ranked something like #16 in the world on the leaderboards. He’s 30, has two kids, and grew up in the projects in Bed-Sty. And his favorite game is Viva Pinata. Always makes me laugh.

I enjoyed the game for what it is, but it did get tiresome after a while. Just too cute, you know?

There’s of course a few upgrades to the game. One of the biggest is co-op play on the same console, which is a great idea. It’ll allow you to fend off bad Pinatas and get sick ones medicine much more easily when you’ve got two people to look after it. There are also 32 new species of Pinatas, some of which are more exotic and require new environmental types to attract, like sand and snow. It also seems there will be collectible cards of some sort released that you can use the Xbox Live Vision camera to take pictures of and drop them in the game. Besides that there are also themed objects to modify your garden into anything you want, such as the graveyard above.

So, more of the same, basically… and you either love it or you don’t.

Banjo-Kazooie – Nuts and Bolts –

Yep, Rare’s got another one coming this year. The third title in the Bajo-Kazooie series and the first for next gen consoles.

The most interesting part of this game is its vehicles. If what they say is true, it could be one of the most customizable games around. You can make literally any kind of vehicle you want using any combination of parts. It’s your choice if you want to make, say, an airplane and fly to your next location instead of driving there. True to the title, you collect different parts to add on to your creations throughout the game.

There will also be an online multiplayer matches, both competitive and co-operative, but the campaign’s a single player affair. Let’s see if Rare’s got it in them for one more good game.

Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness –

The webcomic never seemed like the best one for a turn-based RPG (where’s my 8 Bit Theater RPG?) but if they can do it right and keep the humor intact, this could be worth checking out.

The first episode of the game’s finally got a release date set, and it’s soon- May 21st. The game will also cost 1600 points, or 20 bucks. Yikes! Hope it’s lengthy.

Ninja Gaiden 2–

“Hey!” gamers whined when they first played the Ninja Gaiden revamp for the original Xbox, “This game’s too hard!”

Pussies, I say.

Ninja Gaiden was the perfect kind of difficult. It somehow managed to feel like an old school game, just humiliating you from the get-go, but not because it was cheap. Oh no, that’s where the difference is between this and lesser games. The game wasn’t cheap, it was just harder than fuck and reveled in it. You had to actually put time into the game to win it, you had to learn the controls and become good at them. It’s something that few games do in this disposable age of ours, with their endless continues and checkpoints.

Only the hardest of the hardcore need apply… no Ninja Dogs allowed. June 3rd, people.

Fable 2 –

The first Fable really was hurt by all the hype around it. It was a decent game, but nowhere near the earth-shattering object of destruction that the developers made it out to be. Perhaps the second will benefit from the lack of pretty much any hype.

As you probably know the game will mostly play the same, as you control your character’s life from kid to adult, and everything you do will have consequences. It’s set in the same place, albeit 500 years later, and it will apparently be a lot more open to you. You’ll be able to purchase every structure in the game, for example. You’ll also have a dog companion to journey with you. (that seems to be a running theme this year along with Fallout 3…)

And that’s it for Microsoft. Some lucky journalists are playing these games right now, so expect to hear more on them soon. Wish there were a few more original games, but I don’t think anyone can complain as long as we get Gears of War 2.