Big Game Releases This Week

Hold on to your hats, because this week is going to blow you away. It’s not every week that you have this many huge games released, so we’ve decided to make it simple, and let you know what you need to be looking out for.

Need for Speed Carbon - PS2, X360
The battle for the city is won in the canyon as Need for Speed Carbon immerses you in the world's most dangerous and adrenaline-filled form of street racing. For the first time in a Need for Speed game, build a crew and race in an all-out war for your city against rival crews and opposing car classes. You'll risk everything to take over rival neighbourhoods one street at a time.

Sonic the Hedgehog - X360
Sonic The Hedgehog melds top-tier animation production values with next generation art, physics and game design to create the most intense, high velocity Sonic adventure yet! Featuring interactive 3D environments, a large cast of new and returning characters, and a blistering sense of speed, get ready for the reinvention of Sonic The Hedgehog!

Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus - PS2
Starring as Final Fantasy VII’s enigmatic Vincent Valentine, players must battle against a mysterious military organisation known as “Deepground.” Before Meteorfall, these soldiers formed one of Shinra's most secret projects – but with the destruction of Midgar, the soldiers left below the town’s smouldering remains were forgotten. Vincent Valentine must now retaliate against this impending threat with his trusty Cerberus in hand.

Tony Hawk's Project 8 - PS2, X360, PSP, XBOX
Tony Hawk’s Project 8 looks to reinvent the series somewhat for the next generation of game consoles. The game engine has been completely rebuilt from the ground up, which will mean much more realistic physics than before. Of course, the graphics will be taking a big step up as well, meaning the game should be more realistic and believable in every possible way.

Destroy All Humans! 2 Make War Not Love - XBOX
Crypto now faces the very enemy that threatened to subvert traditional American values and ruin the country: hippies. Yes, that’s right; those dirty, NASA-hating scumbags are poisoning the population of Bay Area in rebellion and it's time Crypto did something about it. And when the Russians get involved, as they would, the situation transcends hilarity.

Guitar Hero II - PS2
One of the biggest new improvements (for those with a spare guitar controller or a friend that has one) is a new multiplayer mode. In the original, you each took turns to play the lead; in the sequel you can co-operate with the second player playing the bass track. Both jamming away on different layers at the same time would be pretty damn cool. Fear not though, fans of the original multiplayer mode - this is just an option and the classic two-player action is still on offer.

WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2007 - PS2, X360
First unveiled on the weekend of WrestleMania 22, SmackDown! Vs. Raw 2007 is the next instalment in the series from THQ and the development house of Yuke's. Over the years the series has built itself upon solid gameplay, combined with stunning graphics and a pick-up-and-play feel to the games, as well as adding something new to the mix with every near-annual release.

Phantasy Star Universe - PS2, X360
Phantasy Star Universe is the first single-player Phantasy Star game to arrive in more than a decade. The Phantasy Star franchise started as a series of turn-based RPGs (Phantasy StarTM I-IV, 1988-1994), evolved into an online multiplayer action-adventure (Phantasy StarTM Online Episode I-IV, 2000-2005), and now hits its stride as the best of both, a single player action-RPG with a multiplayer online component.

Call Of Duty 3 - X360
The follow-up to the #1 next-generation game, Call of Duty 3 delivers the intensity of being closer than ever to the fury of combat during the Normandy Breakout, the historic campaign that made the liberation of Paris possible and brought the Allies a step closer to Berlin.

Eye Toy Kinetic Combat - PS2
EyeToy: Kinetic redefined the home fitness market by transforming PlayStation 2 into an interactive fitness system bringing personal fitness trainers and workout tools into the home. To ensure an unparalleled home fitness experience, the team at London Studio have applied their knowledge and skills gained from EyeToy: Kinetic to produce an even more sophisticated and refined fitness product.

Keep it locked to NZGamer this month as we bring you coverage of all of the above games, and much more!