Has it really been three years since the Xbox 360 was released? Microsoft's second console has had a couple of strong holiday seasons, and while this year's crop of titles may not be quite as strong as last year's (mainly due to the absence of a certain helmet-clad super soldier), there are still a lot of big exclusives. High-profile sequels like Gears of War 2 and Fable II rule the proverbial roost, but there are some promising new third-party titles in the mix, including EA's Dead Space and Valve's Left 4 Dead. In an attempt to help you better plan your holiday season, we've compiled a list of some of the Xbox 360's biggest games for your reading (and viewing!) pleasure.



Rise of the Argonauts

It seems like ages since Rise of the Argonauts was announced and we got our first, brief taste at last year's E3. While the game still seems promising based on recent contact at PAX, we've been burned by publisher Codemasters before (see all of the other games from that E3 showing: Jericho and Turning Point: Fall of Liberty).


Still, the prospect of battling through one of our favorite Harryhausen films with a streamlined user interface and epic weapons and armor is tantalizing. Let's hope that Rise of the Argonauts can deliver this October.

Lips

We'll see if Microsoft can successfully take a chunk out of the casual market that's made Sony's SingStar a social institution in different corners of the world. Details are scarce now, but Lips purports to meld karaoke vocals with a few technological flourishes, such as using your own music in the game (we're still scratching our heads on this detail) and wireless, motion-sensing microphones.


Can Lips compete with the PlayStation juggernaut (or the likes of Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero World Tour)? It's too early to pick a winner, so we'll have to see this fall.

Fallout 3

"War... war never changes." With these words, Ron Perlman and Bethesda Game Studios stoked the embers of a fire burning deep within the hearts of Fallout fans, a fire that could not be extinguished until a true sequel to the original Fallout PC RPGs was released. Some die-hard fans may have balked at the idea of a Fallout game built around the Oblivion engine, but our recent hands-on gameplay sessions have assured us that this is indeed a Fallout game in substance as well as spirit.


Full-fledged character-customization options are back thanks to the SPECIAL system, perks and skills, allowing you to tailor-fit your experience as you see fit. Whether you decide to make nice with the inhabitants of the wasteland or shoot their heads off, the choice is up to you.