World In Conflict

Release Date: Sept. 18
Platform: PC
Developer: Massive Entertainment
Publisher: Sierra
Description: It’s a good time to be a real-time strategy game fan. Since Company of Heroes arrived last September and propelled the genre to new heights, more titles like Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars and Supreme Commander have helped put the RTS movement in the right direction. Massive Entertainment’s World in Conflict looks to continue that trend.

The game is about a hypothetical World War III in 1989, where the Soviet Union attempts to stave off an economic collapse by invading Europe. The game’s story was crafted by Larry Bond, who co-wrote the best-selling novel "Red Storm Rising" with Tom Clancy. The game also takes inspiration from the movie "Red Dawn," in which the Soviet Union and the Cuban military stage a sneak attack on the Midwest United States. Although it’s an RTS, World in Conflict will differ from other conventional strategy games.

Sierra and Massive describe the game as an "action strategy" title and say it will have FPS-like action combined with RTS combat. The game will be heavy on combat since Massive has removed conventional RTS features like base building and resource gathering. Another selling point for World in Conflict is the game’s destructible environments; houses, trees, buildings, bridges and more can be taken out by military firepower. And speaking of firepower, there will be nuclear weapons at your disposal, which should make a 16-player online multiplayer "Domination" match pretty interesting. World in Conflict hasn’t received the same kind of attention or been hyped and promoted like other games on the list, but the promising title has gone gold already, according to Sierra. That’s a good sign for World in Conflict and for the RTS genre in general.

PC Requirements: minimum requirements include single-core 2.0 GHz or faster processor (2.2 GHz for Windows Vista), 512 MB of RAM (1 GB for Vista), 128 MB of video RAM, a DirectX 9.0c-compatible card (NVIDIA GeForce 4 MX, ATI Radeon 8500, 9200 not supported) and 2.5 GB of hard drive space. Recommended requirements include 2.5 GHz or faster processor, 1024 MB of RAM (1.5 GB for Vista), 256 MB video RAM, DirectX 9.0c or higher card and 2.5 GB or more of hard drive space.

World in Conflict blends RTS gameplay with FPS action - and nukes.

Halo 3

Release Date: Sept. 25
Platform: Xbox 360
Developer: Bungie Studios
Publisher: Microsoft
Description: There may be no bigger title in the history of gaming, let alone during this jam-packed fall season, than Halo 3. The sequel may also have set a new standard for hype, by breaking pre-order records and raising the bar for brand promotions and product tie-ins with everything from Burger King to Pontiac. Hype aside, Halo 3 certainly has a lot going for it. Microsoft promises to conclude the storyline from the previous two games (as in "Finish the Fight") and resolve the huge cliffhanger from the end of Halo 2. Halo 3 has gotten an excellent makeover for the Xbox 360, with enhanced artificial intelligence and high dynamic range (HDR). But a big part of Halo 3’s appeal - and perhaps the biggest - is the game’s story. Will the Marines be able to save Earth? Will Cortana be able to escape the Gravemind? And is Master Chief going to die? There’s still a whole lot of suspense around how the endgame between the human race and the Flood and the Covenant will play out.

But let’s say you could care less about the single-player campaign; besides offering next-generation graphics, what else does Halo 3 offer? There are some new multiplayer features for Halo 3, although they are nothing revolutionary. For example, players can customize their Spartan armor and select female voices for their characters. Halo 3 will also have a feature that allows players to record and save "films" of matches, as well as a file sharing system for customizable content. Xbox Live multiplayer will support up to 16 players, while off-line cooperative mode will offer four playable characters (Master Chief, the Arbiter and two other new Elites called N’tho ’Sraom and Usze ’Taham). And of course, there will be new weapons and vehicles to bring to the battle. Even Halo haters might have to check this one out.

The playable characters of Halo 3.