Over 220 launch titles?!?

Well, technically speaking, that's what the Xbox 360 will launch with. Note that only 18 of these are actual stand-alone 360 titles though:

• Amped 3 (2K Sports)
• Call of Duty 2 (Activision)
• Condemned: Criminal Origins (SEGA)
• FIFA Soccer 06 Road to 2006 FIFA World Cup (Electronic Arts)
• GUN (Activision)
• Kameo: Elements of Power (Microsoft Game Studios)
• Madden NFL 06 (Electronic Arts)
• NBA 2K6 (2K Sports)
• NBA LIVE 06 (Electronic Arts)
• Need for Speed Most Wanted (Electronic Arts)
• NHL 2K6 (2K Sports)
• Perfect Dark Zero (Microsoft Game Studios)
• Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie (Ubisoft)
• Project Gotham Racing 3 (Microsoft Game Studios)
• Quake 4 (Activision)
• Ridge Racer 6 (Namco)
• Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 06 (Electronic Arts)
• Tony Hawk's American Wasteland (Activision)

The other 200+ titles will comprise of the rather impresive starting list of backwards compatible titles you can play with the hard drive, you can get the known list here.

Not quite enough you say? There will also be a nice mix of titles in the Xbox live arcade for download come launch day including classics like Joust & Gauntlet (which if I've heard correctly, can be played on live against other people, that's pretty fucking sweet). So there will be something for just about everybody come launch day.

A few reviews are up already as well, and so far the killer app appears to be Project Gotham Racing 3, which I have seen in action and looks amazing, but it's still a car game and I'm not a car guy. Perfect Dark Zero has not been reviewed yet, so we'll have to see how that goes.

Two rather noteworthy rpgs hit this week for the PS2. Magna Carta: Tears of Blood & Dragon Quest VIII.
Magna Carta oddly enough has nothing to do with the famous document that is its namesake, it is more along the lines of games like Shadow Hearts, with a dark twist and an interesting timing system instead of your traditional rpg bouts. I said my piece awhile ago about the really poor demo of Dragon Quest VIII, and while I stand by my views of the demo, reviews across the board have been nothing short of stellar, so I am very tempted to pick it up.

Sonic's other archenemy, Shadow the Hedgehog, also gets his own game out this week. Again, I still have an issue with giving a character from Sonic's stable a gun as that not only doesn't really fit the traditional gameplay, but obviously disposes with the rather light-hearted feel of the series. it does sound interesting that they've added a whole pick your side element, but in reality the last good Sonic game was for the Sega CD, and I feel that won't change here.

One other thing before I go. Eddie Guerrero passed away this weekend. I admit my interest in the WWE has waned greatly the past few years, but I always made sure to watch any time Eddie Guerrero was on. He was a brilliant athlete, and although I can't claim to know him personally, seemed like one hell of a guy. He overcame being a minority, a cruiserwieght, a car crash and a long addiction to painkillers to get to his spot in the WWE the last few years. He will be sorely missed and my deepest condolences go out to his family, friends and the millions of fans like me who would give just about anything to see him lie, cheat and steal just one more time.