Here's a look at some awesome games coming out soon!

Summertime is a difficult time of the year for video game fans, and not just because the weather is warmer and people are telling us to “go outside and get some sun.” While it might seem like nagging moms, wives or girlfriends are pushing some gamers to abandon the consoles and hit the outdoors, the reality is that game publishers introduce most of the new titles in the winter around the holidays when people are more likely to buy them. So, what happens in the summer months is that shipments of new titles dry up like a slug in the bottom of a a salt shaker, meaning there are no new games to be easily found for any system.
But, every year, a few interesting titles trickle into stores during the summer months, and this year will be no different. This week, I’m going to highlight a few choice titles for each system, and hopefully, gamers will be able to find something to get them through the sunny-but-stale summer months.
Many of the upcoming summer games will be “multi-platform,” meaning they will be available on a few different game consoles. I’m sticking mostly to console-specific titles for this column, but one special “multi-platform” game will be listed at the end. So, if you read through this listing and don’t see a game that you hoped to play on your system, just read on to the “multi-platform” listing, okay?
Sony PS3
Sony’s Playstation 3 has been struggling to find buyers because it is an expensive piece of equipment and it doesn’t have many games, but there are a few titles coming but this summer that can change that. “Ninja Gaiden Sigma” by Tecmo Games will be released soon. This game is a remake of the stellar “Ninja Gaiden” released on the Xbox a few years ago. The “Sigma” version will have new levels, enemies and even a new playable character, but will a remix of an old game be enough to get gamers to buy the PS3? I doubt it, but “Ninja Gaiden” for the Xbox was one of my favorite games of all time, so this new version should be good.
Many of the PS3’s other upcoming titles will be “multi-platform.”
Xbox 360
Microsoft’s big box has steadily been outselling PS3s, and with the upcoming titles, it is easy to see that developers are working hard to keep Xbox 360 owners happy.
“Shadowrun,” which should be on the shelves by the time you read this, is also a remake of an older game. But, in Shadowrun’s case, the game is an old pen-and-paper style role playing game. The Xbox 360 version turns the game into an online shooter where gun-toting technology lovers fight against spiritual tribes of magic-users. It’s an all out battle of science versus magic, and it looks like it will be a blast.
Also, for racing fans, Microsoft will be releasing “Forza Motorsport 2” in the coming weeks. This game is a perfect title for fans of realistic racing, as all the cars in the game are real cars, and the vehicles are tuned as they would be in real-world conditions. The races take place on real-world courses, as well.
For fans of role-playing games, Microsoft will be releasing “Mass Effect” this summer. This is a futuristic science-fiction game that enables the player to play the game a number of different ways. For example, the main character’s job can be selected, so if players choose to be soldiers, they will encounter a lot of run-and-gun action while attacking aliens. But, on the other hand, if they choose to be an engineer, the players will need to approach tasks differently and puzzle solving will be required instead of a skilled trigger-finger. With a wealth of jobs to choose from, this could be one of Microsoft’s biggest games all year.
Nintendo Wii
We can’t forget Nintendo as we look toward the future. The inexpensive yet incredibly hard to find Wii has been winning the console wars since the holiday season, and in the coming months, gamers will get their fill of motion-sensitive action.
There will be two survival/horror games coming out, and they both look incredible. “Resident Evil 4” by Capcom Games will be a remake of an older game, but with special controls and features for the Wii, and “Manhunt 2” by Rockstar Games will put the player in the role of a mental patient who must escape a psychiatric hospital where everyone is a murderer. It might not be a good game for kids, but older gamers will enjoy all the scares in “Manhunt 2.”
Multi-platform
I’m running out of room, but I have to talk about the game that will be (along with Halo 3) the biggest game of the year: “Grand Theft Auto IV.” Developer Rockstar Games has kept a tight lid on information about this title. But, I know that the main character will be a Russian immigrant in America. In a recently released video, the character is shown driving around the newly designed Liberty City. It looks awesome, and all I saw was a guy sitting in a car!
So, get back in the house this summer — there are some great games coming home in upcoming months.