butt3r's Most Anticipated Games for Summer 2008

I know the holiday season is normally the time of year when all the stellar titles come out, but I'm pretty stoked about a lot of games that are actually coming out sometime this summer. Sadly (but not really), I'll be in Italy for the whole month of July, so I won't have much playing time while I'm there, but when I get back I'll have more games to play than there are Atari E.T cartridges in New Mexico's landfills. Here's a list of some of 'em:

NINJA GAIDEN 2

Ryu Hayabusa returns to his ninja nunchucking ways in Ninja Gaiden 2 next week. The first Gaiden came out on the Xbox back in 2004, and it was immediately hailed a masterpiece in its genre. Hopefully, Gaiden II outdoes its predecessor by fixing the sometimes awkward camera angles and delivering even more great, gut-spilling gameplay.

GUITAR HERO: AEROSMITH

I've never been an avid Aerosmith fan, but there's something oh-so-satisfying about nailing some of their tricky riffs i n Guitar Hero II & III. Whether that merits their own game is up for debate, but this'll undoubtedly be a nice way to hold us wannabe rock stars down until Guitar Hero: World Tour (or Rock Band 2) comes out. The game will feature a variety of Aerosmith tracks dating back to the band's humble beginnings, as well as some non-Aerosmith tracks from artists that have either performed alongside the legendary rock band or influenced them in some manner. Sadly, although the game seems like an expansion pack, it'll still set you back the standard $59.99 -- a price that leaves Steven Tyler's mouth agape.

SOUL CALIBUR IV

(** Movie guy voice**) In a world where scantily-clad, well-endowed women face off against the dark side...

And of course...

METAL GEAR SOLID 4:

GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS

If I were one of the journalists invited to Konami in Japan a couple of months back to play MGS4 before its release, then I could have honestly died happily and fulfilled a week later. This game, like MGS3, MGS2, and MGS before it, looks absolutely amazing. Solid Snake returns in what should be the series finale of Metal Gear Solid. Kojima Productions has done away with the trademark MGS bird-eye view camera and gone with the more conventional player-controlled system. Early previews have raved about the masterfully constructed Middle-Eastern setting, the superb cinematography, and new, smooth stealth mechanics. Game of the year, anyone? I can't wait until June 12th.

And since I made a movie-guy-voice reference earlier, check out his cameo in this MGS4 trailer.

G'day folks!