So we’re a little late bringing you this new monthly feature, but as they say better late than never, right? Here’s the deal, every month we’ll endeavour to bring you our top four picks for the month – these are the four games that we most want to play.

Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising Codemasters seem to have the Midas touch when it comes to games, I can’t recall any game that they’ve developed that has been a disappointment, and Dragon Rising looks absolutely stunning.

Product Description

Operation Flashpoint 2 will mark the long-awaited return of the total conflict simulator, which won international acclaim. Now in development, it is Codemasters Studios’ most extensive R&D project to date. With the studio’s largest development team ever assembled, Operation Flashpoint 2 has already benefited from over two years of pre-production on a closed set basis and will use a new FPS variant of Neon technology, the studio’s proprietary middleware. Building on the original game’s heritage, Operation Flashpoint 2 will see the most realistic modelling of conflict scenarios in a new contemporary theatre of war. By offering a multitude of military disciplines, gameplay will deliver warfare more realistic and intense then ever before, while an extensive multiplayer component will create battles on an incredible scale.

Features:

Freedom of Play – Operation Flashpoint 2 will give players the freedom to handle military crisis situations on their initiative. Unscripted missions will task players with real objectives, such as laying down covering fire, covering a friendly unit’s retreat or conducting short-range recon patrol. Armed with cutting edge military hardware, players will need to balance brute force with intelligent use of tactics. Once players have completed the campaign, a Mission Editor enables gamers to create their own single player and multiplayer missions.

The most realistic modern military conflict game – Operation Flashpoint 2 features unparalleled levels of realism and variety of military forces, equipment, weapons and tactics. Fully loaded weapons and individual ammunition types will be simulated with detailed ballistic physics, based upon individually-crafted mechanics. Players will command and control a wide variety of multi-component, multi-weapon vehicles, including tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, APCs, attack and utility helicopters. The character damage system authentically depicts the terrible wounds and injury from modern weapons to communicate the reality of combat.

Platoon-Based Combat – As an epic campaign weaves the narrative, players will fight as infantry soldiers in battle, drive tanks in armored assaults, pilot helicopters in air strikes, and infiltrate the enemy in covert special operations utilizing a wide variety of realistic military weapons from knives and rifles to machine guns, grenade launchers and laser designators for air strikes. In whichever role the player chooses, they will experience the fierce and brutal reality of warfare and the shock and awe of contemporary firepower unleashed on the arresting scale of modern combat.

Redefines the Size of Battle – Immense play areas of more than 135 square miles give players a multitude of tactical decisions on how to best accomplish missions. Densely packed with environment detail and objects, valleys, mountains, coastlines, towns, villages and industrial complexes all combine to deliver a rich and challenging tactical environment. The world is persistent, so that buildings destroyed in one campaign mission will be destroyed in the next.

Stylised Cinematography – Operation Flashpoint 2 will model the environment, objects and people in realistic detail, but its visual styling will embrace documentary techniques. The camera work through cut-scenes will be heavily influenced by television war reports that are often shot under extreme circumstances delivering a unique look with incorrect exposure, severe camera shake and loss of focus.

Forza Motorsport 3

When it comes to racing simulators no one can touch the Forza series. Sure, GRID was a lot of fun, but if you really want to know if you can handle an exotic sports car, there’s only one place to turn, and with number three about to hit the track, we’re just a little excited to see what Microsoft have in store for us this time around.

Product Description

Whether it’s an exotic sports car like the new Audi R8 V10, a classic American muscle car like the Ford GT or a hot Asian import like the Nissan 370Z, everyone has a dream car. Now you can drive that dream with Turn 10’s latest racing epic. Launching this October exclusively for Xbox 360, “Forza Motorsport 3†unites the racing game genre, making it possible for everyone to experience the thrill of the world’s most exotic and exquisite cars. Live the most realistic racing experience ever as you take the wheel of more than 400 of the most-beloved cars on over 100 renowned real-world tracks and exotic road courses from around the globe. With breathtaking high-definition graphics and the most advanced vehicle performance modeling in a video game, “Forza Motorsport 3†includes a host of driving assists and adjustable skill levels to make the game a gripping pick-up-and-play experience for audiences of all ages and skill levels. Your escape into the world of car culture in “Forza Motorsport 3†doesn’t stop at the track. Turn 10 is a proven leader in user-generated content creation in games. “Forza Motorsport 3†further fuels the imaginations of its already thriving community of painters, tuners and photographers with improved customization tools and brand-new ways to share creations with the world via Xbox LIVE. Xbox LIVE makes your journey into the “Forza Motorsport†community and the world of user-generated content easy and fun. A love of cars lives in all of us. “Forza Motorsport 3†is the automotive playground we’ve all been waiting for.

Features:

Where dreams are driven: The cars and tracks. Featuring the latest and greatest production offerings as well as the world’s fastest and most exotic street cars, “Forza Motorsport 3†offers more than 400 fully customizable and tunable cars from over 50 of the world’s leading manufacturers. Whether your passion is classic American muscle cars, European roadsters, purpose-built race cars or high-tech Asian imports, “Forza Motorsport 3†puts you in the cockpit of the cars you love. In addition to the return of world-famous tracks from previous “Forza Motorsport†games, including Suzuka, Nürburgring Nordschleife and the Sebring International Raceway, “Forza Motorsport 3†invites you to conquer the corners on more than 100 tracks, including some of the most beautiful road courses in the world. New environments like the gorgeous mountainous Montserrat region in Spain, the rugged Amalfi Coast in Italy and the American Southwest are presented in such majestic detail that you might find yourself pulling over just to take it all in.

The look and feel of a modern racing game: “Forza Motorsport 3†is the definitive racing game. The appreciation of the automobile in “Forza Motorsport 3†is due in large part to the team’s attention to detail. This is why automotive engineers from manufacturers like Audi and champion race teams like Peugeot as well as experienced computer graphics specialists from across Microsoft Corp. have all teamed up with Turn 10 to make “Forza Motorsport 3†the most beautiful and realistic racing game ever made. All 400-plus cars in the game have been built with more than 10 times the amount of polygons as “Forza Motorsport 2.†This includes painstakingly researched cockpits and interiors for every vehicle. But realism isn’t just about pretty graphics. Turn 10 takes realism to new heights, leading the industry with the most advanced physics model, artificial intelligence and damage calculations. Whether it’s the differences in how each car handles through the corners, how the engines sound at top speed or how different tires and upgrades impact your car’s performance, you’ll find yourself leaning into your turns as if you were really behind the wheel of your favorite ride.

It’s easy to go for a spin: “Forza Motorsport 3†redefines the racing genre. Simulation games can be too hard for some players. “Forza Motorsport 3†rises above the distinction between simulation and arcade games. Using a myriad of cutting-edge driving and gameplay assists such as auto-braking, gameplay rewind and auto-tuning, “Forza Motorsport 3†delivers an experience where everyone can have fun behind the wheel, regardless of your skill and dexterity. Whether you’re a newcomer or a seasoned racing game pro, “Forza Motorsport 3†caters to how you drive and evolves with you over time as your skills increase.

Express your car passion: User-generated content and Xbox LIVE. Painters and tuners will once again be able to showcase creativity through the celebrated Livery Editor, Auction House and deep tuning garage in “Forza Motorsport 3.†The car is literally the artistic canvas as some of the world’s most creative car painters and designers find new layers of depth and freedom to create shocking visual masterpieces before sharing them with others over Xbox LIVE.* Each car in “Forza Motorsport 3†is fully upgradable, allowing gear heads to take on the challenge of turning a Honda Civic into a supercar killer. New Xbox LIVE Leaderboards celebrate not only the greatest racers but also the most prolific car tuners and painters in the community.

Play your way: New game modes. “Forza Motorsport 3†is an epic racing game featuring more content and more ways to play than any racing title today. An innovative single-player season mode puts you through a completely personalized racing calendar that includes more than 200 different events, including Circuit, Oval, Drag, Drift and Timed Events. No two calendars are the same; they react to the cars you love and the races you enjoy most. In addition, the online multiplayer mode gains an all-new game rules editor. This gives players a never-ending variety of ways to play with friends. Whether you’re a speedster, dragster, drifter, painter, tuner or just a lover of cars, “Forza Motorsport 3†is the definitive racing game for you.

Risen

We don’t know a lot about Risen, it looks a lot like Fable, and that’s all right with us. Also, we’ve heard that developer Piranha Bytes knows their stuff, so it should be good.

Product Description

A powerful wizard has broken the god’s reign, banishing them from the face of the world. Now that the world is free from the influence of the gods it’s filled with elemental magic, and mighty creatures that threaten to devastate the world. Ancient temples rise from the ground, people disappear, and the deep roaring of the volcano appears to be harbingering an immediate eruption. Delve into a gritty, raw and atmospheric fantasy world in which every action has a consequence.

Features:

Every action has a consequence and alters your standing with different factions and individuals. Dungeons full of deadly traps and secret areas, some of which are only accessible by magically transforming yourself into different creatures. Total immersion in an authentic and believable fantasy world. The diverse locations have their own distinctive look region-specific vegetation and weather conditions. Professional voice-acted dialogue by John Rhys-Davies (The Lord of the Rings) Andy Serkis (The Adventures of Tintin due out in 2010) and Lena Headey (Sarah Connor Chronicles)

Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City

I don’t think anyone can say that they don’t enjoy spending time in Liberty City, so who wouldn’t want two brand new adventures to keep us blazing a path of destruction – with purpose – through the old City?

Product Description

Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City will feature both The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony, the external chapters for GTA 4 on one disk. Does not require the original GTA 4 to play.

The Lost and the Damned

Johnny is a veteran member of The Lost, a notorious biker gang. Johnny has been creating business opportunities for The Lost in Liberty City, but his first loyalty must be to the patch he wears on his back and to Billy Grey, the club’s President. However, when Billy returns from rehab hell-bent on bloodshed and debauchery, Johnny finds himself in the middle of a vicious turf war with rival gangs for control of a city torn apart by violence and corruption. Can the brotherhood survive?

The Ballard of Gay Tony

Grand Theft Auto IV’s second downloadable episode injects Liberty City with an overdose of guns, glitz, and grime. As Luis Lopez, part-time hoodlum and full-time assistant to legendary nightclub impresario Tony Prince (aka “Gay Tony”), players will struggle with the competing loyalties of family and friends, and with the uncertainty about who is real and who is fake in a world in which everyone has a price.

Related

So we’re a little late bringing you this new monthly feature, but as they say better late than never, right? Here’s the deal, every month we’ll endeavour to bring you our top four picks for the month – these are the four games that we most want to play.
Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising Codemasters seem to have the Midas touch when it comes to games, I can’t recall any game that they’ve developed that has been a disappointment, and Dragon Rising looks absolutely stunning.

Product Description Operation Flashpoint 2 will mark the long-awaited return of the total conflict simulator, which won international acclaim. Now in development, it is Codemasters Studios’ most extensive R&D project to date. With the studio’s largest development team ever assembled, Operation Flashpoint 2 has already benefited from over two years of pre-production on a closed set basis and will use a new FPS variant of Neon technology, the studio’s proprietary middleware. Building on the original game’s heritage, Operation Flashpoint 2 will see the most realistic modelling of conflict scenarios in a new contemporary theatre of war. By offering a multitude of military disciplines, gameplay will deliver warfare more realistic and intense then ever before, while an extensive multiplayer component will create battles on an incredible scale.

Features: Freedom of Play – Operation Flashpoint 2 will give players the freedom to handle military crisis situations on their initiative. Unscripted missions will task players with real objectives, such as laying down covering fire, covering a friendly unit’s retreat or conducting short-range recon patrol. Armed with cutting edge military hardware, players will need to balance brute force with intelligent use of tactics. Once players have completed the campaign, a Mission Editor enables gamers to create their own single player and multiplayer missions.

The most realistic modern military conflict game – Operation Flashpoint 2 features unparalleled levels of realism and variety of military forces, equipment, weapons and tactics. Fully loaded weapons and individual ammunition types will be simulated with detailed ballistic physics, based upon individually-crafted mechanics. Players will command and control a wide variety of multi-component, multi-weapon vehicles, including tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, APCs, attack and utility helicopters. The character damage system authentically depicts the terrible wounds and injury from modern weapons to communicate the reality of combat.
Platoon-Based Combat – As an epic campaign weaves the narrative, players will fight as infantry soldiers in battle, drive tanks in armored assaults, pilot helicopters in air strikes, and infiltrate the enemy in covert special operations utilizing a wide variety of realistic military weapons from knives and rifles to machine guns, grenade launchers and laser designators for air strikes. In whichever role the player chooses, they will experience the fierce and brutal reality of warfare and the shock and awe of contemporary firepower unleashed on the arresting scale of modern combat.
Redefines the Size of Battle – Immense play areas of more than 135 square miles give players a multitude of tactical decisions on how to best accomplish missions. Densely packed with environment detail and objects, valleys, mountains, coastlines, towns, villages and industrial complexes all combine to deliver a rich and challenging tactical environment. The world is persistent, so that buildings destroyed in one campaign mission will be destroyed in the next.
Stylised Cinematography – Operation Flashpoint 2 will model the environment, objects and people in realistic detail, but its visual styling will embrace documentary techniques. The camera work through cut-scenes will be heavily influenced by television war reports that are often shot under extreme circumstances delivering a unique look with incorrect exposure, severe camera shake and loss of focus.
Forza Motorsport 3 When it comes to racing simulators no one can touch the Forza series. Sure, GRID was a lot of fun, but if you really want to know if you can handle an exotic sports car, there’s only one place to turn, and with number three about to hit the track, we’re just a little excited to see what Microsoft have in store for us this time around.

Product Description Whether it’s an exotic sports car like the new Audi R8 V10, a classic American muscle car like the Ford GT or a hot Asian import like the Nissan 370Z, everyone has a dream car. Now you can drive that dream with Turn 10’s latest racing epic. Launching this October exclusively for Xbox 360, “Forza Motorsport 3†unites the racing game genre, making it possible for everyone to experience the thrill of the world’s most exotic and exquisite cars. Live the most realistic racing experience ever as you take the wheel of more than 400 of the most-beloved cars on over 100 renowned real-world tracks and exotic road courses from around the globe. With breathtaking high-definition graphics and the most advanced vehicle performance modeling in a video game, “Forza Motorsport 3†includes a host of driving assists and adjustable skill levels to make the game a gripping pick-up-and-play experience for audiences of all ages and skill levels. Your escape into the world of car culture in “Forza Motorsport 3†doesn’t stop at the track. Turn 10 is a proven leader in user-generated content creation in games. “Forza Motorsport 3†further fuels the imaginations of its already thriving community of painters, tuners and photographers with improved customization tools and brand-new ways to share creations with the world via Xbox LIVE. Xbox LIVE makes your journey into the “Forza Motorsport†community and the world of user-generated content easy and fun. A love of cars lives in all of us. “Forza Motorsport 3†is the automotive playground we’ve all been waiting for.

Features: Where dreams are driven: The cars and tracks. Featuring the latest and greatest production offerings as well as the world’s fastest and most exotic street cars, “Forza Motorsport 3†offers more than 400 fully customizable and tunable cars from over 50 of the world’s leading manufacturers. Whether your passion is classic American muscle cars, European roadsters, purpose-built race cars or high-tech Asian imports, “Forza Motorsport 3†puts you in the cockpit of the cars you love. In addition to the return of world-famous tracks from previous “Forza Motorsport†games, including Suzuka, Nürburgring Nordschleife and the Sebring International Raceway, “Forza Motorsport 3†invites you to conquer the corners on more than 100 tracks, including some of the most beautiful road courses in the world. New environments like the gorgeous mountainous Montserrat region in Spain, the rugged Amalfi Coast in Italy and the American Southwest are presented in such majestic detail that you might find yourself pulling over just to take it all in.

The look and feel of a modern racing game: “Forza Motorsport 3†is the definitive racing game. The appreciation of the automobile in “Forza Motorsport 3†is due in large part to the team’s attention to detail. This is why automotive engineers from manufacturers like Audi and champion race teams like Peugeot as well as experienced computer graphics specialists from across Microsoft Corp. have all teamed up with Turn 10 to make “Forza Motorsport 3†the most beautiful and realistic racing game ever made. All 400-plus cars in the game have been built with more than 10 times the amount of polygons as “Forza Motorsport 2.†This includes painstakingly researched cockpits and interiors for every vehicle. But realism isn’t just about pretty graphics. Turn 10 takes realism to new heights, leading the industry with the most advanced physics model, artificial intelligence and damage calculations. Whether it’s the differences in how each car handles through the corners, how the engines sound at top speed or how different tires and upgrades impact your car’s performance, you’ll find yourself leaning into your turns as if you were really behind the wheel of your favorite ride.
It’s easy to go for a spin: “Forza Motorsport 3†redefines the racing genre. Simulation games can be too hard for some players. “Forza Motorsport 3†rises above the distinction between simulation and arcade games. Using a myriad of cutting-edge driving and gameplay assists such as auto-braking, gameplay rewind and auto-tuning, “Forza Motorsport 3†delivers an experience where everyone can have fun behind the wheel, regardless of your skill and dexterity. Whether you’re a newcomer or a seasoned racing game pro, “Forza Motorsport 3†caters to how you drive and evolves with you over time as your skills increase.
Express your car passion: User-generated content and Xbox LIVE. Painters and tuners will once again be able to showcase creativity through the celebrated Livery Editor, Auction House and deep tuning garage in “Forza Motorsport 3.†The car is literally the artistic canvas as some of the world’s most creative car painters and designers find new layers of depth and freedom to create shocking visual masterpieces before sharing them with others over Xbox LIVE.* Each car in “Forza Motorsport 3†is fully upgradable, allowing gear heads to take on the challenge of turning a Honda Civic into a supercar killer. New Xbox LIVE Leaderboards celebrate not only the greatest racers but also the most prolific car tuners and painters in the community.
Play your way: New game modes. “Forza Motorsport 3†is an epic racing game featuring more content and more ways to play than any racing title today. An innovative single-player season mode puts you through a completely personalized racing calendar that includes more than 200 different events, including Circuit, Oval, Drag, Drift and Timed Events. No two calendars are the same; they react to the cars you love and the races you enjoy most. In addition, the online multiplayer mode gains an all-new game rules editor. This gives players a never-ending variety of ways to play with friends. Whether you’re a speedster, dragster, drifter, painter, tuner or just a lover of cars, “Forza Motorsport 3†is the definitive racing game for you.
Risen We don’t know a lot about Risen, it looks a lot like Fable, and that’s all right with us. Also, we’ve heard that developer Piranha Bytes knows their stuff, so it should be good.

Product Description A powerful wizard has broken the god’s reign, banishing them from the face of the world. Now that the world is free from the influence of the gods it’s filled with elemental magic, and mighty creatures that threaten to devastate the world. Ancient temples rise from the ground, people disappear, and the deep roaring of the volcano appears to be harbingering an immediate eruption. Delve into a gritty, raw and atmospheric fantasy world in which every action has a consequence.

Features: Every action has a consequence and alters your standing with different factions and individuals. Dungeons full of deadly traps and secret areas, some of which are only accessible by magically transforming yourself into different creatures. Total immersion in an authentic and believable fantasy world. The diverse locations have their own distinctive look region-specific vegetation and weather conditions. Professional voice-acted dialogue by John Rhys-Davies (The Lord of the Rings) Andy Serkis (The Adventures of Tintin due out in 2010) and Lena Headey (Sarah Connor Chronicles)

Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City I don’t think anyone can say that they don’t enjoy spending time in Liberty City, so who wouldn’t want two brand new adventures to keep us blazing a path of destruction – with purpose – through the old City?

Product Description Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City will feature both The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony, the external chapters for GTA 4 on one disk. Does not require the original GTA 4 to play.
The Lost and the Damned Johnny is a veteran member of The Lost, a notorious biker gang. Johnny has been creating business opportunities for The Lost in Liberty City, but his first loyalty must be to the patch he wears on his back and to Billy Grey, the club’s President. However, when Billy returns from rehab hell-bent on bloodshed and debauchery, Johnny finds himself in the middle of a vicious turf war with rival gangs for control of a city torn apart by violence and corruption. Can the brotherhood survive?
The Ballard of Gay Tony Grand Theft Auto IV’s second downloadable episode injects Liberty City with an overdose of guns, glitz, and grime. As Luis Lopez, part-time hoodlum and full-time assistant to legendary nightclub impresario Tony Prince (aka “Gay Tony”), players will struggle with the competing loyalties of family and friends, and with the uncertainty about who is real and who is fake in a world in which everyone has a price.