Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Kojima Productions | Playstation 3 (and 360? LAWL) | Tactical Espionage Action
The only reason to own a PlayStation 3 finally arrives.

The moment I saw the first trailer that appeared at TGS '05, I knew this game would be what pushed me over the edge into buying Sony's overpriced beast of a machine. There's really no need for an explanation about this game; it's so hyped up at this point that if you don't know what Metal Gear Solid 4 is, it's already too late. Just like it's too late for any poor sap in Old Snake's badass way. KER-SNAP

Blast Works: Build, Trade, Destroy
Majesco | Nintendo Wii | Shooter
I wanted to make Blast Works the Game of the Week, because shooters are the best genre ever created, but the money that Konami's paying me to list MGS4 as my selection was just too much to pass up. Sorry, shoot-em-up fans. But hey, at least we included it this time, right?

Actually, this one does seem interesting, because everything you shoot has the potential to fuse onto your ship to form a super-mega-hyper ship of destruction. Like Kingdom Hearts' gummi ship minus the suck.

DragonBall Z: Burst Limit
Atari | Sony Playstation 3, Xbox 360 | Super Anime Fighting
Since the PlayStation 2 launched, we've had DragonBall Z: Budokai 1, 2, 3; Budokai Tenkaichi 1, 2, 3; DragonBall Z: Sagas, and Super Dragon Ball all on home consoles -- and I'm leaving out handhelds because, well, I just don't care about them. They all tell the same story, and they all have pretty much the same characters. But I'll be a monkey's uncle if this game isn't the best of them all. The demo alone (now available on the PSN and Xbox Live Marketplace) is insanely fun, and it looks like anime come to life, seriously. Misshapen, grunting steroid freaks never looked so good!

Deadliest Catch
Greenwave | Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 | Crab Fishing
I have no idea what this game is. I think it involves crabs, but not the type that require that special shampoo to get rid of. So it's the good type of crabs.

(Note: I'm finding conflicting dates on this one. If it's not out this week, then it's out next week. Sorry for the confusion, folks.)

XBLA: Frogger 2
Konami | Xbox 360 | Frog-death simulator
Don't believe the title; this is at least the third Frogger 2 since that most Orwellian of years, 1984. But this one's different than the other ones. Well, not really different -- you're still trying to get a frog across a bunch of obstacles without going splat! or squick! or waaaagh! But the levels are new and it's on Xbox Live!

XBLA and PSN: Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3
Capcom | Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 | Rollin rollin rollin, shootin shootin shootin
Finally, a sequel to Mercs! Which would seem a lot cooler if not for Assault Heroes and other overhead shooters crowding the market lately. Corporate Synergy Bonus: Buying the XBLA version of this game gets you access to the Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix beta.

PSN: NOVASTRIKE
Tiki Games | PlayStation 3 | Overhead space shooter
NOVASTRIKE IS SO DAMN AWESOME ITS TITLE IS WRITTEN IN ALL CAPS BECAUSE IT'S SO EXTREME RAAAAARRRRRRRRRGHLHLUGLBLAWL. Actually, it's another space shooter -- and it looks worth checking out by virtue of it being a scrappy independent production. At least try the demo. Oh, wait, this is PSN we're dealing with. There's no demo, silly!

WiiWare: My Pokémon Ranch
Nintendo | Wii | Pokémon: The Farm
Finally, a chance to turn all those Pokémon you've lovingly raised in Pearl and Diamond (you bought both, didn't you!?) into profitable meat and leather products! Ha ha. Just kidding. Actually, My Pokémon Ranch is a chance to use all those Pokémon you've lovingly raised to populate a ranch!

It doesn't really seem to be a game so much as an interactive Pokémon exhibit. If you don't have either of the current-gen Pokémon titles, you start out with six critters and gain a new one each day. Also, the gal that runs the ranch will make Pokémon requests and give you hints on where to find them in the DS games.

Wii VC: Dig-Dug
Atari | NES via Wii via Japan | Digging holes + inflation = the U.S. economy ... I MEAN DIG-DUG
Dig. Dug. Dag? You probably know this one already, but if not: You're a little dude digging through the earth and killing monsters by inflating them until they pop like a cheap bicycle tire. There are some truly disturbing artistic interpretations of this gameplay concept on the Internet.

Wii VC: Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa
Konami | NES via Wii via Japan | Heroic Baby: The Game
When Nintendo first started putting Japanese games on the VC, the people rejoiced. Finally! the people said, We will be able to play al those forgotten gems that taunted us from the pages of mid-'90s EGM issues! But alas, no. Instead we get Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa, in which you control a wee little baby on a platforming adventure to save his kingdom. He uses his rattle to attacka and turn enemies into floating platforms, then uses those to get around or sends them flying into other bad guys.