Summer Games Preview

Summertime has never been kind to gamers as new releases ordinarily dwindle down from a flood to a trickle. Maybe that's the universe's way of telling us to turn off the TV, throw on some flip-flops and enjoy the long days and warm nights.

While that's an admirable message, it's not one that sits well when you suddenly don't have to sweat homework. With all this free time on our hands, isn't summer the perfect time to play some games?

Shockingly, this year defies the traditional dearth of new titles to play during this time. In fact, Summer 2007 might go down as the best in gaming history thanks to a steady stream of awesome games for just about every system under the blazing sun.

Here are 15 games that should keep you cool during the hottest months.

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Pokemon Battle Revolution

Release Date: June 25

Platform: Wii

Dilemma: It's great to be out of school, but who's gonna play Pokemon with you now?

Playa hate on a worldwide level.

What can we say, it's more Pokemon! (Pokemen? Pokepeople?) Whatever you want to call it, expect it to deliver tons of trainable creatures, not to mention cross-functionality with Pokemon Pearl and Diamond. Battle Revolution is also the first online multiplayer game enabled for the Wii, so you can finally display your Pokeprowess to players all over the globe.

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Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80's

Release Date: July 17

Platform: PS2

Shred away those bad hair memories with this riotous, rhythmic tour through the decade of decadence.

Come on, feel the noise!

Summer is the perfect time for a makeover, so frost those tips, squeeze into skintight leather, and bring headbanging back into style with the latest entry in the acclaimed Guitar Hero franchise. A 30-song set list covers a wide assortment of 80s jams, from the obvious (Flock of Seagulls' "I Ran (So Far Away)"), to the obnoxious (Poison's "Nothin' But A Good Time"), to the obscure (Eddie Money's "Shakin'"). Whether you're a scrappy punk, a New Wave artiste, or a Sunset Strip glam rocker, you're bound to hit the right notes.

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NCAA Football 08

Release Date: July 17

Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360, PS2, Xbox

School might be a distant memory, but you can still root for the home team courtesy of EA's class act.

The old college try.

Fans of college football might disagree with the archaic science behind the BCS rankings, quibble about conference strength, and argue over the best tasting Lite beer (Coors, clearly), but they can all agree on one thing --NCAA Football is THE gridiron game for them, bar none. Never content to keep the updates meager, the '08 edition introduces a wealth of new plays, a reworked Campus Legend mode, and the ability to boost your team's motivation by taking control of big plays. Best of all is an innovative real-time weather system piped in courtesy of the Weather Channel. Forecast calls for chance of awesome.

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Mario Strikers: Charged

Release Date: July 30

Platform: Wii

Join the cherubic plumber as he kicks, heads, and slide-tackles his way through another arcade soccer game.

Goooooal?

Okay, so it's not Super Mario Galaxy, but at least it's not another collection of mini-games, and that makes this sequel to the Gamecube game Super Mario Strikers an easy choice for fans of the fat mascot. Uncluttered by strict rules and overzealous refs, the game keeps its eye on the ball with a roaring pace and intuitive controls. Waggle the Wiimote to shake defenders, or take on the world with ranked and unranked online play. The Italian national team might be plagued with scandals, but Mario and the usual suspects offer good, clean summertime fun. Capisce?

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Enemy Territory: Quake Wars

Release Date: August 1

Platform: PC

Sway the tide of futuristic, first-person fights in this complex online shooter.

Only the Strogg survive.

The bad news: Unlike the original Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory, this follow-up is not available as a free download. The good news: Everything else. We've had our eye on Enemy Territory for a long time, but it looks like we'll finally get our quivering hands on it this August. Set in the Quake universe, the game pits humans against the alien Stroggs in team-based multiplayer matches. With five distinct classes per side, the strategy well runs deep: construct giant weapons, gather recon, commandeer vehicles, or just blow stuff up. A new user-friendly objective system helps newbies find their footing, while the smooth, adaptable engine lets you focus on the combat instead of the system requirements. For hardcore fraggers, the near-future is bright.

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Stranglehold

Release Date: August 6

Platforms: PC, PS3, Xbox 360

Turn your world into Swiss cheese with Midway's action-packed thriller.

Inspector Tequila, I presume?

Based on director John Woo's cult action film Hard Boiled, Stranglehold puts you in the scuffed loafers of Chow-Yun Fat's flawed detective. Then, it makes you angry, gives you lots of guns and sets you loose in fully-destructible next-gen environments. The result? Riveting action gameplay. Case-sensitive controls let you flip around like a ballet dancer, pulling off classic moves like sliding down a banister while unloading a few rounds from your dual pistols, shattering glass, chipping wood, and hopefully making the bad guys lie down for a while. Sweet.

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