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Microsoft has tried to wipe away a bad news week with the promise of an avalanche of new titles before the end of the year.
Its line-up, announced at the watered-down E3 in Santa Monica, is led as expected with Halo 3, out September 25.
Besides the already announced special edition comes the announcement of a limited edition Xbox 360 for Halo fanatics.
It's a new Halo green military styled Xbox 360 that has the high-def HDMI port and a 20 gigabyte hard drive.
An early look at it shows a war-battered look with orange shades around the top and on the machine's disc-loading tray front.
There are Halo-type designs around the top and the console's power button and a Halo emblem on the front flap. A wireless controller is in the same green.
Orders are already being accepted in NZ but pricing details have not yet been released.
Meanwhile check out the new Halo 3 trailer.
As for Microsoft's promised lineup for the rest of the year, which includes of exclusive titles (where noted) or third parties (available also on other platforms), it goes like this:
Ace Combat 6: Fire of Liberations (Namco Bandai). The latest in the Ace Combat series with Live online multiplayer action and exclusive to the console.
Assassin's Creed (Ubisoft). One of the big next gen titles for the rest of the year and out in November. The game follows master assassin Altair's mission to end the Third Crusade.
Beautiful Katamari (Namco Bandai). Marking the debut of Namco's beloved quirky ball-rolling puzzle game on a next-generation platform. Available October.
BioShock (2K Games). Another of the year's most anticipated, Bioshock is a genetically-enhanced first-person shooter set in the ruined undersea metropolis of Rapture. Available this August, only on Xbox 360 and Windows.
Blue Dragon (Mistwalker/Artoon Co. Ltd.). From famed game producer Hironobu Sakaguchi comes Blue Dragon, a unique, epic role-playing game, available on 30 August, only on Xbox 360.
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare(Activision). The new action-thriller from the award-winning team at Infinity Ward, Call of Duty 4 promises more depth of multiplayer action providing online fans an all-new community of persistence, addictive and customisable gameplay. Available Christmas.
Dance Dance Revolution Universe 2 (Konami Digital Entertainment). The series encore on Xbox 360 delivers new gameplay options along with a mix of songs from the 70s, 80s and 90s as well as online play and downloadable music. Available Christmas.
Grand Theft Auto IV (Rockstar Games). No introduction needed for this one. Available October 16th, it will feature episodic content through Xbox Live exclusive to the Xbox 360.
Guitar Hero III (RedOctane/Activision). Guitar Hero II is fantastic. How could they improve it?
Madden NFL 08 (EA). The world's most popular sports title gets a next gen update. Out in August.
Mass Effect (BioWare). The epic sci-fi game mentioned the other day. Available this Christmas, only on Xbox 360.
Naruto: Rise of a Ninja (Ubisoft). The anime and manga hit gets transformed from a noisy ninja-academy dropout to respected ninja. Available in October, only on Xbox 360.
Project Gotham Racing 4 (Bizarre Creations). Available September, on Xbox 360.
Rock Band (Harmonix, MTV, EA). A Guitar Hero rival , letting you also perform music from the world's biggest rock artists with their friends but as a virtual band. Expected to be huge. Available Christmas.
Scene it? Lights, Camera, Action (Screenlife Games/WXP). Movie trivia aided by TV and movie clips in high definition and comes with four new Xbox 360 Big Button Pads. Out Christmas.
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Conviction (Ubisoft). Out Christmas.
Virtua Fighter 5 (Sega). This new installment features 17 fighters, and, online two-player versus mode on Xbox Live.
Viva Piata: Party Animals (Krome Studios). For those who love cute mini-games this new party game is based on the earlier quirky title (and a TV series) out Christmas on Xbox.
Also announced was a Messenger Kit, as well as pink and dark blue controllers.
How does that line-up sound?
