Video gamers,finally emerging from the pixelated haze brought on by lastyear’s bumper crop of best-selling titles, are now turningtheir attention to upcoming releases. Last year was one of the best in recent memory for thevideo game industry, featuring a string of A-list titles suchas “Halo 3″, “Call of Duty 4″ and “Guitar Hero”, causing someanalysts to fret that 2007 will prove a tough act to follow. “People tend to forget there was some explosive growth,driven not only by premium titles but ultra-premium titles like’Guitar Hero’, which cost $100, and ‘Rock Band’, which cost$170,” said Jesse Divnich, an analyst with The simExchange, anonline prediction market for game sales. Still, quite a few games are poised to hit store shelves inthe next couple months. Here is just a sample of anticipatedtitles coming out for Nintendo’s Wii,Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Sony’sPlayStation 3. “NO MORE HEROES” - WII - JAN 22 - UBISOFT What it is: Play as a contract killer who acquires alight-saber-like “beam katana” and proceeds to hunt down rivalassassins in a bid to become the undisputed top hitman. Why you’ll want it: It’s made by Goichi Suda, a Japanesedesigner known for quirky fare such as “Killer 7″. His gamesfeel like interactive anime, and fans of martial arts filmswill revel in the stylishly bloody action. Reality check: The gruesomeness may repulse Wii ownersdrawn to the console’s family friendly image. Few developersoutside of Nintendo have made the Wii’s motion controls workfor something that doesn’t involve rolling bowling balls ortossing darts. “BURNOUT PARADISE” - XBOX 360, PS3 - JAN 22 - EA What it is: The latest iteration of the popular racing gamewhose whole point is to drive with utter, reckless disregardfor fellow motorists, forcing them to crash and causing as muchdamage as possible to any vehicles in the vicinity. Why you’ll want it: Realistic graphics and the ability tochallenge other players online in an open-ended world provethis edition was designed from the ground up with thisgeneration of powerful gaming machines in mind. Reality check: Some fans of the series are dismayed at theopen-world idea, and worry that it will make it too difficultto retry failed events. “DEVIL MAY CRY 4″ - XBOX 360, PS3 - FEB 5 - CAPCOM What it is: Play a demon hunter who brings the pain toHell’s minions with his mighty sword, Red Queen, anddouble-barreled pistol, Blue Rose. String attacks together intospectacular combos that rack up your score and acquire evenmore impressive powers. Why you’ll want it: This is the first appearance of thisJapanese action franchise on new game consoles and marks thefirst time Xbox owners can get their hands on the well-regardedseries. Reality check: Apart from prettier graphics, previews saythe game doesn’t seem to deviate much from the series’ triedand true formula. “SUPER SMASH BROS BRAWL” - WII - MARCH 9 - NINTENDO What it is: The long-awaited third edition of Nintendo’shugely successful fighting series. It’s been nearly seven yearssince the last “Smash” title, and expectations are high thatthis game will be a, well, knock-out. Why you’ll want it: Pick from more than two dozen classiccharacters such as Mario, Zelda or Pikachu. Combining simplecontrols with a broad variety of characters, abilities anditems, the game should appeal to casual and hard-core players.Wireless online play may jump-start Nintendo’s gaming network. Reality check: First, you have to get your hands on a Wii,which are still in short supply. That’s about the only thingexpected to hold back this game. “LOST ODYSSEY” - XBOX 360 - FEB 12 - MICROSOFT What it is: A role-playing game featuring an epic story ofimmortals exploring a magical world. The game was crafted by anall-star team of renowned Japanese talent including HironobuSakaguchi, producer of one of the most popular RPG franchisesof all time, “Final Fantasy”. Why you’ll want it: Critics are raving about the incrediblyevocative story and the detailed art design. Reality check: The turn-based combat system may feel tiredto fans of the genre. The game is also very long, coming packedon four DVDs (the 2006 RPG hit “Oblivion” used a single disc)and contains a novel’s worth of text and dialogue.

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