CNET slide shows: Gaming

The Wii is finally here, and we have the photos to prove it. Nintendo's new console hits stores November 19, but here are some shots to tide you over.

It doesn't hit North America until November 17, but we got an early look at the long-awaited PlayStation 3. The $600 model (shown here) includes built-in Wi-Fi, a flash media reader, and a 60GB hard drive.

Guns, gore, grit, and gooey aliens are just some of the great parts of Epic's new sci-fi shooter. Grab a friend and log on for cooperative or competitive online play when Gears of War hits the Xbox 360 on November 7.

The Tony Hawk franchise goes straight downhill in their latest game, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. Downhill Jam sends players barreling down steep slopes on skateboards in a game that's not only fun, but imitable. Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam comes out on the Wii on November 19. A Nintendo DS version is already available, and a Game Boy Advance version will ship November 7.

Rockstar's new teen-rated title has gotten a lot of attention, and most of it is from its name. Attend Bullworth Academy and return to the dog-eat-dog days of high school. Bully for the PlayStation 2 is in stores now.

The PlayStation 3 takes a trip to the alternate past with Insomniac's Resistance: Fall of Man. Aliens invaded early last century and WWII was canceled in favor of a war to liberate Earth. Blood, bugs, and bullets will abound on November 17, when this PS3 exclusive launches alongside Sony's system.

Sega returns to the fighter stage with the latest Virtua Fighter game. Virtua Fighter 5 features some of the prettiest visuals the series has seen yet, and it shows just how far Sega has come since the days of dancing cube people and 20-foot-high floating jumps. Virtua Fighter 5 hits the PlayStation 3 and arcades in Spring 2007.

Treyarch's beloved WWII shooter series gets a new, next-gen chapter in Call of Duty 3. The basic mechanics won't change much from those of the first two games, but the Wii's control scheme as well as the graphical power of the PlayStation 3, the Xbox 360, and the PC will make this chapter one to remember. Call of Duty 3 comes out in November for most game consoles.

Capcom's stylish slayer of evil returns in the fourth installment of the Devil May Cry series. This time he's hitting the PlayStation 3, and that means much more detailed carnage. Devil May Cry 4 should hit shelves some time in 2007.

We compare shots from the two biggest basketball games: NBA 2K7 from 2K Sports, and NBA Live 2007 from EA Sports. Both come out for the Xbox 360, the PS2, and other home consoles at the end of September.

Bricks and blasters clash again in this sequel to the surprisingly fun Lego Star Wars. This time it's the original trilogy, with Lego Luke, Han, Leia, and Chewie at your disposal to fight the Lego Empire with Lego starfighters and Lego lightsabers. Lego Star Wars II is out now on nearly every and portable system.

One of the most anticipated games this year, Twilight Princess sees the return of gaming's favorite elf. This time he's all grown up and has a whole new quest. The Wii version of Twilight Princess will use the Wii-mote to swing swords, aim bows, and even fish. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess should hit stores on the same day that the Wii does.

John Woo brings his style, and Chow Yun-Fat his likeness to Stranglehold, the video-game sequel to their 1992 Hong Kong action classic Hard Boiled. Elaborate gunfights and frantic action will abound when Stranglehold hits the PlayStation 3, the Xbox 360, and the PC in early 2007.

Why pay for one game when you can get two, or five--or twenty-five? These titles give you the most for your money by cramming several games into one package.

Like clockwork, Madden NFL arrives every August to the delight of pigskin gaming fans across America. Madden NFL 07 debuts on August 22 for the Xbox 360, the PS2, the Xbox, the PSP, the PC, the GameCube, the DS, and the GBA. Both the Wii and the PS3 will launch with the storied football franchise as well.

From multiplayer versions of coin-op classics to addictive new games such as Geometry Wars, the downloadable--and eminently affordable--titles on Xbox Live Arcade have been some of the biggest hits of the Xbox 360. At least one new game will be hitting XBLA every week in the near future; we've highlighted some of the best titles available so far.

Exploding penguins, ninja pirates, and gaudy Power Rangers knockoffs are just three of the things that make Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories so special. This Final Fantasy Tactics-style RPG from Nippon Ichi Software has you fighting demons in a humorous, deranged anime setting. Disgaea 2 hits the PlayStation 2 at the end of August.

THQ's Grand Theft Auto-esque action game crams multiplayer modes into the standard "steal cars/shoot punks/lead gangs" formula. Expect plenty of cars, plenty of action, and plenty of turf fights when Saints Row hits the Xbox 360 at the end of August.

Vaporware n: Any piece of technology with equal and excessive numbers of promises and delays. It might be awesome, but you probably won't actually see it. Here is some of the best vaporware in gaming.

These famous developers are known for some of the most popular video-game franchises, and now they're working on new games for new companies. Find out what some of the industry's biggest names have been doing lately.

It's been in development for almost 10 years, but Prey is nearly here. The long-awaited sci-fi shooter from Human Head Studios involves alien abduction, spirit projection, and universe-warping portals, all rendered with the Doom 3 engine. Prey will hit the PC and the Xbox 360 on July 10.

Pirate ships and interstellar travel combine in Rogue Galaxy, the latest action RPG from Level 5, the developers behind Dragon Quest VIII and Dark Cloud 2. Rogue Galaxy ships in October 2006.

Customize and pilot your giant robot through a post-WWIII landscape in Chromehounds. Sega's new mech combat game includes an extensive campaign, live multiplayer support, and lots of fun stuff to blow up. Chromehounds comes to the Xbox 360 in July 2006.

The biggest heroes in the Marvel universe are coming together to fight the forces of evil in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. This comic-book-themed action RPG from Activision starts hitting shelves in fall 2006 and will be available for the PC, the PlayStation 2, the PlayStation 3, the Xbox, the Xbox 360, the Game Boy Advance, and the Nintendo Wii.

The bald, bar-coded assassin Codename 47 is back in his fourth adventure. Shoot, stab, strangle, and sabotage your way through a dozen tense missions of stealth action. Hitman: Blood Money is available now for the PC, the Xbox, the Xbox 360, and the PS2.

Huge battles, huge units, and huge maps are the best aspects of this follow-up to the '90s RTS classic Total Annihilation. Supreme Commander puts mechs, battleships, jet fighters, and even nuclear missiles at your command as you lead your armies to victory. Supreme Commander will be released for the PC by Gas Powered Games early in 2007.

If you ever wanted to run around an abandoned shopping mall looking for various weapons with which to kill undead monsters, Capcom's Dead Rising is for you. The gory survival horror game--sort of an unofficial adaptation of the film Dawn of the Dead--is scheduled to arrive on the Xbox 360 in August 2006.

Violence, action, violence, adventure, violence, fantasy, violence, and mythology--God of War 2 has it all! Play the Greek-warrior-turned-god-turned-warrior Kratos once again in this PlayStation 2 exclusive from Sony, expected to ship in 2007.

Ubisoft's popular turn-based strategy series is back with Heroes of Might and Magic V. HOMM5 finally takes the plunge into full 3D but keeps the myriad of colorful and detailed worlds and characters that made the series famous. A demo is available now, and you'll be able to raise your army of knights, wizards, zombies, and dragons when the game ships on May 23, 2006.

Rockstar Games' Table Tennis for the Xbox 360 is...exactly what it sounds like. All of the descriptions in this slide show are direct quotes from Rockstar's press materials, simply because we couldn't have made it much more informative or nearly as funny. Table Tennis ships on May 22 and will be available at the Xbox 360 budget price of $39.99.

Tekken, Namco's Kung-fu-fighting, fast-as-lightning tournament fighter franchise finally comes to the PSP with Tekken: Dark Resurrection. This hand-to-hand cousin of Soul Calibur will feature two new characters and tons of extras. Look for Tekken: Dark Resurrection on the PSP in late 2006.

Lara Croft returns to her wall-climbing, trap-dodging, gun-toting roots in Tomb Raider: Legend. Will this be enough to pull the series out of its slump? We'll find out when the game is released in mid-April for the PS2, the PSP, the PC, the Xbox, and the Xbox 360.

Jack Carver returns to the tropics in this third installment of the Far Cry series. He doesn't have a boat, but he has guns, as well as crazy animal abilities and the power of the Xbox 360 to make everything good.

Mario's newest adventure has him returning to 2D for the first time in more than a decade. New Super Mario Brothers brings classic NES-style Mario gameplay to the DS and the DS Lite. It's scheduled to ship in May 2006.

Sam Fisher is finally coming to the PlayStation Portable with Splinter Cell Essentials. Expect plenty of stealth and violence spread through both new and classic missions when the game hits PSPs in the spring.

The beloved racing-and-crashing game for the Xbox and the PS2 is finally coming to the Xbox 360 with better graphics and new content.

Nintendo's new DS Lite is thinner, lighter, and brighter than the original DS. It's available in Japan as of March 2, 2006, with a U.S. launch to follow later this year.

Babes, bustiers, and body blows--Rumble Roses XX has it all. This all-girl wrestling game is coming to the Xbox 360 at the end of March.

Ubisoft's new arcade-style WWII flight sim lets you fly against the Axis powers with more than three dozen planes and three uniquely skilled squadmates. You and your squadron will fly all over Europe and the South Pacific and participate in some of the greatest air battles of World War II.

EA's new shooter for the PS2 and the Xbox features impressive graphics and destructible environments. It's scheduled to lock and load by the end of February.

Epic's upcoming shooter is an Xbox 360 exclusive and one of the first games planned to use Unreal Engine 3. We haven't seen much actual gameplay yet, but the concept art is sure pretty.

The latest title in the Fight Night series promises historic fights, a deep career mode, and some incredibly realistic graphics. The game hits the ring in February, but a demo is already available on Xbox 360 Live.

This video game adaptation of Fox's hit thriller series 24 has you controlling Jack Bauer and his comrades as they hunt terrorists. The game's various missions involve shooting, driving, interrogating, and using high-tech gadgets to sniff out dangers to national security.

Capcom's upcoming Xbox 360 game will have big robots, bigger insects, and a lot of things blowing up. It's tentatively slated for an early 2006 release.

This sci-fi shooter will have you fighting a fascist dictatorship by warping time with a high-tech suit. It's due to hit the Xbox, the Xbox 360, and the PC in the spring of 2006.

Namco's Ridge Racer 6 packs more than 130 vehicles and 200 races into one great racing game. If driving sims such as Project Gotham Racing 3 are too stiffly realistic for you, this arcade racer might be the perfect alternative.

Kameo: Elements of Power puts you in the slippers of Kameo, a fairy girl who can transform into elemental monsters. This Xbox 360 title was originally intended for the Nintendo 64, but it's been given a major update over the last few years.

Three main characters, a handful of squadmates, and a ton of Nazi targets can be found in THQ's WWII shooter for the Xbox 360, due in March 2006.

Perfect Dark Zero is one of the most anticipated--or at least the most hyped--launch titles for the Xbox 360. This sci-fi shooter boasts beautiful graphics, loads of weapons, and plenty of things to kill.

Sparks, shrapnel, and sedans will fly in Sega's vehicular combat game for the Xbox 360. Look for it to hit stores in early 2006.

Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is the latest installment in Bethesda Softwork's epic role-playing game series. Look for it on the Xbox 360 and PC in the spring of 2006.

Tecmo's eye-catching 3D fighting franchise gets the next-generation treatment with the upcoming release of Dead or Alive 4 on the Xbox 360. The game's trademark quirky costumes and multitiered arenas will hit stores late this year.

Since its debut at this year's E3, Microsoft's Age of Empires III has bowled gamers over with dazzling graphics and a physics engine six years in the making. The latest entrant in the blockbuster franchise hits stores on October 25.

On August 22, America will get a taste of the gaming sensation that's taken Japan by storm: Nintendogs for the Nintendo DS. Available in Dachshund, Chihuahua, and Labrador flavors, this strategy game lets you raise and interact with a pup of your own.

CNET's Game of the Week is Project Gotham Racing 3. Featuring photorealistic graphics and arcade-style driving mechanics, it's a highly anticipated title for Microsoft's next-generation Xbox 360.

The Xbox 360's release date is still a few months away, but here's a look at one of its flagship launch titles, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter. Feast your eyes on the photorealistic potential of next-generation gaming.

CNET's Game of the Week is Quake 4, the latest sequel in the renowned first-person shooter franchise. The game hits stores late this year, just in time to make for a tremendously inappropriate holiday gift.

EA's Battlefield 2 for Windows PCs is scheduled to hit stores on June 21. Look for it in the fall on the Xbox, the Xbox 360, the PS2, and the PSP.