With a summer videogame line-up of nothing more than a weekly tie-in for the latest kid's CG animation flick, the annual game summer drought is finally over, and in it's place, a series of fantastic releases all the way to Christmas and then beyond. But forget that, there's plenty of fantastic games this month.

Skate-
With excessive play of the already released demo, the best thing about this game -obviously- is finally being able to break away from that lone, sparse skatepark and riding into the city, all on the hunt for kickers verts and rails. It's a surprisingly all-encompassing quest however, something you realise as soon as you reach the bottom of the first hill- this city is f**king huge. Throwing in the reference again for shits and giggles, unlike the Tony Hawk games here there is no pre-determined or designated areas and sections, with the city and geography flowing into itself naturally, as you'll notice when riding from Downtown to Oldtown.

The main focus of the game then is a roll around the gameworld completing objectives and doing tricks, which generally works well, though, as with the city, it is very easy to get a little overwhelmed, as well as perhaps frustrated, thanks to the increasing dexterity required to pull off many of the tricks and goals. But as with the demo, that sense of accomplishment and relief, as well as joy once you do pull off a successful trick is immense, with the tight physics and realism meaning this is more than mere button presses- this is an achievement. As with other EA games, the presentation is tight and the loading screens are many, but with mountains of goals and the somewhat infinite appeal of freeskating, this is one game that certainly doesn't need a yearly sequel.

Stranglehold-
The spiritual predecessor of the 1992 John Woo/Chow Yun Fat collaboration Hard Boiled, Stranglehold is, as you'd expect, a gun-laden playthrough with a bodycount of epic proportions. With obvious influences ranging from Max Payne to Devil May Cry, the game keeps sending enemies your way with only the sole goal of the game being to neutralise them with any means necessary. Aside from the obvious functions of the game's arsenal however, the game also features a surprisingly robust physics engine, allowing for the scenery, and thus the objects within it to your advantage. Swinging from lanterns, sliding down handrails and wall springing, all with the use of slow-motion "Tequila Time", as well as some arcade-based power-ups and abilities, including Precision Aim, Health Boosts and more.

They're needed of course, and are completely integral to the game, as you'll discover when playing through many of the set pieces and levels. On the normal difficulty alone things can get pretty hectic at times with an almost un-relentless assault from the enemies, but bosses at the end of stages do help break up the flow of the game, and provide a somewhat, though not always obvious, breathing moment and rest. Additionally the game also packs an online multiplayer, lifting many of the settings and abilities from the main game. As a mode it's perhaps limited in it's appeal, never anything more than a fun diversion. A co-op mode for the main game, would perhaps have been better implemented somehow.

Halo 3-
As one of the leading franchises for the X360 and the conclusion to one of videogaming's best trilogies, there's a lot of pressure and anticipation for Halo 3 to live up to. Touted by many as the videogame event of the decade (and thus overhyped to hell), it's easy to dismiss Halo simply for that alone. Thankfully however, the game lives up to all expectation, and perhaps embodies the Xbox 360 culture and mantra perfectly.

Providing more than just a solo campaign mode to plow through, the game allows you and three others to work together as a team through the story, all with voice chat and the same missions as in solo-player. Naturally if you don't like the notion of even working co-operatively with someone else a multitude of deathmatch variations are also included, with the longevity stretched even further by allowing fully-customisable matches and even if you so wish, the geography and play areas. Forge mode allows user-customisation over the environment, allowing you to place extra vehicles and objects within the game -similar to the Create-A-Park mode made famous by a certain skating game- meaning that, more so than normal, every game will be unique. The online activity continues further with leaderboards and player rankings, as well as the ability to upload footage of shots from the game to dedicated Bungie.net servers, creating something very web 2.0.

Visually, the game is good. On graphical first impressions it may not match Bioshock or Gears of War for presentation, but when you're waiting to respawn and you see your character gently flowing down stream, lying face down before getting caught on the rocks, it's hard not to appreciate the game aesthetically. The little things such as this, shadows, textures, the wind breeze affecting blades of grass, while perhaps minor in the game overall, are certainly nice additions that help to create believable play areas, reinforced with the epic surroundings of both the landscape and backgrounds. For depth and immersion, it's certainly successful. As a game, it seems endless- with it's predecessor retaining the top spot on Xbox live for three years, there is certainly no reason that this follow-up can gap that distance and more.

Skateboarding. As a videogame genre you really wouldn't think there would be much room for improvisation or innovation. Afterall, it's a sport just like Football, and you can only go so far with that concept before you break away from it entirely. With the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series undoubtedly having been the dominant skateboarding title in the last decade, the thought alone of trying to change the genre for the better is a brave move, but when pulled off successfully, for once, EA should be praised.

The demo for EA's answer to the skateboarding genre skate. hit the Xbox Live Marketplace yesterday, and after about fourteen hours of downloading (I kid not) I finally got to try it out. Lasting half an hour the demo gives you a chance to learn the controls and moves of the game while also allowing for some free skating and some mini-challenges, before rudely, turning itself off. From the outset it's quickly established that this is a born-again experience, and within minutes you find yourself struggling to forget old strategies and controls developed in past titles and subsequently learn new ones. Suddenly a mere ollie is a technical accomplishment, while grinding and kickflips are pure joy to perform, such is the intuitive controls and accompanying learning difficulty. It's all so satisfying, even better, one of those demos that you'll be revisiting everyday until the release of the game.

But there are problems. what am I saying, of course there's problems. With the camera for the most part focussed on the trucks of the board a la skate videos there are times where it's difficult to see exactly where you're going, and perspective can be tricky to judge occasionally, particularly when grinding. Likewise, it's a little too easy to find your character stuck in some of the environments with no means of getting out.Despite this the physics and movement of the game works well, as does thankfully the collision detection, perhaps a little too well, but if you've seen footage of skateboardings hurting themselves, well, that seems appropriate.

skate. from EA may finally be the game to rob the Tony Hawk series of it's crown. A year ago or even at the height of the series this would've been laughed of, but with fantastic presentation, great visuals and most of all, innovation in all the right places, EA may be the new kings of the skateboarding genre.