The next few months are going to be filled with sunscreen, swimming pools, and outdoor barbeques. The average nerd will also be indulging in his or her yearly tradition: playing the awesome titles from winter’s past. But unlike most summers, it seems that this summer won’t be quite so dull for all the hardcore gamers out there. There won’t be any of those heavy-hitting blockbusters that we all love coming out any time soon, but there is more than a few shining glimpses of hope to get your great summer game on.

First, we have a cult classic being reintroduced to the masses once again. This game has caused rivalries not only in the game, but also amongst gaming and comic book geeks. This summer Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network will be releasing Marvel vs Capcom 2. Does anyone else smell the greatest downloadable game of all time brewing? The moment this was announced you were able to sense the slight tingle of the wetting of underpants from all around the world. This cult classic, 2D brawler has excited, and mesmerized fans for years, and now it seems it will continue to do so for years to come. An added perk to this Live Arcade download is that it is now being reintroduced in HD and included 3D background to make it look absolutely amazing.

Another huge game being released this summer is Batman: Arkham Asylum. There are not many Batman games that are well-known for being worthy of your hard earned $60 bucks, but it seems that Batman: Arkham Asylum will be the first. The problem with previous Batman games was that you weren’t really Batman at all. You basically just a watered-down Sam Fisher and this game seems to want to change that image. This game takes you deep inside Gotham City’s institution for the criminally insane, and allows you to take on the villains at home. There seems to be more freedom with this game than with previous installments. Stealth, intelligence, and strength are Batman’s key traits and Batman: Arkham Asylum will allow you to use them as the dark knight himself. Not to mention that you’ll be able to play as the Joker, exclusively on the PS3.

What would the summer be without the release of a massively popular music and rhythm game. This summer we are given the privilege of choice with upcoming releases; The Beatles: Rock Band, Guitar Hero 5 at summer’s end , and Guitar Hero: Van Halen. What to choose, what to choose? The Beatles in a video game have been long awaited since the release of the first Guitar Hero game. It seems we’re in for a treat with this Rock Band. The gameplay seems to stick to the already familiar Rock Band setup, but there is the ability for more vocal players to join the fun. Of course this will be a must-have for any Beatles fan, regardless if the game is a star or a total flop.

Aside from Beatles mania, the team over at Activision decided to release two separate Guitar Hero games this summer. Guitar Hero 5 will be a slight cutaway from the norm with the inclusion of more independent artists, which is a great thing because the bonus songs of previous Guitar Hero games always seemed to be the pulse of the games. I can’t deny that these games are fun especially when your singing, strumming, or drumming along to a variety of your favorite tracks.  A few artists appearing on Guitar Hero 5 are: Wolfmother, TV On The Radio, Nirvana, Megadeth, Kings of Leon, Deep Purple, Bon Jovi, The Killers, and so many more. Guitar Hero’s other installment for this summer, Guitar Hero: Van Halen, will bring out the 80’s, spandex-wearing heavy metal rocker in all of us. This classic act is perfect for a Guitar Hero game seeming that their lead guitarist is one of the most influential of all time it only makes sense. Of course this will probably go with the current Guitar Hero set up, which is basically an entire band. No official setlist has been made public yet, but I’m sure you can guess that you’ll be able to play your favorite Van Halen songs. I (as many others) cannot wait to shred “Eruption”, I’m sure we are all hoping Guitar Hero: Van Halen will include that string-snapping hit.

So it seems that this summers playlist won’t be very stale at all. The updated Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 will keep tons fascinated for periods of time succeeding this summer. Batman: Arkham Asylum will keep us captivated for a good amount of time, that is, depending on its replayability and overall length. That is a game that will cause much excitement for comic book and gaming geeks alike (I know I’m psyched.) There are also a bunch of music games coming out this season to appease the rock star in everyone who plays the games. The Beatles: Rock Band will be a surefire hit, knowing the widespread demographic they are targeting and even fans of previous Rock Band game will be enthralled by The Beatles: Rock Band. Last, but not least, our precious Guitar Hero. With two versions of the game coming out this summer Guitar Hero 5, and Guitar Hero: Van Halen should do just fine in winning not only the wallets of gamers, but also their hearts. So when the summer heat’s got you down, go check out these upcoming releases to satisfy your hunger until this holiday season.

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Tags: Arkham Asylum, Batman, Guitar Hero, Marvel vs. Capcom 2, rock band, The Beatles, Van Halen

This entry was posted on Friday, June 26th, 2009 at 9:16 am and is filed under Editorials, Featured, PlayStation 3, XBLA, Xbox 360. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.