Shippin’ Out: Sept. 20-26: Halo 3: ODST, Aion

Originally billed as a three-to-five hour expansion pack to 2007’s smash hit Halo 3, Bungie’s latest evolved into a more reaching (and full-priced) venture over the course of development. Swapping out Bungie’s iconic Master Chief for a squad of orbital drop shock troopers, ODST tells a darker story set in the city of New Mombasa. Those who purchase ODST will also be offered a multiplayer beta voucher for Bungie’s maybe-last Halo project, Halo: Reach, due next year.

A pair of massively multiplayer online role-playing games will accompany Halo 3: ODST to market this week. Korean MMOG maker Aion will launch its angels-and-demons-themed Aion on Tuesday. Last week, the publisher said that the game had already secured nearly 400,000 preorders, making Aion the biggest MMOG launch of 2009 so far. However, Aion will have a bit of competition from Icarus Games’ Fallen Earth, a postapocalyptic sci-fi MMORPG.

Sony’s PlayStation 3 has a pair of quirky titles on tap this week. Keita Takahashi’s latest matter amalgamator Katamari Forever will offer, according to publisher Namco Bandai, the largest selection of stages, modes, and songs of any game in the series. Meanwhile, Natsume will bring over the Sony Japan-developed Afrika, a safari simulator that lets gamers snap photos of wild beasts on the African steppes. Atlus’ original Shin Megami Tensei: Persona will be hitting the PSP, as well.

As will happen, the Wii has two kid-friendly titles coming to its library this week. Capcom’s Spyborgs has been billed as an interactive version of “your favorite Saturday morning cartoon” and sees players assuming control of one of five bionically enhanced spies in an effort to take down one of their traitorous former compatriots. From Ubisoft comes Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up, a multiplayer brawler built in the style of Nintendo’s highly popular Super Smash Bros. franchise.

For further details on the week’s games, visit GameSpot’s New Releases page. The full list of downloadable games on the PlayStation Store, Xbox Live Marketplace, and the Wii Shop Channel will be revealed later this week. Release dates are based on retailer listings and are subject to change.

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