Tiny Diggers – An iPad Construction Truck Game for Kids Age 2-5

Well, it’s approximately July now, and it doesn’t look like Manhunt 2 will be hitting the Wii this month as originally planned. That leaves a pretty short list, particularly when compared to the very heavy June we saw. I wonder if some games will be pushed up because of the lack of competition in the lineup.

That said, there is other software due this month. Read on.

ALIEN SYNDROME
July 2007

Whle it sometimes seems we’ll never see a firm release date for Sega’s Alien Syndrome (as I recall it was originally expected in March), the latest on the official site is, “July 2007″. July would be fine, as I said, it’s a pretty barren month on the platform, so now’s the opportunity for the reimagined classic to make its appearance. Nice website, too.

The original Alien Syndrome was a top-down shooting fest where you ran around in areas and shot waves of aliens. The game is also coming to PSP, but the Wii version has an assortment of interesting control ideas in it, including one that would feel very RTS: point at the target with the controller and squeeze the trigger. It sounds to me like a great control idea for just kind of sitting there, relaxing, and wiping away the onslaught of deadly creatures. The game features four-player co-op, which sounds like a lot of fun to me.

MARIO STRIKERS CHARGED
July 31st

I’m not a soccer/football guy, really. I didn’t have any interest in Super Mario Strikers for the Gamecube, and I’m not particularly jazzed about Charged, either. That said, I can already tell it’s going to be a hit and by all accounts, the game is very well put together with some surprisingly comprehensive online play features. The game’s been out in Europe already for quite a while, and the online play there has reportedly been smooth and error-free, which is a good sign. I think Nintendo made a good call releasing it there first, as it’s a smaller market and they’re more into the sport than we are across the pond. It’s a smart move to test it in that environment where fewer people will play the game a lot more. I think we’ll benefit from that in the long run.

With Manhunt 2 out of the picture for now, Charged is likely to be the Wii’s star this month.