George got so deep into Halo 3 this month that the Covenant couldn’t even find him, so I am going to try to fill in his MJOLNIR shaped boots for the Ones to Watch on the Xbox 360 in the month of June.  There is a rather large list of games coming to those that own the 360, including games for the Ninja, race car driver or spiky hair side of your personality, so get ready to get your game on.  Well, I guess there is that whole achievement thing too, but who plays games just to boost their achievement score?

Known for its insane difficulty and visceral violence, Ninja Gaiden was a huge hit on the original Xbox and now it has spawned a sequel for the current gen Xbox 360 console.  Still sporting a tougher than average difficulty, the game also has some fantastic looking graphics while upping the ante on the sheer amounts of blood that is shed by the enemy.  You also have access to Ninja theater, which will allow you to create a highlight reel of your current exploits and upload them to Xbox Live.  One downer for hardcore fans of the series is that auto-healing feature that has been introduced to the series.  After the end of each encounter, you can regenerate health, which could take away some of the difficulty for some players, while making it easier to get new players into the game.  Look for it June 3rd.

Fans of the TOCA series racing games from Codemasters, have a new entry coming in this month, and it goes by the name GRID.  GRID takes the physics and graphics of Colin McRae’s DiRT and moves it to more traditional circuits.  Damage modeling also is here in full glory, where your car will show dents and scrapes, while accumulating internal damage to the point of your car failing.  Xbox Live adds multiplayer racing with up to 12 people on one track, which should add to the fun.  The game does have a career mode, but does not have a way to link the events, one of the lasting complaints that I had with DiRT, so maybe that will be fixed in this outing.

For the adventurer in you, we have Lego Indiana Jones coming, with a slew of options for you to get to while playing the game.  With over 60 unlockable characters, hidden treasures to find and a great drop in, drop out co-op features that should give the player a lot of value for the buck.  It also gives parents a great game to play with their kids as all the violence of the movies is laughed away with comedic cut scenes that are safe for all viewers.  About the only issue that some may have with the game is that completing it can be a chore to get some of the harder items in the game.  Look for it June 3rd.

Sitting at my desk while I am writing this, I can hear the sound of Hulk Hands coming from my son’s room and it makes me realize that this time around, the movie tie-in game for The Incredible Hulk should be a lot better as it follows the Ultimate Destruction mode of gameplay, rather than stealth Banner gameplay.  A goregeously rendered New York City has been rendered together for you to get your inner Hulk on.  Everything can be destroyed or used for a weapon, but the Army does not take kindly to large gamma beasts destroying cities.  Look for the game June 5th.

Many many times, we have hoped for a good Dragonball Z game.  They have been released by the truckload, but now for the first time, there is some hope on the horizon as Dragonball Z: Burst Limit actually looks to break the streak to become a solid playing fighting game.  The game has several modes of play, including a story mode that follows the series from its beginnings all the way up to the Cell saga.  As you play through the story mode, you will switch up characters giving you a chance to see the action from several different people.  Multiplayer is present as well over Xbox Live, where you will find a robust set of options, where you see leaderboards and rankings that track your progress against random fights online.  Look for the game June 10th.

Don King is one of the greatest sports icons out there right now.  Love him or hate him, he is sure to evoke emotions, and now he is bringing his name and vernacular to the video game world in Don King Presents Prizefighter.  The game is going to take a ligher approach to boxing, and simplifying things.  You are not looking for Fight Night here, but more of the whole boxing experience.  Along with Don King, several big names have signed on to be in the game including Larry Holmes and Mike Tyson.  The biggest question about the game is whether the fighting sequences are going to be fun or frustrating, but considering the audience they are trying for, I lean more towards the latter.  Look for it June 10th.

Okay, Battlefield Bad company has gone through some rough patches and a bit of controversy over its ideas to make bonus weapons available via download from the marketplace.  Now, with that controversy behind the developers, DICE has focused on bringing players a well thought out single player campaign that has you following a plot similar in nature to Three Kings.  You have found that there is money to be found and your company decides to strike out to get rich in the middle of a war.  Multiplayer is here as well, a staple of the Battlefield series.  Sadly, the multiplayer number was dropped from 64 players to 24, leaving people to wonder if the game’s multiplayer component is suffering with lag.  Look for the game June 23rd.

Good old Edward Camby is back after a long hiatus, and as always the man is being sucked into an action-adventure game of supernatural proportions.  The main draw to the game are the wicked physics that have been shown off in several gameplay videos.  The story also seems to be kicked up a few notches with Edward trying to figure out what is going on below Central Park in New York City.  Not much else has been said about the game beyond the tech demos, so one has to have questions about how strong the story and scares will be, but one hopes that Atari will step up to the place to knock it out of the park.  Look forthe game on June 24th.

Just in time for all the major competitions on the Tennis Tour, Top Spin 3 is set to give players a graphically stunning, yet mechanically sound version of tennis on the Xbox 360.  Most of the pros are here, each modeled in stunning detail, and with their own quirks and styles of play.  Legends, like Boris Becker, show up as well to give players extra challenge.  The arenas have been modeled on real life venues, as well as throwing in a few made up ones to give the game some spice.  Multiplayer is present including the new world tour mode that puts players into a 64 player bracket over a two week period.  Hopefully, lag does not rear its ugly head, as it could kill the accuracy of the game.  Look for it June 23rd.

I debated with myself long and hard beforre including this one as a One to Watch, but in the long run, the long staying power and library of Aerosmith put it over the top and got it added to the list.  Guitar Hero: Aerosmith will put a focus on the band of the same name, with songs coming from their vast catalog of hits going back 30+ years.  Each of the band members came in for mo-cap work and the stage has been setup in a way that the in-game characters mingle more on stage, which is a trademark of Stephen Tyler and company.  The actual set list has not leak its way out to the public as of yet, but if they include “Walk this Way” with Run DMC and Aerosmith, I might be swayed over to the game.  Just don’t expect to see DLC in a timely manner and you are set.  Look for it June 29th.

So there you go, the Ones to Watch on the Xbox 360.  There are a few other games out there, but they have some issues that keep them from the list.  Most notably is The Bourne Conspiracy.  While it has big potential, a poor demo has really put it on a sour list and it will take a lot for players to enjoy what is happening in the game.  Look for George to be back next month and writing this column with his own signature style.