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

Here we are, right at the beginning of October and we have a huge heaping of games for you to look at and purchase with your hard earned dollars.  There are nine, yes nine titles to look at this month, and that does not include some of the great collections that are hitting this month as well with Dragon Age and Borderlands both getting the Game of the Year treatment this month.

As for our case mod this month, it is more about the mod around the case rather than the case itself.  It seems that someone thought it would be a great idea to put an Xbox 360 inside the dash of a Suzuki car.  Sure, there can’t be a downside to playing a game while driving a movie vehicle, right?  If you want to read more, head over to xboxfreedom.com to see more from this mod as well as several others of interest.

We hope you enjoy the games we have selected for the Ones to Watch on the Xbox 360 this month, and don’t forget to check out the Ones to Watch for the Wii/DS, PSP/PS3 and PC this month.

Enslaved: Odyssey to the West (Namco Bandai/Ninja Theory) – Ninja Theory becomes the latest company to take a shot at the old school Japanese folk story about a journey featuring a man/monkey, a girl and a pig/man.  Yeah, I am not sure how it all works either, but I know enough of the story to see some of the parallels that Ninja Theory has created with Enslaved.  As with any Ninja Theory game, the facial animations and motion capture of the movements is easily top notch, but as always, it will come down to how well the combat plays out, as this has always been a weak spot in any Ninja Theory game.  Enslaved: Odyssey to the West is set to release on October 5, 2010 at retailer shelves everywhere.

NBA 2K11 (2K Sports) – The funny thing about this new NBA title is that the 2K Sports folks have put a lot of focus on the Jordan Challenge aspect of the game, missing out on the fact that there is a much improved basketball engine this time around.  However, it does make sense that you are going to focus on netting a big signing when it comes to Michael Jordan, and the challenges are pretty good, and authentic down to the arena layouts and players that are on the courts.  Add to the fact that any of those players can be imported into custom drafts and it just becomes a cherry on top of this huge sundae of a game.  I hope that some of the weird statistical glitches stay out of this title, and that the new controls for dribbling do not throw people off too much.  NBA 2K11 is set for retail release on October 5, 2010.

DefJam Rapstar (Konami/4mm Games) – Okay, so we have Singstar, Rock Band, Guitar Hero and Lips all delivering high quality vocals for your gaming pleasure, so why go after DefJam Rapstar?  Well, simply for the music.  DefJam Rapstar is set to feature a gaggle of rap artists that have yet to be featured in a vocal game.  With Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, Beastie Boys, Kurtis Blow, Whodini and more showing up in this rap game, it appears to have both old school and new fans of rap music placated.  What does bother me is that all of the vocal tracks in this game come straight from the video or radio edits for the songs, rather than the original uncut tracks.  I want to drop my f-bombs and b-bombs in all their glory rather than having to bleep out or say something stupid like friggin or FRAK!  Look for DefJam Rapstar on retail shelves October 5th, 2010.

Lucha Libre: Heroes Del Ring (Slang Entertainment/Konami) – I was rather sad when this game was delayed back in August 2010, but it is now coming out for the Xbox 360 after getting a few layers of polish from developer Slang Entertainment.  Lucha Libre looks to take a a spin on the normal wrestling game by setting it in the world of Mexican Wrestling, pitting the Technicos vs the Rudos for supremacy in the ring.  There are single player and multiplayer options galore for you to choose from, so there should be a host of items to keep players entertained with the title.  However, it is a new developer trying to crack the wrestling hold that is currently held by the THQ wrestling series.  It also does not help that it did look a bit rough back at E3, so one has to hope that the delay helped with cleaning up the game a bit.  Look for Lucha Libre: Heroes Del Ring is dropping to retail on October 12, 2010.

Fallout New Vegas (Obsidian Entertainment/Bethesda Softworks) – The revival of the Fallout series was met with a lot of skepticism, but after its release, gamers were immensely satisfied with the story and the action that was in Fallout 3.  Now we are getting an extension of that series from developer Obsidian Entertainment in Fallout New Vegas.  On top of being set in a location that will be vaguely familiar to those that might have played the first Fallout, it also investigates a part of the world that did not get hit directly by the bombs in the US/China war.  We see skyscrapers completely intact and less mutants and ghouls than we saw in the first three games.  Mix in a top notch vocal cast and hoyou have a solid hit on your hand.  I do worry about Obsidian being at the helm, as the have been very hit or miss over the last few years.  Alpha Protocol is fresh on my mind, so it does bring a bit of concern for this title, but lets hope that their return to a familiar frachise will break the streak for them.  Fallout New Vegas will drop to retail on October 19th, 2010.

Fable III (Microsoft Games Studio/Lionhead Studios) – The second Fable game in the series was a big hit or miss with fans depending on who you asked.  Some people were gripped into its story and characters, while others were put off by the combat and little things like the cookie crumb trail that was there to guide you to your next mission.  I will be honest that I never finished Fable II.  I loved the first game on PC, and I picked up the second one, but it never really locked me in.  The third one looks to not only provide gamers with combat and a story, but will also see the gamer’s character ascend to a leadership role, where you will have to apease the populace.  Not sure if I want Civ to mix into my Fable title, but with John Cleese providing some great vocals and what appears to be a top notch story, I am hopeful for this latest iteration in the Fable series.  Fable III is set to hit retail shelves on October 26th, 2010.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 (Lucasarts) – The Foce Unleashed was a a surprising hit on the Xbox 360.  It was released as the development team was being laid off, and was dragging around with average reviews.  Where it did seem to have universal praise was in its story, a story which bridged some of the game from the third movie to the fourth entry.  It was full of interesting characters, solid plot twists, and even included some alternate universe twists for those that wanted a little extra from the game.  For this next title to be successful, it has to keep up the excellent story from the first game, as well as mixing up combat a bit more.  So far in the trailers leading up to the game have been looking amazing, and the combat looks fresh and polished as well.  Look for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 on October 26th, 2010.

Rock Band 3 (Harmonix/MTV Games/EA Games) – After dabbling in the single band focused titles for the last few years, Harmonix has turned their focus toward the main platform for music, Rock Band.  Now in its third iteration, the franchise looks to elevate its game by including the new pro mode for each of its instruments, including the new keyboard and full guitars.  Featuring a new 85+ tracks on the disc, and the ability to import your songs from all previous Rock Band titles (except The Beatles: Rock Band), you will have the ability to have 2000+ tracks at your disposal at launch.  The biggest hurdle this game has the idea that a lot of gamers seem to have fatigue with plastic instruments at this point in time.  Also, the new pro mode will only appeal to some, leaving the rest of the crowd possibly on the fence this time around.  Personally, I feel there are enough new features beyond pro-mode to pick this up.  Look for Rock Band 3 on retail shelves on October 26th, 2010.

Shaun White Skateboarding (Ubisoft) - The immediate vibe I got from Shaun White Skateboarding took me back to 1998 when I was playing Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2.  Yeah, back when Tony Hawk still meant that it was a good skateboarding game.  The Shaun White title looks to have fun tricks, combos and more while mixing in a story that has you terraforming the environment into something far more colorful and enjoyable for anyone owning a skateboard.  Sure, it is a concept that has been covered in adventure games and other genres over the years, but if it makes for fun skateboarding, I am perfectly fine with that.  I do wonder if people have become so enraptured with EA’s skate. series that they want something a little more gritty and real, but I think most will find a good time to be had with this game.  Shaun White Skateboarding hits retail shelves on October 26th, 2010.

And there you have it, the top titles that gamers should be looking at to spend their hard earned money on in October.  Sure there are a lot more titles that are good, but this looks to be the cream of the crop.  Think that we missed a game, or you completely disagree with this list.  Let us know in the comments below, or take it over to the forums to start up your own discussion on the best October has to offer on the Xbox 360.  See everyone back here in a month more more Ones to Watch on the Xbox 360.