With Guitar Hero 5, Champions Online and Mini Ninjas coming out this week, it looks like a great start in new game releases for September. Not to mention that the PS3 Slim is officially released on Tuesday, September 1. Hit the jump for the full list of new games coming out this week, along with my pick of the week.
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I love Johnny Cash. You love Johnny Cash. These guys love Johnny Cash. Everyone loves Johnny Cash. The late singer and his song Ring of Fire appear in Guitar Hero 5, which hits shelves September 1st.

Contrary to my usual anti-Activision diatribes, I’ve been pretty positive about Guitar Hero 5 ever since the setlist was announced in May. As a huge fan of Vampire Weeekend, Stevie Wonder, and Bob Dylan, I can’t complain about the partial setlist, but I can complain about this- Activision sent out the Guitar Hero 5 box art today, and it’s, well, bad.

You can make your own judgment on the box art after the jump, but I think it’s too plain. Usually, I like minimalism, but when the minimalism is akin to Googling “trunk” and plastering your logo on the picture you find, you should probably just go with the usual box art shenanigans. Plus, what’s with all the text?

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Another day, another Guitar Hero story, but this one is sure to have some of the franchise’s fans excited. USA Today announced some brand new features for Guitar Hero 5(Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii) as well as a partial setlist featuring tracks by Tom Petty, White Stripes, Bob Dylan, Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder, Johnny Cash, Santana, and Vampire Weekend. Now, regardless of how you feel about the franchise, you’ve got to admit- that is a fantastic setlist.

USA Today also announced the brand-new Fest mode that allows people to battle at home or online for scores. As always, 4 can compete at home, but with the inclusion of online battles, 8 players in total can compete online, for “momentum points”. Another mode they detailed was Party Play, which lets you join songs, switch instruments, or change the difficulty level-mid-game. Activision’s creative director says that GH5 will have a lot more variety, with more indie artists, classic rock, and heavy metal.

Call me a hypocrite if you want, but if the setlist continues to be this great, and the features keep rocking, this might be the first GH game I’ve picked up since Guitar Hero 2 back in ‘06. Plus, Vampire Weekend! I’ve been asking for their songs since Rock Band came out, but I guess Activision beat Harmonix to the punch. Hit the jump for the partial setlist.
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As if you didn’t have enough games backtracked to carry you into the New Year, today, at an event hosted by Massive Inc., Activision announced a shitload of new games, though they’re mostly sequels to old titles. Hit the jump for the full details. Read more…