Xbox 360 North American Launch Line-up Confirmed

Eight days before the Xbox 360 console’s launch in North America, Microsoft officials have finally announced details of the console’s launch titles and its backwards compatibility with the existing Xbox. Eighteen new titles will be available on day one, Tuesday, November 22, including Perfect Dark Zero, Kameo and Project Gotham Racing 3. Following the previously announced delay of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion into next year, the only high profile absentee is Dead or Alive 4 (one of the first games ever to be unveiled for the console), which has been delayed until at least December. The full list of eighteen launch titles is as follows: Perfect Dark Zero (Microsoft Game Studios) Kameo: Elements of Power (Microsoft Game Studios) Project Gotham Racing 3 (Microsoft Game Studios) Amped 3 (2K Sports) NBA 2K6 (2K Sports) NHL 2K6 (2K Sports) Call of Duty 2 (Activision) GUN (Activision) Quake 4 (Activision) Tony Hawk's American Wasteland (Activision) Condemned: Criminal Origins (Sega) FIFA 06: Road to the World Cup (Electronic Arts) Madden NFL 06 (Electronic Arts) NBA Live 06 (Electronic Arts) Need for Speed: Most Wanted (Electronic Arts) Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06 (Electronic Arts) Ridge Racer 6 (Namco) Peter Jackson's King Kong (Ubisoft) The console can be seen to have strong support from the larger Western publishers such as Electronic Arts, Activision and Take-Two Interactive. Ridge Racer 6 is the only Eastern-developed launch title in the line-up (Sega’s Condemned is by Washington-based Monolith Productions, now owned by Warner Bros). However, it's possible that more Japanese-specific titles may make the Japanese launch, scheduled for December 10. Of the eighteen titles debuting alongside the North American release, seven are exclusives (including EA’s apparently marginal upgrade of FIFA 06), though this status may change for Amped 3, Condemned and Ridge Racer 6 over time. As for pricing, standard editions of Kameo: Elements of Power, Project Gotham Racing 3 and Perfect Dark Zero are all retailing for $49.99, but the Perfect Dark Zero special edition and all other third-party launch titles seem to be debuting at $59.99, according to EBGames.com.