Few things are worse than dropping $60 bucks on a game so you have something to play on the day of system release, only to realize after the fact that you bought the wrong one. If your game sucks, but you already overspent your budget getting the system in the first place, you just have to stare longingly at the options you could have taken but didn\'t.

Sure, the wise thing would be to wait a week for the second release titles, giving you time to leisurely read game reviews and calmly contemplating your decision while your Xbox 360 sits with nothing to do. And Live Arcade games don\'t count.

Let\'s take a look at some of the titles that will be available on the same day the system.

• Call of Duty 2:
  
  Call of Duty hardly needs any introduction. The World War II franchise has been one of the most successful in the genre, offering a semi-realistic and cinematic portrayal of the combat experience in the 1940s. The original has been compared to playing a interactive version of Saving Private Ryan, and its sequel is one of the most sure-fire titles in the Xbox 360 launch line-up. The success of Call of Duty 1, combined with an experience development team and a lot of good press coverage make Call of Duty 2 a pretty safe bet in terms of a solid game experience. While there\'s a chance that an unproven title like Kameo or King Kong might break free and show Call of Duty up, there\'s a lot less risk in picking up Call of Duty 2 without reading a review first. It might not be pressing the envelope in terms of game design or play dynamics, but if you like World War II shooters, Call of Duty 2 is about as close as you\'re going to get to a game that\'s guaranteed to be solid.
  
  
  • Available by: 11/22/05
    
  • Publisher: Activision
  
  
  
  
• Dead or Alive 4:
  
  The only fighter that\'s going to be available on launch day, Dead or Alive 4 is almost assured to be a strong seller. The Dead or Alive series is know for its quick combat and bouncy women, and we can expect more of the same in Dead or Alive 4. The power of the Xbox 360 has been used to open up the levels, add character animations, and up the graphics, but fundamentally you can expect the same sort of gameplay that you found in past titles. For some, that\'s great. For others, that\'s hardly next-generation. It\'s yet to be seen if the improved graphics and extra horsepower end up making Dead or Alive 4 all that much better than past titles, but considering it\'s the only way you\'re going to get a fighting fix on the 360 right at first, who cares? It\'ll be a solid game built on dynamics we\'re familiar with.
  
  
  • Available by: 11/22/05
    
  • Publisher: Tecmo
  
  
  
  
• Kameo: Elements of Power:
  
  Rare\'s first big title to appear on the Xbox 360, Kameo: Elements of Power is an original intellectual property; that means it\'s entirely untested. The results could be a game that\'s great, containing a new perspective, new world, and unexpected gameplay. It also means that there\'s no history to judge how the game will play, and whether you\'ll be happy or sad that you picked it up. Though Rare itself is well known for producing quality games, their current generation releases have been both hit and miss (Conker, Grabbed by the Ghoulies). The track record alone is not enough to base a solid opinion on, but previews and hands-on demonstrations have been extremely strong. Placing you in control of a fairy capable of shifting shape, Kameo splits Zelda-like adventure with large scale combat involving thousands of A.I. enemies at a time. Will it be a hit? A great game? Who knows, but with significant hyping from Microsoft, Kameo is the game many Xbox 360 players will have in their system on launch day. It\'s not as sure fire as a game like Call of Duty 2, but it has the potential to be brilliant. Picking this baby up on launch is a fairly safe way to be risky.
  
  
  • Available by: 11/22/05
    
  • Publisher: Microsoft
  
  
  
  
• King Kong:
  
  For the adventurous at heart, King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie might be your dream come true. This translation of the upcoming King Kong movie is risky simply because 95% of all games based on movies seem to suck. Ignoring that, King Kong could easily be one of those unexpected hits, sporting beautiful graphics and a giant ape. Not to mention a dinosaur. Hands-on previews and press coverage have been extremely positive, so far, but seem to focus primarily on the graphics ? how well the whole experience will fit together as a game is still a bit unproven. Rumors have it that Peter Jackson, the director of the King Kong movie, played a role in shaping the game by suggesting things like not having any sort of heads-up display on the screen. Will it be good, bad? Too early to say. High risk, since it\'s not based on an existing franchise, but great possibility. Many of us here at GamesFirst have laid our bets down on this one here.
  
  
  • Available by: 11/22/05
    
  • Publisher: Ubisoft
  
  
  
  
• Madden NFL 06:
  
  Every genre seems to be addressed by at least one title at launch, or at least almost, and sports are no exception. Sports fans have the Xbox 360 version of Madden NFL \'06 to look forward to. Madden branded football has been around for nearly as long as there have been video games, with a mix of success. Madden NFL \'06 on the Xbox fared relatively well, scoring average reviews in the mid-80s. The Xbox 360 version throws in some added features and ? of course ? some extra graphical treats. If you have Madden NFL \'06 on the past generation, you\'ll have to think twice before picking it up again. However, if you like football and want a sports title on your 360, Madden is offering pretty much the only way to do it the week of launch. Wait seven days and you\'ll have titles like Top Spin 2, NBA 2K6, Amped 3, and Tony Hawk\'s American Wasteland to consider, but that won\'t really help you when you get home with your brand new 360 and have nothing to play.
  
  
  • Available by: 11/22/05
    
  • Publisher: Electronic Arts
  
  
  
  
• Need for Speed Most Wanted:
  Another first to the plate title, Need for Speed Most Wanted will be the only way for gamers to get their racing fix when the system first hits the shelves. That\'s not a bad thing, though. The Need for Speed franchise is one of the more successful racing properties around. The street racer isn\'t exclusive to the Xbox 360, coming out on the Xbox, GameCube, and PS2 as well, but if you\'re looking for next generation, the 360 is the way to go. This latest iteration of the series introduces a image that\'s less clean, with more dirt than the ultra-sharp appearance of the originals. Expect cops to chase you down if they get the chance. Much like Madden NFL and King Kong, Need for Speed are not titles that are only available on the Xbox 360, but if you want racing, EA\'s title is the only way to go on launch day. Ridge Racer 6 and Test Drive Unlimited hit shelves just one week later, though.
  
  
  • Available by: 11/22/05
    
  • Publisher: Electronic Arts